BOOK THREE: THE FALL OF THE FIRST KINGDOM
Chapter 1: The Book That Should Never Be Opened
The wind over Black Hollow Station was unusually still.
One year had passed since the Last War.
The station, once abandoned and haunted by whispers, had become peaceful. Wildflowers covered the old railway tracks, and children from nearby villages often played there, unaware that this forgotten place had once been the center of a battle that decided the fate of countless worlds.
To everyone else...
Life had finally returned to normal.
But for the Six Heirs...
Normal had become a memory.
---
Riva stood alone beside Platform Seven.
The notebook she had carried since the beginning of her journey rested in her hands.
She slowly turned its pages.
The first drawing.
The mysterious Gate.
Black Hollow Station.
The compass.
The strange symbols.
Adrian.
The Throne of Dawn.
The Devourer.
The Promise of Six.
Everything that had happened was recorded there.
Only one page remained blank.
At the top, someone had written words she did not remember writing.
"Every ending is the beginning of another story."
Riva frowned.
"I didn't write this..."
A cold breeze turned the page by itself.
The blank page suddenly filled with silver ink.
Only one sentence appeared.
"Come to Aurelia before the third sunrise."
The writing vanished immediately.
---
At that same moment...
Eva sat inside the Grand Library, carefully organizing the records of the Gates.
Her restored compass had not moved for an entire year.
Today...
It spun wildly.
Books fell from the shelves.
Ancient scrolls opened on their own.
One fragile manuscript landed at her feet.
Its title read:
"The Chronicle of the First Kingdom."
Every page inside was empty.
Except the last one.
It contained only a single line.
"History has begun rewriting itself."
Before Eva could touch the page...
The manuscript turned to silver dust.
---
Far away...
Parna was planting young trees along a quiet hillside.
Birds suddenly flew into the sky.
The forest became silent.
The ancient oak she had spoken to for months whispered with fear.
"The roots remember..."
Parna placed her hand on the tree.
"What do they remember?"
The wind answered.
"A king who never died."
Then the whisper disappeared.
---
Aarvi was performing one of her stories for children in a small village.
Everyone laughed as she exaggerated Lucien's serious expressions.
Even she couldn't stop smiling.
Suddenly...
The mysterious wooden box she had kept as a memory began glowing.
Although it had been empty since the end of Book Two...
Something now rested inside.
A single white feather.
A note was tied around it.
Aarvi unfolded it carefully.
It contained only three words.
"Don't trust history."
---
Orion was training new Guardians.
Young recruits practiced together, repeating the oath he had created.
"Protect people before power."
A sudden tremor shook the training grounds.
Every sword rang at once.
Every shield reflected silver light.
Orion looked toward the eastern mountains.
A giant silhouette appeared for only a second.
Then vanished.
---
As evening fell...
The Six Heirs arrived at Black Hollow Station almost at the same time.
None of them had invited the others.
Yet all had received a different message.
They exchanged uneasy glances.
"You too?"
Eva asked.
Riva nodded.
Parna held up a leaf covered in glowing symbols.
Aarvi showed them the white feather.
Orion simply pointed toward the sky.
Everyone looked up.
The Ninth Gate had appeared again.
Only for a heartbeat.
Then it disappeared.
---
Suddenly...
The old station clock began striking.
Dong...
Dong...
Dong...
Three times.
The railway tracks trembled.
A silver railway platform that had never existed slowly appeared beside Platform Seven.
The tracks stretched into a thick white mist.
At the end of them...
An ancient train waited silently.
Its body was made of silver and black crystal.
There was no driver.
No passengers.
Only one destination written across its front.
AURELIA
The Kingdom That History Forgot.
Its doors slowly opened.
A calm voice echoed from inside.
"All passengers for the First Kingdom..."
"...please board."
The Six Heirs looked at one another.
They had saved the worlds.
They had ended the Last War.
But deep in their hearts...
They knew this journey would be unlike any before.
Because this time...
They were not trying to save the future.
They were searching for the truth of the past.
Riva took the first step toward the train.
Behind her, Lucien smiled.
"Looks like another adventure."
Aarvi laughed.
"I was getting bored anyway."
Eva adjusted her satchel and held her compass tightly.
Parna placed a reassuring hand on the nearest tree.
Orion rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Together...
The Six Heirs boarded the mysterious train.
The doors closed.
Without a sound, the train began moving into the white mist.
As it disappeared...
A shadow watched from the roof of the station.
The figure held an ancient book bound in white leather.
Its cover read:
THE FALL OF THE FIRST KINGDOM
The figure smiled.
"You've finally begun to ask the right question."
The train vanished into the mist.
And so began the greatest mystery of all.
End of Chapter 1