Chapter 57: Treasure is it!?

The artifact had been quiet for most of the morning.

That changed when they crossed the mountain pass.

The artifact warmed suddenly. He looked down just as a thin crimson line appeared across its surface, branching into several smaller markings before settling into a shape resembling a narrow arrow.

"Shaul."

His brother glanced over from where he was walking ahead of him. "What is it?"

"This family heirloom has decided to wake up."

By late afternoon, the trail had descended into a valley surrounded by forested mountains. A fast-flowing river cut through its centre, its waters rushing over dark rocks before disappearing beneath a natural stone arch. Mist hung above the surface, and the trees grew so thick along the banks that the valley seemed almost untouched by the world beyond it.

Eldrin slowed as he took in the view.

"All right," he admitted. "This place is beautiful."

"Wait until you see it in winter."

"Does it become more beautiful?"

"Usually."

The artifact pulsed again.

This time, the crimson arrow vanished, replaced by a pattern of thin lines that spread across its surface like veins. Eldrin felt a faint pull beneath his palm, drawing his hand toward the river.

He followed the sensation until he reached a stretch of bank where the water ran unusually deep. The surrounding stones were covered in moss, and a large rock jutted out over the current, its underside darkened by years of moisture.

"Here?" Eldrin asked.

Shaul studied the surroundings. "Possibly."

Eldrin crouched beside the bank and held his hand over the water. The artifact grew warmer, and the lines on its surface shifted again, forming a shape that resembled the mountains surrounding them. One section glowed faintly, marking a point beneath the western slope.

He compared it with the landscape, then looked back toward a narrow opening between two walls of rock.

"That way."

Shaul followed his gaze, and his expression grew more attentive.

They found the entrance several minutes later, concealed behind hanging vines and a shelf of stone that would have been difficult to notice from the trail. It was little more than a narrow passage leading into the mountainside, with old carvings half-erased by weather along its edges.

Eldrin brushed the moss from one of them.

A crown surrounded by thirteen small stars.

He recognized the symbol from the old records he’d seen as a child.

For the first time since they had left Korrandis, the reality of what they were doing settled over him.

"Shaul," he said, keeping his eyes on the carving. "How long have you known about this place?"

"Since I was young. Father brought me here once, but he never took me inside. He told me that the entrance would reveal itself when the time was right."

Eldrin gave him a sideways look. "He really did enjoy making everything unnecessarily complicated."

They stood before the entrance for a moment, neither quite willing to be the first to step inside. Eldrin wasn’t afraid of the darkness beyond it, but he had learned to distrust anything that seemed to have been arranged too neatly.

He raised his hand.

The artifact answered immediately.

A low vibration passed through the stone beneath their feet, followed by a muted click from somewhere inside the mountain. Dust drifted from the upper ledge, and a thin line of crimson light appeared along the carvings before travelling inward, illuminating a path that had remained dark for years.

Eldrin stepped back instinctively.

"Please tell me that was supposed to happen."

Shaul watched the light travel deeper into the passage. "It was."

"You’re sure?"

"No."

Then Eldrin tightened his grip on the artifact and stepped into the passage, with Shaul following close behind.

The light guided them down a winding corridor cut directly into the mountain. The air grew colder as they descended, and the sound of the river gradually faded until all Eldrin could hear was the scrape of their boots against stone. Several times, the markings on the walls changed as they passed, revealing fragments of writing in an old form of the Novaryn script. Eldrin could read some of it, but not enough to understand the full meaning.

One phrase appeared repeatedly. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The corridor ended at a pair of enormous stone doors. The same crown-and-stars emblem had been carved into their centre, and a shallow depression sat beneath it, shaped to fit the artifact.

Shaul stepped aside.

"Your turn."

Eldrin pressed his palm against the stone. The artifact slid into the depression. The doors began to separate, revealing a vast room beyond them.

For several seconds, neither brother spoke.

Rows of sealed chests stretched across the chamber, interspersed with weapon racks, tall cabinets and stone pedestals covered in protective markings. At the far end stood a broad table bearing several maps, their edges yellowed with age. Behind it, a series of shelves held books and bound documents, all arranged with a care that suggested someone had expected them to be used again.

