Slowly, the wall began to open.
Just like the other times.
But this one felt different.
Heavier.
Slower.
As if even the passage itself knew it shouldn't let me in there.
Though maybe it was just my imagination because of the place I was about to step into.
This time, there was no need to jump or climb.
The opening led directly into the room, like a normal door.
I swallowed hard.
And took a step forward.
I was inside.
Probably the most luxurious room I had ever stepped foot in during my entire life.
I looked around slowly.
Everything there looked expensive.
Too expensive.
The fabrics.
The furniture.
The wood.
Even the air felt different.
Heavier.
Quieter.
It was a huge room, and yet it still felt strangely enclosed.
As if that place was isolated from the rest of the world.
And then I felt it.
That feeling again.
The feeling that I shouldn't be there.
Though, obviously… I really shouldn't have been there.
But this was different.
It wasn't just fear of getting caught.
It was something stranger.
As if the room itself was rejecting me.
I stood still for a few seconds.
Thinking.
What exactly was I looking for?
Because sure, I knew the king was hiding secrets…
But what kind of secrets?
What was I supposed to find?
I frowned slightly and looked toward the desk.
It seemed like the best option.
The desk was perfectly organized, covered in papers arranged with an almost sickening precision.
I quickly approached and started going through them.
Though I was rushing.
Way too much.
I constantly felt like the king was about to walk through the door at any second.
I had no reason to think that.
I couldn't hear footsteps.
I couldn't sense anyone approaching.
And yet my mind wouldn't stop repeating it.
"You're going to get caught."
I grabbed the first document.
"REPORT ON TAXES IN LUMINALIA'S COMMERCIAL DISTRICT"
It had an absurd amount of text.
I didn't even bother reading further.
I quickly set it aside.
Next paper.
"REPORT ON DISAPPEARANCES IN RYDEL"
Disappearances, huh…
It sounded important, but it wasn't what I was looking for right now.
Another one.
"PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE RECRUITMENT AGE"
I skimmed a few lines.
Looks like the war wasn't going as well as they made us believe.
That left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I picked up another document.
"ACCESS RESTRICTIONS TO THE ROYAL LIBRARY"
I blinked for a moment.
Royal library?
I had never heard of that.
Curiosity rushed through me for a moment.
What could they be hiding there to restrict access?
But I quickly shook my head.
I couldn't get distracted.
Besides… I still felt like the king could show up at any moment.
I kept going through endless piles of papers.
Reports.
Requests.
Records.
Everything seemed important and boring at the same time.
Until then…
My eyes suddenly froze on a specific document.
And for a moment, I felt my heart skip a beat.
"CONFIDENTIAL FILE: ELIJAH DRAVEN"
My breathing stopped.
What… was my brother's name doing there?
I quickly started reading what it said. I swallowed hard as soon as I saw the first lines.
"Elijah Draven. Deceased. Age: 23."
The word deceased pierced through me like a stake.
Even though I already knew it, seeing it written so coldly… hurt differently.
"A-Class mage whose true potential was estimated to be close to S-Rank. Little recognized outside Luminalia, but within the capital known as a powerful and kind mage."
I couldn't help lowering my gaze for a second.
Powerful and kind…
Yeah, that was Elijah.
Even one of the king's secret reports could see it.
"Made a living through assignments from Luminalia's guild and private work."
I kept reading faster and faster.
"Deceased during the confrontation against Aether. Officially, the cause was cardiac arrest. However, there are suspicions of murder through a method still unknown."
I frowned.
I already know that…
I skipped several lines without really looking, too nervous.
"We do not know Aether's exact origin, nor the nature of his power. His true rank has also not been determined. However, he constitutes a potential threat to the balance of the court."
A chill ran down my spine.
Even they don't know what power he has…
Then my gaze moved lower on the page and my breathing stopped.
"Ren Draven, younger brother of Elijah Draven. Age: 14."
This was written before my birthday…
"Young man emotionally affected by the death of his brother. Easily manipulated due to his desire for revenge."
My jaw tightened.
Easily manipulated…
"Therefore, he has been assigned the elimination of Aether."
