BOOK TWO: THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE GATE
Chapter 21: The Caretaker's Oath
The crystal hovered above the Throne of Dawn.
Its heartbeat echoed throughout the palace.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Riva's hand stopped only inches away from it.
A familiar voice echoed through the throne room.
"Don't touch it, Riva."
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
Standing beneath the broken gates was the mysterious man who had watched over the four girls since the beginning of their journey.
The man who had remained hidden in the shadows.
The man readers once believed was a stalker...
...or perhaps even a villain.
His long grey coat fluttered gently in the wind.
His silver hair reflected the golden light of the throne room.
His calm eyes carried the weight of countless years.
The 50-year-old caretaker had finally stepped into the light.
---
Riva stared at him.
"You..."
"I've seen you before."
The man smiled softly.
"Many times."
"You simply weren't meant to meet me."
Aarvi immediately recognized him.
"The man from Black Hollow Station..."
Eva nodded.
"The same person I saw outside my grandmother's house."
Parna whispered,
"The one the birds never feared."
Even Lucien looked surprised.
"So..."
"It really was you."
---
Cassian lowered his sword.
"You know him?"
Caelum nodded respectfully.
"I do."
Alaric bowed his head.
"So the Oath Keeper has finally returned."
Everyone looked at Alaric.
"Oath Keeper?"
The old man answered,
"He is the last Guardian chosen to protect the Six Heirs until they reached the Throne of Dawn."
---
The caretaker slowly walked into the room.
The Lost Kings raised their weapons.
Without even looking at them, the caretaker raised one hand.
Golden symbols appeared beneath his feet.
The Lost Kings froze.
Not because they were attacked.
Because they could no longer move.
The entire throne room fell silent.
Aarvi blinked.
"He... stopped an entire army?"
Future Lucien smiled.
"He always could."
---
The caretaker finally stood before the Six Heirs.
For the first time...
His eyes filled with emotion.
"I've waited twenty years for this moment."
Riva looked at him carefully.
"Who are you?"
The man placed his right hand over his heart.
"My name is Adrian."
"I was once the Royal Caretaker of the First Kingdom."
"I made a promise."
"A promise to protect its final hope."
---
Eva frowned.
"The final hope?"
Adrian looked at the four girls.
"You."
He looked at Lucien and Orion.
"And you."
"You were never chosen by accident."
"Every meeting..."
"Every dream..."
"Every strange coincidence..."
"I guided them."
---
Aarvi folded her arms.
"So..."
"You've been spying on us since we were children?"
Adrian laughed for the first time.
"I prefer the word..."
"Watching."
Everyone laughed quietly.
Even after everything that had happened, Aarvi had managed to lighten the mood.
---
Riva stepped forward.
"Why didn't you tell us the truth?"
Adrian's smile disappeared.
"Because enemies were watching."
"If I had revealed myself..."
"You would have died before reaching Black Hollow Station."
Eva remembered something.
"The man in the red cloak..."
"The person who disappeared every time I followed him..."
Adrian nodded.
"I made sure he never reached you."
---
Parna looked at Adrian.
"Were you the one guiding nature?"
Adrian smiled.
"No."
"Nature chose you itself."
"I only made sure no one interrupted its path."
---
Aarvi suddenly remembered the mysterious box.
"My uncle..."
"You knew him."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"He was my closest friend."
"He asked me to protect you if anything happened to him."
Aarvi's eyes filled with tears.
"He knew..."
"He knew all of this?"
"Not everything."
Adrian answered.
"But enough."
---
Suddenly—
The crystal heart above the throne glowed brighter.
Adrian immediately became serious.
"There isn't much time."
He turned toward Riva.
"Listen carefully."
"The Heart of the First Kingdom must never be touched directly."
"Why?" Riva asked.
"Because it chooses."
"And if it rejects someone..."
"It destroys both the Heart..."
"...and the person."
Silence.
Queen Riva slowly lowered her head.
"I learned that too late."
---
Before anyone could ask what she meant—
The leader of the Lost Kings broke free from Adrian's magic.
His violet eyes burned with rage.
"You've interfered long enough!"
He swung his broken sword.
Dark energy rushed toward the throne.
Cassian blocked the attack.
The impact shattered one of the crystal pillars.
The entire palace shook violently.
Outside...
The Devourer's shadow finally reached the Throne of Dawn.
Its enormous hand rested against the floating island.
The silver tree immediately began losing its leaves.
Golden light faded.
The Heart beat faster.
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
Alaric looked horrified.
"The Devourer isn't attacking..."
"It's draining the Throne."
---
Eva's crystal sphere projected another message.
Ancient symbols appeared above the Heart.
She translated them aloud.
"When the Heart weakens, the Gate of Origins awakens."
Caelum's face turned pale.
"No..."
"Not that Gate."
Lucien looked at him.
"What is the Gate of Origins?"
Adrian answered before anyone else could.
"It is the first Gate ever created."
"The Gate from which every other Gate was born."
Future Lucien whispered,
"If the Devourer reaches it..."
"No world can be saved."
---
The Heart suddenly released a beam of golden light.
Instead of striking Riva...
It struck Adrian.
Everyone gasped.
Ancient symbols spread across his body.
He looked down at his hands and smiled sadly.
"So..."
"My oath is ending."
Riva shook her head.
"What do you mean?"
Adrian looked at her with pride.
"My duty was never to fight beside you."
"It was only..."
"...to bring you here."
The golden symbols spread faster.
His body slowly began turning into light.
Aarvi stepped forward.
"No!"
"You can't disappear now!"
Adrian gently placed a hand on her head, just as her uncle once had.
"You don't need a caretaker anymore."
"You have each other."
He looked at all six heirs.
"Trust each other."
"Not the future."
"Not the past."
"Each other."
The light consumed him.
Only one object remained where he had stood.
A small silver key.
Unlike the other keys...
This one had no number engraved on it.
Only a single word.
"HOME."
At the exact moment the key touched the floor...
The entire palace trembled.
Deep beneath the Throne of Dawn...
An ancient gateway slowly began opening.
Not the Last Door.
Not the Seventh Gate.
Something older.
Something hidden since before the First Kingdom was born.
From the darkness below came the cry of a child.
Then...
A familiar little girl's voice echoed through the chamber.
"You finally found me..."
End of Chapter 21