The red light continued to pulse at the end of the corridor. Kael stopped in front of the opening. Lysandra stood a few steps behind him. “Do you know where this leads?” Kael studied the inscriptions carved into the wall. “Yes.” He paused. “At least… I think I do.” Footsteps echoed behind them. Darius appeared first. Then Aldren. Ethan, Noah, and Adrian arrived a few seconds later. Noah caught his breath. “Why do you always leave without warning anyone?” Ethan gave him a look. “Because you never stop talking.” “That’s not a reason.” Adrian looked at the red light. “What is that?” Kael was about to answer when another presence appeared in the corridor. Two figures stepped forward between the Imperial Knights. Prince Lucien Arclight. And Princess Elara Arclight. Alaric Thorne walked just behind them. Kael turned around. “You should stay back.” Elara crossed her arms. “That’s a very polite way of telling us not to come.” Kael sighed. “That’s not what I said.” “That’s exactly what you meant.” The prince studied the red light. “We felt an activation from the main chamber.” Darius looked at Alaric. “And you decided to come see for yourselves.” Alaric nodded. “The mechanism could pose a danger to the Imperial family.” Noah muttered: “So now everyone wants to know what’s behind it.” Lysandra smiled faintly. “You just summed up the situation.” Elara stepped closer to Kael. “Do you know where we are?” Kael nodded. “Part of L-03.” “And you know this place?” Kael hesitated. “I may have seen it before.” Elara studied his face. She immediately noticed the change in his expression. “When you were a child?” Kael looked at her. “Yes.” The prince asked no further questions. He simply examined the walls. “Then we proceed carefully.” Kael nodded. Darius signaled for the knights to spread out. Two Black Ravens took position at the rear. The Imperial Knights formed a second circle around the prince and princess. Kael moved to the front. Nyxara, in her smaller form, walked silently beside him. The red light continued to pulse. Once. Twice. Three times. Then it went out. Noah frowned. “Was it supposed to do that?” Kael didn't answer. A low rumble passed through the floor. Everyone froze. The walls began to vibrate. Then a series of glowing lines appeared beneath their feet. They spread through the corridor like veins of light. Darius immediately drew his sword. “Everyone, fall back.” Kael raised a hand. “Wait.” The lines stopped in front of him. An inscription appeared on the wall. MULTIPLE CONNECTION DETECTED. Ethan frowned. “Multiple?” Kael stepped closer. A second line appeared. VEYRON ORIGIN: RECOGNIZED. Then a third. IMPERIAL ORIGIN: RECOGNIZED. Silence fell. Elara looked at her brother. “Imperial origin?” The prince stepped forward slightly. “The system recognizes us.” Kael stared at the inscriptions. “That shouldn't be possible.” “Why?” “Because this installation belongs to House Veyron.” Aldren slowly shook his head. “Not entirely.” Kael turned toward him. “What do you mean?” Aldren looked at the inscriptions. “Your father discovered something.” Lucian stepped closer. “An ancient alliance?” Aldren didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be searching through his memories. “The archives mention an ancient collaboration between several founding families and the Empire.” Elara frowned slightly. “Founding families?” “Yes.” The prince looked at the wall. “And Veyron was one of them.” Aldren nodded. “Veyron… and another house.” Kael waited. Aldren slowly turned toward the prince. “The Imperial family.” No one spoke. Elara looked at the door. “Why have we never heard about this?” Lucian answered: “Because the official records from that period are incomplete.” Kael ran a hand over the stone. A familiar sensation traveled through his arm. He briefly closed his eyes. An image appeared. His father. Younger. Standing in front of this very door. Beside him stood a man Kael didn't recognize. He wore an ancient Imperial armor. His father was saying something. Kael couldn't hear the words. Then the image vanished. He opened his eyes. Lysandra was watching him. “Did you see something?” Kael slowly nodded. “My father was here.” Ethan stepped closer. “Again?” “Yes.” Kael stared at the door. “But he wasn't alone.” The prince approached. “Who was with him?” “A member of the old Imperial Guard.” Elara exchanged a glance with her brother. Alaric straightened. “An old Imperial Guard?” “Yes.” Kael looked at the symbol carved beneath the inscription. A circle. Cut through by a vertical line. The same symbol found in the Rovenhart documents. His expression changed. “This symbol…” Darius stepped closer. “What about it?” Kael pointed toward the carving. “It’s the same one from the Rovenhart documents.” Aldren froze. Elara stepped closer. “Rovenhart?” Kael nodded. “They requested access to the western archives for years.” The prince looked at the carving. “And now we're finding their symbol here.” Elara crossed her arms. “That’s starting to become a lot of coincidences.” Kael didn't answer. He placed his hand against the door. This time, it reacted immediately. A white light appeared. Then a mechanical voice echoed through the corridor. HEIR RECOGNIZED. Kael remained motionless. Then a second line appeared. IMPERIAL PRESENCE CONFIRMED. Elara's eyes widened slightly. “It was waiting for two people.” Kael nodded. “Yes.” The prince studied his face. “Did your father plan this?” “I don't know.” A third inscription appeared. ACCESS GRANTED. The door began to open. Behind it, a staircase descended into the depths. Darius immediately stepped forward. “I'll go first.” Kael shook his head. “No.” Darius looked at him. “Kael.” “This door recognized me.” Kael then looked at the prince. “And it recognized him.” Elara stepped forward. “Then we move together.” Kael stared at her for a few seconds. Then he nodded. “All right.” Alaric signaled to his knights. “Close formation.” Darius gave the same order to the Black Ravens. They began