Chapter 10: The Journal
986 Words
The hooded figure took another step into the hidden archive.
“You shouldn’t have opened this room.”
Evelyn’s pulse pounded in her ears.
“I didn’t even know this room existed.”
“Exactly.”
The stranger’s face remained hidden beneath the shadow of the hood.
“The archive has been sealed for twenty years.”
Evelyn instinctively stepped in front of the journal.
“Who are you?”
The figure tilted their head.
“Someone trying to keep history buried.”
The silver bracelet around Evelyn’s wrist suddenly grew warm.
The hooded figure noticed.
“So… it has chosen you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, the stranger raised a hand.
Dark smoke curled from their fingertips.
Evelyn stumbled backward.
The journal snapped shut.
“No!”
Before the smoke reached her—
A blast of icy blue magic crashed into the room.
The hooded figure spun around.
A wall of shimmering frost blocked the doorway.
Professor Elowen strode into the archive, her silver robes flowing behind her.
“You’ve broken enough academy rules for one evening.”
The hooded figure hissed.
“You cannot hide her forever.”
“No.”
Professor Elowen lifted her hand.
“But I can protect her.”
The stranger disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.
The room fell silent.
⸻
Professor Elowen sighed.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t find this place so soon.”
Evelyn looked from the professor to the journal.
“You knew about it.”
“Yes.”
“You knew I’d come here.”
“I suspected.”
Evelyn crossed her arms.
“Am I ever going to stop finding out that everyone knows more than I do?”
Professor Elowen smiled sympathetically.
“I certainly hope so.”
⸻
She walked to the pedestal.
“The Hidden Archive holds records too dangerous to keep in the main library.”
Evelyn looked around.
Towering shelves disappeared into the darkness above.
Some books glowed.
Others were chained shut.
Portraits of ancient kings and queens watched silently from the walls.
“What is this place?”
“The academy’s memory.”
Professor Elowen gently placed a hand on the leather journal.
“This belonged to your mother.”
Evelyn swallowed hard.
“Can I read it?”
The professor nodded.
“I think it’s time.”
⸻
The journal opened on its own.
The first page was covered in elegant handwriting.
If you’ve found this… then you’re finally home.
Tears filled Evelyn’s eyes.
She turned the page.
⸻
My dearest Evelyn,
If you’re reading these words, then the academy has found you—or perhaps you’ve found it.
If that’s true, then I have already missed far too much of your life.
I wasn’t there to watch your first steps.
I wasn’t there to celebrate your birthdays.
I wasn’t there to tell you how deeply you were loved.
Please know that none of it was by choice.
Your father and I did everything we could to protect you.
One day, you’ll understand why.
⸻
Evelyn wiped away a tear.
Professor Elowen quietly stepped farther away, giving her privacy.
She continued reading.
⸻
You probably have questions.
You always will.
You inherited that from your father.
He questioned everything.
Even me.
Especially me.
He made me laugh every single day.
If you ever wonder what true love looks like…
Look at the stars.
We promised each other we’d always meet beneath the same moon.
⸻
A small smile crossed Evelyn’s face.
For the first time, her parents felt real.
Not just names.
People.
⸻
The next page contained a sketch.
A family drawing.
A man with dark hair.
A woman with silver-gray eyes.
Between them…
A little girl.
Evelyn traced the drawing with trembling fingers.
“That’s me…”
Professor Elowen smiled softly.
“You were only a year old.”
“I don’t remember any of this.”
“No.”
“But they did.”
⸻
Suddenly…
A folded piece of paper slipped from between the pages.
Evelyn unfolded it.
It wasn’t a letter.
It was a map.
At the top, written in silver ink, were the words:
The Moon Vault
Her eyebrows furrowed.
“Professor…”
Elowen looked over.
Her expression changed instantly.
“You found the map.”
“What is the Moon Vault?”
The professor became unusually quiet.
“It isn’t a place students are supposed to know about.”
“Does Dean Blackwood know?”
“Yes.”
“Then why hasn’t he told me?”
“Because no one has entered the Moon Vault in over twenty years.”
Evelyn looked back at the map.
“What’s inside?”
Professor Elowen answered honestly.
“We don’t know.”
⸻
The room suddenly trembled.
A loud clang echoed somewhere deep beneath the archive.
Both women froze.
Another clang.
Like metal striking stone.
Then…
A whisper drifted through the chamber.
“Moon Heir…”
Evelyn’s head snapped up.
“You heard that?”
Professor Elowen’s face paled.
“I was afraid of this.”
“The archive is waking up.”
Books began sliding from shelves by themselves.
Chains rattled.
Ancient portraits turned to face Evelyn.
One by one, dusty candles burst into silver flame.
The journal’s pages flipped rapidly until they stopped on a single sentence written in glowing ink.
The Vault has recognized its heir.
A deep rumble shook the floor.
Professor Elowen grabbed Evelyn’s arm.
“We have to leave. Now.”
“But the map—”
“Bring it.”
Evelyn tucked the journal and the folded map into her bag just as a hidden doorway slowly opened in the far wall.
Beyond it…
A staircase spiraled downward into complete darkness.
Cold air drifted up from below.
Something ancient had just awakened.
And for the first time in twenty years…
The path to the Moon Vault had opened.
- Writer
