CHAPTER 25: SOMETHING IS COMING

The royal headquarters rose from the heart of the Capital like a fortress carved from silence.

Towering walls encircled it, layered with ancient protective magic. Guards stood at every entrance, utterly motionless. Unlike the Order's bustling halls, the air here felt heavy, as if the very stones were listening.

Kevin tilted his head back and stared up at the enormous structure.

"Do we really have to go in?"

The captain didn't turn around. "Yes."

"I was only asking."

"And I answered."

Kevin sighed.

His bandaged arm throbbed with every movement, and the thought of repeating the whole mission from the start made him want to lie down on the steps and never get up.

They were nearing the entrance when the great doors swung open from the inside.

A familiar figure stepped out.

Kevin froze.

"Arena?"

His twin sister stood at the top of the stairs in her Order uniform, flanked by two fellow mages, one of them clearly a senior member of her squad. Surprise flickered across her face.

"Kevin?"

Her eyes dropped straight to his arm.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing serious."

Arena gave him a flat look. "Your arm is wrapped from shoulder to wrist."

"It's a fashion choice."

"Kevin."

"...Fine. It hurts."

One of the mages beside her hid a smile.

Arena shook her head. "What kind of mission was it?"

"The kind that makes you appreciate peaceful days."

"Coming from you, that's worrying."

"Coming from you, that's almost an insult."

The captain cleared his throat. "If you two are finished with your family reunion, we have a report to deliver."

Arena stepped aside. "We just finished ours. The Wizard King is expecting you."

"Did your mission go well?" Kevin asked.

"Better than yours, apparently."

"Reassuring."

Her expression softened. "Be careful in there, Kevin."

He gave her a small nod. "You too."

For a moment, neither of them moved.

They had long since grown used to walking separate paths. Arena had always been praised for her flawless control and overwhelming power. Kevin, despite his noble blood and royal heritage, had spent his whole life being judged for the magic he couldn't tame.

And now he carried a five-point Codex that had made even veteran mages go quiet.

He still had no idea what it meant.

Arena and her companions descended the steps and disappeared through the outer gates. Kevin watched her go until she was out of sight.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered, and walked inside.

The Wizard King's chamber was larger than Kevin had imagined.

Tall windows overlooked the Capital, spilling golden sunlight across the polished floor. Shelves of ancient books lined the walls, and strange magical instruments drifted above a long table buried in documents.

At the far end stood the Wizard King.

He looked calm, almost relaxed. But his eyes were sharp, the eyes of a man who missed nothing.

The captain bowed. "Your Majesty. We've come to report the conclusion of our mission."

"Welcome back," the Wizard King said. "I hear you ran into some unexpected difficulties."

His gaze traveled across the group and paused on Kevin's arm.

"Some more than others, it seems."

Kevin straightened. "It's manageable, Your Majesty."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Then the Wizard King's eyes shifted to the Codex at Kevin's side.

His expression changed. Only slightly, but Kevin saw it.

"So," the Wizard King said slowly, "you are Kevin Riven."

Kevin blinked. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"The young mage with a five-point Codex."

Kevin looked at the book. Then back at the king.

"How do you know about that?"

A faint smile touched the older man's lips. "News travels fast when something extraordinary happens. A five-point Codex is not something one encounters every day."

"Extraordinary," Kevin muttered under his breath. "That's one word for it."

The captain shot him a warning glare.

The Wizard King only seemed amused.

"Tell me, Kevin. Have you learned anything about the nature of your Codex?"

"No, Your Majesty. It has powers I don't understand. Sometimes it answers when I need it, but I can never predict what it'll do."

"And you can't simply command it to reveal itself?"

"If I could, I'd have done it already."

The Wizard King studied him for a long moment.

Kevin forced himself not to look away.

It felt like standing before a mirror that showed more than his face. As though the older man could see every doubt, every failure, every sleepless night spent wondering why the Codex had chosen him.

At his side, the Codex grew warm.

Just for a second.

