Chapter 3: Beneath the Emerald Forest

The carriage fell into darkness.

For a brief moment, Ethan Vale heard nothing except the terrified screams of the horses and Noah Blake shouting something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer.

Then the carriage struck the ground.

Wood shattered.

The wheels broke apart.

Ethan was thrown against the side wall before the entire carriage rolled onto its roof.

The impact drove the air from his lungs.

He landed on his shoulder and remained still, waiting for the pain to spread.

It did.

Everywhere.

His ribs ached. His left arm felt numb, and something warm ran down the side of his face.

Across from him, Noah groaned.

"My sandwich..."

Ethan slowly turned his head.

Noah was hanging upside down from what used to be the carriage ceiling. His hair was full of dirt, and one of his boots had disappeared.

Ethan stared at him.

"You are alive."

Noah opened one eye.

"That is not what I was going to say."

The carriage creaked.

A large piece of wood fell from above and struck the ground beside Ethan’s head.

Noah’s other eye opened.

"Actually, I have changed my mind. Being alive is excellent."

Ethan pushed himself up.

His body protested immediately.

The carriage had landed in a wide underground chamber. Roots covered the ceiling and walls, twisting through the stone like the veins of some enormous creature. Pale blue crystals grew between the roots, illuminating the darkness with a weak, unnatural glow.

The horses were gone.

The driver was nowhere to be seen.

The broken carriage rested at the bottom of a deep pit, surrounded by smooth stone walls.

Ethan looked upward.

The opening was far above them.

Too far to climb with his current body.

Noah crawled through the broken frame and landed beside him.

"Where are we?"

"Underground."

"I can see that."

"Then why did you ask?"

Noah looked at him.

"I was hoping you had a more comforting answer."

Ethan ignored him and examined the chamber.

The voice had spoken after they fell.

Welcome home, my king.

The words had not come from the forest.

They had come from beneath it.

The ancient creature he had sensed was still nearby.

Ethan could feel its presence through the mana in the air. It was vast, old, and deeply corrupted. Its energy moved beneath the stone in slow waves, like the breathing of something too large to fit inside the world.

Noah drew the small knife from his boot.

It was a terrible weapon.

The blade was short, the handle was cracked, and the edge was dull.

Ethan looked at it.

"Put that away."

"What?"

"You will hurt yourself."

"I know how to use a knife."

"You are holding it backward."

Noah looked down.

He was.

After a moment, he turned it around.

"I was testing you."

"Of course."

A low rumble traveled through the chamber.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Noah’s face lost its color.

"That was not you, was it?"

"No."

"Good. I would have been concerned."

Something moved in the darkness ahead.

Ethan raised one hand.

"No sudden movements."

Noah froze.

A shape emerged between the roots.

It was a wolf.

At first glance, it appeared similar to the Horned Direwolf Ethan had encountered earlier. Then it stepped into the light.

The creature was much larger.

Its body was covered in black scales instead of fur. Two broken horns curved from its skull, and its mouth was filled with long, silver teeth. A faint blue flame burned inside its empty eye sockets.

It lowered its head.

The mana in the chamber twisted around its body.

Noah whispered:

"That is not a wolf."

"No."

"What is it?"

Ethan studied the creature.

There were no living beasts like this during his first life.

Not in this region.

Not beneath the Emerald Forest.

But he recognized the traces of ancient magic covering its body.

"A Guardian."

The creature growled.

The sound shook the stone beneath their feet.

Noah slowly moved behind Ethan.

"Guardian of what?"

Ethan glanced at the massive sealed gate behind the creature.

Nothing had been visible in the darkness before, but now faint lines appeared across the stone. The gate was covered with old symbols and nine circular locks.

"Something important."

"That is not comforting."

"It was not intended to be."

The Guardian took a step forward.

Ethan reached toward his mana.

Pain erupted in his chest.

His damaged core struggled to respond. A weak stream of energy entered his pathways, moving slowly and unevenly.

He had enough mana for one spell.

Maybe two.

If the Guardian attacked, that would not be enough.

Ethan looked around the chamber.

There were no weapons.

No escape route.

No useful artifacts.

Only roots, crystals, a broken carriage, and Noah.

He looked at Noah.

The young man was gripping his knife with both hands.

His legs were shaking.

But he had not run.

That was either courage or poor judgment.

Ethan had always respected both.

The Guardian crouched.

Its claws scraped against the stone.

Noah swallowed.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"I am still deciding."

"That is not a plan."

"It is the beginning of one."

The Guardian lunged.

Ethan pushed Noah aside.

The creature passed between them, its claws tearing through the broken carriage. Wooden fragments exploded across the chamber.

Ethan rolled across the ground and came to a stop beside one of the blue crystals.

The Guardian turned faster than something that large should have been able to.

Ethan placed one hand against the crystal.

