Piro stood frozen in the middle of the room, his hands trembling violently as he held the book. The thousand eyes in the walls, which he could only see from the corner of his eye, blinked in unison, feeling like cold needles piercing his consciousness. The Conqueror's whisper—"The East... is waiting..."—echoed not in his ears, but directly in his mind, etching terror. He was unable to move, trapped in an unspoken horror, paralyzed by the understanding that this book was a portal, and he had just answered its call.
Sophie, who had quietly followed him and saw the strange shadows in the walls, sensed that something was terribly wrong. She patted Piro's shoulder. Piro flinched back to reality, his breath ragged. He turned around in a panic, clutching the book tightly. The finger that had touched the book now felt numb, and a black color was slowly spreading, like a fungus creeping on his skin. "Sophie," his voice was hoarse and barely audible. "Do you... do you know this symbol?" He pointed at the book's title: ᛝᛟᛚᚢᛗ - ᚨᛞᚨᛚ ᛏᛟᛗᚱ.
Sophie stared at the symbols intently, her head slightly tilted. Her expression, usually calm and authoritative, was now filled with confusion. She seemed to be thinking hard, as if searching through her vast, ancient memory. "This is not merely an ancient language," she muttered, her voice filled with uncertainty. "These runes guard the Tomb of Astalon—a place erased from maps. The stele there bore these marks... and the scars of those who touched it."
Piro stared at her. "Astalon? Who is he? And where is this tomb?"
"Astalon was the first King of the old era; legend calls him the 'Guardian of the Border.' His tomb was erased from history after the Void Wars began. He vanished, and with him, his Tomb was also lost. The place is cursed, and even the memory of it can be destructive. That's why I can only remember it vaguely."
Piro felt increasingly desperate. The answer didn't help; it only added to the mystery. He opened the book and showed the contents to Sophie. The page, which had the cold and strange texture of leather instead of paper, was filled with intricate runic carvings.
ᛗᚨᚲᛚᚢᚴ ᛈᛖᚾᚲᛁᛈᛏᚨ ᛊᛖᚷᚨᛚᚨ
ᛖᚾᛏᛁᛏᚨᛊ ᚱᛖᛈᚱᚨᛊᛖᚾᛊ ᛏᚢᚷᚨᛊᚾᛃᚨ
ᛗᚨᚺᚨ ᛏᚨᚢ ᛗᚨᚺᚨ ᚲᚢᚨᛊᚨ
ᚾᛟᛗᛁᚾᚨᛏᚢᛊ ᛖᚾᛏᛁᛏᚨᛊ ᚱᛖᚷᚾᚢᛗ
ᛁᚨ ᛗᛟᚱᛊ ᛖᛏ ᚡᛁᛏᚨ ᛁᛈᛊᚨ
ᚨᛒᛊᛟᛚᚢᛏᚢᛊ ᛁᚾ ᚨᚲᛗᛖ ᚾᚨᚱᚨᛏᛁ
ᚹᛖᛚᛚᛖᚾᛏᛁᚨ ᛖᛃᛊ ᚹᛖᛚᛚᛖᚾᛏᛁᚨ ᛟᛗᚾᛁᚨ
ᛊᚨᚾᚲᛏᚢᛊ ᛞᚢᚲᛏᛟᚱ ᛞᛖᛊᛁᚷᚾᚨᛏᚢᛊ
ᛞᛖᛁ ᚱᛖᛊᛁᛊᛏᚢᚾᛏ ᛞᛖᛟᚱᚢᛗ
ᛞᛖᛁᛊᚨ ᛞᛖᛊᚲᛖᛜᛞᛖᚱᛖ ᛟᚱᚲᚨᛊᛗᛟ
ᛊᚨᚾᚷᚢᛁᛊ ᚨᛖᛏᛖᚱᚾᚢᛊ ᚲᛁᚨᛗᚨᛏ
ᚠᛁᚾᛖᛗ ᛊᚨᚾᚷᚢᛁᛊ ᛊᚨᚲᚱᛖᛞᛁ
Sophie looked at it. Her usually sharp eyes squinted, trying to understand the meaning of each carving. "This language... is very complex," she muttered. "It's not just a symbol or an ancient language. There's some kind of code that must be broken before it can be translated. There are words from various languages, like ancient Latin... and some from your own language... 'Creator of All,' 'Omniscient, Almighty'..." She pointed to the first few lines. "But there are also words I don't recognize. It's like a language from different dimensions merged into a single complex code."
