“I don’t understand,” Teo said, shaking his head. “None of this makes sense. First you tell me I’m a Vendalion. Then you say my people are conquerors… monsters who’ve crushed everything in their path. And the worst of them all — the Usurper of Galath — rules the whole continent.”

  He looked up at Sir Phleas, frustration written across his face.

  “And somehow I’m supposed to stop him? Me? Now you’re even saying I might be the reincarnation of the Founding Father!”

  Sir Phleas sighed softly.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in,” he said. “Believe me, if someone had told me the same story, I would have laughed in their face.”

  He placed a steady hand on Teo’s shoulder.

  “And I know what I’m asking of you is no small thing. But sometimes responsibility finds us whether we want it or not. When that moment comes… we either run from it, or we face it.”

  Teo lowered his gaze.

  In his mind he saw his father again — Dante’s tired smile, the lines on his face, the way he always pushed himself a little harder so his children wouldn’t have to struggle as much. Every sacrifice. Every drop of sweat.

  His chest tightened.

  His father had given everything for them.

  Everything.

  Teo clenched his fists.

  If there was even the smallest chance he could see him again… he would take it.

  He would face anything.

  “I’ll do it,” he said at last.

  Sir Phleas raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m going to Luria,” Teo continued. “And I’m going to face Raen.”

  He swallowed.

  “I don’t know if I’m really the reincarnation of the Founding Father. But I do know one thing.”

  His voice hardened.

  “No one is going to hurt my dad.”

  He looked straight at Sir Phleas.

  “Show me the way.”

  “You’re standing in front of it, Teo,” the Ixarion said, filled with pride for his disciple. He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, raised it before his eyes, and slammed the blade’s tip into the solid stone floor. The heavy granite block with the elven inscriptions slid aside, revealing an opening about ten feet high. On the other side, under the brilliant Ardoras sky, a deep valley unfolded, a tapestry of green, crisscrossed by a network of crystal-clear rivers. In the distance, snow-capped peaks of majestic blue mountains rose against the horizon.

  “This is the land of Mantra, Teo,” Sir Phleas said, “home of the ancient Ixarions. It’s the only territory of the Four Points that still holds its beauty, where peace still reigns. On the other side of the Blue Mountains, Evil has spread to occupy everything: the land has become barren, and the air dark. The cities have fallen under the weight of misfortune, and their inhabitants are mere shadows of what they once were.”

  “What’s next, Sir Phleas?” Teo asked, his tone mature and strong. He seemed to have aged ten years in a blink.

  “To defeat Raen, you’ll need the Book of Beginning and Destruction. It’s hidden in an ancient monastery in Thoros. In the heart of the Fabras Forest, at the foot of this hill,” he said, pointing toward the cliff edge, “you’ll find the Pipers’ village. The old patriarch guards the key that opens the monastery doors.”

  “A silver key,” Teo stated, more than asked.

  “Exactly. Just as the Level 1 Draft indicated,” the Ixarion confirmed.

  “Why would the key to a monastery be made of silver?”

  “Silver is the only precious metal resistant to dark magic.”

  “That means...?”

  “Yeah. Many Vendalions and Dark Mages have tried to get their hands on the book hidden in the monastery. The Book of Beginning and Destruction can grant its bearer immense power. Its knowledge can be the greatest blessing, or a terrible curse.”

  “Why the Pipers?”

  “Because they’re honest and pure, incapable of being corrupted. But there’s another reason: no one would suspect the Pipers of guarding the key to the monastery, because the key they protect is made of copper…”

  “I don’t understand, Sir Phleas.”

  “Dromegard told you the Pipers’ music is magical, and can, among other things, turn ordinary metal into precious metal, and vice versa.”

  “Amazing!” Teo exclaimed.

  “The key the Enemy seeks is silver, so he’d never bother with a copper one kept in a village of an ‘inferior race.’”

  “Why does it have to resist dark magic?”

  “Dark magic can distort the design of the noumena with illusions and shadows, and the monastery doors will only open to those the Library deems worthy of the key.”

  “So, a Vendalion or a Dark Mage could use black magic to pretend to be the chosen one,” Teo deduced.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Exactly. Except the silver key resists spells that could fake the bearer’s identity.”

  “I see,” Teo said thoughtfully. “So why worry? Even if they got the key, they couldn’t open the monastery doors.”

  “Unfortunately, things have taken an unexpected turn. There’s something I haven’t told you about Luria: it’s a port city.”

  “A port city?” Teo asked, remembering his dad’s job. “Does that mean Ardoras has sea trade routes?”

  “Excellent! You’re a sharp kid, Teo! Yes, that’s what I was getting at.”

  “But who would they trade with? I thought Ardoras was the only continent on this side of the universe.”

  “That’s what I thought too. But recent events make me think I was wrong.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “For some years now, The Continent has been invaded by creatures never seen before in Ardoras’s history. Among them, the creepiest of all, the Dagfal.”

  “Dagfal?” the boy asked, bewildered.

  “‘Demon from Beyond,’ that’s what they call it in the North. It’s a black dragon with a red chest and golden eyes. They say a drop of its blood can make you immune to the noumena’s design…”

  “...And if the Dagfal’s blood falls into Raen’s hands, then it won’t matter that the monastery key is silver,” Teo finished Sir Phleas’s thought.

  The Ixarion nodded.

  “Why does Raen want the Book of Beginning and Destruction so badly?”

