The journey back to Asteria was much calmer than the trip there. No attacks. No hidden passages. No strange appearances. Just the steady sound of the wheels against the road and the occasional conversations between the knights. After several hours spent in the ruins of L-03, the quiet was almost strange. Kael sat in the first carriage with Ethan, Darius, and Nyxara. He watched the landscape pass by through the window. The forests gradually disappeared. The plains returned. Then, in the distance, the first towers of Asteria began to appear. Ethan looked at his brother. “You’re quiet.” Kael didn’t take his eyes off the window. “I’m thinking.” “Again?” “Yes.” Darius sighed. “He’s going to end up telling us he doesn’t know how to do anything else.” Kael turned his head slightly. “I know how to do other things.” “Sleep,” Ethan added. Kael gave him a look. “You really want to talk about that?” Ethan smiled. “No.” Darius looked at Nyxara. The Nocterys was lying beside Kael in her smaller form. “At least she’s sleeping.” Kael looked down at her. “She’s right.” “You could follow her example.” “I already did.” Ethan and Darius exchanged a look. Kael noticed. “What?” “Nothing,” Ethan replied. “You have a weird smile.” “Your imagination.” Kael shook his head. He knew perfectly well they were thinking about Lysandra. But, for once, he didn’t comment. He simply looked out the window again. Asteria was getting closer. And with it came the classes, the students, the professors... And all the questions he had left behind. --- When the convoy passed through the academy gates, the students in the courtyard immediately began gathering. The imperial mission had attracted enough attention that their return couldn’t go unnoticed. Noah was one of the first to get out of his carriage. “Finally!” He raised his arms. “I thought you were going to stay in that forest for three weeks.” Adrian stepped down behind him. “You’re exaggerating.” “Barely.” Lysandra got out next. Her eyes immediately searched for Kael. When she saw him, a small smile appeared on her face. Kael stepped out of the first carriage. Nyxara followed him. Noah approached. “So?” Kael looked at him. “So what?” “What happened after we got separated?” Adrian interrupted. “There’s a lot to tell.” “I know.” Noah looked at Kael. “And are you going to tell us?” Kael thought for a moment. “Some of it.” Noah smiled. “That’s already something.” Darius walked past them. “Let him breathe.” Noah turned toward him. “He just slept for several hours.” Darius stopped. “How do you know that?” Noah gave him a satisfied smile. “I know a lot of things.” Kael sighed. “So keeping that secret was impossible.” Lysandra approached. “Did you sleep well?” Kael looked at her for a few seconds. “Yes.” She smiled. “Good.” Noah watched the scene. Then he opened his mouth. Adrian immediately grabbed his arm. “No.” “But I didn’t say anything.” “Exactly.” Noah allowed himself to be dragged away. “You’re all against me.” Kael looked at Lysandra. She was clearly trying not to laugh. “They’re exhausting.” “A little.” Noah turned around. “I heard that!” Kael gave a faint smile. --- An hour later, the members of the expedition gathered in a private room of the academy. The Director was there. Lucian as well. Crown Prince Lucien and Princess Elara were seated on one side of the table with Alaric. Darius, Aldren, Ethan, and Kael occupied the other side. Lysandra, Noah, and Adrian had been allowed to stay. The doors were closed. The Director spoke first. “Before anything else, I want to know whether everyone returned safely.” Alaric answered: “A few minor injuries. Nothing serious.” The Director nodded. Then his gaze settled on Kael. “And L-03?” Kael placed his hands on the table. “It wasn’t just an old training ground.” “What did you find?” Kael exchanged a glance with Darius. Then with Lucian. “An ancient network.” The Director frowned. “Connected to Asteria?” “Partly.” Kael paused. “But not only Asteria.” Lucian spoke. “The systems seem to have been designed long before the academy took its current form.” The Director remained silent. Elara added: “And the Empire is also connected to their creation.” That immediately caught the Director’s attention. “The Empire?” Crown Prince Lucien nodded. “An ancient alliance existed between our families.” Aldren placed a file on the table. “There’s something else.” The Director opened it. Inside was a copy of the inscriptions discovered at L-03. His expression changed. “Rovenhart.” Kael carefully watched his reaction. “You know this symbol?” The Director raised his eyes. “Not personally.” “But you’ve seen this mark before.” “Yes.” Silence filled the room. Kael waited. The Director sighed. “In certain old documents.” “Which ones?” “Archives concerning several noble families.” Kael crossed his arms. “And House Rovenhart?” The Director hesitated. “It appears several times.” Darius straightened slightly. “Why?” “I don’t know yet.” Kael immediately understood that he wasn’t telling them everything. But he didn’t press him. Not in front of everyone. Prince Lucien then picked up another document. “We also found this.” He placed it on the table. An imperial report. At the top of the page was a