The night was quiet again. The moonlight passed through the old windows of the ruined hallway under the academy. Eiden stepped carefully. The air smelled like dust and old magic. His boots made small sounds as he walked, but no one could hear him here.
In the last chapter, he found the stairs behind the statue. He had used a small light spell to go down. Now, he stood in front of a door. It was big and heavy, made of black stone. Strange marks were carved on it.
"This is it," he whispered. "The door to the Forbidden Floor."
He raised his hand. His mana moved inside his body. He used a spell to read the runes. Slowly, the marks glowed red. The door opened with a loud creak.
Inside, it was dark. The air felt cold. Eiden stepped in and looked around. There were old shelves full of books and scrolls. Some were broken. Some floated in the air like they had their own will.
Eiden walked slowly. His hand moved over the books. Then he stopped. His eyes widened.
There it was. A scroll with his name on it. Written in the old language: "Property of Arkanos."
He picked it up with shaking hands. His heart beat faster.
"This... this is mine," he said softly.
Memories flashed in his mind. Quick images. A hand writing with fire ink. A spell circle drawn on a giant wall. A sword glowing with magic.
He sat down and opened the scroll. The spell was powerful. It was one of his own creations from the past. But his body now was too weak to use it fully. Still, he could try a part of it.
He pulled out a crystal and placed it on the floor. Then he drew a small magic circle using chalk.
His fingers glowed with blue light. The circle lit up.
A light wind moved through the room. The scroll lifted into the air. The spell formed above the circle. It was beautiful. Ancient magic danced around his hands.
But then—
Boom!
A sound from above. Someone had opened the secret path.
Eiden quickly stopped the spell and hid the scroll. He ran to a side room and closed the door. He used a silence spell.
Footsteps came. Slow and careful.
A voice whispered, "Was that... magic?"
Eiden stayed still. He could feel the mana of the person. It was weak. A student, not a teacher. He waited until the steps left.
He came out after ten minutes. The room was safe again.
He picked up the scroll. "I need to be more careful. But this place... it holds my past."
He looked around the room. More scrolls. More secrets. Some of them were his. Some were not.
He smiled a little. "This is only the beginning."
That night, he copied the spell into a new notebook. Then he left, hiding the scroll in a small pocket he made in his coat.
Outside, the moon was still up.
Above, the school slept.
But below, under the ground, Eiden had taken his first step.
He was walking the path of Arkanos once more.