The Sealed Archives were deathly silent. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and forgotten secrets. Kieran stood across from me, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, his expression unreadable.
I still held the leather-bound book in my hands, its weight feeling heavier than it should. Everything inside it pointed toward something greater than just mana—something older, something dangerous.
And Kieran knew more than he was letting on.
"You and I," he had said, "are at the center of this."
I clenched my fists, taking a slow breath to steady myself.
"Start talking," I said. "No more cryptic nonsense. What do you know?"
Kieran studied me for a long moment before exhaling softly. "Not here. Too many ears."
I narrowed my eyes. "Then where?"
A small smile touched his lips. "Follow me."
A Meeting in the Shadows
Kieran led me through the Academy's winding corridors, past lecture halls and training rooms, until we reached a hidden passage behind one of the massive statues in the east wing.
The moment we entered, the atmosphere shifted. The air was colder, the walls lined with torches burning with blue flame.
"How do you know about this place?" I asked, my voice echoing slightly.
Kieran glanced at me. "Because I was meant to find it. Just like you."
I had more questions than answers, but I held my tongue as we finally reached a sealed door at the end of the corridor. Kieran placed his hand against it, and the runic symbols glowed before the stone parted, revealing a small chamber lined with books, scrolls, and strange artifacts.
A secret study.
He motioned for me to sit at a table in the center. "This is where we can talk."
I exhaled, taking a seat. "Alright. Tell me everything."
Kieran sat across from me, fingers steepled. "You've been having visions. Whispers, dreams… glimpses of things that shouldn't exist."
I nodded slowly. "And you know why?"
He tilted his head. "I have theories."
I waited, tension thrumming through me.
Finally, Kieran spoke.
"There is a war happening, Sylas," he said. "Not one that people can see. Not yet."
His golden eyes gleamed in the firelight.
"This Academy… our magic… our gods. Everything we think we know about this world? It's all built on lies."
The Lies of the Academy
Kieran pulled out a scroll from a nearby shelf and unrolled it across the table. It was an old map, unlike any I had ever seen.
"This," he tapped a section on the parchment, "is what the Academy teaches. The history of mana. The so-called 'golden age' of magic."
He then flipped the map over.
"And this," he continued, "is what they don't tell you."
The second map was different. It showed two continents, one of which was unknown to me—a place far to the west, marked by strange symbols and unfamiliar names.
I stared at it. "This isn't just one world."
"No," Kieran confirmed. "There's another continent beyond the sea. A place that has been hidden from us."
I felt my stomach tighten. "You're talking about the forgotten continent, aren't you?"
Kieran's expression darkened. "You already know about them?"
I hesitated. "Not exactly. But… I've seen glimpses of something. Machines, gears, strange weapons powered by something other than mana."
Kieran nodded. "Then your visions are stronger than I thought."
I leaned forward. "What are they? Why are they hidden?"
His jaw tightened. "Because they're not like us. And because they know the truth about the false gods."
The False Gods and the Forgotten War
I gripped the edge of the table. "The false gods…"
Kieran's expression was grim. "The Academy teaches that the gods once guided humanity, but that's only half the story."
He tapped the book I had found in the Sealed Archives.
"The truth is, these 'gods' were never benevolent. They were something else entirely. Powerful beings created by belief itself. The more people worshiped them, the stronger they became."
I frowned. "So they weren't gods?"
"No," Kieran said simply. "They were constructs. Shadows of something greater."
I swallowed hard. "Then what happened to them?"
He exhaled. "They were betrayed."
I stiffened. "By who?"
A dark smirk flickered across his face. "By us."
The Awakening of the Forsaken
Kieran leaned back, arms crossed. "Long ago, both continents worshipped these 'gods.' But over time, people began to realize the truth—that the gods were not divine. That their power came not from divinity, but from us."
I listened in silence as he continued.
"One by one, civilizations abandoned their gods, stripping them of their strength. The forgotten continent was the first to turn against them, using their technology to erase the gods from history."
I clenched my fists. "But if they were erased, why are they coming back now?"
Kieran's golden eyes darkened. "Because they were never truly destroyed. Only sealed."
My breath caught.
"The forgotten continent found a way to lock them away, but the gods have spent centuries waiting. And now, something—or someone—is waking them again."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "The Aberrations…"
Kieran nodded. "They're just the beginning. The true gods—the Forsaken—are still out there. And when they return, they won't stop at revenge."
I swallowed hard. "Then how do we stop them?"
Kieran was silent for a long moment.
Then he said, "We don't."
A New Path
The silence in the chamber was suffocating.
"What do you mean, 'we don't?'" I demanded.
Kieran exhaled. "You don't win a war against something you can't kill. You change the battlefield."
He leaned forward. "Sylas, you're not just a bystander in this. You were chosen for a reason. Whether you like it or not, you have a connection to the Forsaken."
I clenched my fists. "Then I'll find another way. I'm not going to let them take this world."
Kieran studied me carefully, then smirked.
"I figured you'd say that."
He stood, walking toward a set of shelves. "That's why you're going to need this."
He pulled out a small, metal device, setting it down in front of me.
I frowned. "What is this?"
Kieran's golden eyes gleamed.
"A piece of technology from the forgotten continent," he said. "A weapon built to fight the Forsaken."
I inhaled sharply, reaching out to touch it.
The moment my fingers brushed against the metal—
A vision exploded in my mind.
A battlefield. Two armies clashing—one using magic, the other wielding mechanical weapons beyond comprehension.
A voice whispering in the darkness.
"The world will burn. Choose your side."
I gasped, jerking back, my heart pounding.
Kieran was watching me carefully.
"So," he said, "do you want to know more?"
I exhaled, my pulse still racing.
This wasn't just a tournament anymore.
This was war.
And it had already begun.