  “Because with it, he’d gain access to a secret treasure, guarded since time immemorial in the depths of Galath.”

  Teo was lost in thought, gazing beyond the Blue Mountains.

  “It’s time for you to start your journey, Teo,” the Library guardian said.

  “There’s something I don’t understand,” Teo said, ignoring him. “You said your kind could see everything, past and present, like the threads already woven and fixed of a vast and complex tapestry. So how come you only recently learned about other lands beyond Ardoras? And even more, how did the Founding Father’s fate escape your knowledge, and how can you not know for sure if I’m his reincarnation?”

  “I said we Ixarions have a sixth sense that lets us perceive the threads of events already woven into the tapestry of time. What I didn’t say was that these threads can be destroyed by High Dark Arts…”

  “What does that mean?”

  “An ordinary Mage couldn’t produce a spell powerful enough to destroy those threads. Only a Vendalion, or a Mage versed in the deepest arcana of black magic, could perform a spell of that magnitude.”

  “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “That the Founding Father’s disappearance was likely part of a conspiracy to overthrow him and seize control of Ardoras. The black magic used to destroy those threads was meant to protect the identities of those involved.”

  “And when the Vendalions took the throne, chaos engulfed The Continent, leading to the uprising of the Three Races to fight their tyranny and restore peace.”

  “Yes, but I don’t think the Vendalions acted alone. I’d bet there were traitors on one of the other three sides, conspiring with them…”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because the Vendalions have always stayed in the North, and the spell that destroyed the threads happened in Nune, a city in the Southeast.”

  “Nune!” Teo exclaimed. “That’s where Steffi is!”

  “I don’t know what the noumena’s design is for her, but Dromegard is there to protect her. The enemies of the Ardoras throne are still lurking in those areas.”

  The boy looked at Sir Phleas, bewildered, feeling dizzy and anxious.

  “Perhaps the foreigners Raen trades with are behind the conspiracy,” Teo suggested.

  “It’s possible,” the Library keeper agreed. “But I’ve never been able to see them. The black magic surrounding Luria is very strong, clouding my senses. I’ve only known about them and the foreign creatures that have invaded Ardoras indirectly, through the accounts of slaves running errands from the Galath across The Continent.”

  “Slaves?!” Teo was startled.

  “Raen has enslaved all of Luria. He’s ordered a massive excavation in Galath. He wants to get to whatever’s hidden beneath it, no matter the cost.”

  “What is it, Sir Phleas?” Teo asked, breathless. “Why is it so important to him?”

  “Do you remember what the elven runes foretold? ‘In Thoros, first, and then in Ephymera, the answers must be sought,’” the Ixarion paraphrased. “It’s not for me to say. The Sigmodelles of Ephymera are the ones who must answer that. Once you have the Book of Beginning and Destruction, you’ll have many more answers.”

  Teo remained thoughtful.

  “There’s just one thing I’m still confused about,” he said, accepting Sir Phleas’s explanation. “Why would Raen negotiate with foreigners? If the Dagfal is a dragon, wouldn’t it have eventually flown to Ardoras’s shores on its own?”

  “Excellent point!” the Library keeper agreed. “There’s something about that continent across the sea that makes it impossible for me to perceive. It’s not dark magic, but something far more sinister. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but I can feel it…” Sir Phleas paused, gazing toward the horizon. “Whoever its inhabitants are, they’re vassals of a monstrous power beyond them. The Dagfal is just a creation of that power, I’d wager! That dragon would surely be imprisoned in their lands, given its immense destructive potential. The deal Raen made with the foreigners was likely to free the beast. And he only needed to offer substantial bait to lure it to Luria.”

  “And what do you think the bait was, Sir Phleas?”

  “I don’t know, Teo.”

  “Do you think Raen has the Dagfal under his control?”

  “No. If he did, he would have killed it and used its blood to bypass the noumena that’s keeping him from accessing the monastery of Thoros.”

  “And with the Book of Beginning and Destruction, he’d be able to reach whatever’s hidden beneath Galath…” Teo reasoned.

  Sir Phleas looked at his young disciple with pride and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re ready to go, Teo. I want you to have this,” he said, holding out an amulet he wore around his neck, depicting a tiger’s head guarding a valley. “This is the emblem of Mantra. When you reach the Pipers’ village, show it to the patriarch. He’ll know you’re on my side and that he can trust you with the monastery key. There’s only one emblem like this on the entire continent, so he’ll know you’re a chosen one of the Library, not an Enemy infiltrator.”

  “Okay, Sir Phleas. Thank you so much.”

  “Daros!” the Ixarion called. “Come here, friend!”

  The golden vorex, who had been sitting obediently at the entrance to the Library, sprang to his feet.

  “Daros will take you down the hill,” Sir Phleas explained to the boy. “I have to stay and guard the Library, so I can’t go with you. Once you reach the heart of Fabras Forest, Daros will return to me. Don’t worry, he’s very friendly, as long as you treat him with respect.”

  Teo felt nervous. He knew he was about to embark on a very dangerous journey, but he was comforted by the thought of seeing his father again at the end of it. He mounted the vorex and turned to look at the Ixarion one last time.

  “Will I see you again, Sir Phleas?”

  “I have no doubt we’ll meet again, Teo.” The Library keeper gave the animal a gentle nudge, and it soared into the air like an eagle. The boy held Noel, who had fallen asleep after the encounter with the eyesore, close to his chest.

  A few seconds later, Teo lost sight of the Ixarion.

  THANKS FOR READING!

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