I noticed my hands trembling slightly as I held the paper.
So that was it.
That's how the king saw me.
Not as a person.
Not as someone important to Elijah.
Just… a tool.
I clenched the paper tightly, wrinkling it a little without realizing.
I kept reading, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
"Close relationships of Ren Draven: Mira Thorne…"
My heart skipped a beat.
"…Tarin Valek…"
No.
"…Helen Arclight…"
No, no, no…
My eyes widened as I scanned the list.
They were all there.
Every single one of them.
Why did they have my friends' names…?
A horrible coldness crawled down my spine.
Wait…
What if they had gone after them?
What if the king thought they knew something?
What if they hurt them because of me?
My breathing started speeding up.
The letters in front of my eyes almost blurred together.
No.
It couldn't be.
But… yes, it could.
The king had planned to use me from the very beginning.
Why wouldn't he also keep watch on the people close to me?
I slowly took a step back.
The room started feeling smaller.
Heavier.
My friends could be suffering because of me.
Because of my stupidity.
Because I believed this was an opportunity.
"Young man emotionally affected…"
"Easily manipulated…"
They were right.
I clenched my teeth in anger.
It was disgusting.
At that moment, I hated myself.
Probably more than I ever had before.
There I was, hiding like a rat inside the palace while my friends might be in danger because of me.
I looked back at the page.
Mira, Tarin, Helen, Luca's names… written there as if they were nothing more than data.
A chill ran through me.
I swallowed hard and started placing all the papers back exactly as they had been before, trying to make it look like no one had entered. I aligned them quickly, though my hands trembled slightly.
I had to leave.
I needed to get out of the palace and warn them.
Or maybe it was already too late.
That thought hit me so hard that for a second, I stood still, staring at the desk without really seeing it.
But then I thought of something.
I still didn't know the whole truth.
Aria had said the king was hiding more things.
If I wanted to stop him, I needed to uncover them.
I couldn't leave now after coming this far.
I turned back toward the study and kept searching.
I opened several drawers quickly.
Papers.
More papers.
Reports.
Seals.
Boring documents that were completely useless.
Nothing.
My breathing started speeding up again.
Then I looked toward the bed.
The nightstand.
I hadn't been able to see it clearly from the passage, but now I noticed it had a small drawer.
Unlike the others, this one actually looked important.
It was clean.
Almost too well taken care of.
I quickly approached and pulled it.
It didn't open.
Locked.
I felt my chest tighten.
There was definitely something inside.
I looked around for a key, but couldn't see anything.
Not on the desk.
Not near the bed.
Not on the walls.
Damn it…
Then I remembered my power.
I closed my eyes for a moment and focused.
I tried to feel.
Little by little, I started noticing things around me.
The flow of air coming through the window.
The faint creaking of wood.
Even the distant sound of footsteps somewhere in the palace.
But no key.
I kept trying.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
My head was starting to hurt.
I couldn't waste any more time.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
Guess I'd have to do it the hard way.
I slipped the tip into the gap of the drawer and started prying it open.
The wood creaked.
Louder.
Come on…
I pushed harder, feeling tension build in my arms.
Crack.
The drawer gave just a little.
And then I heard it.
Keys.
My blood ran cold.
They were coming from outside the room.
I froze completely.
Footsteps.
Getting closer.
The king.
The king had come back.
My heart started pounding against my chest so hard I thought it could be heard from outside.
I had to leave.
Now.
But my eyes drifted back to the drawer.
After all this… was I really going to leave without finding out what was inside?
No.
I clenched my teeth and forced the sword harder.
The wood groaned even more.
The footsteps kept approaching.
They were right outside the door now.
I was going to get caught.
I was going to get caught.
I felt sweat running down my forehead.
Come on…
Come on…
OPEN ALREADY.
Another crack echoed, much louder than the others.
The wood suddenly split and the drawer opened a few inches.
Finally.
I felt air rush back into my lungs for a moment.
It had worked.
I had opened it.
But right then, I heard the creak of the main door.
No… no, no, no.
The doorknob slowly began to turn.