The meeting ended, but few people left immediately.
The projection hovering above the center of the hall gradually dissolved into countless particles of silver light, yet the image of the black monument lingered in everyone's mind. Students remained gathered in small groups, speaking in hushed voices. Military officers exchanged reports. Representatives of the various races discussed matters among themselves with grim expressions.
The atmosphere felt heavier than before.
Not because of fear.
Because uncertainty was often more frightening than known danger.
Kael remained near the crystal window overlooking the endless sea of clouds while the hall slowly emptied around him. The mark beneath his glove had returned to silence, but the sensation it had awakened refused to disappear completely.
Recognition.
The feeling made no sense.
He had never seen the monument before.
Never traveled to the Northern Frontier.
Never even heard of its existence until recently.
Yet when he looked at the projection, part of him had reacted as though it was staring back.
The thought unsettled him.
A gust of wind struck the enchanted glass.
Dark clouds drifted far below the floating academy, their shadows moving across distant mountain ranges hidden beneath the sea of mist.
For a brief moment, Kael found himself wondering what those mountains looked like up close.
The academy had always made the world feel distant.
Safe.
Contained.
Now every horizon seemed to conceal secrets.
"You're thinking too loudly."
Kael glanced sideways.
Lyra had approached without him noticing.
Not unusual.
She rested one arm against the window frame and followed his gaze toward the clouds.
For several moments, neither spoke.
The silence between them had never been uncomfortable.
Eventually, she asked quietly,
"The monument?"
Kael nodded.
Lyra remained thoughtful.
"I noticed."
That made him look at her.
She turned slightly.
"The mark reacted."
A simple statement.
Not a question.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Did anyone else see?"
"No."
After a brief pause, she added,
"I don't think General Caelan missed it."
That wasn't reassuring.
Then again, very little about General Caelan was reassuring.
The military commander seemed capable of noticing everything.
The thought alone was exhausting.
The hall continued emptying around them. The representatives of the various nations departed first, escorted by academy officials and military officers. Several groups of students followed shortly afterward.
Only the strongest remained.
Elaris stood near the central platform speaking with one of the dwarven delegates.
Selene occupied a nearby observation balcony, studying the now-empty projection space with narrowed golden eyes.
Cyrion had disappeared entirely.
Which likely meant he was gathering information.
Aren, meanwhile, was somehow speaking with a diplomat while carrying a plate full of pastries.
Kael had no idea how he managed such things.
The diplomat actually looked interested in the conversation.
That was somehow even more concerning.
"Do you think we're ready?"
Lyra's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
The question lingered between them.
Ready.
For the expedition.
For the frontier.
For whatever waited beneath the ice.
Kael considered the answer carefully.
"No."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"Good."
He frowned slightly.
"Good?"
"If you thought you were ready, I'd be worried."
That was annoyingly reasonable.
The smile faded.
Her expression became more serious.
"The third expedition."
Kael understood immediately.
The recording.
The figure beside the monument.
Neither of them had forgotten it.
"Something was standing there."
"Yes."
"It didn't move."
"No."
Lyra remained silent for several moments.
Then she spoke quietly.
"That's what bothers me."
Kael understood.
The figure hadn't appeared threatening.
It hadn't attacked.
Hadn't charged.
Hadn't displayed any aggression at all.
It simply stood there.
Watching.
For some reason, that felt worse.
The hall doors opened.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the chamber.
A massive beast-human entered accompanied by two academy instructors. His height alone made him difficult to ignore. Black fur covered his forearms and shoulders while numerous scars crossed exposed portions of his skin.
He looked like someone who had survived more battles than most soldiers could imagine.
The conversations throughout the hall gradually stopped.
The newcomer ignored them completely.
His golden eyes swept across the chamber.
Then stopped.
On Kael.
Silence followed.
The beast-human changed direction.
Several students immediately stepped aside.
The giant warrior crossed the hall with calm, deliberate movements before stopping a few feet away.
His gaze remained fixed on Kael.
The pressure surrounding him felt immense.
Not hostile.
Just powerful.
Like standing near a mountain.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then the beast-human nodded once.
Interesting.
Respectful.
Unexpected.
His deep voice finally broke the silence.
"You are the bearer."
Not a question.
Kael immediately noticed Lyra becoming alert beside him.
The giant warrior noticed too.
His expression remained unchanged.
"I am Ragnor of the Ashfang Tribes."
The introduction carried weight.
Several nearby students reacted immediately.
Apparently the name meant something.
Unfortunately, Kael had no idea what.
Ragnor studied him carefully.
Then glanced toward the gloved hand.
"The old stories are waking."
Kael remained silent.
The warrior continued.
"My people remember things others forgot."
That sentence instantly captured Kael's attention.
Ragnor's gaze shifted toward the northern horizon visible beyond the crystal windows.
"When the world was young, there were many gates."
The hall became completely silent.
Every nearby conversation died instantly.
Because everyone had heard those words.
Many gates.
Not one.
Many.
Ragnor's expression darkened.
"Most were destroyed."
A pause.
"Some were sealed."
Another pause.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"And some were never closed."
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Even the air itself seemed colder.
Kael felt the mark stir faintly beneath the glove.
Not enough to hurt.
Enough to remind him it existed.
Ragnor noticed.
The giant warrior looked toward the hand again.
Then slowly nodded.
As though confirming something.
"The frontier is older than kingdoms."
His voice had become quieter.
Almost thoughtful.
"The monument should not exist."
Kael frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Ragnor's gaze moved toward the distant clouds beyond the window.
For a moment, the warrior looked strangely troubled.
Then he answered.
"It means someone built it."
The words struck harder than expected.
Because suddenly the obvious question appeared.
If the monument was connected to the gates...
Then who created the gates?
The thought settled heavily in Kael's mind.
Until now, the gates had always felt like natural disasters.
Ancient forces.
Cosmic mysteries.
Something beyond understanding.
But monuments were built.
Constructed.
Designed.
Which meant someone, somewhere in the distant past, had created them.
And that possibility was infinitely more frightening.
Ragnor eventually turned away.
The giant warrior had apparently said everything he intended to.
Before leaving, however, he paused.
Without looking back, he spoke one final sentence.
"The thing in the recording wasn't guarding the monument."
Kael froze.
"So what was it doing?"
The beast-human continued walking toward the exit.
His answer echoed through the hall.
"Waiting."
Then he left.
Silence remained behind.
A heavy silence.
The kind that followed the revelation of something nobody wanted to hear.
Far beyond the academy.
Beyond the kingdoms.
Beyond civilization.
A black monument stood beneath endless snow.
And according to someone whose people remembered ancient stories...
Something was waiting beside it.
Not guarding.
Not protecting.
Waiting.
For what?
For whom?
Kael didn't know.
Yet as he stood beside the crystal window staring toward the distant northern horizon, he couldn't shake a growing feeling of unease.
The expedition was still days away.
The journey had not even begun.
And already, it felt as though the Northern Frontier was watching them approach.
Waiting patiently.
Like it had been waiting for a very long time.