Piro let out a long sigh, frustration seeping from every pore. He stared at the book in his hands, then at Zego's bedroom, which now felt so empty. He felt responsible for what had happened. He couldn't let this book stay here, becoming a threat to everyone. "I have to find someone. There are stories about the Last Librarian of Veridia—he could decipher Void-cursed texts. But no one has seen him since the Silence."
"Are you insane?" Sophie stared at Piro, a look of shock on her face. "Veridia is on the southern continent! The journey there is very long and dangerous. It would take 10 years to get there, Piro! Not to mention the risks along the way."
"But I have to!" Piro insisted, his determination hardening, ignoring the fear he felt. "This book is the source of Zego's misfortune. I'm the one who gave it to him. I'm the one who insisted he read it. I have to find out what it is before it's too late."
"But what if you can't come back?" Sophie's voice rose, her eyes filled with worry. "You're just a regular human, Piro. You don't have the power to protect yourself! Zego and everyone else here needs you."
"If that happens, then so be it," Piro said, his gaze cold but sincere. "At least this book will be far away from you all. I won't put you in danger again."
Hearing that, Sophie was devastated. Her eyes began to well up with tears. "Are you serious?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I am serious," Piro replied, unwavering.
"But why so suddenly?" Sophie pleaded. "Zego is not doing well right now. Silvi is also unconscious. We all need you. Why not postpone it?"
Sophie's words made him flinch. He looked around the room, which was still filled with a strange smell and the cracked mirror. He saw Sophie's face, filled with worry, mirroring his greatest fear. Piro realized that in his panic, he had almost made a reckless and selfish decision.
Piro let out a long sigh, bowing his head. "You're right," he muttered, a dawning realization in his eyes. "I... I think I got a little carried away. I just feel guilty."
He looked at the book again, then turned to Sophie. "You're right. My presence here is more important right now." He immediately took the book and stored it in a locked iron chest in his room, out of anyone's reach. Piro knew, this journey had to be postponed. This mystery had to be solved in a wiser way.
Additional Scene: Cleaning Up the Mess
After Piro locked up the book, a chilling silence settled over them. The strange smell still stung, and the cracks in the mirror seemed to be watching them. Piro and Sophie looked at each other, trying to find the right words to fill the emptiness.
"We... we have to clean this up," Sophie whispered, pointing to the glowing purple fluid still on the floor. "I'll get clean towels and a bucket."
Piro nodded, but his gaze was still fixed on his index finger. The cold and a burning pain radiated from his fingertip, and he could see tiny cracks appearing on the blackened nail. When he blinked, the thousand eyes in the walls seemed to blink with him; a terrifying connection had been formed.
Sophie returned in a hurry. She carefully took the towel that had been used to press Zego's wound and put it in the bucket. The purple fluid did not smell like blood, but it had an oily texture and didn't absorb into the towel well. As she tried to wipe the puddle on the floor, the fluid suddenly coalesced, forming a runic symbol: ᛏᛟᛗᚱ—the same as on the book's title.
Sophie froze. She pointed at the symbol with a trembling hand. "Piro... look!"
The symbol shone for a moment before disappearing. Sophie quickly touched the spot on the floor where the symbol had been, but there was only a piercing cold. The cold was not just in her hand, but it spread deep into her bones. She pulled her hand away quickly, her face pale. "This isn't just ordinary fluid," she whispered, her wide eyes filled with fear. "This... this is some kind of trace."
Piro felt his heart pounding. He looked towards his room, where he had just locked the book in an iron chest. He realized that hiding the book would not stop the threat. The book was a portal. And the entity behind it had seen them.
After they finished cleaning Zego's room, Piro and Sophie returned to the main hall. They were met by a guard whose face was ashen. "Master Piro! Lady Silvi... she collapsed in the hall. She kept screaming about eyes in the shadows!"
Piro and Sophie exchanged a glance, horror creeping across their faces. Piro felt a piercing guilt, knowing that this wasn't just about Zego, but about everyone he loved.
Piro returned to his room, his eyes fixed on the iron chest that now held a terrifying secret. His index finger still felt cold, and he could see a blackness at its tip, tangible evidence of his touch with the book. He knew, this was no longer just about Zego. This was about all of them. And the book, now locked away, was the key to their destiny.