The words refused to leave Aren’s mind.
Seek the library unseen.
For three days, he thought about little else.
Every class became a distraction.
Every assignment an inconvenience.
Even the strange dreams seemed less important than the mystery of the hidden library.
Because unlike the dreams, the hidden library offered something tangible.
Answers.
Or at least the possibility of answers.
And after weeks of confusion, possibilities were enough.
Unfortunately, finding a secret library inside Astryx Academy proved more difficult than expected.
The academy was enormous.
Thousands of rooms.
Hundreds of corridors.
Countless magical barriers.
Entire sections remained restricted to professors and senior students.
Searching blindly would take years.
Which meant Aren needed another approach.
The opportunity appeared during Magical History.
Professor Selene was discussing ancient academy architecture.
Most students listened only because examinations were approaching.
Aren, however, paid close attention.
For the first time, the topic felt relevant.
“The current academy covers only part of the original structure,” Professor Selene explained.
A glowing map appeared above the classroom.
Students immediately looked interested.
The map displayed the academy as it existed centuries ago.
The difference was enormous.
Ancient Astryx had been nearly twice its current size.
Several sections no longer appeared on modern maps.
Some had collapsed.
Others had been sealed.
A few simply vanished from historical records.
Aren leaned forward.
One particular section caught his attention.
A circular structure located beneath the original library complex.
The area wasn’t labeled.
In fact, it appeared intentionally obscured.
A blank space surrounded it.
As if someone had removed information.
The moment Aren noticed it, Professor Selene dismissed the map.
The image vanished.
Yet the location remained burned into his memory.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
After class ended, Aren headed directly toward the library.
Naturally, Mira noticed.
Again.
“You’ve got that look.”
Aren sighed.
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Yes, you do.”
Unfortunately, he did.
It was apparently the expression he made whenever he discovered a clue.
Aren glanced around.
Most students had already left.
“Do you trust me?”
Mira blinked.
The sudden question clearly surprised her.
“Usually.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s honest.”
Fair point.
Aren lowered his voice.
“I think I found something.”
Immediately, Mira’s attention sharpened.
“What kind of something?”
“A location.”
Her silver eyes narrowed.
“A hidden location.”
Now she looked interested.
“You’re investigating ancient mysteries again.”
“Maybe.”
“That’s a yes.”
Aren couldn’t argue.
After several seconds, Mira closed her book.
“Let’s go.”
The Grand Library appeared quieter than usual.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through towering windows.
Students studied between endless rows of shelves.
Everything seemed normal.
Yet Aren couldn’t shake the feeling that he stood on the edge of something important.
The location from the historical map led them toward one of the oldest sections of the library.
A rarely visited archive wing.
Dust-covered shelves filled the area.
Ancient books rested behind protective enchantments.
Few students came here voluntarily.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
Ancient.
Almost forgotten.
For nearly an hour, Aren searched without success.
Nothing.
No hidden doors.
No secret passages.
No mysterious runes.
Just books.
Thousands of books.
Eventually Mira crossed her arms.
“Are you sure about this?”
“No.”
“Wonderful.”
Aren smiled weakly.
“I said I found a clue.”
“You never mentioned the clue might be wrong.”
Fair.
Very fair.
Still, something bothered him. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The map had definitely shown something unusual.
Aren wasn’t mistaken.
The hidden structure existed.
Somehow.
Somewhere.
As evening approached, frustration began replacing optimism.
Aren wandered between shelves while reviewing the map from memory.
Circular structure.
Beneath the library.
Near the original foundation.
The location should have been here.
Unless—
His thoughts stopped.
Slowly, he looked downward.
The floor.
Not the shelves.
Not the walls.
The floor.
Ancient stone tiles stretched across the archive wing.
Most appeared identical.
Except one.
A single circular pattern rested near the center of the room.
Subtle.
Easy to overlook.
Yet once noticed, impossible to ignore.
Aren approached.
His heartbeat quickened.
The design matched part of the map.
Exactly.
“Mira.”
She joined him.
Immediately her expression changed.
“You found something.”
The circular pattern glowed faintly beneath centuries of wear.
Ancient runes surrounded the edges.
Most remained dormant.
One symbol stood near the center.
