Kael’s footsteps echoed against the ancient stone floor.

The underground chamber stretched wide before him, lit by flickering torches that cast shifting shadows across the worn carvings on the walls. Symbols he didn’t recognize. Symbols that felt older than the Imperium itself.

The man who had led him here—the one who called him Forsaken—stood silent, watching Kael’s reaction.

Kael exhaled slowly. He didn’t like being tested.

"You said the Imperium erased the past," Kael murmured. His fingers grazed the rough surface of the nearest carving, tracing the lines of what looked like an unblinking eye. "Why?"

The man studied him for a moment before speaking. "Because the past is dangerous."

Kael scoffed. "History doesn’t kill people. The Imperium does."

The man’s expression didn’t change. "That’s where you’re wrong." He turned, gesturing toward the deeper tunnels beyond. "Come. There is something you need to see."

Kael didn’t move. His instincts had saved his life more times than he could count—and right now, they were screaming at him.

The woman—the one who had led him here—was watching him too, her hood still casting part of her face in shadow. He still didn’t know her name. Still didn’t know if she was an ally or just another manipulator.

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"How do I know I can trust you?" Kael asked.

The man gave a small, knowing smile. "You don’t."

Kael almost smirked at that. At least it was honest.

With a slow exhale, he followed them deeper into the tunnels.

----------------------------------------

The air grew colder as they descended. The stone beneath Kael’s boots felt different now—not just worn, but ancient.

"Before the Imperium," the man said, his voice calm, "there was another empire. A kingdom that fell long before Solmaris was ever forged."

Kael frowned. "What does that have to do with me?"

The man stopped at a heavy iron door, rusted with time. "Everything."

With a sharp movement, he pressed his palm against the door’s center. The metal shuddered, then groaned as it opened on its own.

Kael tensed. Not normal.

Beyond the threshold, a massive chamber stretched out, its ceiling lost in darkness. The walls were lined with stone tablets, engraved with symbols like the ones in the tunnels. And in the center of the room—

Kael’s breath caught.

A monolith stood at the heart of the chamber.

It was massive—at least three times his height—its surface etched with glowing lines of silver and black.

But that wasn’t what made his chest tighten.

It was the symbol carved at its center.

The same Mark that burned on his skin.

Kael’s heart pounded. This wasn’t just some relic. This wasn’t just history.

This was connected to him.

He turned sharply to the man. "What is this?"

The man’s gaze didn’t waver. "This is proof that the Imperium has been lying to the world for centuries."

Kael’s fists clenched. "Lying about what?"

The man exhaled. "About the Mark. About the ones who carried it before you. About what happens when it fully awakens."

Kael felt a deep, uneasy chill settle into his bones. Because for the first time since the Mark appeared, he was beginning to realize—

He wasn’t the first.