Chapter 13: Secrets Are Never Buried for Long


    <hr>


    If someone tells you to stop digging, it usually means you’re close to something important.


    So, naturally, Elias and I dug deeper.


    And that’s how we found the door.


    And that’s also how we almost died.


    <hr>


    The Forgotten Wing


    Arkadia Academy was massive.


    It had towering halls, endless archives, and entire sections students weren’t allowed to enter.


    But through careful research—meaning a mix of bribery, sneaking around, and Elias picking a few locks—we discovered an abandoned wing beneath the academy.


    A place that wasn’t on any map.


    A place that shouldn’t exist.


    And at the end of the dust-covered corridor, hidden beneath layers of fading protective seals, we found a massive iron door.


    <hr>


    Opening the Past


    "This," Elias muttered, staring at the markings on the door, "is probably a really bad idea."


    I nodded. "Yup."


    Neither of us left.


    Instead, I placed my hand on the rusted surface—


    And the system reacted.


    <blockquote>


    [UNKNOWN ACCESS POINT DETECTED.]


    [AUTHORIZATION GRANTED: VOID REAPER.]


    </blockquote>


    The door groaned and unlocked itself.


    Elias stepped back. "That… seems bad."


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Too late to back out now."


    I pushed it open—


    And what we saw inside changed everything.


    <hr>


    The Hidden Archive


    The room was a forgotten research chamber.


    Dust-covered books, faded parchments, and cracked glass containers lined the walls. Old, decayed sigils pulsed faintly on the floor, sealing something within.


    At the center of the room sat a large stone slab.


    And engraved into it—clear, sharp, undeniable—


    A drawing of the Nullborn.


    My blood ran cold.


    Elias cursed under his breath. "They knew. They knew about these things, and they buried it."


    He wasn’t wrong.


    The academy knew.


    But that wasn’t the worst part.


    Because beneath the engraving, written in ancient runes, was a warning:


    <blockquote>


    "THE VOID WATCHES. AND IT WANTS HIM BACK."


    </blockquote>


    The hairs on my neck rose.


    Him?


    Who—


    No.


    What?


    I barely had time to process before the shadows in the room moved.


    Something slithered. Twisted.


    The temperature dropped.


    And then—


    <blockquote>


    [WARNING: NULLBORN PRESENCE DETECTED.]


    </blockquote>


    A low, distorted voice echoed from the darkness.


    "You should not be here."


    And then it attacked.


    <hr>


    The Ambush


    The thing lunged from the shadows, a mass of twitching limbs and static flesh.


    It wasn’t just one.


    There were three.


    They had been waiting.


    I barely dodged the first strike, rolling across the stone floor as razor-sharp claws carved through the air.


    Elias cursed, flipping back as another creature warped toward him, moving in a way that defied reality.


    I gritted my teeth, summoning Nyx.


    "This is escalating quickly," she murmured.


    "No kidding!" I slashed at the nearest Nullborn, but it twisted away, its body glitching in and out of existence.


    Elias flicked his wrist, summoning a series of throwing daggers—


    But the blades passed right through the creatures.


    "They’re not fully here!" he shouted. "We can’t hit them!"


    I exhaled sharply.


    If normal weapons wouldn’t work—


    Then we needed something not normal.


    I tightened my grip.


    Nyx purred in understanding.


    "Shall we cut through the unreal, my master?"


    I smirked. "Let’s."


    <blockquote>


    [ABILITY ACTIVATED: ABYSSAL EDGE.]


    </blockquote>


    My blade darkened, glowing with a deep void energy.


    The Nullborn hesitated.


    They recognized it.


    They feared it.


    And that meant—


    I could kill them.


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