After a battle that had nearly cost him his life, Kael finally stood alone before the massive steel door beneath the lake— the secret Risto had guarded for years.
In his hand rested a weathered red-leather book — Unforgotten Elyndra —the key he had risked everything to obtain.
He didn't try to break the seal.
He didn't try to destroy it.
He simply read.
To others, the carvings upon the door were mere decoration.
To Kael, they were questions —
and the book in his hand held the answers.
His fingers traced the symbols on its pages, matching them one by one with the engravings on the door.
A silent dance of logic.
"They tried to read it as history," Kael whispered into the empty chamber.
"But it's a key."
When the final pattern aligned, ancient gears shifted within the wall.
"Click."
The steel door slid open soundlessly.
Inside, upon a stone pedestal, lay a wooden box.
And within that box — a pitch-black envelope, sealed with intricate batik-like patterns.
An envelope from his mother.
Kael's heartbeat quickened — that inefficient sensation he despised. Slowly, he unfolded the flap.
Inside, there was no love letter.
Only a blueprint… and a small handwritten note.
"Kael,"
His hands trembled as he recognized the handwriting.
"If you're reading this, it means Risto has failed.
Do not trust this seal.
Do not trust anything.
Burn the blueprint — now."