Chapter 97: New Revelations

Chapter 97: New Revelations

Silvia's POV

Silvia stared at the ancient mural, her mind whirling with the implications of Kael's words. A cycle? One that had repeated throughout history? She clenched her fists. How many times had humans and the underground race fought, neither side ever truly winning? And if history had taught her anything, it was that those who didn't learn from the past were doomed to repeat it.

She turned to Kael. "Tell me everything."

The High Mage gestured toward a narrow staircase at the far end of the chamber. "Come. The answers you seek lie deeper within the Citadel. But be warned—what you learn here may change everything you believe."

Dragon exchanged a look with her, his golden eyes full of silent warning. He didn't trust Kael, but Silvia had no choice. She needed the truth.

As they descended the spiraling steps, the air became colder, the walls lined with shelves overflowing with ancient scrolls and tomes. Magic pulsed in the air, the very foundation of the Citadel humming with power. The deeper they went, the heavier the feeling of something vast and unseen pressing against her senses.

Finally, they entered a dimly lit chamber. A single pedestal stood in the center, upon which rested an old, leather-bound book. Its cover bore an emblem she had never seen before—a symbol that seemed to shift when she looked at it, as if refusing to be fully understood.

Kael approached it with reverence. "This is the Chronicle of the First War. It is the only surviving record of how this all began."

Silvia reached out, hesitating only a moment before opening the book.

The Truth of the First War

The pages were brittle beneath her fingertips, the ink faded but still legible. As she read, images flashed in her mind—visions of a world before the fall, before the wars, before the monsters emerged from below.

The underground race had not always been confined beneath the earth. They had once ruled alongside humanity, two civilizations thriving together. But fear and greed had driven a wedge between them. Humans, terrified of their shapeshifting abilities and powerful magic, sought to control them, and when that failed, they sought to destroy them.

A great war had broken out, and the underground race, vastly outnumbered, had been forced into exile beneath the surface. But before they retreated, they had laid a curse upon the land—one that would ensure that one day, they would rise again and reclaim what was theirs.

Silvia's breath hitched. "They didn't start as monsters. We made them into monsters."

Dragon was silent, his expression unreadable. But she knew this must have cut deep. His people had been driven underground, their history rewritten as nothing more than beasts to be feared.

Kael nodded solemnly. "And now, the curse is nearing completion. The underground is rising again—not just because they wish to, but because the magic woven into the earth is forcing it to happen. The balance must be restored. One way or another."

Silvia closed the book. "Then we have to break the cycle."

Kael sighed. "Easier said than done. The forces at play are ancient and deeply embedded in the land itself. You may need to make choices you never imagined making."

She lifted her chin. "Then I'll make them. Because if I don't, who will?"

A Decision That Cannot Be Undone

Silvia turned to Dragon. "If the war has happened before, and your people have been waiting to reclaim the surface, what do they truly want? Just revenge? Or something more?"

Dragon hesitated before speaking. "My father—the last true ruler—wanted peace. But others, like Solomon Vladson, believe vengeance is the only path forward. If what Kael says is true, the magic that governs this war will force conflict upon us whether we want it or not."

Tarren, who had been silent until now, crossed her arms. "Then we have to find a way to stop the magic itself. If this cycle keeps repeating, it means the war is built into the foundation of the world. We need to break whatever keeps restarting it."

Kael's gaze darkened. "There is one way. But it is dangerous."

Silvia exhaled sharply. "Of course it is. Just tell me."

Kael walked to another bookshelf, pulling out a smaller tome bound in dark leather. "There is a place called the Hollow Nexus, buried deep beneath the land—older than even the Citadel itself. It is said to be the source of the binding magic that locks the fate of both races together. If you can reach it, you might be able to undo the cycle. But no one who has gone there has ever returned."

Silvia set her jaw. "Then I guess we'll be the first."

Dragon grabbed her wrist, his expression hard. "Silvia. You don't know what we'll find down there. You barely survived the Chamber. If this place is worse—"

She softened, placing her other hand over his. "I know. But if we don't try, everything we've fought for will be for nothing."

His grip tightened, then slowly, he exhaled, nodding. "Then we go together."

Kael studied them for a moment before nodding. "You'll need guidance. I will send one of our strongest with you."

Silvia arched a brow. "You're not coming yourself?"

The High Mage smirked faintly. "I have other preparations to make. If you succeed, we must be ready for what comes after."

As Silvia absorbed everything, a new realization struck her. If this cycle had continued for centuries, then there had to be other records. Other people who had tried to stop it before.

"Are there any other survivors?" she asked.

Kael hesitated. "One. But he is not a man you seek lightly."

Silvia frowned. "Who?"

Kael exhaled. "An exile from both the surface and the underground. The only person to ever walk away from the Hollow Nexus and live to tell the tale. His name is Varian. But he vanished decades ago."

Dragon's expression darkened. "I've heard whispers of him. If the stories are true, finding him won't be easy. And convincing him to help us will be even harder."

Silvia straightened. "Then we find him first. Before we go to the Hollow Nexus. If there's even a chance he can help, we need to take it."

Kael nodded. "Then your next journey begins. But be warned, Silvia. If you go down this path, there is no turning back."

Silvia inhaled deeply, steeling herself. "I know. But I was never planning to turn back."

The war wasn't just about humans and monsters.

It was about fate itself.

And she was going to break it.