The morning after his discovery, Kael couldn’t focus on anything.
Not the breakfast his mother placed in front of him.
Not the voices drifting through the streets outside.
Not even the sketchbook resting silently inside his satchel.
His thoughts returned again and again to the same fragment.
“…the seventh refused…” Three words.
That was all he had.
Three words…
and the certainty that someone had rewritten history.
He had expected relief after finding proof that he wasn’t losing his mind.
Instead…
The questions had only multiplied.
The academy felt unusually loud that morning.
Students filled the courtyards with laughter, discussing exams, magical duels, and the upcoming Founders’ Festival.
Banners decorated the bridges between the floating towers, each embroidered with the six symbols representing Elysion’s founders.
Kael stopped.
Six.
Again.
Everywhere he looked…
Six.
It was almost suffocating.
“You’re doing it again.” Lyra appeared beside him, holding two cups of steaming tea.
“Doing what?” “Looking like you’re trying to solve the meaning of existence before first period.” She handed him one of the cups.
“I figured tea would help.” Kael accepted it with a small smile.
“…Thanks.” She studied him for a moment before speaking again.
“You’ve been avoiding me.” The words caught him off guard.
“I haven’t.” “You skipped lunch yesterday.” “I was studying.” “You lied.” There was no accusation in her voice.
Only disappointment.
Kael lowered his eyes.
“…I’m sorry.” Lyra sighed.
“I don’t need you to tell me everything.” She paused.
“But if something’s wrong…” “…don’t carry it alone.” For a moment…
He almost told her.
About the mural.
The forgotten founder.
The strange book.
The impossible fragment.
The words gathered in his throat…
Then stopped.
Something inside him refused.
Not fear.
Instinct.
The same instinct that had told him not to mention the notebook.
“…I just need a little time.” Lyra looked at him for several seconds.
Then she smiled.
“A little time.” She extended her pinky.
“You promise?” Kael laughed softly.
“You still do that?” “You still break promises.” “…Fair point.” He hooked his finger around hers.
“I promise.” Neither of them noticed Professor Orion watching from the balcony above.
The morning lessons dragged on.
Professor Elric continued his lectures on early Elysion, speaking with the same enthusiasm as always.
“…and thanks to the wisdom of our six founders—” Kael stopped listening.
Instead, he began sketching absentmindedly in the corner of his notebook.
A spiral.
Again.
He sighed.
No matter what he tried to draw…
It always became the spiral.
Professor Elric suddenly closed his book.
“There is one place every historian dreams of visiting.” The classroom quieted.
“The Original Archive.” Several students leaned forward.
“It lies beneath this academy.” Whispers spread immediately.
“I thought it was sealed.” “It is.” “No student has entered those halls in over a century.” Kael’s heart skipped.
The professor smiled.
“Some knowledge is considered too valuable to risk losing.” Those words echoed inside Kael’s mind long after the lesson ended.
“You have that look again.” Lyra nudged him as they walked through the courtyard.
“What look?” “The one that says you’re about to do something incredibly stupid.” “…Do I?” “Every single time.” She crossed her arms.
“So…” “What is it?” Kael hesitated.
Then…
“I need to visit the Original Archive.” Lyra stopped walking.
“…Excuse me?” “I need to know if the old records still exist.” “You mean the archive nobody is allowed to enter?” “Yes.” “The archive guarded by professors?” “…Probably.” “The archive under the academy?” Kael nodded.
She stared at him for several long seconds.
Then burst into laughter.
“I knew it.” “What?” “You’ve completely lost your mind.” He couldn’t argue.
Maybe she was right.
That evening…
The academy emptied beneath the orange glow of sunset.
Students crossed the crystal bridges toward the city while teachers disappeared into their offices.
Kael waited.
Hidden beneath the branches of the silver oak.
Watching.
Counting.
One professor.
Another.
The groundskeeper.
Two librarians.
The eastern courtyard slowly fell silent.
Only then did he move.
His footsteps echoed softly through the deserted corridors as he made his way toward the oldest wing of the academy.
The building felt different at night.
Larger.
Colder.
The portraits lining the walls seemed almost alive beneath the flickering crystal lamps.
Every shadow looked deeper than it should.
Every hallway seemed longer.
At the end of one forgotten corridor…
He found it.
An enormous iron door.
Its surface was covered in ancient runes that pulsed faintly beneath layers of dust.
Above it…
A single inscription had been carved into the stone.
Knowledge remembers what the world forgets.
Kael froze.
His breathing slowed.
Those words…
They didn’t belong here.
Or perhaps…
They belonged here more than anywhere else.
He stepped closer.
Carefully.
His fingers brushed against the cold metal.
The runes shimmered.
For just an instant.
Then…
A low vibration spread through the door.
The ancient mechanisms groaned.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
The lock…
Moved.
One click.
Kael stumbled backward.
“…No…” He hadn’t used magic.
He hadn’t spoken.
He had only touched it.
Yet the door had answered.
Slowly…
Almost reluctantly…
It opened.
Only a few centimeters.
Just enough for darkness to spill into the corridor.
A freezing wind escaped from within.
It carried no scent.
No sound.
Only…
An overwhelming feeling.
As though countless unseen eyes had turned toward him.
Every instinct screamed at him to run.
Instead…
Kael took one slow step forward.
Then another.
The darkness welcomed him.
Behind him…
The heavy door closed by itself.
The echo rolled through the academy like a distant heartbeat.
Far above…
Professor Orion opened his office window.
His head snapped toward the oldest wing.
His face drained of color.
“…Impossible.” Without another word…
He ran.
End of Chapter 5