—Narrated by Eli Whitmore
---
Back to the Arcane Institute.
After all the realms—the stars, the fire, the water, the sea, the forest, the wild—we finally stepped through the last Gate and returned to where it all began: the Arcane Institute of Mystical Sciences.
The sky here felt different. Calmer.
But inside… I wasn't calm.
The marks on my seal shimmered beneath my skin—each of the Seven now bound to me. Yet something stirred deeper. Something… unfinished.
As the grand towers of the Academy came into view, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"We're home," Luna whispered.
Felix turned his face to the breeze. "Funny… it feels smaller now."
Draven narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe we've just grown bigger."
Ryker nudged him with a smirk. "Deep thoughts from the vampire, huh?"
Draven didn't smile, but his eyes softened. "It's been a long journey."
Thorne walked beside me in silence. His gloved hand brushed against mine once—just enough for me to feel it.
I nodded to him gently. We had faced shadows. And now, we faced the truth.
---
The Council Chamber was silent when we entered.
Headmaster Alaric stood at the center, tall and proud, his robes dusted with gold thread, his eyes—sharp as ever.
Beside him stood Professor Morgwyn, the stoic historian, and Lyra Elmshade, the spellmistress from the Crystal Wing.
Alaric looked over each of us slowly. "You've returned. All of you."
"Yes, Headmaster," I said. "We completed the Circle. The realms have given their blessings."
Draven stepped forward. "The Gate has changed, sir. It's stronger. The seals are merging."
"And Nyxar?" Alaric asked sharply.
Thorne spoke low, calm. "Still gathering power. But… we're gathering it too."
Felix flicked his fingers, sending a gentle starlight flicker over his palm. "We're not the same students who left."
"We're warriors now," Ryker added.
Luna stepped beside me. "But we came back not to boast. We came back to warn you."
Alaric folded his hands. "Warn me of what?"
I looked at him directly. "The Forgotten Realm. It wasn't part of the Seven. But it's real. Zarek said it. The last realm is one no one remembers—because it was sealed away."
A silence fell across the chamber.
Until Morgwyn finally spoke. "That realm… should not exist."
"But it does," I said.
"And someone knew about it long ago," Luna whispered. "Seraphina Whitmore."
---
The Legacy of Seraphina
The name left a weight in the room.
My heart beat faster. I stepped closer to the great mirror beside the Council.
"I need to know," I said. "Who was she really? My ancestor. The seer. What did she see?"
Alaric looked at me closely—then turned toward the ancient bookshelf along the wall.
He spoke softly. "Seraphina Whitmore… was once the most powerful oracle this world had seen. Her visions were rare, but always true. And then, one day, she vanished. Without a trace."
"She sealed herself," Luna said quietly. "To stop something."
"Yes." Morgwyn pulled an old scroll from the shelf and handed it to me.
My fingers trembled as I opened it.
Drawings. Sigils. And a single phrase, written in golden ink across the center:
"The Monarch sleeps, not slain. The throne shall remember its king."
My voice cracked. "She saw someone rise again."
Draven stepped closer. "The Forgotten Monarch. A ruler of the realm that was never meant to be found."
Thorne's voice was grim. "If Nyxar breaks that seal… it won't just be war. It will be undoing."
Felix shivered. "A realm forgotten by all… would hold monsters forgotten by even time."
Ryker stepped beside me. "Then we can't wait for them to come. We find it. First."
---
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I wandered to the Starfall Courtyard—where the wind always sang through the crystals above.
I held the scroll in my hand.
Suddenly… a light shimmered before me.
And a figure stepped out of it.
She was beautiful—older, wise, cloaked in white with symbols of time and stars stitched into her robe.
Her eyes… were mine.
"Seraphina?" I whispered.
The spirit smiled faintly. "Blood of my blood. You've come far."
"I need to know. What did you see?"
Her voice was soft—but it echoed with power. "I saw a crown. Empty. A king returning not from death—but from erasure. A realm born in shadows. Buried by my own hand."
"Why?" I asked.
"To save you, Eli."
She stepped forward and placed a hand over my heart.
"This seal you carry… it can open all doors. Even ones that should never be opened. If Nyxar reaches the Forgotten Throne before you do, the gates of unmaking will open."
"Then show me," I said.
"Not yet," she whispered. "First, find the last memory I left behind. Hidden beneath the Ancient Library – Archive of Ages."
Then, like mist, she vanished.
---
The next morning, I gathered everyone in the library.
"We need to go beneath the Ancient Library – Archive of Ages," I said. "Seraphina left a memory hidden there. Something important."
Ryker stretched. "So much for resting, huh?"
Draven shrugged. "Rest is for the dead."
Felix nudged him. "Charming."
Luna held my hand. "We're with you. All the way."
Thorne stepped close. His voice low, just for me. "Wherever you go… I follow."
I looked around at all of them—my friends, my family, my strength.
The Gate Way had prepared us. But what lies ahead?
The Forgotten Realm.
A throne with no king.
A secret that should have never been uncovered.
---
To be continued…