They didn't bother knocking.
The door to Thalen's room burst open with a crash, light from half a dozen staves flooding the small space. Wardens in polished steel filled the doorway, their faces set in unreadable grim lines.
"Aric Thalen," the lead warden barked. "On your feet. Now."
He was still sitting against the wall where he'd slid down after returning, the wool blanket from earlier still draped over his shoulders like it could hide the silver glow still faintly tracing his hands.
"I'm guessing this isn't a friendly visit," he said.
"Move," the warden snapped.
They flanked him as he stood, their staves humming faintly with containment magic. Outside his door, the corridor was already crowded — more wardens, and behind them, a handful of curious students trying to peer over shoulders. Serenya was there too, her silver eyes widening when she saw him, but before she could speak, the lead warden shoved him forward.
They marched him through the darkened halls, every step echoing far too loud in the quiet. The whole Academy felt like it was holding its breath. By the time they reached the Headmaster's office, he could hear voices inside — raised, sharp, urgent.
The door slammed shut behind him once they pushed him in.
The Headmaster stood near his desk, coat unbuttoned, hair slightly mussed as though he'd been up for hours. At the far end of the room stood Kael, leaning casually against a bookshelf like he owned the place.
"You've been busy," Kael said.
Thalen didn't answer.
The Headmaster's gaze was ice. "You disobeyed a direct order. You broke lockdown. You approached the sealed door."
"You call it 'sealed,'" Thalen said, "but you've never told me why."
"That door is not your concern."
"It's exactly my concern," Thalen shot back. "It reacts to me. It—" He hesitated. "It spoke to me."
The room went still.
Kael's smirk faded into something sharper. "Spoke to you? What did it say?"
The Headmaster cut in. "Answer me, Thalen. What did you hear?"
Thalen looked between them, realizing for the first time that whatever game they were playing, they weren't on the same side. "Why? So you can decide how much of the truth I get?"
The Headmaster's jaw tightened. "You're reckless. And you have no idea the kind of forces you're dealing with."
Kael's tone was almost mocking. "Or maybe he's starting to understand them better than you'd like."
"That's enough," the Headmaster snapped, but Kael didn't look away from Thalen.
"I can tell you what's behind that door," Kael said. "But you won't hear it from him."
"Because you'll twist it," the Headmaster said coldly.
Thalen's voice was low. "Then one of you tell me the truth."
Silence stretched. Finally, the Headmaster sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What you touched tonight is called the Vault. It is older than the Academy. Older than any kingdom standing today. It was built by the Firstborn to hold… something they could not destroy."
"What?"
"We don't know," the Headmaster said, and the way he avoided Thalen's eyes made Thalen almost believe it.
Kael chuckled. "Oh, he knows more than that. They've been guarding it for centuries. Not to protect the world from what's inside — but to keep the power for themselves."
"That's a lie," the Headmaster snapped.
Thalen stepped forward. "When I touched it… I saw someone. They said they were part of the Firstborn. They said the Vault could end the Shadowkin or free them forever."
The Headmaster froze. Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"They spoke to you," Kael said slowly. "That means the bond's active. It's awake."
"That's impossible," the Headmaster muttered.
Thalen's fists clenched. "Then explain why it happened."
The Headmaster didn't answer. Instead, he turned to the wardens. "Confine him to the upper tower. No visitors without my approval."
Kael laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You're making the same mistake they made with the others."
The words landed like a blow. Thalen stiffened. "Others?"
Kael's gaze flicked to him. "You think you're the first? The Firstborn bloodline didn't vanish all at once. There were a few who… surfaced. Briefly."
"And what happened to them?" Thalen asked.
Kael's smirk returned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Ask your Headmaster."
The Headmaster's voice was iron. "Take him away."
The wardens stepped forward. Thalen didn't resist — but his mind was a storm. Others like me. Gone.
The upper tower was quiet, its stone walls cold and damp. The room they locked him in had no windows, only a narrow slit for light and air. The door sealed behind him with a heavy thud.
He sat on the cot, staring at the floor until he heard it: soft footsteps, then a whisper at the door.
"Thalen? It's me."
Serenya's voice.
He was at the door in two strides. "How did you—"
"Shh. I bribed one of the wardens. Listen, I don't know what you did, but they're scared. And not just of the Shadowkin."
"They should be," he muttered.
Her voice dropped even lower. "Finn's been avoiding me. I cornered him earlier — he knows about the door. More than he's saying. He told me it's not just a seal, it's a lock. And it's keyed to your bloodline."
Thalen's heart thudded. "Then that means—"
"It means they can't open it without you," Serenya finished. "Which is why I think Kael's not lying about everything."
He backed away from the door, mind racing. If that was true, then both sides — Kael and the Headmaster — needed him. Which meant neither would kill him. Not yet.
The voice in his head whispered again, quiet and insistent.
The Vault will open. The only question is — will you be ready when it does?