The Wizard King's eyes flicked toward it.

He had felt it too.

"An interesting answer," the Wizard King said.

He turned to the captain. "Very well. Let us hear your report."

The captain stepped forward and laid out everything: the battles, the strange creatures, the dangers lurking inside the ancient temple. Kevin's teammates filled in the gaps, especially the final moments before the structure disappeared.

When they finished, silence swallowed the chamber.

The Wizard King walked to the window.

"The entire temple vanished," he murmured.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the captain said. "No rubble. No sign of a normal collapse. Only an enormous hollow in the ground."

"And you found nothing to explain it?"

"Nothing."

The Wizard King clasped his hands behind his back and said nothing for several long seconds.

Then he spoke.

"Over the past few days, our scouts have reported unusual disturbances along the barrier that separates the Capital and the protected kingdoms from the Forgotten Region."

Kevin's attention sharpened. "The Forgotten Region?"

"That barrier was not built for politics," the Wizard King said quietly. "It exists to protect our people from dangers that the magical authorities of Valeris have spent generations trying to contain."

He turned to face them.

"Recently, we discovered a breach."

The captain went rigid. "A breach in the barrier?"

"A section of the boundary has been compromised."

Kevin frowned. "Does that mean something from the Forgotten Region can cross into our lands?"

"It means the barrier can no longer be called secure," the Wizard King replied. "Whether the breach was deliberate or the result of something else, we do not yet know."

"And the temple?" the captain asked.

"That," said the Wizard King, "is exactly what concerns me."

He returned to his desk and unrolled a map of the Capital and its surrounding territories.

"Your mission took place near several old magical routes. I cannot yet say whether the temple's disappearance is tied to the breach. But the timing troubles me."

Kevin stared at the map.

A temple that vanished without a trace.

A broken barrier.

A five-point Codex that even the Wizard King wanted to understand.

The pieces didn't fit.

And that bothered him more than anything else.

"Your Majesty," Kevin said, "if something is coming from the Forgotten Region, shouldn't we reinforce the barrier immediately?"

"We are already investigating," the Wizard King answered. "But until we understand the cause, acting blindly could make things worse."

His gaze settled on Kevin.

"For now, your team will remain on standby. I may need your testimony again once my investigators examine the site."

Kevin nodded reluctantly.

Another investigation. More questions. More waiting.

Wonderful.

He was just about to ask if they could finally go home when the light in the room began to change.

At first, he thought a cloud had passed over the sun.

Then the chamber grew darker.

The Wizard King's expression shifted. He crossed to the window in three quick strides.

Outside, the sunlight was draining from the sky at an unnatural speed. Shadows stretched across the rooftops, and a strange, suffocating stillness fell over the Capital.

The doors burst open. A guard rushed in.

"Your Majesty!"

"What is it?"

"The sky, Your Majesty! Something is happening to the sky!"

Before anyone could answer, a deep tremor rolled through the city.

The windows rattled. Far below, panicked shouting erupted in the streets.

Kevin lunged for the nearest window, ignoring the fire in his arm.

The sun was nearly gone, swallowed by a mass of black clouds.

Down below, the streets had dissolved into chaos. Merchants abandoned their stalls. Mothers dragged their children indoors. Bells began to toll from the towers, one after another, each louder than the last, until the whole Capital seemed to be screaming.

Lightning crawled across the clouds.

It made no sound.

And behind those clouds, something was beginning to take shape.

Something vast.

The Wizard King's calm shattered.

"Seal the royal grounds," he commanded. "Send word to every Order captain. I want reports from every district. Now."

The guard bowed and ran.

Kevin looked down at his Codex.

For a heartbeat, he felt it tremble beneath his fingers. Faint. Almost like a pulse.

Then it stilled.

He lifted his eyes to the darkening sky, and a chill crept down his spine.

Whatever was coming, it had chosen the worst possible moment.

And as the last sliver of sunlight vanished, a single, thunderous voice rolled across the Capital, speaking one name.

His.