The night had grown cold, but no one inside the ancient mansion cared about the weather anymore. Every single person had their eyes locked on the strange wall where the glowing symbols had appeared. The air itself felt alive, humming with a soft vibration.
Aadi slowly stepped forward, his heartbeat echoing in his ears.Rune and Riva stood behind him, tense.Aria held the old map close to her chest, her eyes full of fear and excitement mixed together.
The wall glowed brighter… and then a click echoed through the hall.
A thin line formed down the center of the stone wall — and it began to open like a door.
A cold, dusty wind rushed out.It smelled like old parchment, forgotten memories, and something… ancient.
Riva whispered, trembling:"W-We shouldn't go in without knowing what's inside…"
Rune replied with a half-laugh, half-fear:"Knowing has never saved us before. We move, or we die standing."
Aadi didn't wait anymore. He stepped through the narrow doorway.
Inside the Secret Room
Torches lit up one by one as they entered, as if something had been waiting for them for a very long time.
At the center of the chamber stood a stone altar, and on it —a book sealed in red chains.
The book felt alive.
Every heartbeat in the room matched the rhythm of the glowing chains.
Aria took a sharp breath."I've seen this before… in the ancient scrolls. They called it the Scripture of Echoes. It doesn't just hold knowledge… it answers the thoughts of the one who opens it."
Aadi reached toward the book — and the room shook.
A stone statue near the wall turned its head.Then its eyes glowed.
Rune shouted:"DON'T TOUCH IT—"
But the chains shattered before anyone could even blink.
The book snapped open on its own.
Wind roared.
Pages flipped wildly and then stopped — on a single blank page.
Words began to appear on their own:
"Aadi, son of two worlds…you were never lost.You were hidden."
Aadi froze.His mind went blank.Everyone stared at him.
Hidden?
By who?
The book continued, writing by itself — faster, darker, richer:
"You were born with power forbidden by kings, feared by gods.To protect you, memories were erased, lives were destroyed, and destinies were rewritten."
Aria covered her mouth in shock.Rune clenched his fists.Riva stepped backward, tears sudden in her eyes.
Aadi felt his chest tighten.
The book wasn't telling a story.
It was telling his truth.
His entire life — his struggles, confusion, loneliness — were not fate.
They were planned.
Someone had erased his memories to protect him…or to control him.
The next sentence burned onto the page with fire-like ink:
"And now, they are coming for you."
The torches flickered violently.
A loud thud echoed from outside the chamber.
Then another.
And another.
Something — or someone — was trying to break into the room.
Aadi closed the book and swallowed hard.
"Everyone… get ready."
This time, he wasn't the confused boy unsure of his place in the world.
He finally understood…
Someone had played with his life.
And he was done running.