Cold mana rushed into his arm.

He pulled away immediately.

The crystal was not natural.

It had been created to store energy.

More importantly, it was connected to the locks on the sealed gate.

The Guardian charged again.

Ethan looked at the creature, then at the crystal.

His mind moved through possibilities.

The Guardian was powerful, but its movements were predictable. It was bound to the gate. The mana inside its body was connected to the ancient seal.

If Ethan could disrupt the connection...

The Guardian opened its jaws.

Noah shouted.

"Ethan!"

Ethan waited until the last possible moment.

Then he threw the small stone he had picked up from the ground.

It struck the Guardian’s nose.

The creature paused.

Its glowing eyes focused on the stone.

Ethan stepped backward.

"That was not the plan."

Noah stared at him from the other side of the chamber.

"You have a strange relationship with rocks and mushrooms."

The Guardian roared.

The sound shattered several crystals.

Mana exploded through the chamber.

Ethan raised his arm to protect his face.

The creature’s aura pressed down on him like a mountain.

His damaged core began to crack.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

The Guardian moved.

Ethan reached for the crystal.

This time, he did not pull away.

He forced his mana through it.

The crystal lit up.

The first lock on the ancient gate opened.

A shockwave swept through the chamber.

The Guardian screamed.

Its body twisted violently as black chains appeared around its limbs.

Ethan understood.

The creature was not protecting the gate.

It was imprisoned by it.

The ancient seal had used the Guardian as both a prisoner and a key.

Ethan placed his other hand against the crystal.

The pain became unbearable.

His veins darkened.

His vision blurred.

He could feel his body beginning to fail.

The second lock opened.

The Guardian collapsed onto one knee.

Noah stared at the gate.

"What are you doing?"

"Opening it."

"Why?"

"Because it is holding the creature here."

"That thing is trying to kill us!"

"It is not the real danger."

Noah looked at the sealed gate.

"Then what is?"

Ethan did not answer.

He had sensed it the moment he touched the crystal.

Something waited beyond the gate.

Something familiar.

Something that carried a fragment of his mana.

The third lock began to glow.

A voice whispered inside Ethan’s mind.

You came back.

Ethan’s hand trembled.

The voice was not the Guardian’s.

It was not the voice from the black hall.

It was his own.

The gate shook.

The Guardian lifted its head and released a deep, painful howl.

The chains around its body tightened.

Ethan forced more mana into the crystal.

The third lock opened.

Then the fourth.

A crack appeared across the gate.

Noah stepped toward him.

"Ethan, stop."

Ethan ignored him.

The crack widened.

A black mist seeped through the opening.

The air became cold.

Not ordinary cold.

This was the absence of warmth itself.

The blue crystals dimmed one by one.

The Guardian began to whimper.

Ethan stopped.

For the first time, the creature looked afraid.

The black mist moved across the floor.

It reached the Guardian’s claws.

The creature pulled backward, but the chains held it in place.

A shape began to form inside the mist.

A hand.

Then an arm.

Then the outline of a tall man wearing a long, tattered cloak.

Ethan knew that silhouette.

He had seen it in his dreams.

He had seen it in the black hall.

He had seen it standing before a burning world.

The figure stepped through the crack in the gate.

Its face was hidden beneath a broken crown.

Two violet eyes opened.

Noah stood beside Ethan now.

His voice was barely audible.

"Who is that?"

Ethan stared at the figure.

A thousand years ago, he had possessed nine fragments of power.

Each fragment carried a part of his soul.

His strength.

His memories.

His personality.

He had assumed the fragments were scattered across the world.

He had not expected one to be awake.

The figure looked at Ethan.

Then it bowed.

"Your Majesty."

Ethan felt something move inside his chest.

His damaged core responded to the figure’s presence.

The two energies recognized one another.

The black mark around his wrist burned so fiercely that he nearly collapsed.

The figure lifted its head.

"I have guarded your return for one thousand and six years."

Ethan’s voice came out quietly.

"What are you?"

The figure smiled.

"I am what remained of your first crown."

The Guardian suddenly attacked.

It broke through the chains with a roar and charged at the figure.

The crowned shadow did not move.

It raised one hand.

The Guardian stopped in midair.

Its body trembled.

The black mist wrapped around its legs, then its chest, then its head.

The massive creature struggled for several seconds.

Then it was pulled into the shadow’s body.

Silence returned to the chamber.

Noah stared at the empty space.

Ethan looked at the figure.

"You killed it."

"No."

The shadow turned toward him.

"I remembered it."

The words made no sense.

Ethan had learned long ago that the most dangerous people were often the ones who spoke in riddles.

He took a step forward.

The chamber swayed.

His knees weakened.

Noah caught his shoulder.

"You are bleeding."

Ethan looked down.

Thin black cracks had spread from his wrist to his elbow. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth.

