—Why are you doing this, Iara? If you are supposed to be a guardian, you carry the mark of the serpent.
—Because I discovered that we were deceived. Our ancestors were nothing more than toys for the Supreme Beings. I will not become another one of them.
Marseille, two days earlier.
The sky was clear, and the waters of the Mediterranean looked calm and peaceful. It did not seem like the world was undergoing one of the greatest changes in its history.
Noah stood inside the hangar of the Orleans mansion, watching as the technicians performed the final inspections on the aircraft that would transport them. It was a medium-sized vessel designed for stealth and speed, equipped with magical concealment systems capable of making it invisible to any conventional radar.
Sophie walked around the fuselage, inspecting every detail with the precision that characterized her.
—Food supplies for five days, encrypted communication devices, maps and ancient texts, excavation tools, magical weapons, and personal protection seals infused with the Orleans family's magic... and a couple of surprises that I hope I will not have to use.
Eleonor arrived shortly afterward. The bandage over her shoulder was still visible, although she walked with determination.
—Are you ready? —Eleonor asked.
Noah looked at the aircraft for a few seconds before answering.
—I'm not sure anyone can truly be prepared for something like this... but yes. I'm ready.
Sophie intervened.
—We all feel the same way. No one is one hundred percent prepared.
At that moment, the aircraft captain appeared at the door and said:
—Everything is ready. Whenever you give the order, we can take off.
Noah was surprised. It was a familiar face, the same man who had taken him from Canada to Russia.
—It's good to see you again —Noah said—. I'm glad to see you are doing well after everything that happened in the last few days.
The captain stood at attention and replied:
—I'm honored by your words, young Noah.
With that, everyone boarded the aircraft and headed north toward one of Atlas' bases in Russian territory, where they would refuel, pick up Irina, and then continue their journey to China.
Seven hours later, we arrived at the Atlas base. It was located in a small city that was practically the entire base itself; it was used as a natural disguise.
It was a research facility for magical weapons and climate systems.
We were received by one of the leaders. His name was Ivianko. From the way he addressed Eleonor, it was clear that they already knew each other and that he respected her greatly. He asked us to follow one of his men to a room where we could rest and requested that Eleonor accompany him, since Irina wanted to speak with her privately.
A little over an hour later, Eleonor arrived, and Irina was walking beside her.
—I'm glad to see you have recovered —Sophie said.
As for me, I told her I was happy to see her again. Irina looked at us, and a little sadness could be seen in her eyes, but she managed to control herself.
—Thank you both. I appreciate that you were worried about my condition. Now I will tell you everything that happened during the battle against the fleet that attacked us.
In that way, Irina explained how the battle unfolded: the magical radar interruptions, the loss of her vision ability, the partial arrival of more ships that disappeared again, and the appearance of those tentacled monsters that destroyed several vessels.
And the last thing she said left all of us surprised.
—What I saw in Anadyr left me deeply frightened.
—The monsters emerged from portals, just like the other ships, but they did not remain for long. What I could see through my vision was that portals opened and they came out of them, but as the portals began to close, they were pulled back inside. I believe that, for now, they cannot remain outside the Mirror Dimension for long periods of time.
At that moment, Kenji and Elena arrived carrying several pieces of equipment.
Kenji held a tablet from which three-dimensional maps were projected. They displayed the territory of China, and several luminous lines could be seen.
—I have been comparing geological records with the ley lines.
He activated another image.
—As you can see, all the ley lines pass through this area. However, when they reach an approximate distance of fifty kilometers around this point, an anomaly appears where the continuity of the ley lines can no longer be seen. It is as if, up to that point, there is a stable flow of magical energy.
And the most interesting part is that, as you can see, the satellite survey shows that there is something at this location, where the coordinates left in the message intersect. It does not appear to be a natural formation.
Everything indicates that an artificial structure exists at that point.
—What could it be? —I asked.
—I cannot determine that. But none of the records made by the Five Families mention that anything was built in that location.
That answer was enough to increase our uncertainty.
Elena put away the tablet and said:
—It is time to rest. We will leave tomorrow at first light.
With that, we headed to our quarters.
At five in the morning, the aircraft took off smoothly.
Inside the aircraft, a strange silence filled the cabin.
Each of us seemed lost in different thoughts.
Noah sat beside the window.
The Mark on his back pulsed slowly.
It did not hurt.
It was simply there.
As if it was trying to tell me something.
Eleonor took the seat beside me.
—There is something that I cannot stop thinking about.
I turned my head and looked at her directly.
—What is it? —I asked.
—Irina said those Leviathans came from a sealed place. If another structure really exists in China...
She paused.
—What do you think we will find?
I looked back out the window and remained staring at the horizon for several seconds.
—I don't know.
That was my honest answer.
—But I feel that we will find answers there. Maybe answers that the families never discovered.
Eleonor nodded and asked no more questions.
The hours passed as we crossed Europe.
The maps remained open on the central table.
Kenji constantly compared the routes with ancient records.
When we crossed into Chinese territory, the landscape changed completely.
The Greater Khingan Mountains welcomed us.
Irina looked at the screen.
—Not far from here begins an area where the ley lines are already starting to behave strangely.
—What can you see? —I asked.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds and slowly opened her eyelids. When she did, they already carried the blue glow that characterized her power.
—I cannot see clearly.
—But it is as if the energy has stopped following its natural course. It does not disappear... it simply changes direction.
