Kyle did not wait until morning.
He knew that some doors do not open twice.
And the opportunity presenting itself now might never return.
He dressed quietly, then stepped out of his room.
He carried no weapon.
He didn't need to.
The most dangerous weapon he possessed was not something anyone could see.
It was his mind.
He moved through the corridors he had memorized over the past few days.
At the first turn, he stopped.
Two guards.
At the second corridor, a sleeping maid.
And at the gate leading to the old wing...
No one.
That wasn't normal.
And that was precisely why he kept moving forward.
He entered the wing.
The closer he got to the library, the heavier the air became.
Then the door appeared.
Black.
Ancient.
Devoid of ornament, except for a strange engraving in its center.
He placed his hand upon it.
A sharp pain pierced through his fingers.
He pulled his hand back immediately.
The System appeared.
«[Warning]
[This place is protected by an unknown law]
[Current power is insufficient to break the protection]»
Kyle looked at the door.
Then he smiled.
"I didn't come to break it."
From his pocket, he pulled a small item he had taken from one of the palace maids.
It was an old key.
He inserted it into the slot beneath the engraving.
Nothing happened.
Then...
He heard a voice behind him.
"I knew you would come."
He froze.
He turned around slowly.
The Lady was standing at the end of the corridor.
She wasn't angry.
And that was worse.
She was looking at him with a calm gaze, as if she had been waiting for this moment from the very beginning.
She asked:
"Why?"
He answered:
"Because you told me not to look."
Silence fell.
Then she smiled.
"And was that enough for you to search?"
"No."
He looked directly at her.
"But your fear when I mentioned Fate was enough."
Her smile disappeared.
For a moment...
That emptiness returned to her eyes.
Then she said:
"You are approaching something you cannot understand."
"Then help me understand it."
"And why would I?"
He replied without hesitation:
"Because you know I will search whether you help me or not."
She looked at him for a long time.
Then she walked toward him.
Until she stood before the door.
She placed her hand on the engraving.
The door opened.
Soundlessly.
And behind it...
There was no library.
Instead, a long staircase descended into the dark.
Kyle looked down.
Then he asked:
"What is this place?"
She said:
"The place where all the lies began."
Then she went down.
He followed her.
As they descended, the sounds of the palace faded away.
Until the silence was absolute.
At the end of the stairs...
A massive hall appeared.
Its walls were covered with thousands of books.
But they were no ordinary books.
Every book bore the name of a person.
The name of a family.
The name of a kingdom.
And sometimes...
The name of a world.
Kyle stopped.
He looked at one of the shelves.
Then he saw something that made his eyes narrow.
A book bearing a name he recognized.
His old name.
The name that had died with him.
He reached out his hand.
But the Lady grabbed his wrist.
"No."
He looked at her.
"Why?"
She said in a low voice:
"Because if you read this book..."
She paused.
"...you will never be able to return to the person you used to be."
He kept looking at her.
Then he asked:
"And who said I wanted to go back?"
She let go of his hand.
He opened the book.
The first page was blank.
Then words appeared before his eyes.
«[Soul Identified]
[Status: Fallen]
[Path: Incomplete]
[Reason for Transposition: Unavailable]»
His breathing hitched.
The Lady was watching him.
She said:
"Now I understand why you are here."
He raised his eyes to her.
"No."
He closed the book slowly.
"Now I am only beginning to understand."
A small smile appeared on his face.
But it was not a smile of joy.
It was the smile of someone who had finally found the thread's edge.
"If this world transposed me..."
He looked at the thousands of books surrounding him.
"...then who transposed it?"
She didn't answer.
So he said:
"And why me?"
Silence.
Then the System appeared.
«[Forbidden information detected]
[Unlocking a portion of the original memory]
[Warning: The truth may lead to identity collapse]»
Kyle closed his eyes.
For a few seconds...
He saw the girl's face.
Her smile.
Her tears.
And the last moment that brought them together.
Then everything vanished.
He opened his eyes.
There was no pain left.
But something inside him...
Was no longer the same.
The Lady said:
"You are still seeking the truth."
He looked at her.
"Yes."
"Even if it destroys you?"
He went quiet for a moment.
Then he answered:
"If the truth is going to kill me..."
He took a step forward.
"...then I will make my death part of my plan."
Silence fell.
And in the depths of the library...
Another book opened on its own.
Its first page bore a single word:
The Fall.
Then beneath it, a sentence appeared:
"When the Fallen seeks the truth, the truth begins seeking him."