Chapter 158: The Road Back
The decision had been made.
Kael was returning to Blackwood.
Not because he was afraid of what waited beneath the western ruins.
Because he had finally realized that the ruins were only one piece of a much larger mystery.
Someone had been there.
Someone carrying Imperial equipment.
Someone who apparently knew about the ancient seal.
And now Kael had questions about his own bloodline.
Questions that only one person might be able to answer.
His father.
The expedition left the abandoned camp before sunrise.
Darius led the formation.
Grom remained near Kael.
The soldiers moved quickly but carefully.
Nobody spoke much.
The discovery had changed the atmosphere.
They were no longer exploring an unknown valley.
They were carrying information that could potentially shake the Empire.
After several hours, Grom finally broke the silence.
"Kael."
Kael looked toward him.
"Yes?"
"Are you certain your father knows?"
Kael thought about it.
"No."
"Then why return?"
"Because someone told me to ask him."
Grom frowned.
"That’s not an answer."
Kael smiled faintly.
"I know."
He looked ahead.
"But I have another reason."
Darius glanced back.
"What reason?"
Kael’s expression hardened.
"If someone connected to the Empire is investigating those ruins..."
He paused.
"...then I need to know who."
Darius nodded.
"Agreed."
By midday, the group stopped near a river.
The soldiers rested while the horses drank.
Kael sat beneath a tree.
He opened his system.
The notifications from the ruins were still there.
Historical Memory Fragment — 3%
Imperial Bloodline Investigation — Active
Unknown Entity — Sealed
Estimated Seal Stability — 5 Days
Kael stared at the last notification.
Five days.
The number bothered him.
He had expected the return journey to take at least two.
That left only three days afterward.
Not enough.
Kael closed his eyes.
"I need more information."
The System responded.
Available Information Sources:
Historical Records
Bloodline Resonance
Ancient Ruins
Imperial Archives
Kael opened his eyes.
"Imperial Archives."
That was the answer.
If the modern Empire had erased something from history, the archives might still contain traces.
But accessing them wouldn’t be easy.
And Kael couldn’t simply walk into the Imperial Archives and demand ancient records.
He needed permission.
Which meant...
Aurelia.
The Imperial Capital.
Kael sighed.
Darius immediately noticed.
"You’re thinking about the capital."
Kael looked at him.
"Yes."
Darius smiled.
"I knew it."
Kael shook his head.
"We’re going to have to return."
"Then we’ll prepare."
Kael nodded.
But then another thought crossed his mind.
If he went to Aurelia...
He would need to bring Darius.
He always did.
And this time, there was another reason.
Whatever was happening in the western valley could become dangerous.
Kael needed his First Commander close.
The expedition finally reached Blackwood the following evening.
The gates opened.
Captain Roland stood waiting.
"My lord."
Kael dismounted.
"Report."
"Everything is under control."
"Construction?"
"Continuing."
"Black Dragon?"
"Twenty soldiers remain in the territory."
"Good."
Kael looked toward the settlement.
The new buildings were beginning to change the skyline.
Then he noticed something else.
The road leading toward the marketplace was crowded.
More people.
More wagons.
More merchants.
Blackwood was growing.
Even while Kael had been away.
He smiled.
"How many new residents?"
Roland answered.
"Nearly two hundred since you left."
Kael stopped.
"Two hundred?"
"Yes."
Kael looked toward Darius.
Darius smiled.
"Your territory is growing whether you’re here or not."
Kael laughed.
"That’s a good problem."
Kael entered the manor.
Edwin was waiting.
The old butler looked at him.
"You have returned."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
Edwin looked toward the soldiers behind him.
"Did something happen?"
Kael paused.
"Yes."
Edwin’s expression became serious.
"How serious?"
Kael looked at Darius.
Darius answered.
"Serious enough that we need to discuss it privately."
Edwin nodded.
"Then I shall prepare the study."
Inside the study, Kael placed the black symbol on the table.
Edwin stared at it.
His face changed.
Kael noticed immediately.
"You recognize it."
The old butler didn’t answer.
Darius looked at him.
"Edwin."
The old butler slowly sat down.
"I have seen that symbol before."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
Edwin looked toward him.
"Not here."
"Where?"
"In the Imperial Palace."
Silence filled the room.
Kael stepped closer.
"When?"
Edwin hesitated.
"Long ago."
"How long?"
"Before His Majesty became Emperor."
Kael’s expression changed.
Darius immediately leaned forward.
"Explain."
Edwin looked at the symbol again.
"It belonged to a group that served the Imperial family."
Kael frowned.
"Served the Imperial family?"
"Not publicly."
Edwin lowered his voice.
"They were archivists."
Kael blinked.
"Archivists?"
"People responsible for protecting records that could never be allowed to disappear."
Kael stared at him.
"What kind of records?"
Edwin looked directly into Kael’s eyes.
"Records concerning the First Emperor."
Kael’s heart skipped.
"The First Emperor?"
Edwin nodded.
"And the First War."
Kael slowly sat down.
Darius crossed his arms.
"Why have we never heard of them?"
"Because they were erased."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"By whom?"
Edwin looked toward the door.
Then back toward Kael.
"I don’t know."
Kael stared at the symbol.
"How many people knew?"
"Very few."
"Does my father know?"
Edwin became silent.
That silence was enough.
Kael stood.
"He knows."
Edwin didn’t deny it.
"Then why hasn’t he told me?"
The old butler looked at him.
"Perhaps His Majesty was waiting."
"For what?"
Edwin’s expression was difficult to read.
"For you to become strong enough to hear the truth."
Kael clenched his fist.
"Five days."
Edwin frowned.
"What?"
"The seal."
Edwin’s eyes widened.
"You know about that?"
Kael nodded.
"There’s something beneath the western ruins."
Edwin slowly stood.
"Then you must speak with the Emperor."
Kael looked at Darius.
Darius nodded.
"We leave for Aurelia immediately."
Kael turned toward Edwin.
"Prepare everything."
Edwin bowed.
"Yes, my lord."
He reached the door.
Then stopped.
"Kael."
Kael looked at him.
Edwin’s voice became unusually serious.
"When you speak to His Majesty..."
He paused.
"...do not ask him about the First Emperor first."
Kael frowned.
"Then what should I ask?"
Edwin looked directly at him.
"Ask him about your mother."
Kael froze.
Darius’s expression changed.
"Why?"
Edwin didn’t answer.
He simply opened the door.
"That is the question His Majesty will least expect."
Then he walked away.
Kael remained motionless.
His mother.
The First Emperor.
The ancient ruins.
The Asterion bloodline.
The sealed entity.
Everything was beginning to connect.
And Kael had a feeling...
The truth about his family was far older than he had ever imagined.