The night air in the Asoluka mansion was quiet, but fierce, Sai sat at the edge of her bed all curled up, Kael's jacket clutched in her hands, the scent of him still very strong on the collar, her eyes burned with unshed tears, but her face held no trace of the, she hadn't cried, not since he ran, not ye, not in front of them.
She whispered to herself, "why didn't 1 go with you? I should have come with you" she held her head with her two hands and buried her face on her lap and sobbed uncontrollably.
The room was quiet, but her thoughts echoed,
She reminisced on the way he used to sit in the garden, silent, eyes following the breeze like it carried answers only he could hear, the quiet way he would flinch at loud voices, how he would sleep restlessly, whispering names, sometimes hers. Other times... names she didn't recognize.. she smiled at these memories
She remembered the day he truly laughed, for the first time. It was over something small, A cat had knocked over a flowerpot, and she'd jumped and screamed. Kael had covered his mouth but couldn't hide the grin. That moment got stuck with her more than any of his storms.
And the way his eyes lit up in the Whispering Garden. Like something long buried had stirred.
She ran her hand down the pages of her grandfather's journal. She would return to it every night since Kael ran away... she flipped through the pages of the journal and she read the lines that caught her attention..... "To protect the heir, one must unearth the past. Walls remember what blood forgets.".. she paused.. worried, what does this mean?
Sai rose, slipping the leather-bound book under her arm and Kael's pendant into her pocket. Something in her gut said she had to follow the writings on the book, maybe she would get her answers.. with that, she headed towards the hallway
The East Wing
It was a part of the house no one dared to speak about, was sealed as soon as her grandfather passed Now, she stood at the dusty corridor, the air thick with time. She followed her instinct and a whisper from the past.
A tapestry hung crooked on the far wall, barely clinging to its rod, behind it, a wooden panel carved with ivy and crowned symbols, she pressed her fingers against one carved eye.
A click.
The panel gave way to reveal a narrow hallway, lit faintly by light seeping in through stone slits.
Sai hesitated at first.. wonderingif she should go in or not, her was heart pounding, then she stepped inside, and mumbled to herself: "it's now or never".
The Hidden Room
It smelled of old paper and forgotten purpose. Books lined the walls, some too brittle to touch, A desk stood at the center, layered with scrolls, sealed letters, and a glowing seal burned into the floor beneath it, layed the Three-Eyed Crown, she moved to the desk, fingers tracing a leather-bound file. The name etched on the front made her stop breathing.
Kael Eron.
She was hesitant at first, but then... she heaved a sigh of relief She opened it slowly, inside were images, documents, notes dated years back, her grandfather's handwriting filled the margins.
"The child of two worlds. If the seal breaks, the line reignites. Protect him, or the crown will fall to fire."
There were letters from Madam Elsie. Reports from Mikel. Even one document signed by her own father, what mystery is this? Sai stepped back in awe, so, this means, they knew all along who Kael is... her couldn't carry her anymore, she gave way to the numbness on her feet and fell on the floor, disappointed in her parents and filled with a sense of care and concern for Kael, he had to suffer so much and she wasn't even aware why he had to...
Confrontation and Choice
Footsteps echoed beyond the corridor. Sai stilled. She grabbed what she could, Kael's file, the old seal stamp, her grandfather's coded journal and slipped back into the corridor, sealing the panel behind her exactlythe way she met it.
Her hands trembled, but her spine straightened. They would come looking. Maybe not tonight, but soon they will.
She returned to her room, stuffed the evidence into her black hoodie, and sat on the edge of her bed, eyes wide open into the dark.
If I stay, I lose him.
If I go, I risk everything.
She stared down at Kael's pendant in her hand, then looped it around her neck, the moment it touched her skin, a sudden warmth surged through her, not magic something deeper. A resonance.
A promise.
Sai stood, pulled her hoodie over her hair, and stepped out into the hallway.
She didn't know where Kael had gone, but she would find him.
And this time, she would not be left behind.