Chapter 6: Secrets of the Academy
Kaden woke up in an unfamiliar room, the walls lined with strange symbols and the windows filtering a dim light. Her head was hurting, as if she had been struck by a hammer, and her limbs were heavy, as if they were chained to the ground. He blinked, trying to remember what had happened.
The visions came back to him in fragments: the Towers, the monsters, the gods. And then Kaela, her face was full of worry as it collapsed.
"You're awake," said a soft voice.
Kaden turned his head, seeing Lira sitting next to her bed. She held a book in her hand, but her eyes were fixed on him.
"What happened?" he asked, his hoarse voice.
Lira closed the book and put it on a table next to her." You had an intense reaction to the mana elixir. Kaela thinks it's because of your three gifts. They are too powerful to be controlled so easily."
Kaden sat slowly, feeling a dull pain in his skull." What about the visions?"
Lira hesitated, as if she weighed her words." Mana elixirs can sometimes reveal things... hidden memories, forgotten truths. Maybe your gifts were trying to show you something."
Kaden frowned." Like what?"
Lira shrugged her shoulders." That's up to you to find out. But Kaela wants to see you as soon as you feel better. She thinks it's time for you to learn more about the Towers... and about yourself."
Kaden nodded, trying to digest his words. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew he couldn't back down.
A few hours later, Kaden stood in front of a large wooden door, engraved with intricate symbols. Kaela was by his side, his ice weapon floating in the air as a silent reminder of his power.
"This room contains the archives of the Academy," she explained. "Everything we know about the Towers, the donations, and the Awakened Ones who faced them."
She pushed the door open, revealing a huge room filled with books, scrolls and strange artifacts. Shelves rose to the ceiling, and solid wooden tables were arranged throughout the room.
Kaden felt a shiver of excitement running through his back. He had always loved books, even though he had never had many.
"Where to start?" he asked, his eyes running through the shelves.
Kaela smiled." At the beginning, of course."
She led him to a table in the center of the room, where an old book was open. The pages were covered with symbols and intricate drawings, depicting Towers, monsters, and Awakened Ones.
"This book tells the story of the Towers," Kaela explained. "How they came about, why they exist, and what they want."
Kaden sat down, his eyes running through the pages. Words were hard to read, but the pictures spoke for themselves: towers rising to the heavens, monsters sweeping the world, and Awakened Ones fighting them.
"The Towers are not just structures," Kaela continued. "They're alive, in a way. They breathe, they think, and they have a purpose."
Kaden looked up." What's the point?"
Kaela hesitated, as if she weighed her words." We don't know exactly. But we know that they are related to the gods... and the gifts they gave us."
Kaden felt a weight on his shoulders. He didn't know what all this meant, but he knew he had to find out.
Kaden spent the next few hours scouring the archives, trying to understand the mysteries of the Towers and the Gifts. The books were complex, filled with ancient symbols and languages, but he was determined to learn.
He would help her, translating the most difficult passages and explaining the concepts he did not understand. She seemed to know a lot about the Towers, more than most students in the Academy.
"How do you know all this?" he finally asked, looking up from his book.
Lira hesitated, as if she weighed her words." My parents were researchers. They spent their lives studying the Towers... until they disappeared."
Kaden felt a pinch in his heart." I'm sorry."
Lira nodded, a sad smile on her lips." That's why I'm here. To understand what happened to them... and to make sure that no one else suffers the same fate."
Kaden nodded, feeling a new determination in him. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew he couldn't back down.
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