CHAPTER 8: LEVEL FOUR
CHAPTER 8: LEVEL FOUR
The laughter echoed once.
Then again.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't cruel.
It sounded like an ordinary child laughing while playing alone.
That was what made it terrifying.
Because no child should have been alive beneath the Valenti estate.
Not this deep.
Not beyond a door that hadn't been opened in centuries.
Everyone in the chamber stood frozen.
Only the silver pocket watch continued ticking.
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
Then it stopped again.
The brass key in my palm felt strangely warm.
Helena stared at it.
Her face lost every trace of composure.
"You must never use that key."
I looked at her.
"You just told me nothing but lies for sixteen years."
"Then believe me now."
Her voice cracked.
"The moment Level Four opens..."
"...everything changes."
Julian stepped beside me.
"What is Level Four?"
No one answered.
Not Lucien.
Not Marco.
Not Helena.
Even Elias remained silent.
Finally, Rinaldi spoke.
"My grandfather once mentioned four levels."
"The first belonged to servants."
"The second stored supplies during the war."
"The third..."
He glanced around uneasily.
"...was forbidden."
"And the fourth?"
Rinaldi swallowed.
"He said nobody ever returned."
The chamber shook again.
A loud metallic boom echoed through the tunnels.
One of Lucien's guards ran in.
"They're retreating!"
Lucien frowned.
"The crimson soldiers?"
"Yes."
"They're leaving."
"Why?"
The guard hesitated.
Then whispered,
"They opened something."
No one needed to ask what.
Everyone looked toward the deepest corridor.
The golden light returned.
Brighter than before.
Instead of shining outward...
It now flowed through the cracks in the stone walls.
Like sunlight trapped beneath the mountain.
The temperature rose instantly.
Cold air became warm.
Then hot.
The old stone floor trembled beneath our feet.
Helena whispered,
"It's waking up."
I tightened my grip around the brass key.
The instant I did...
A sharp pain exploded behind my eyes.
The chamber disappeared.
Darkness swallowed everything.
I was standing in the mansion's garden.
Not the present.
The past.
I recognized the old fountain that had been removed decades ago.
Cherry trees covered the path.
Children laughed nearby.
A little boy ran across the grass.
Me.
Eight years old.
Victor chased behind me.
Both of us laughing.
Then...
Our mother appeared.
She looked exactly like the photograph.
Beautiful.
Calm.
Alive.
She smiled warmly.
"Adrian."
I tried to answer.
No sound came out.
She walked closer.
Then knelt before me.
Except...
She wasn't looking at the child.
She was looking directly at me.
The adult me.
"As expected."
She smiled sadly.
"You opened Level Three."
My heart pounded.
"This..."
"...is a recording."
She nodded.
"If you're seeing me..."
"...I've already disappeared."
Not died.
Disappeared.
She reached into her pocket.
Holding the exact same silver pocket watch.
"There isn't much time."
"You'll hear many lies."
"Some from enemies."
"Some from people who love you."
"The hardest lies..."
She gently touched my face.
"...are told to protect children."
Tears filled my eyes.
"Where are you?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because if you know before you're ready..."
"...he'll find you."
He.
Again.
Always "he."
Never a name.
Suddenly...
The sky behind her darkened.
The birds stopped singing.
She looked over her shoulder.
Fear entered her eyes for the first time.
"He's here earlier than expected."
She stood immediately.
"Listen carefully."
She pressed something invisible into my hand.
"When the three heirs stand together..."
"...do not let any of them enter first."
The vision began breaking apart.
"No!"
I reached toward her.
"I still have questions!"
"I know."
She smiled through tears.
"I wanted more time too."
The garden dissolved into light.
Her final words echoed around me.
"Remember..."
"...not every prison keeps monsters inside."
I gasped.
The underground chamber returned.
Only seconds had passed.
Julian grabbed my shoulder.
"Uncle!"
"You stopped breathing."
I looked down.
The brass key was glowing.
Everyone stared.
Helena looked horrified.
"It accepted him."
Lucien whispered,
"Impossible..."
Before anyone could speak...
A deep mechanical sound rolled through the mountain.
The stone wall opposite us slowly split apart.
Dust poured into the chamber.
Hidden gears, untouched for centuries, began turning.
The opening widened.
Behind it...
A spiral staircase descended into complete darkness.
Not golden.
Not red.
Pure black.
The air rising from below felt strangely fresh.
Almost like a breeze from an open field.
Yet something about it made every instinct scream to run.
Above the entrance...
Ancient Latin words were carved into the stone.
Lucien translated them quietly.
Only blood may enter.
Only truth may return.
Elias stepped toward the staircase.
Julian moved beside him.
At the same moment...
The brass key in my hand shattered into three identical pieces.
One landed at my feet.
One slid toward Julian.
The third stopped before Elias.
Three keys.
Three heirs.
Helena closed her eyes.
"So..."
"It has chosen."
Julian picked up his key.
"So we all have to go."
"No."
Helena's voice became almost desperate.
"You must not descend together."
"Why?"
She looked at the staircase with visible fear.
"Because that's exactly what someone has been waiting sixteen years for."
A slow clap echoed from above.
Everyone looked up.
A figure stood on the broken balcony overlooking the chamber.
Perfect suit.
Perfect posture.
Perfect smile.
Celeste.
She applauded slowly.
"Beautiful."
Her voice echoed through the ancient hall.
"Sixteen years of secrets..."
"...and you still haven't figured it out."
She smiled directly at me.
"You've all been asking the wrong question."
I stared at her.
"What question?"
Her smile widened.
She pointed toward Julian.
Then Elias.
Then...
Me.
"The question was never..."
"...which one is the real heir."
Silence.
"It was..."
"...which one was never supposed to exist."
At that exact moment...
May you like
All three brass keys began glowing bright red.
END OF CHAPTER 8
