Chapter 12: The Mark of the Fourfold
The Archive had finally become quiet.
The three masked attackers were gone, leaving behind a damaged doorway, scattered books, and questions that seemed to multiply by the minute.
Evan stood near one of the tall windows.
Far beyond the Archive, the enormous World Gate towered over Arclight, its ancient structure glowing faintly against the dark sky.
Evan couldn’t explain why, but he couldn’t stop looking at it.
His Fourfold mark felt warm beneath his glove.
It had been reacting to the Gates ever since he arrived in this world.
But this felt different.
Almost like the Gate was trying to reach him.
Kaela walked over and stopped beside him.
“You’ve been staring at that Gate for a while.”
Evan kept his eyes on it.
“It feels like it’s calling me.”
Kaela frowned.
“Calling you?”
“I don’t know how else to explain it.”
She looked toward the Gate.
“Maybe it’s reacting to your Fourfold power.”
“Maybe.”
Evan looked down at his covered hand.
“Or maybe it knows something I don’t.”
Behind them, the archivist carefully gathered the scattered documents.
Ronan examined the strange black object left behind by the attackers.
Liora returned several fallen books to their shelves.
After a few moments, the archivist approached.
“Evan.”
Evan turned.
“Yes?”
“Show me your hand.”
Evan hesitated.
“Why?”
“I need to examine your mark.”
Slowly, Evan removed his glove.
The Fourfold symbol appeared on the back of his hand.
Four distinct shapes surrounded a central circle.
The archivist stared at it for several seconds.
“This is not simply a magical mark.”
Evan frowned.
“Then what is it?”
“A connection.”
“To the World Gates?”
The archivist nodded.
“Exactly.”
Evan looked toward the distant Gate.
“So that’s why the Gates react whenever I’m near them.”
“Yes.”
Ronan stepped closer.
“Can that connection be broken?”
The archivist shook his head.
“Not according to any surviving record.”
Evan pulled his glove back over the mark.
“Then I’ll learn to control it.”
The archivist studied him.
“That is exactly what you must do.”
The archivist led them deeper into the Archive.
They passed through several restricted corridors before reaching a massive circular chamber.
The moment Evan stepped inside, he felt the mana in the room change.
Four enormous doors stood around the chamber.
Each one carried a different symbol.
The first bore a flame.
The second carried a water droplet.
The third displayed a lightning bolt.
The fourth was marked with a strange crescent-shaped symbol representing darkness.
Evan stared at them.
“The four elements.”
“Yes,” the archivist replied.
Kaela looked around.
“What is this place?”
“The Fourfold Chamber.”
Ronan’s expression changed.
“I thought this chamber was sealed.”
“It was.”
The archivist looked directly at Evan.
“Until today.”
Evan stepped forward. New chapters come out on g.com first.
The flame symbol suddenly began to glow.
Then the water symbol illuminated.
A flash of light passed through the lightning symbol.
Finally, the dark symbol awakened.
One after another, all four doors responded to Evan.
Kaela’s eyes widened.
“They recognize him.”
The archivist nodded.
“That hasn’t happened since Elias.”
Evan stared at the doors.
“What happened when Elias entered this chamber?”
“He opened all four.”
“And afterward?”
The archivist’s expression became serious.
“He disappeared.”
Evan lowered his gaze.
Once again, Elias’s story seemed to mirror his own.
The archivist walked toward the center of the chamber.
“Before you attempt to combine your elements again, there is something you need to understand.”
Evan listened carefully.
“Each element has its own nature.”
He pointed toward the first door.
“Fire consumes.”
His hand moved toward the second.
“Water adapts.”
The lightning symbol flashed.
“Lightning accelerates.”
Finally, he pointed toward the dark crescent.
“Darkness absorbs.”
Evan looked at his hand.
“And I can control all four?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The archivist shook his head.
“That is the mystery.”
Evan remembered his previous battles.
The burning sensation in his body.
The loss of strength after using multiple elements.
The terrifying moment when his Fourfold power nearly overwhelmed him.
“Elemental Overload.”
The archivist looked at him sharply.
“You have already experienced it?”
Evan nodded.
“Once.”
“Then you were fortunate.”
Kaela immediately became concerned.
“What happens if it happens again?”
The archivist answered carefully.
“Your body may not be capable of handling the amount of mana passing through it.”
Evan remained silent.
“And if I lose control?”
“The elements could overwhelm your mana channels and affect everything around you.”
Kaela stepped closer.
“Then we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Evan looked at her.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“Thanks.”
Ronan crossed his arms.
“Don’t rely on her to save you every time.”
Kaela glanced at him.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Evan laughed quietly.
For the first time since entering the chamber, the tension eased.
That evening, Evan and Kaela stood on the rooftop of the Archive.
The magical lights of Arclight stretched beneath them.
Above them was the dark, star-filled sky.
Kaela rested her arms against the railing.
“You really aren’t afraid?”
Evan smiled faintly.
“I am.”
“You don’t look afraid.”
“Being afraid doesn’t mean I have to stop.”
Kaela looked at him.
“That’s different from being fearless.”
Evan turned toward the city.
“I’m just trying not to let fear control me.”
Then she said,
“That’s why I trust you.”
Evan looked at her.
“You trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Even though I came from Earth?”
Kaela shook her head.
“Maybe because you did.”
Evan looked confused.
“Why?”
Kaela smiled.
“You’re different.”
Evan looked away.
“In a bad way?”
“No.”
His face became slightly warm.
Kaela noticed.
“Are you blushing?”
“No.”
“You are.”
“It’s cold.”
Kaela looked up at the clear sky.
“It’s really not.”
Evan pulled his collar higher.
“You imagined it.”
Kaela laughed.
For a brief moment, the Fourfold Traveler, the World Gates, and Aurelion didn’t matter.
It was simply two friends standing beneath the stars.
Then Evan’s mark suddenly became warm.
His smile disappeared.
He looked down.
A faint magical symbol had appeared on the rooftop.
Kaela immediately straightened.
“Evan.”
“I see it.”
Words slowly formed above the symbol.
THE FIRST REMEMBERS YOU.
Evan stared at the message.
Kaela’s voice became quiet.
“Elias?”
The words vanished.
The symbol disappeared.
Silence returned.
Evan looked toward the distant mountains.
If Elias was truly alive, someone had just confirmed that he knew Evan had arrived.
But how?
And why?
Far beyond Arclight, inside an ancient mountain fortress, a man slowly opened his eyes.
A faint Fourfold symbol glowed on his hand.
He looked toward the distant World Gate.
“Evan Vale.”
His voice was quiet.
He had waited a long time.
Now the Second Fourfold Traveler had appeared.
A figure stepped from the shadows behind him.
Aurelion Veyr.
“You contacted him.”
The man turned.
“I had to.”
Aurelion’s expression remained calm.
“You shouldn’t have.”
The man looked toward the distant stars.
“If Evan is truly the Second Fourfold—”
“Then he will eventually discover the truth,” Aurelion interrupted.
The man remained silent.
“And what will you do when he does?”
Aurelion looked toward the World Gate.
“I’ll make sure he never reaches it.”
Back in Arclight, Evan continued staring at the stars.
He didn’t know that his search for Elias had already begun.
He didn’t know who had sent the message.
And he didn’t know why Aurelion was so determined to keep him away from the Gate.
But one thing was becoming clear.
The path of the Fourfold Traveler had been walked before.
And somewhere beyond the mountains, someone was waiting for Evan.