Chapter 7 - The Room Beneath The Cathedral
The hidden stone door opened slowly and a voice whispered from beneath the floor: "Arthur... I have been waiting for you."
Arthur froze.
The voice was not familiar.
But the name it spoke carried a strange weight.
Someone below knew exactly who he was.
The guards immediately surrounded him.
Kora grabbed Lily and stepped back.
Alexander's expression changed.
For the first time since returning from the dead, he looked afraid.
Arthur noticed.
"Who is down there?"
Nobody answered.
That frightened him more than anything.
Arthur had spent his entire life surrounded by powerful people.
Warriors.
Leaders.
Advisers.
Enemies.
But he had never seen Alexander afraid.
Not even during battles.
Not even when they thought Kora was dead.
"Alexander."
His brother looked at him.
"Don't go alone."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Alexander hesitated.
"Because whoever built that room wanted you to find it."
Arthur looked down at the hidden passage.
"And?"
Alexander lowered his voice.
"That means they are ready."
The words sent a chill through the cathedral.
Arthur looked at Kora.
She was holding Lily tightly.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
Not for herself.
For him.
Arthur walked toward her.
"Tell me the truth."
Kora looked at him.
"About what?"
"Everything."
The silence between them was painful.
Arthur continued.
"No more secrets."
Kora closed her eyes.
Then nodded.
"When I disappeared, I wasn't only running from the people who attacked me."
Arthur waited.
"I was running from your father."
The cathedral went completely silent.
Arthur's face changed.
"My father?"
Kora nodded.
"He knew about Lily before she was born."
Arthur looked at the child.
"He knew?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Kora swallowed.
"Because he knew about the prophecy."
Arthur immediately frowned.
"The prophecy?"
Alexander stepped forward.
"Not a prophecy."
Everyone looked at him.
"A prediction."
Arthur looked between them.
"About Lily?"
Alexander nodded.
"About a child who could unite two ancient bloodlines."
Arthur looked at Lily.
His daughter.
A child who had spent her entire life hiding because powerful people wanted control.
"And my father wanted her?"
Kora's expression became painful.
"Your father wanted her power."
Arthur's hands tightened.
"Then why didn't he take her?"
Kora looked at Alexander.
Because that answer belonged to him.
Alexander finally spoke.
"Because I stopped him."
Arthur stared.
"You?"
Alexander nodded.
"The night Kora disappeared, I discovered what Father planned."
A pause.
"He wanted to remove Kora and take Lily when she was born."
Arthur felt anger explode inside him.
"You knew she was pregnant?"
Alexander looked down.
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I tried."
Arthur's eyes hardened.
"When?"
"The night before the attack."
Arthur froze.
"What?"
Alexander looked at him.
"I went to tell you everything."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because someone poisoned me."
Nobody spoke.
Arthur remembered.
Five years ago.
The night before Kora vanished.
Alexander had disappeared from the public eye.
Everyone believed he was injured during a mission.
The next day, Kora was gone.
Then weeks later, Alexander was declared dead.
Too many coincidences.
Too many lies.
Arthur looked at his brother.
"Who poisoned you?"
Alexander looked toward the hidden room.
"The same person who has been controlling everything."
A sound came from below.
A door closing.
Everyone turned.
Someone inside the underground room was moving.
Arthur immediately stepped forward.
"I am going down."
Kora grabbed his arm.
"Arthur."
He looked at her.
"If something happens..."
"No."
Her voice broke.
"You don't understand."
"What?"
"The person down there knows things even I don't know."
Arthur looked at Lily.
Then back at Kora.
"I spent five years believing you were dead."
His voice softened.
"I spent five years hating myself for losing you."
Kora's eyes filled with tears.
"I won't lose you again."
Arthur gently touched her hand.
"I won't disappear."
Then he turned toward the passage.
The Alpha King entered the darkness beneath the cathedral.
Alexander followed.
Together they walked through the hidden tunnel.
The walls were covered with old symbols.
Family records.
Ancient markings.
Names.
Arthur stopped when he saw one.
Pendleton.
But beneath it was another name.
Hastings.
Two families connected.
Long before anyone knew.
"What is this place?"
Alexander looked around.
"This was built by our ancestors."
"For what?"
"To hide the truth from future generations."
Arthur continued walking.
The tunnel became colder.
Then they reached a large room.
A single chair sat in the center.
A table.
Old documents.
And hundreds of photographs.
Arthur approached.
His heart stopped.
The pictures showed Kora.
Every year.
Every month.
Every stage of her life after disappearing.
Someone had been watching her.
Someone had been tracking Lily.
Someone had known everything.
Arthur picked up one photograph.
It showed Kora holding newborn Lily.
On the back was a date.
Five years ago.
And one sentence.
"Arthur must never know."
His hand trembled.
Alexander looked at the picture.
"I didn't write that."
Arthur turned.
"Then who did?"
Before Alexander could answer, a monitor in the corner suddenly turned on.
A video began playing.
The screen showed an older man.
Arthur immediately recognized him.
His father.
Alive.
Older.
Different.
But alive.
Arthur stopped breathing.
His father's voice filled the room.
"My son."
Arthur stepped closer.
"If you are watching this, then everything I tried to prevent has happened."
The video continued.
"I know you hate me."
Arthur stared at the screen.
"You should."
The words shocked him.
His father continued.
"I made terrible choices."
A pause.
"But I did them because I believed the world would destroy you if you knew the truth."
Arthur's expression hardened.
"Where are you?"
The video did not answer.
Instead, his father looked directly into the camera.
"Arthur, the person who betrayed you is not the person you think."
The screen changed.
A photograph appeared.
Arthur leaned closer.
It showed the cathedral.
The wedding ceremony.
The moment Arthur discovered the blood on Beatrice's veil.
But the image was taken from above.
Someone had been watching.
Then Arthur noticed something.
A figure standing behind the guests.
A figure he recognized.
His blood turned cold.
Because the person watching the wedding...
Was himself.
But older.
Different.
Scarred.
The video continued.
"Arthur, if you see this image, you need to understand one thing."
The screen went black.
Then one final message appeared.
"Your future self already knows how this ends."
Arthur stepped back.
Impossible.
No.
It couldn't be real.
Then the hidden room door behind him slowly opened.
Alexander turned.
Kora's voice came from the tunnel.
"Arthur..."
Everyone froze.
Because Kora was not the one standing there.
A man stepped into the room.
A man with Arthur's face.
Older.
Scarred.
May you like
And he whispered:
"I came back to stop you from making the same mistake I did..."
