Chapter 17: The Shadow of Veyr Mountain
The forest became quiet after Silas disappeared.
Evan stood at the edge of the camp, staring toward the northern mountains.
The pendant around his neck felt unusually cold.
Kaela walked toward him.
“You’re thinking about what Silas said.”
Evan nodded.
“He said someone is already at Veyr Mountain.”
“Do you think it was Aurelion?”
“I don’t know.”
Ronan joined them, his expression thoughtful.
“We shouldn’t assume it was him.”
Evan looked at him.
“Then who else would be searching for the same thing Elias was?”
Ronan had no answer.
Liora looked toward the distant mountain.
“Maybe we’ll find out when we get there.”
Evan nodded.
“Then we leave at sunrise.”
The group continued north the next morning.
The mountains grew larger with every hour.
The road became rougher, and the trees became thinner.
The air was colder now, carrying the faint scent of stone and snow.
Evan occasionally touched the pendant.
It remained cold.
But whenever he faced the mountain directly, the Fourfold mark beneath his glove became warm.
Kaela noticed.
“It’s reacting again.”
“Yeah.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Not yet.”
Kaela gave him a serious look.
“Don’t wait until it does.”
Evan smiled.
“I won’t.”
After a moment, Kaela looked away.
“Good.”
Evan noticed her expression.
“Are you worried about me?”
Kaela paused.
“Of course.”
Evan didn’t know what to say.
His face became warm.
Kaela noticed and smiled.
“You really are easy to embarrass.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Evan looked toward the mountain.
“Let’s keep walking.”
Kaela laughed softly.
By afternoon, they reached an old stone road.
It appeared to have been abandoned for many years.
Broken pillars stood on both sides, half-covered by moss and dirt.
Ronan examined one of them.
“This road used to lead directly to Veyr Mountain.”
“Used to?” Evan asked.
“The path was closed after Elias disappeared.”
Evan looked at the broken road.
“Why?”
“No one knows.”
Liora suddenly pointed ahead.
“Look.”
A large stone stood beside the road.
Four symbols were carved into its surface.
A flame.
A water droplet.
A lightning bolt.
A dark crescent.
Evan approached.
The symbols began glowing faintly.
His red eyes remained unchanged.
Nothing else happened.
Then the pendant around his neck started glowing.
Ancient writing slowly appeared beneath the four symbols.
Evan recognized the language from the Archive.
He read it aloud.
“Only those who carry the Fourfold may pass.”
Ronan looked at Evan.
“Try it.”
Evan placed his hand against the stone.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Rumble.
The ground shook.
A section of the road moved aside, revealing a hidden staircase leading underground.
Everyone stared.
Kaela looked at Evan.
“Looks like it chose you.”
Evan sighed.
“I was hoping for a normal road.”
Ronan smiled.
“That was never going to happen.”
The staircase led into a narrow underground passage.
Blue crystals embedded in the walls provided just enough light to see.
Evan walked at the front.
Kaela stayed close behind him.
After several minutes, the tunnel opened into a large chamber.
A single statue stood in the center.
It showed a young man holding four different symbols.
Evan recognized him immediately.
“Elias.”
Kaela stepped closer.
“So this is how he looked?”
Ronan nodded.
“According to the records.”
Evan studied the statue.
“Why would Elias build this place?”
Before anyone could answer, the wall behind the statue began glowing.
Words appeared one by one.
THE PATH REMEMBERS ITS MASTER.
Evan stared at the message.
Then another line appeared beneath it.
THE SECOND MUST CHOOSE.
Kaela looked at him.
“Choose what?”
Evan shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
The four symbols on the statue began glowing.
Fire.
Water.
Lightning.
Darkness.
Four faint lights appeared around the chamber.
Then four separate passages opened.
Ronan frowned.
“Which one do we take?”
Evan looked at the four paths.
The Darkness passage seemed different.
He could feel something pulling at him from within it.
His Fourfold mark grew warmer.
Evan stepped toward the dark passage.
Kaela immediately grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
Evan stopped.
“What?”
“We don’t know what’s down there.”
“I know.”
“Then don’t go alone.”
Evan looked at her.
“I’m not planning to.”
Kaela smiled.
“Good.”
Together, they entered the Darkness passage.
Ronan and Liora followed closely behind.
The tunnel eventually opened into another chamber.
Unlike the previous room, this one was small and almost completely empty.
A stone table stood in the center.
On top of it rested an old journal.
Evan slowly picked it up.
The cover was worn, but the Fourfold symbol was still visible.
He opened the first page.
Only one sentence had been written there.
If you are reading this, you have reached the beginning of my path.
Evan’s heart began beating faster.
“Elias wrote this.”
He turned the page.
The journal explained that Elias had discovered something beneath Veyr Mountain.
But he hadn’t written exactly what it was.
Instead, he described his discoveries about the World Gates.
The Gates are older than the kingdoms.
Someone created them.
But I could not discover who.
The next section was badly damaged.
Only a few words remained.
Aurelion believes…
The rest was missing.
Evan frowned.
“Again.”
Kaela looked at him.
“Again?”
“Every time we find something about Aurelion, part of it is missing.”
Ronan examined the damaged pages.
“Maybe someone removed them.”
Evan nodded.
“Or Elias removed them himself.”
The thought made the room feel colder.
If Elias had deliberately removed information about Aurelion, then perhaps there was a reason.
Suddenly—
Footsteps.
Everyone turned toward the passage behind them.
Evan drew his dagger.
The footsteps stopped.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
Evan immediately recognized it.
“Silas.”
Silas stepped into the blue light.
Kaela raised her weapon.
“Why are you following us?”
Silas looked at the journal.
“I wanted to make sure you found it.”
Evan lowered his dagger slightly.
“You knew about this place.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I needed to know whether you could reach it.”
Evan frowned.
“You tested me again.”
Silas nodded.
“I had to.”
“Why?”
Silas’s expression became serious.
“Elias made a promise.”
Evan became still.
“What promise?”
Silas didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes moved toward Evan’s Fourfold mark.
“To protect the next traveler who carried his power.”
Evan’s eyes widened.
“You’re saying Elias knew someone else would come?”
Silas nodded.
“He believed another Fourfold Traveler would eventually arrive.”
Kaela looked at Evan.
“And that’s why you were watching him.”
“Yes.”
Silas stepped closer.
“But there is something you need to understand.”
Evan tightened his grip on the dagger.
“What?”
Silas looked toward the mountain above them.
“Not everyone wants the Second Fourfold Traveler to reach the end of Elias’s path.”
The chamber suddenly shook.
Rumble!
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Liora stepped back.
“What was that?”
Silas turned toward the tunnel.
His expression changed.
“They’ve arrived.”
Ronan raised his sword.
“Who?”
Silas answered quietly.
“The people who have been hunting the Fourfold for generations.”
Evan’s grip tightened around his dagger.
His normal red eyes remained fixed on the darkness.
Then a distant sound echoed through the mountain.
A deep roar.
The Fourfold mark on Evan’s hand began to glow.
The pendant around his neck pulsed once.
Then again.
Evan looked toward the darkness beneath the mountain.
Something was coming.
Something that had been waiting for a very long time.
And somewhere beneath Veyr Mountain— something ancient awakened.