reference. L-01. Kael stared at the document. His expression changed. “The Forest of Lorn.” The prince nodded. “Yes.” Ethan leaned forward slightly. “That’s where our parents died.” The silence became much heavier. Kael didn’t move. Darius placed a hand on the back of his chair. Lucian looked at Ethan. Princess Elara watched Kael. He understood perfectly. L-03 was only one part of the network. V-17 had led them to L-03. And now L-03 was leading them to L-01. The Forest of Lorn. The place where his parents had officially died. Kael slowly picked up the report. He read through the first few lines. Some information had been deliberately blacked out. “Who wrote this report?” Alaric answered: “The former Imperial Guard.” “When?” “Sixteen years ago.” Kael looked up. “Sixteen years?” Alaric nodded. “Yes.” Kael continued reading. One line caught his attention. ZONE L-01 — RESTRICTED ACCESS. Then another. ACTIVITY DETECTED AFTER INCIDENT. Kael frowned. “What does that mean?” Alaric answered: “We don’t know.” “But you kept the report.” “Because it was classified.” Kael placed the document down. “And no one investigated?” Alaric remained silent. Elara spoke. “Some Imperial archives were sealed after the accident.” Kael looked at the princess. “Why?” She shook her head slightly. “I don’t know.” The prince added: “But even today, my father refuses to allow certain files to be opened without Imperial authorization.” Kael stared at the report. His father. His mother. Lorn. Sixteen years. Another piece had been added to the puzzle. --- The meeting continued for a long time. Details were checked. Documents were compared. Accounts were examined. But one thing was becoming increasingly clear. L-01 was probably the next point in the network. And this time, it wasn’t simply an abandoned place. It was the place where Kael had lost his parents. When the meeting finally ended, the participants began leaving the room. Noah immediately approached Kael. “You’re going.” It wasn’t a question. Kael looked at the file. “Yes.” Lysandra joined him. “To Lorn?” Kael nodded. Adrian approached as well. “Then we’re going with you.” Kael shook his head. “It’s not necessary.” Noah immediately raised a finger. “Wrong answer.” Kael looked at him. “Why?” “Because you said exactly the same thing before L-03.” Adrian nodded. “And he was right.” Kael sighed. “You’re stubborn.” “Yes,” Noah replied. Lysandra smiled. “And you know it.” Kael looked at the three of them. Then at the file. “Fine.” Noah immediately smiled. “Perfect.” Adrian simply nodded. Lysandra remained silent. But her smile was enough. --- Later that evening, Kael found himself alone in the library. The building was almost empty. He had brought the L-01 report with him. A lamp illuminated the desk. The document lay open in front of him. Kael read the same sentence again. ACTIVITY DETECTED AFTER INCIDENT. After. Not during. After. He took a sheet of paper. Wrote: Lorn accident — 16 years ago. Then: L-01 — activity detected after the accident. Father knew about L-03. He added: Did Father know about L-01? Kael stopped. An idea crossed his mind. He turned the report over. Nothing. He opened the file. Several pages had been removed. Not destroyed. Removed. Kael frowned. He gently ran his fingers along the binding. Someone had deliberately taken the documents out. He closed the file. A voice sounded behind him. “You never sleep?” Kael turned. Lysandra stood in the doorway. “Not tonight.” She approached. “You said you would leave the questions until tomorrow.” Kael gave a faint smile. “I tried.” “And?” “It didn’t work.” Lysandra sat across from him. She looked at the file. “Lorn.” Kael nodded. “I feel like everything keeps coming back to that place.” “Maybe because that’s where everything started.” Kael remained silent. “Or where everything ended,” he added. Lysandra looked at him. “Do you really believe your parents died there?” Kael thought for a long moment. “I don’t know what I believe anymore.” The answer seemed difficult for him to give. Lysandra didn’t try to push him further. She simply placed a hand on the file. “Then we’ll find out the truth.” Kael raised his eyes. “Together?” “Yes.” He looked at her for a few seconds. Then nodded. “Okay.” Lysandra smiled. She removed her hand. “Now, you’re going to sleep.” Kael sighed. “Again?” “Yes.” “You’re becoming like Darius.” “Maybe it’s contagious.” Kael let out a quiet laugh. Then he finally closed the file. For tonight, the questions could wait. But one thing was certain. They would go to Lorn. And this time, Kael would not return there as the child who had lost his parents. He would return as the patriarch of House Veyron. As the heir who had found his path. And perhaps, for the first time, as someone ready to discover what had truly happened sixteen years ago. At the same time, in an unknown room somewhere inside Asteria, a hand slowly turned a page. A file carried an old name. V-17. A second page was opened. L-03. Then a third. L-01. A voice whispered in the darkness: “He found the path.” Another voice answered: “Then we must not let him reach Lorn.” The file closed. And somewhere inside the academy, a small red light turned on. L-01 CONNECTION: ACTIVE.

The Name of Lorn