The symbol.
Again.
The same ancient mark connected to the throne.
To the dreams.
To the hidden book.
Everything.
Aren slowly placed his hand on the stone.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Click.
A quiet mechanical sound echoed beneath the floor.
The circular pattern illuminated.
Dust scattered.
Ancient mechanisms groaned to life.
Mira immediately stepped backward.
“Aren.”
“I know.”
The stone floor began moving.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
A section quietly slid aside.
Revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
Silence filled the archive.
Both students stared.
Then Mira spoke the obvious question.
“Should we tell a professor?”
Aren looked at the staircase.
Then at Mira.
Then back at the staircase.
“No.”
Mira sighed.
“I knew you were going to say that.”
The staircase descended far deeper than expected.
Each step carried them further beneath the academy.
The air grew cooler.
Older.
As though the world above gradually faded away.
Magical lights appeared along the walls as they descended.
Not modern lights.
Ancient ones.
Golden spheres embedded directly into the stone.
Eventually the staircase ended.
A massive corridor stretched ahead.
Dust covered every surface.
No footprints disturbed the floor.
No signs of recent visitors appeared.
The place felt abandoned.
Yet strangely preserved.
As if time itself had slowed here.
“What is this place?”
Mira’s voice echoed softly.
Aren shook his head.
“No idea.”
They moved cautiously through the corridor.
Ancient murals decorated the walls.
Most depicted scholars.
Libraries.
Books.
Knowledge.
One image stood out.
A vast underground archive hidden beneath a city.
Thousands of glowing shelves extended beyond sight.
Above the image appeared several words written in an ancient language.
Aren somehow understood them.
Without knowing how.
The Hidden Library.
It was real.
The corridor eventually opened into a large chamber.
Rows of bookshelves filled the room.
Most stood empty.
Others contained damaged texts.
Time had claimed much of the collection.
Yet enough remained to suggest the chamber once held enormous importance.
“This is impossible.”
Mira slowly turned in place.
“Why hide something like this?”
Aren didn’t answer.
Because something else had captured his attention.
A desk.
Located near the center of the room.
Unlike everything else, it appeared recently used.
No dust covered its surface.
Several books rested neatly beside it.
And a single lantern still glowed.
Fresh.
Active.
Someone had been here.
Recently.
Aren exchanged a glance with Mira.
Both reached the same conclusion.
The chamber wasn’t abandoned.
Not entirely.
Someone else knew about this place.
Slowly, Aren approached the desk.
A collection of documents rested on its surface.
Research notes.
Historical references.
Maps.
At first glance, they appeared ordinary.
Then Aren noticed a familiar word.
His name.
He froze.
The document contained his name.
Written clearly across the page.
Aren.
Several additional papers contained it as well.
Page after page.
Report after report.
Observations.
Dates.
Locations.
Incidents.
The broken registration badge.
The assessment crystal failure.
The shattered practice sphere.
The tutoring circle.
Everything.
Every strange event since his arrival.
Someone had documented all of it.
In detail.
Mira looked over his shoulder.
Her expression darkened.
“These are about you.”
Aren nodded slowly.
His stomach tightened.
The notes continued.
Some contained theories.
Others contained questions.
Several referenced ancient records.
One line immediately caught his attention.
Subject continues displaying reactions consistent with dormant awakening patterns.
Subject.
Not student.
Not Aren.
Subject.
Aren felt cold.
Very cold.
Someone wasn’t simply observing him.
They were studying him.
Researching him.
Analyzing him.
Like an experiment.
Like a mystery.
Or perhaps a threat.
He flipped through additional documents.
The handwriting remained consistent.
Neat.
Precise.
Professional.
Whoever wrote these notes possessed extensive knowledge.
Far more than Aren.
Far more than most students.
Then he reached the final page.
His eyes widened.
At the bottom rested a signature.
Not a full name.
Only initials.
P.S.
Silence filled the chamber.
Mira stared at the page.
Aren stared at it too.
Only one question remained.
Who was P.S.?
Before either could speak, a distant sound echoed through the hidden chamber.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Approaching.
Someone was coming.
And judging by the fresh lantern and recent notes—
It was probably the person who had been researching him.