The ancient door closed behind them with a low groan, sealing the city and its secrets back into the world beneath the Veil. Alex and Ravi stood in the alley, the familiarity of Camden Town returning like a slap in the face. Normal life buzzed around them, but for Alex, nothing felt normal anymore.

  Ravi was still processing the severity of their task. “So where to now?”

  Alex barely heard him. His thoughts were spinning too fast. The key. The Master Portal. The creatures beyond the Veil. Gashuun. Gatekeepers disappearing one by one. And now it was up to them to stop whatever was coming. He clutched the key in his pocket, the warm metal pressing against his hand, a constant reminder that this wasn’t just some adventure. It was real. Deadly real.

  “We have to find the Gatekeepers’ Archive – whatever that is,” Alex said, his voice steady but his mind racing. “They can tell us what to do next.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Ravi said, straightening up. “How exactly are we supposed to find the Gatekeepers’ Archive when we don’t even know what it is? Do we just, what, knock on every ancient looking door in London and hope one of them leads to the Gatekeepers’ Archive?”

  Alex frowned. He didn’t have an answer. Gashuun hadn’t exactly told them where to look or given a hint of where to begin. But something in his gut told him the key wasn’t just a key; it was a clue.

  “I think this will help us,” Alex said, pulling the key from his pocket and holding it up to the light. “It’s more than just a key to the portals. There’s something else to it. I think it’s a clue to where to find the Gatekeepers’ Archive.”

  Ravi eyed the key cautiously. “Great. So, we have a magical key that may or may not lead us to the Gatekeepers’ Archive and probably more disappearing people or eerie talking ghosts. That’s really reassuring.”

  Alex ignored the sarcasm and turned the key over in his hand, studying the artful designs on its surface. The designs weren’t just decorative; they were symbols. Symbols he’d seen before. “Wait …” Alex muttered, his eyes narrowing.

  Ravi raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “These markings …” Alex traced his finger over one of the engravings. “They’re the same as the ones on the door.”

  Ravi peered closer. “Okay, but we already know the door is connected to the portals; that’s how we got through.”

  “Yeah, but look at this one.” Alex pointed to a particular symbol near the base of the key – a circle with three lines radiating out from the centre. “I’ve seen this before.”

  Ravi snorted. “On a treasure map … hopefully?”

  “No, seriously,” Alex insisted. “I’ve seen it. It’s …” His voice trailed off as a memory clicked into place. “The British Museum.”

  Ravi blinked. “What?”

  “I saw this symbol at the British Museum when we went on a school trip. It was part of a display on ancient artefacts from lost civilisations. It meant nothing to me at the time, obviously, but now …” Alex’s heart raced. “What if the Gatekeepers left clues behind in the real world? Hidden in plain sight, where no one would think to look?”

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  Ravi groaned. “So now we have to go back to that boring museum in search of a magical clue? Well … at least we should be safe at the museum.”

  The more Alex thought about it, the more it made sense. The Gatekeepers had been protecting the portals for thousands of years. If they were vanishing, maybe they had hidden clues in places that would be easily overlooked by ordinary people. The British Museum, with its ancient relics and forgotten histories, seemed like exactly the kind of place they would use.

  “We have to go there,” Alex said, already turning to head towards the nearest Tube station. “If there’s even a chance this symbol is connected to the Gatekeepers, we have to check it out.”

  Ravi threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine. But if we get kicked out for touching ancient relics, then it’s your fault.”

  As they arrived, the British Museum stood like a fortress of knowledge, its grand front looming over the streets of Bloomsbury. Alex had always loved coming here, but this time, it wasn’t just about curiosity or school trips. This time, it was life or death.

  They walked through the massive columns at the entrance, blending in with the tourists and visitors who wandered the museum’s halls. Ravi looked around, his hands shoved into his pockets. “Right, so where’s this symbol we’re looking for?”

  Alex led him through the main hall, his mind ticking over every detail. He remembered seeing the symbol near the ancient Mesopotamian display, but now, with everything he’d learned, he wasn’t sure how he had realised it before. It was right there, hiding in plain sight.

  They turned into the ancient history wing, passing displays of stone tablets, carvings, and relics from the once all-powerful but now long-forgotten empires. Alex’s eyes scanned every detail, every carving, looking for the familiar symbol. His pulse quickened as they reached the section on lost civilisations.

  “There,” he said, pointing to a stone tablet encased in glass. It was covered in strange, swirling markings – symbols that looked almost identical to the ones on the key. In the centre of the slab, just as he remembered, was the circle with the three radiating lines.

  Ravi squinted at the tablet. “Alright, I’ll give it to you, that does look similar. But how does this help us?”

  Alex stared at the stone, his mind racing. There had to be something more. Something hidden in the carvings, just like the symbols on the key. He leaned closer to the glass, tracing his eyes over every inch of the stone, looking for a clue.

  Then he saw it. In the bottom corner of the tablet, almost too faint to notice, was another symbol: a key, etched so small it could barely be seen. Alex’s heart skipped a beat. It was a key with lines coming off it, which could symbolise magic.

  “Look,” Alex said, pointing to the tiny carving. “That’s it! That’s our clue!”

  Ravi frowned. “So, there’s an engraving of a key. What does that mean?”

  Alex’s mind whirled with possibilities. If the Gatekeepers had left this behind, it wasn’t just for decoration. The symbols meant something. It was a map of sorts – a guide. “It means we’re in the right place,” Alex said slowly. “But there’s more to it. The Gatekeepers wouldn’t just leave a symbol for no reason. There’s something hidden here.”

  Ravi groaned. “Of course there is.”

  Alex ignored him, stepping back to get a better view of the display. His eyes scanned the nearby exhibits, searching for anything that might be out of place. Then his gaze landed on a small plaque next to the stone tablet, describing its origins.

  The words at the bottom caught his eye: ‘On loan from the Gatekeepers’ Archive.’

  Alex’s breath caught in his throat. “The Gatekeepers’ Archive,” he whispered.

  Ravi leaned closer, squinting at the plaque. “It does, as well. I was not expecting that. Once again, your brain is right.”

  Alex’s mind was racing. “The Gatekeepers’ Archive – if we can find where it is, then they can tell us what to do next.”

  “And where exactly is this archive?” Ravi asked, clearly not thrilled with the idea of continuing this adventure.

  Alex’s pulse quickened. “We’ll have to find out.”

  They left the museum with more questions than answers, but Alex’s mind was alive with possibilities. The Gatekeepers’ Archive was out there, hidden somewhere in the world. And it held the key to finding the Master Portal.

  But even as they walked through the busy streets of London, Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t the only ones looking for it.

  The game had begun.

  Thanks for reading. If you’ve got any thoughts on what’s happening, I’d love to hear them. Every comment and bit of support makes a difference, and I appreciate everyone following the story.

  Chapter four is where things start to escalate. See you there.