descending. --- Meanwhile, in another part of L-03… Ethan was walking through a secondary corridor with Noah and Adrian. They had been separated from the main group after a door closed behind them. Noah looked at the door. “I'd like to officially state that I don't like this place.” Ethan sighed. “You can stop complaining.” “I'm not complaining.” Adrian looked around. “You've been complaining for five minutes.” “I'm making observations.” “They're all negative.” “That’s because this place is negative.” Ethan rolled his eyes. “Let's just find another way out.” Adrian ran his hand along the wall. “Wait.” Noah stopped. “What?” “There’s an inscription.” Ethan stepped closer. Dust covered most of the letters. Adrian blew across the surface. A series of characters appeared. STORAGE CHAMBER — V-18. Ethan frowned. “V-18?” Noah looked at Adrian. “Is that the same system as V-17?” “Probably.” Ethan placed his hand on the door. It opened. Noah stepped back. “Why are all the doors in this place opening now?” Ethan walked inside. “Because Kael activated the system.” “I preferred it when the doors were closed.” Adrian entered after him. The room was filled with shelves. Dozens of old boxes were carefully arranged across them. Some carried inscriptions. Others were completely blank. Noah approached one of the shelves. “How many are there?” “A lot.” “That’s a very scientific answer.” Adrian ignored him. Ethan examined the boxes. Then he noticed one. It was different. Newer. And, more importantly, it had a handwritten inscription. E. VEYRON. Ethan froze. “What?” Adrian stepped closer. “That's your name.” Noah looked around. “Why is your name here?” Ethan didn't answer. He picked up the box. It was light. He opened it. There was a single sheet of paper inside. He unfolded it. His eyes quickly scanned the lines. His expression changed. “Ethan?” Noah stepped closer. “What is it?” Ethan looked up. “It’s a note from my father.” Adrian froze. “Your father?” Ethan slowly nodded. He silently read the first few lines. Then he closed his eyes for a moment before folding the paper again. “He knew I'd come here.” Noah frowned. “Why?” Ethan looked at the box. “I don't know.” He turned the paper over. A sentence had been written on the back. “If Kael opens the door, don't let him go any farther alone.” Ethan remained silent. Noah looked at Adrian. Then back at Ethan. “Well.” He took a deep breath. “I think we just found something important.” Adrian nodded. “Yes.” Ethan folded the paper. “Then we're going back to Kael.” Noah nodded. “Finally. A reasonable decision.” Ethan turned around. Then stopped. “Wait.” Another box had lit up. It was at the very back of the room. No name. No inscription. Only a symbol. The same circle crossed by a vertical line. Adrian stepped closer. “Don't touch that.” Noah looked at Ethan. “Why?” “Because everything we touch here ends up activating.” Noah thought about it. “That’s actually pretty logical.” Ethan sighed. “Thanks.” The box opened by itself. A small metal object fell onto the floor. It rolled to Noah's feet. Noah stared at it. Then at Ethan. Then at Adrian. “I didn't touch anything.” Adrian crouched down. He examined the object. His expression changed. “This isn't V-17.” Ethan frowned. “Then what is it?” Adrian turned the piece over. A number appeared. V-18. --- Far below, Kael and the Imperial group finally reached a massive chamber. It was much larger than the previous ones. Stone pillars surrounded a circular platform. At its center stood a door. Not a wooden door. Not a metal door. A vast, perfectly smooth black surface. No visible mechanism. No lock. Kael stopped. He knew this place. Or rather… a part of him knew it. His breathing slowed. An image returned. His father stood before the same door. Young Kael stood beside him. The man in ancient Imperial armor stood on the other side. His father placed a hand on his son's shoulder. This time, Kael heard the words. “One day, you'll have to come back.” The image trembled. Then came a second sentence. “But when that day comes…” His father looked toward the Imperial man. “…he must not be alone.” Kael's eyes snapped open. Lysandra was beside him. “Kael?” He slowly breathed in. The prince stepped closer. “What did you see?” Kael looked at the door. Then at Lucien. Then at Elara. “My father knew.” “Knew what?” “That I would come back here.” He paused. “And he knew the Empire would be with me.” A heavy silence settled over the chamber. Elara looked at the door. “Then why?” Kael shook his head. “I don't know.” Suddenly, a sound echoed through the chamber. CLICK. The black door lit up. A red line appeared in the center. Then a second. A third. The lines slowly formed a symbol. The same symbol from the archives. The same symbol found on the metal piece. Kael stepped forward. The door reacted. But this time, something else happened. A second light appeared. Gold. It formed beside the red light. Elara stepped closer. The golden light reacted to her presence. The prince reached out his hand. The entire chamber lit up. An inscription appeared. TWO ORIGINS. Then: ONE DOOR. Kael looked at the prince. The prince looked back at him. No one moved. Then one final sentence appeared. THE HEIR HAS REMEMBERED. Kael felt his heart quicken. He placed his hand against the black surface. The door vibrated. And somewhere behind them, deep within the ruins of L-03, another door opened. This time, everyone heard it. A deep rumble shook the ruins. Nyxara suddenly raised her head. Her red eyes locked onto the darkness behind them. Darius drew his weapon. Alaric signaled for the Imperial Knights to take position. Lysandra moved closer to Kael. Elara looked at her brother. “What was that?” Kael didn't answer immediately. He looked at the black door. Then at Nyxara. Then toward the dark corridor. And for the first time since they had arrived at L-03, he understood something. They weren't alone in the ruins. Someone else had just entered. And this time… L-03 had recognized them.

The Second Door