The peace agreement had failed.
By the following morning, reports of the Greek withdrawal had spread across the mythological realms. Egyptian temples questioned Olympus's intentions. Dragon clans demanded stronger border defenses. The Norse Pantheon recalled several envoys stationed near disputed territories.
Nobody had declared war.
Yet everyone was preparing for the possibility.
Inside the abandoned observatory overlooking Eryndor, Vaelthira studied the mysterious message Kael had discovered beneath the council table.
"NOW LET THEM DISCOVER WHICH ONE STILL LIVES."
"There is only one reasonable explanation," she said. "Someone knows the identity of the surviving ruler."
Neferet stood beside the window, watching silver clouds gather over the distant ruins.
"Or someone wants us to believe that a survivor exists. We cannot treat every message as reliable simply because it comes from an ancient chamber."
Kael leaned against the wall.
"Fortunately, this message has a very interesting habit."
Vaelthira glanced at him. "What habit?"
"It appears whenever someone wants us to investigate something."
Neferet folded her arms. "That is not a habit. That is an increasingly irritating pattern."
Kael smiled.
"Then let's investigate the irritation."
They returned to Eryndor before sunset.
Vaelthira led them through a narrow passage beneath the ruined council chamber. She had discovered a faint silver mark on the floor that matched the symbol from the mysterious message.
When she pressed her palm against it, the stone moved aside.
A staircase descended into darkness.
"This passage wasn't visible during our previous visit," Neferet observed.
"Perhaps it required the correct symbol," Vaelthira replied.
Kael examined the opening.
"Or someone decided we were finally ready to find it."
They descended.
At the bottom stood a circular chamber surrounded by seven empty alcoves. Unlike the other ruins of Eryndor, this room remained untouched by time. Silver lamps illuminated its walls, and hundreds of inscriptions covered the black stone.
At the center rested a crystal cylinder.
Neferet approached it cautiously.
"This is an archive."
"Not an ordinary one," Kael said. "Its records were deliberately separated from the main historical collection."
Vaelthira placed her hand against the cylinder.
The chamber recognized her bloodline immediately.
A projection appeared above the pedestal.
Seven rulers stood around the symbol of the First Covenant. Six figures were surrounded by fading light.
The seventh remained illuminated.
Beneath the image appeared a declaration.
"THE SEVENTH SURVIVED THE FIRST BETRAYAL."
Vaelthira's eyes widened.
"One of the original rulers survived?"
Neferet studied the projection.
"Apparently. But the inscription doesn't tell us how."
The image changed.
A figure wearing a silver mask stood inside a vast chamber, watching scenes unfold across different civilizations.
Egyptian temples divided over their ancient records.
Greek rulers argued over responsibility.
Norse envoys withdrew from negotiations.
Dragon clans closed their borders.
The masked figure observed every development without intervening.
Thousands of years passed in the projection.
The figure never moved.
Vaelthira's expression hardened.
"They have been watching us."
"Not necessarily every moment," Neferet replied. "But someone has monitored the divisions between our civilizations for an extraordinarily long time."
Kael's gaze remained fixed on the projection.
"Look at the figure's hands."
A thin silver mark glowed on the figure's left palm.
It matched the symbol carved into the Eighth Throne.
Neferet stepped closer.
"That mark belonged to the original keepers of the First Covenant."
"Then the survivor may have been more than a ruler," Vaelthira said.
The cylinder opened.
A voice emerged, distorted by age.
"I opposed the erasure."
The projection flickered.
"I warned them that hiding the truth would preserve neither peace nor justice."
A second voice answered from the recording.
"Then your testimony must disappear with the Eighth Record."
The image shattered into fragments.
Neferet stared at the cylinder.
"The survivor tried to stop the cover-up."
"And their testimony was erased," Vaelthira added. "Along with the Eighth Record."
Kael nodded slowly.
"That explains why the surviving ruler has watched from the shadows. If they revealed themselves before the other civilizations were ready, their testimony might simply have been dismissed as another accusation."
"Or they fear the consequences of speaking," Neferet said.
Vaelthira looked at the seven alcoves.
"Either way, they know the truth about Eryndor."
She approached the pedestal.
"Show us their identity."
The crystal cylinder responded.
Seven names appeared across its surface, but six dissolved instantly.
The final name began to form.
Then every lamp in the chamber went dark.
A deep vibration shook the floor.
"Kael?" Neferet called.
"I haven't touched anything."
Silver light suddenly flooded the chamber.
The seven alcoves illuminated, and an enormous inscription appeared across the ceiling.
"THE LAST WITNESS WILL SPEAK ONLY WHEN THE FOUR PANTHEONS STAND UPON THE EDGE OF WAR."
Vaelthira read it twice.
"The witness will reveal themselves when Egypt, Greece, the Norse, and the dragons approach war."
Neferet's expression grew troubled.
"Then someone has made the truth dependent on a catastrophe."
"Or the witness believes nobody will listen until the consequences become impossible to ignore," Kael replied.
The cylinder closed.
The surviving ruler's name vanished.
Vaelthira struck the pedestal with her palm.
"Thousands of years of watching, and they still intend to wait until civilizations are ready to destroy one another?"
"Perhaps they are waiting for something else," Neferet suggested. "A moment when every pantheon must finally confront the same truth."
Kael looked toward the staircase.
"Whatever their reason, we shouldn't help create the conditions this message demands."
Vaelthira nodded firmly.
"Then we must prevent the war without relying on the witness."
Neferet gathered the remaining records.
"And continue searching for a way to reveal the truth before it is too late."
They left the chamber together.
None of them noticed the faint light returning to the crystal cylinder behind them.
A final image appeared.
The silver-masked ruler stood before a window overlooking four distant realms.
Their voice echoed through the empty chamber.
"Not yet."
A pause followed.
"They must choose peace while they still have the freedom to choose it."
The image faded.
And beneath Eryndor, the last surviving witness continued to wait.