Kenji intervened.
—My sensors also show a very large decrease in magical intensity.
—That matches our calculations.
He enlarged the map and showed several luminous points.
—The ley lines converge toward the same region. We do not know why, but something is diverting enormous amounts of magical energy.
Elena continued observing the data.
—Whatever it is, we need to find exactly where all that magical energy ends.
Several hours later, we began our descent.
Before us appeared an extensive mountainous region covered in snow.
In the middle of the landscape, a small installation could be seen, surrounded by vehicles that were still turned off.
Sophie picked up the intercom.
—The area has already been secured.
—Access has been authorized. Officially, this place does not exist. The Chinese government only facilitated our arrival here.
The aircraft landed smoothly on what appeared to be a temporary landing strip.
When the hatch opened, a current of freezing air struck the group.
But the cold did not feel unusual.
It did not seem to come only from the weather.
There was something else.
As if the mountain itself was holding back an immense force beneath its surface.
I descended first.
The moment my foot touched the runway, the Mark reacted.
It was not pain.
Nor heat.
Only a deep vibration that traveled through my entire body in an instant.
For a moment, I felt a sensation impossible to explain.
It was not the feeling of arriving at an unknown place.
It was the exact opposite.
I felt like when you return, after many years, to a place that you have always remembered. But I had never been here before. Why did I have this feeling?
Eleonor looked at my expression.
—What is happening? —she asked me.
It took me a few seconds to answer.
—I cannot explain it...
I looked around.
—I feel... as if I have been here before. And the Mark, just like the relic, has begun to react.
Everyone remained silent. It was evidence that somewhere in this place there was something that no one knew about yet.
A couple of hours later, all of our equipment had been unloaded from the aircraft, and we had established our research center.
We were gathered inside the tent where the magical scanners were located when, suddenly, Irina stood up from her seat and walked outside.
She took a few steps and then slowly extended one hand.
Her eyes began to acquire their blue glow.
Then she said in a firm voice:
—It is here. The ley lines converge directly beneath us.
She took a deep breath.
—The concentration of energy is enormous.
—I cannot distinguish the structure... but it is definitely here.
Kenji activated one of the scanners.
The readings began appearing on the screen.
—This cannot be possible. Confirmed. Until a few hours ago, we could not determine where all the magical energy was flowing, but now it is clearly visible that there is a node beneath us, and it is enormous.
He marked a point with a circle on the screen of his tablet.
—Approximately fifty meters underground.
He raised his gaze.
—There is no doubt.
—There is something built beneath this mountain.
Eleonor called one of the agents who had been waiting for them and asked if, by any chance, there were ruins or some kind of cave near that location.
The agent replied that he had no knowledge of any ruins, but that not far away there was a natural pit that appeared to be extremely deep.
—There is no doubt —Irina said—. I can see something that looks like stairs in the direction he mentioned.
—But it is already too late to investigate —Sophie added—. It would be better to rest and investigate in the morning.
The next morning, Sophie led the investigation alongside Kenji and Elena. Eleonor watched our backs.
When we arrived at the place where the pit was located, the Mark began to react, as if it wanted me to hurry.
Irina remained slightly behind me, following the flow of the ley lines.
It took the specialists around three hours to install an elevator so we could reach the bottom of the pit with all the equipment that Elena and Kenji carried.
Once everyone managed to descend, we could see an enormous crack that appeared to have been naturally formed.
—I can see that it is approximately one kilometer long —Irina said—, but something is interrupting my vision, like a wall.
—That should not be possible —Sophie replied—. Your vision ability is not supposed to be blocked by anything.
—This is the first time something like this has happened to me.
—Which confirms that there really is something in this place.
The farther we advanced...
The stronger the vibration of the Mark became.
Until we finally reached an enormous cave.
There were no doors.
There were no visible symbols.
Only stone.
I walked slowly.
I placed my palm against the surface.
The rock was not cold.
It was warm.
A faint warmth...
I slowly removed my hand and said:
—I think this is it.
Irina closed her eyes.
Her perception increased.
—There are inscriptions.
They are not visible to the naked eye.
She opened her eyes.
—They do not belong to any writing system I know.
Kenji brought the scanner closer.
The sensors began emitting small signals.
—The cave continues behind this wall.
—We found the entrance.
Eleonor stepped forward.
—Then let us not waste any more time.
Sophie distributed several protection seals around the group while Kenji prepared the equipment to analyze the runes.
At that moment, an enormous amount of energy suddenly increased from nowhere.
The entire mountain seemed to tremble.
And that was when I understood that we were about to cross a threshold from which we would not be able to return.
Hundreds of kilometers away, a screen displayed the group's progress.
Valerius watched the luminous points moving slowly across the map.
A slight smile appeared on his face.
—It seems they have already arrived.
Iara was sitting beside him with her arms crossed.
—Should we stop them now? Or should we let them continue a little longer?
Valerius calmly shook his head.
—For centuries, no one has managed to cross beyond the door of the main chamber.
Perhaps those children will find something interesting that could help us with our plans.
He turned his gaze back toward the screen.
—Now, let us allow them to do the work.
Markus remained observing the data.
—And what if what they find is not what we expect?
Valerius smiled.
—Then, at last, we will know the truth.
The screen continued displaying the group's slow advance.
And beneath that mountain, forgotten by history...
Something began to awaken.