THE TRUTH THAT WAS BURIED

THE DOOR TO SECRETS...

The Guardian had vanished.

But its presence lingered.

Elias and Seraphina stood before the ancient door, its surface covered in runes that pulsed faintly with golden light. Unlike the twisted darkness of the Hollow, this door felt different.

Almost… welcoming.

Seraphina ran a hand over the markings. "This magic—it's old. But it's not corrupted like everything else here."

Elias nodded, pressing his palm against the center. A pulse of warmth spread through his skin.

The door unlocked.

With a low, rumbling groan, it opened on its own.

Beyond it lay a spiral staircase leading deep underground.

A cold draft swept up from below, carrying the scent of dust and something ancient.

Seraphina shivered. "You think he's really down there?"

Elias took a slow breath. "Only one way to find out."

They stepped inside.

And the door closed behind them.

DESCENT INTO THE UNKNOWN...

The deeper they went, the colder it became.

The stone walls, once smooth, turned rough and cracked—like they had been abandoned for centuries.

Golden lanterns lined the walls, but their flames burned unnaturally still. No flickering. No movement.

It was as if the air itself wasn't breathing.

Then—

A whisper.

Faint. Almost nonexistent.

"Elias…"

He froze mid-step.

Seraphina turned. "What's wrong?"

"You… didn't hear that?"

She frowned. "Hear what?"

Elias swallowed hard.

He had heard a voice.

And it had spoken his name.

THE PRISONER OF TIME...

The staircase finally ended at a large, circular chamber.

It was unlike anything they had ever seen.

The floor was carved with intricate sigils, glowing faintly. Massive stone pillars stretched up toward a domed ceiling, where an enormous clock was embedded.

But the clock wasn't moving.

Time had stopped.

At the very center of the room, a figure sat on the ground.

A man.

Wrapped in tattered robes, his hands bound in glowing golden chains. His head tilted forward, long strands of silver-white hair covering his face.

He was alive.

Barely.

Elias stepped forward. His heart pounded.

"Headmaster Varian?"

The figure stirred.

And then—

His head lifted.

Two piercing golden eyes locked onto Elias.

And suddenly—

The room shook

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH...

The moment their eyes met, a force slammed into Elias's mind.

Memories—but not his.

Flashes of a younger Varian, standing before a council of mages.

"The Watchers are lying to us."

An older mage scoffed. "You don't understand, Varian. This is bigger than you."

"Elias must never speak the word!" Varian's voice cracked with desperation. "If he does, it will bring the end of everything!"

The memory shattered.

Elias gasped, falling to one knee.

Seraphina caught him. "Elias! What just happened?"

Elias clutched his head. It wasn't just a memory.

It was a warning.

Headmaster Varian… had known all along.

THE LAST WARNING...

Varian's voice was weak, raspy.

"You… you should not be here."

Seraphina took a cautious step forward. "We're here to save you."

Varian laughed bitterly. "Save me?" His golden eyes burned into Elias. "Boy, do you even understand what you are?"

Elias clenched his fists. "I know enough."

Varian smirked. "No. You don't."

He yanked against the chains, and the sigils beneath them flared.

"This place is not a prison for me," he whispered.

"It's a prison for you."

Elias stilled.

Seraphina paled. "What… does that mean?"

Varian exhaled. "The Watchers didn't put me here."

His gaze darkened.

"I put myself here—to stop what's coming."

THE TRUTH OF THE ARCANE KING...

"The Arcane King is not a title," Varian said.

His voice echoed through the chamber, vibrating through the sigils carved into the stone.

"It is a fate. A cycle. An endless curse."

Elias's pulse pounded in his ears.

Varian's golden eyes bore into him.

"You are not a successor, Elias. You are a reincarnation."

Silence.

Seraphina inhaled sharply. "That's not—"

"It is the truth."

Varian tugged at his bindings. "The Arcane King has existed before. Many times. Each time, he has risen. Each time, he has burned the world to ash."

He leaned forward, voice tight.

"And now… it is happening again."

Elias felt his stomach drop.

THE UNSTOPPABLE DESTINY...

Elias shook his head. "No. That's not possible. I—I can choose my own path."

Varian's expression softened.

"That's what they all said."

The chains around his wrists flared, and the giant clock above them ticked forward once.

Varian's eyes darkened.

"The Watchers did not put these chains on me."

Elias's breath hitched. "Then… who did?"

Varian's lips parted.

And then—

A new voice spoke.

"I did."

The air shattered.

And a figure appeared in the doorway.

A man wrapped in a cloak of pure light.

Seraphina gasped. "Who—?"

Elias's body froze.

Because somehow—deep inside—he knew who this was.

The First Arcane King.