Chapter 21: The Forgotten Path
The chamber was silent.
The black crystal had returned to its normal state.
Evan stood before it, still thinking about the image he had seen.
A man standing beside a World Gate.
The clothing looked exactly like the descriptions of Elias Veyr.
Kaela stepped beside him.
“You think that was Elias?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you believe it was.”
Evan nodded.
“Yes.”
Ronan looked toward the entrance.
“We should leave before Aurelion decides to return.”
Evan took one last look at the crystal.
“Agreed.”
They left the chamber.
But as Evan walked away, the crystal briefly glowed behind them.
Nobody noticed.
They returned to the main underground hall.
The path they had entered through was still open.
Silas stopped.
“Wait.”
Everyone turned.
“What is it?” Kaela asked.
Silas pointed toward the wall.
A new symbol had appeared.
The same star-shaped symbol from Elias’s pendant.
Evan approached it.
His pendant began glowing.
A narrow section of the wall opened.
Behind it was a small stone room.
Inside was a table.
On the table rested another journal.
Evan carefully picked it up.
The cover carried a single name.
Elias Veyr.
Kaela looked at him.
“Another one?”
Evan nodded.
“Apparently Elias left more behind than we thought.”
He opened the journal.
The first pages described Elias’s journey through the northern mountains.
Then the writing changed.
I have discovered a path beneath Veyr Mountain.
Evan continued reading.
It does not lead to another kingdom.
It leads toward a World Gate.
Ronan leaned closer.
“So there really is another Gate beneath the mountain.”
Evan turned the page.
The next part was damaged.
I cannot allow Aurelion to reach it.
Evan stopped.
Kaela looked at him.
“So Elias and Aurelion were already in conflict.”
“Yes.”
Evan continued.
The following page contained something unexpected.
Aurelion believes the Gates can give humanity control over every world.
Evan’s expression hardened.
“But Elias disagreed.”
The next sentence was barely readable.
The Gates are not meant to be controlled.
Evan closed the journal for a moment.
That explained part of their conflict.
But not everything.
He opened it again.
The final readable passage said:
If I disappear, the next Fourfold must not follow my path blindly.
They must make their own choice.
Evan stared at those words.
Kaela spoke quietly.
“Elias knew he might disappear.”
Evan nodded.
“And he knew someone else could come after him.”
Silas looked at Evan.
“That’s why he left these records.”
Evan closed the journal.
“Then I won’t simply repeat his journey.”
A sudden vibration shook the chamber.
Everyone became alert.
Ronan drew his sword.
“What now?”
The walls began glowing with faint lines of light.
Evan looked at his hand.
His Fourfold mark was reacting.
Kaela stepped closer.
“What’s happening?”
Evan shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
The star-shaped symbol on the wall changed.
It became a map.
A glowing line traveled from their location beneath Veyr Mountain toward a distant point.
Then another symbol appeared.
A small circle surrounded by four marks.
Evan recognized it.
“The World Gate.”
Silas looked at the map.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“That location shouldn’t have a Gate.”
Evan looked at him.
“Then the old maps are wrong.”
Silas remained silent. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Ronan pointed toward the map.
“How do we get there?”
The line disappeared.
Only the destination remained.
Evan looked at the journal.
“We’ll have to find the route ourselves.”
Kaela smiled slightly.
“Another mystery.”
Evan sighed.
“Of course.”
They returned to the surface before nightfall.
Veyr Mountain stood before them beneath the dark sky.
Evan looked at the stars.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt that his journey had a clear direction.
Not because he knew the answers.
But because he finally understood what he was searching for.
The truth behind the World Gates.
The truth behind Elias.
And the reason the Fourfold power had appeared in him.
Kaela stood beside him.
“Where do we go now?”
Evan looked toward the northern horizon.
“To the hidden World Gate.”
Ronan nodded.
“Then we’ll need supplies.”
Liora smiled.
“And somewhere to rest.”
Evan laughed quietly.
“That too.”
They began preparing for the next part of their journey.
None of them noticed the faint figure watching from a distant ridge.
The figure held a piece of parchment.
On it was the same map Elias had left behind.
A quiet voice spoke.
“So they found the hidden path.”
The figure folded the parchment.
“Then the race has begun.”
Far away, Aurelion stood inside the ruined fortress.
A messenger approached him.
“They found Elias’s second record.”
Aurelion closed his eyes.
“Then Evan is getting closer.”
“Should we stop him?”
Aurelion shook his head.
“Not yet.”
He looked toward the northern mountains.
“Let him find the Gate.”
The messenger looked confused.
“Why?”
Aurelion answered calmly.
“Because the Gate will reveal something even Elias couldn’t hide.”
And beneath the mountain, the ancient path remained open.