The shadow noticed.

"Your vessel is failing."

"I am aware."

"You cannot contain your original authority."

"Then give me my power back."

The shadow was silent.

"That is not possible."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because your power is not gone."

The figure looked toward the ancient gate.

"It is still being used."

"By whom?"

The shadow’s violet eyes brightened.

"By the people who built the world after your death."

The chamber trembled again.

This time, the sound did not come from beneath the ground.

It came from above.

Voices echoed through the pit.

"Search the area!"

"Look for survivors!"

"Someone triggered the old seal!"

Noah turned toward the broken opening.

"Rescue party."

Ethan looked at the shadow.

The figure was already fading.

"Wait."

The shadow inclined its head.

"Your Majesty?"

"Your name."

For the first time, the figure’s expression changed.

Something like sorrow appeared beneath the crown.

"I had many names."

The black mist began to disappear.

"But you called me **Veyron**."

Ethan repeated the name silently.

Veyron.

A memory stirred.

A black tower.

A kneeling figure.

A promise made before an army.

I will wait for you until the end of time.

Ethan’s headache returned.

The vision vanished before he could grasp it.

Veyron’s voice became faint.

"Do not trust the academy."

"Why?"

The shadow looked toward the sealed gate.

"Because they already know you are alive."

Then it disappeared.

The black mist vanished.

The ancient locks went dark.

Only Ethan, Noah, and the unconscious Guardian remained in the chamber.

Noah slowly turned toward him.

"You are going to explain."

Ethan wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Explain what?"

"The terrifying shadow that called you king."

"He was confused."

"He absorbed a giant wolf."

"It was not a wolf."

"That is the part you are focusing on?"

Ethan looked upward.

The voices were getting closer.

"Can you climb?"

Noah glanced at the smooth stone walls.

"No."

"Then we need another way out."

"Excellent. I was worried we would simply stay here."

Ethan searched the chamber.

The sealed gate stood behind them.

The crystals were dead.

The Guardian was too heavy to move.

The hole above was too high.

Then he noticed something beneath the creature.

A narrow passage had opened where the Guardian had been standing.

Cold air drifted from inside.

Noah followed his gaze.

"That was not there before."

"It is now."

"Does it lead outside?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

Ethan looked into the dark passage.

Far below, something was moving.

"Because the academy is above us."

The voices reached the edge of the pit.

A rope dropped from the opening.

A man looked down at them.

"Are there any survivors?"

Noah raised his hand.

"Yes!"

The man began climbing down.

Ethan stepped toward the passage.

Noah grabbed his sleeve.

"Where are you going?"

"Forward."

"Why?"

"Because the people above are not here to rescue us."

The man descending into the pit paused.

His face was hidden beneath a silver mask.

A magical symbol glowed on his chest.

Ethan recognized it.

The symbol belonged to the **Eldorian Arcane Academy**.

The masked man raised one hand.

A blue spell circle formed beneath him.

Noah’s face changed.

"That does not look like a rescue spell."

Ethan looked at the ancient passage.

Then he looked at the masked stranger.

The stranger’s voice echoed through the chamber.

"Ethan Vale."

Ethan’s expression became cold.

The man continued:

"By order of Eldoria Arcane Academy, you are to be taken into custody."

Noah stared at Ethan.

"Why would the academy want you?"

Ethan did not answer.

The masked man’s spell circle brightened.

"Do not resist. Your body is already damaged, and your mana is nearly exhausted."

Ethan glanced at the blood on his hand.

Then he smiled.

It was not a warm smile.

It was not a friendly smile.

It was the first real smile he had worn since waking in this life.

"Interesting."

Noah looked at him.

"What?"

Ethan stepped into the dark passage.

"The academy knows my name."

Behind them, the masked man released his spell.

The chamber exploded with blue light.

Ethan pulled Noah into the passage as the spell struck the stone.

The entrance collapsed.

Dust filled the air.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Noah coughed.

"I have known you for one day."

"Yes."

"And already, I am being hunted by an academy."

"Yes."

"You realize this is your fault, right?"

Ethan looked into the darkness ahead.

Something deep beneath the earth opened its eyes.

"I have been told I make a poor first impression."

Noah sighed.

"That is the least of your problems."

Far above them, the masked mage stared at the collapsed passage.

A second figure approached him.

She wore a long white coat and carried a silver staff.

"Did you capture the boy?"

The masked mage shook his head.

"No."

"Did he use magic?"

The masked mage looked down at the black mark burned into the stone.

"No," he said.

"He used something older."

The woman’s expression changed.

"Did the seal react?"

The masked mage remained silent.

That was answer enough.

The woman tightened her grip around the staff.

"Then the records were correct."

The masked mage turned toward her.

"What records?"

She looked into the darkness below.

"The Black Sovereign has returned."

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