Chapter 9: The Six Seals
999 Words
The first rays of dawn broke over the Kingdom of Azul, but the palace remained unusually quiet.
No music echoed through the halls.
No servants hurried through the corridors with cheerful greetings.
Every conversation revolved around one question.
What lay beneath the palace?
Inside the council chamber, King Joseph stood before the gathered rulers.
“The Alliance Summit will continue,” he declared. “If we cancel it now, fear will spread across every kingdom. That is exactly what our enemies want.”
King Harald frowned.
“And while we continue celebrating, that tunnel remains beneath our feet?”
Master Kael stepped forward.
“Which is why we will investigate it immediately.”
King Aldren nodded.
“And who will lead the expedition?”
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“The Royal Vanguard.”
Cassian folded his arms.
“And Drakhar will accompany them.”
Before Kael could respond, Bashan smirked.
“You just don’t want us having all the fun.”
Cassian returned the grin.
“You catch on quickly.”
A few rulers chuckled, easing the tension in the room.
⸻
An hour later, the entrance beneath the arena had been secured.
Rows of torches illuminated the ancient staircase.
The Royal Vanguard stood ready.
Azul adjusted the sword at his waist.
Liora checked the tip of her spear.
Brakus tightened the straps on his shield.
Nyx silently sharpened one of her daggers.
Taren bounced impatiently on his heels.
Bashan cracked his knuckles.
Cassian and four of Drakhar’s finest warriors joined them.
Master Kael looked over the group.
“Remember why you’re here.”
“This is a reconnaissance mission.”
“If you discover anything unusual, you report it.”
“No unnecessary risks.”
Taren whispered to Brakus, “Whenever he says ‘no unnecessary risks,’ unnecessary risks usually find us.”
Brakus tried not to laugh.
⸻
The group descended the staircase.
Each step carried them farther from the light of the world above.
The air grew colder.
The stone walls became smoother, as though carved by master craftsmen centuries ago.
Strange blue crystals embedded in the walls glowed softly, lighting the passage without flame.
“I’ve never seen crystals like these,” Seraphina whispered as she joined the expedition, having received permission from her father to accompany them.
Queen Elenora had insisted on sending one of Mystral’s scholars as well.
The elderly scholar examined a crystal closely.
“They aren’t producing light…”
“They’re storing it.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Impossible,” Cassian muttered.
“So I once believed.”
⸻
After several minutes, they reached the enormous stone door.
Everyone fell silent.
It towered nearly thirty feet high.
Its surface was covered in faded carvings of warriors standing together beneath a single banner.
At its center…
Six empty handprints.
Exactly as they had appeared the night before.
Brakus stared in awe.
“This wasn’t built by ordinary people.”
“No,” Kael agreed.
“It wasn’t.”
The old scholar brushed away centuries of dust.
Beneath it, ancient words appeared.
He translated slowly.
“Only when six hearts stand as one shall the path be opened.”
Taren scratched his head.
“Sounds poetic.”
Nyx shook her head.
“No.”
“It’s a warning.”
⸻
Master Kael stepped closer.
“Six hearts…”
His eyes drifted toward the Royal Vanguard.
Then to the six handprints.
Liora noticed it too.
“There are six of us.”
Bashan frowned.
“You think this door was made for the Vanguard?”
“It couldn’t have been,” Brakus replied.
“We weren’t even born.”
Azul remained thoughtful.
“Maybe…”
“It wasn’t made for us.”
“Maybe it was made for six people.”
“And we simply fit the requirement.”
Cassian crossed his arms.
“Only one way to know.”
⸻
Kael hesitated.
Every instinct told him to stop.
But another voice—one he couldn’t explain—urged him to continue.
He looked at the six members of the Royal Vanguard.
“If we’re wrong…”
“We step back immediately.”
One by one, they approached the door.
Liora placed her hand on the first imprint.
Nyx on the second.
Brakus on the third.
Taren on the fourth.
Bashan on the fifth.
Finally…
Azul rested his hand on the sixth.
Nothing happened.
For a brief moment, everyone relaxed.
Then…
A deep rumble echoed through the corridor.
The blue crystals blazed with brilliant light.
Ancient symbols spread across the stone door like flowing water.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Taren’s eyes widened.
“I think it liked that.”
The six handprints began glowing.
Each with a different shade of blue.
The massive door slowly started to move.
Stone scraped against stone as it opened inward.
A rush of cold air swept through the corridor.
It carried a scent untouched by time.
Beyond the doorway lay a vast underground chamber.
Rows upon rows of towering statues stood in perfect silence.
Each statue held a different weapon.
Sword.
Spear.
Shield.
Daggers.
Bow.
And…
A staff unlike any weapon they had ever seen.
At the center of the chamber stood a circular platform surrounded by crystal-blue water.
Floating above it was a single object.
A crown.
Forged from silver and sapphire.
Untouched by age.
Perfectly preserved.
The old scholar dropped to his knees.
His voice trembled.
“It can’t be…”
Master Kael turned sharply.
“What is it?”
The scholar stared at the floating crown with tears in his eyes.
“The Crown of Aether…”
“The first crown ever worn by the founders of the continent.”
Silence consumed the chamber.
No one noticed the tiny crimson crystal hidden high above the doorway.
It pulsed once.
Then vanished into dust.
Far away, the hooded leader of the Crimson Order smiled.
“The seal has been broken.”
“And now…”
“They will lead us straight to it.”
- Writer
