Chapter 2: Velmora Part 7
Part 7: The Archives' Hidden Key
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[Scene 1 – Arkalis Academy, Nightfall – Forbidden Archives Courtyard]
The wind whispered secrets across the cobbled stones of the Academy. In the heart of the oldest section lay the Forbidden Archives—a sealed complex guarded by spells lost to time.
Arshan stood in silence before its towering gate, the moonlight drenching his form in silver. Zyana's voice echoed in his mind.
> Zyana (softly): "Arshan... this place isn't just history. It's where truth was buried."
He reached into his robe and pulled out the shimmering shard Veyron had handed him during the last trial—an irregular crystal pulsing with faint violet light.
> Zyana: "That's a Soulkey. Only a master-level mage can forge one. And only the Archive's true gate responds to it."
With a slow breath, Arshan pressed it into the indent on the sealed door. A low rumble followed. Ancient glyphs ignited. The gates began to part—not just physically, but metaphysically. Space bent.
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[Scene 2 – Inside the Archives]
The temperature dropped. Rows of floating tomes, suspended crystal records, and mirror-scrolls hovered silently in a gravity-defying library of arcane knowledge.
Zyana kept whispering, her tone now sharper.
> Zyana: "Some of these books are alive. Don't touch anything without my prompt. And Arshan..."
> Arshan: "Hmm?"
> Zyana: "Something... someone is already inside."
Just then, a faint footstep echoed.
Arshan crouched behind a column. From the deeper shadows emerged a hooded figure, cloaked in blackened silver robes—an emblem stitched over the heart: a broken spiral.
> Arshan (internally): "That's not a student..."
The figure touched a large tome. The glyphs on its cover unraveled unnaturally. A fragment floated out—a memory fragment?
> Zyana (alarmed): "He's accessing restricted Chronicle Memory. That's illegal."
Suddenly, the figure turned—as if sensing them. A split-second silence.
Then BOOM—a distortion pulse was cast.
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[Scene 3 – Combat in the Archives]
Arshan launched to the side, dodging just before the marble floor cracked from the shock. Flames burst from his palm.
> Arshan: "Flare Spiral!"
A corkscrew of violet fire darted toward the intruder. The figure raised a palm. A pitch-black barrier appeared. Fire fizzled.
> Zyana: "His mana... it's corrupted. Drift-tainted."
Arshan gritted his teeth. He wasn't ready for this—yet he couldn't retreat.
The intruder pulled out a crystal dagger and charged. Arshan summoned another spell.
> Arshan: "Veil Step!"
He vanished briefly, appearing behind the enemy and launching a kinetic pulse. It struck—the hood was thrown back, revealing half a skeletal face, half human.
> Arshan (shocked): "A fused being...?"
> Zyana: "Experimented on... not born."
The being hissed and fled—shattering a mirrored panel and diving into the memory chamber behind it.
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[Scene 4 – The Hidden Key]
Arshan followed, breathing hard.
The chamber was circular, lit by soft blue orbs. In the center floated a crystalline box with six magical locks. Each pulsed a different color.
A riddle glowed above:
> "To awaken the past, one must wield all elements, But to unlock the truth, the forgotten must be remembered."
Zyana guided him.
> Zyana: "Focus. You've touched fire, air, and kinetic so far. Remember your lessons. Each skill Veyron gave you... they're not random. They're keys."
Arshan, focused and calm, channeled each learned magic:
Flame Spiral
Veil Step (Wind Shift)
Kinetic Pulse
Null Shock (recently taught to suppress mana surges)
Ice Bloom (learned secretly during a late-night class)
Earth Vein Ripple (his newest one)
Each lock responded. The box opened.
Inside: a sealed letter and a rune fragment.
> Zyana: "That rune... it's not from Velmora. It's from before. From the world lost in the First Calamity."
> Arshan: "You mean... the calamity before this world even existed?"
> Zyana: "Yes. And that letter... it's from the founder of Arkalis."
Arshan unfolded it—and his face went pale.
> Letter: "To the one who holds this key... If you're reading this, then the Drift has already returned. The academy was never just a school. It is a seal. A lock holding something far worse. And soon, someone will try to break it. You must not let them succeed."
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[Scene 5 – Aftermath – Veyron's Quiet Observation]
From a high tower, Professor Veyron watched the Archive's energy flow change.
He closed his eyes, whispering to himself:
> Veyron: "So... he found it. The key. Then the timeline's collapsing faster than I feared."
He turned.
Behind him, an old scarred blade lay across a broken pedestal. A symbol on it matched the rune Arshan had just unlocked.
> Veyron: "Arshan... what will you do now, chosen of the lost age?"
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Next Part (8): Whisper of the Founder
> Arshan learns the true history of Velmora, faces a hidden trial set by the founder, and a secret side mission from Zyana activates that may change his entire fate.