There was wealth here, certainly. Eldrin could see it in the silver inlaid along the chests, the fine workmanship of the weapons and the sealed containers marked with the crests of old Novaryn holdings.

Shaul walked in slowly, his gaze moving from one object to another.

"I thought there would be less left."

Eldrin approached the nearest table and examined the maps. Several showed territories that no longer appeared on modern maps, while others marked properties, roads and supply routes across Eldia and its neighbouring kingdoms. Some locations had been crossed out; others were marked with the same crown-and-stars symbol.

He began to understand why his brother had been so determined to reach this place.

The treasure wasn’t merely money. It was the means to rebuild what their family had lost: weapons, records, supplies, property claims and, perhaps most importantly, evidence of the connections House Novaryn had once maintained.

Eldrin turned toward Shaul.

"How much of this can we actually use?"

"That depends on what survived, what still belongs to us legally, and what other people have taken in our absence." Shaul moved toward the table and unrolled one of the maps. "But even if half of it is useless, we have more than I expected."

"And what happens after we’ve sorted everything out?"

Shaul looked at him, his expression growing serious.

"Then we start rebuilding."

Eldrin glanced around the chamber again. He had spent years thinking about survival in terms of the next meal, the next payment, the next problem he needed to solve before it became dangerous. The thought of rebuilding a fallen house was so much larger that he wasn’t sure where to begin.

Shaul seemed to recognize the uncertainty on his face.

"We won’t restore House Novaryn by recovering a few chests of gold," he said. "We need people. Reliable ones. People who can fight, people who understand politics, people who know how to move information and resources without drawing attention. Money can buy soldiers, but it can’t guarantee their loyalty, and it certainly won’t make the kingdom trust us."

"So we need connections." Eldrin answered.

"Exactly. And we need to start building them before we have to rely on them."

Eldrin leaned against the edge of the table, considering the maps. "Where do you suggest we begin?"

"With you."

He looked up. "Me?"

Shaul nodded. "You told me you’ve awakened a Pathway. You’re still learning how to use it, and you have a great deal of catching up to do. The academy would help with that, but the benefits go beyond training."

Eldrin’s expression turned wary. "You’re planning to send me to an academy?"

"I’m planning to ask the king to sponsor your admission."

"That’s a rather generous way of saying you’re making the decision for me."

"I’m making a suggestion. You can still refuse, although I would appreciate hearing a better plan before you do." Shaul said.

Eldrin couldn’t argue with that immediately, which was irritating in itself.

He had spent months improving his abilities through trial and error. He had learned how to use Shadow Step, how to manage Veil and how to make the most of his limited mana, but he knew how much he still lacked. He had no formal instructor, no reliable way to measure his progress and very little understanding of what awaited him beyond the Novice stage.

The academy could provide all three.

It could also place him among the children of noble houses, many of whom would one day inherit titles, armies and influence. If House Novaryn was ever going to recover, those relationships might prove just as valuable as the resources hidden beneath the mountain.

"What kind of academy?" he asked.

"One with students from noble families across the region. Some will be heirs to powerful houses, but plenty will come from smaller families with little land or influence. There may even be commoners who earned their places through their abilities."

"And you want me to make friends with all of them?" Eldrin asked.

"Listen, Eldrin. Don’t go there thinking you have to impress every noble in the room. Some of them will be arrogant, some will be decent, and a few will be clever enough to hide which one they are. Get to know people. Find out what they want, what they’re good at and what they care about. Don’t treat every conversation like a negotiation."

"Even if it is one?"

"Especially then. People notice when you’re only interested in what they can do for you."

Eldrin took that in quietly. It was advice he could understand, though putting it into practice would be more difficult. He had spent so long watching people for signs of danger that the idea of forming relationships without constantly measuring the risks felt almost unfamiliar.

Shaul rested a hand on the table.

"We lost our territory, most of our wealth and the influence our family spent generations building. We can’t recover all of that by ourselves. If we want to restore the house, we need people who will stand beside us when the time comes, not merely people who will follow us because we’re able to pay them."

"All right," Eldrin said, setting the map down. "I’ll consider the academy."

Shaul looked over. "Consider?"

"I haven’t agreed yet."