Marcus/Rocco
The basement stayed with me. Even after we left. Even
after Seraphina ordered everyone back upstairs.
Even after Darren started arguing with her about
seals, symbols, and whether ancient magical architecture could be technically
reversed-engineered.
The images wouldn't leave my head. Seven years later I
could hear the voices from that day.
The rest of the afternoon turned into a search. Not
because we had answers. But because we didn't.
The seal only raised more questions. Like if the manor
had been built around a seal… what exactly had it been sealing and why?
"Okay." Noah looked around the second-floor hallway.
"How big is this place?"
"A normal sized house?" He stared at me. I stared
back.
"Marcus?"
"Yeah?"
"You have a ballroom."
"I hardly remember it."
"You still got one."
I sighed. Noah pointed dramatically at the hallway.
"Rich people are a disease."
"That joke is getting old."
"It'll never get old." Unfortunately.
The others had split up. Seraphina was studying the
seal markings. Darren had somehow acquired blueprint somewhere. I didn't bother
asking.
Livia and Callie had disappeared together. Likely
revisiting childhood memories and getting distracted halfway through.
Riley had volunteered to help Darren. Which mostly
meant stopping him from pulling apart the walls.
Leaving Noah and me.
"Where are we even going?" Noah asked.
I stopped outside a door. For a second, I just stared.
The handle. The wood. The brass nameplate.
My room.
Noah noticed immediately. His expression softened.
"This one?" I nodded.
The door opened with a quiet creak. And suddenly I was
ten again. Not because of memories returning or because of magic.
Just because everything was still there. The
bookshelf. The desk. The old model ships. The telescope near the window. The
framed drawings.
Even the blanket on the bed. At the side there are
photos and me, Callie, Darren and Livia as kids.
Seven years and somehow the room looked like I'd left
it yesterday.
Noah walked inside slowly. Then ruined the moment.
"Dude." I sighed.
"What."
"You had a telescope."
"Yeah."
"A real telescope."
"Yes?"
"You were absolutely a nerd." I pointed at him.
"You literally have a comic book collection."
"That's different."
"It isn't."
"It absolute is." The room echoed with his complaints
as he wandered around. Opening drawers. Examining shelves. Judging ten-year-old
me.
I found myself smiling despite everything. Then Noah
stepped forward. "What's that."
I looked up. "What?"
His foot caught something and he lost balance. "WHOA."
He stumbled crashing into a nearby cabinet.
Something slid free. THUD.
A book hit the floor. The sound echoed through the
room. Both of us looked down. And the moment I saw it, my stomach dropped.
The cover was dark blue. Almost black. Silver designs
covered the surface. Ancient symbols curled across the leather.
At the centre:
AZZURRO CHRONICLE.
The world seemed to stop. Noah stood up. Rubbing his
shoulder. "Well." He pointed at the book. "That feels important."
I barely heard him. I remember a younger version of me
sneaking through the dark hallways. Carefully opening my father's study.
Stealing the book. I'd been curious because father won't let me near the book.
I remember carrying it back to my room, sitting on the
bed and trying to read it. Page after page refusing to make sense. Until
eventually, I'd fallen asleep.
The book still open beside me. And later that night,
was when everything changed.
The memory faded. Leaving me staring at the chronicle.
Slowly… I pick it up. The leather felt warm. Familiar, almost alive.
Noah leaned over my shoulder. "So… are we opening the
suspicious ancient family book?"
That was an absolutely terrible idea. Which was
exactly why I wanted to do it.
I placed the chronicle on the desk. My fingers rested
against the cover. And then another thought struck me. So suddenly I stopped.
Noah noticed. "What."
I frowned. Something felt wrong. Not with the book but
with me or rather the bracelet.
My gaze drifting to it around my wrist. For months
after connecting with the bracelet. I'd occasionally seen my father.
But now I thought about it, I hadn't seen him in
weeks. Since meeting Valen to be exact.
The realization hit me because I'd been so focused on
Valen, on Cassian, on the tears. That I'd completely missed it.
The room felt too quiet. My eyes remained fixed on the
bracelet. And now I wanted answers.
Noah frowned. "Marcus?" before I could answer, the
bracelet pulsed faintly.
Valen appeared near the window. Arms crossed and
watching. His expression was unreadable. Which worried me more than usual.
"Interesting." I narrowed my eyes
"What?" Valen's gaze shifted toward the chronicle then
back to me.
A slow smile appeared. "Looks like you'll finally have
the truth, Rocky."
The room suddenly felt much colder.