Ever since the beginning, Wagner despised the idea of love. He’s the arrogant type who never lays a finger on women like they’re the most disgusting creature in the world. At first, I couldn’t understand why. But his reaction today made me realize maybe he can’t find love in women, because he’s into men. Seeing how he wants to protect Sojin from our mess, answers all my doubts.
“What’s wrong with liking Sojin? He’s our leader. He’s a great man, and I saw how affectionate he was towards Vad. I’m a little envious of it,” Niah said.
Wagner massaged his forehead with the fingertips of his right hand as he closed his eyes. I could sense the tension flowing from him.
“I will not force you to do as I say, but you have to come up with an idea to distract him while we’re inside the library,” I said.
Wagner looked at me. It was the eyes I saw when I first saw him. His eyes were sharp, ready to kill me in a snap.
“I’m quite surprised. This plan of yours is dumb. Well, what should I expect from you? Nothing much. Is this the best you can do?” he said with greeted teeth.
I saw the fire burning within him. The real Wagner speaks his mind, and his words are always explosive. For a second, I was depressed.
“We can carry out the plan without lying to anyone. Have you forgotten? I’m excellent at my work, and I need no one to tell me what to do. I only need one sentence.”
He cracked his neck side by side.
“Distract Luxferre.”
Wagner entered the library while Niah and I waited in the living room. I know nothing about his plan, but I trust in him. He’s not the type who makes a mistake on a mission. He’s Vad Wagner, after all.
We saw Wagner and Luxferre leave the library after 10 minutes. I think they’re on their way to the garden. He glanced at me when they passed by as a cue.
Niah and I moved accordingly. We made sure that no one will suspect us. Wagner gave us 10 minutes to steal the book before Luxferre figures out what’s going on.
The library seems to be a sacred place. Its ambiance feels like I’m inside a church. The books were tidy, and the floor shone that any careless person would slip. The chandeliers were spotless, and they shine brighter than the sun.
The library gives a comforting feeling, but we have no time to adore its elegance. We scanned every shelf, but the book has been hiding from us. Where would Luxferre hide it? Did he get rid of it? It can’t be.
“Did you find anything? We are running out of time. Five more minutes and we’re doomed,” Niah said.
“I think we need to focus. It’s the key to finding it. We need to follow its voice,” she added.
We squatted on the floor to meditate. I do not know that it’s going to be this hard to find a single book.
I closed my eyes and embraced the serenity. I tried to clear up my mind, which was the hardest thing to do at that moment. My heart bounced in fear because any minute from now, I might put Wagner in more danger. He may be the strongest person I know, but he has no match to Luxferre who has supernatural strength.
Once more, my anxiety crept in me like a virus slowly poisoning my mind. My sweat glowed through the lights like rainbows due to raindrops. Just when I was about to fall into a bottomless pit, I heard a familiar voice.
“You’ll be alright,” he whispered.
I felt his warmth against my body as he hugged my back. My inhibitions vanished through thin air, and my heart calmed down. My thoughts took me to a pleasant place. I was in a grassland under a beautiful blue sky. Grasses danced gracefully as the wind blew endlessly.
I smiled. It was Osca.
My ears heard the vivid voice of an enchanting sound. I opened my eyes and allowed the sound to lure me. My feet led me to the center of the room under the gigantic chandelier. My body moved on its own as I crouched and placed my right hand on the floor.
It formed patterns on the floor as my hand touched it. The intricate patterns beam with blue lights, and an ancient-looking cabinet emerged from the ground. It has small drawers providing seclusion. It seems like the ministers of a sovereign previously owned it.
I gripped my hand on the handle and opened the first drawer. It was filled with various little weapons. There was a pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol or small revolver. There were also nine historical knives. I think they were ancient Egyptian weapons that I didn’t have enough knowledge about. Maybe Wagner can recognize them.
The second drawer has 100 little jars inside, and the jars were filled with red liquid. It’s getting weird. I saw the white book inside the third drawer.
“Finally, I found you.”
I walked back to Niah and saw her in deep meditation that she didn’t hear the magical happenings.
“Hey,” I said.
I tapped her shoulder to wake her up. She was not moved, so I shook her shoulders.
“What? What happened? Are we caught?” she urgently said.
I smiled and showed her the book.
“We’re saved.”
“How did you--”
I immediately covered her mouth. We heard footsteps towards us. My heart throbbed as I felt suffocated.
“They’re coming,” I whispered.
I ran towards the center and locked ourselves inside the cabinet. It smells a bit misty inside, and it’s more like a whiff of wool from an old lady’s attic. It’s a good thing that there’s nothing inside but a dusty vibe.
“Why are we here?” Niah asked.
“If we go out, we might bump into them. We can never fool Luxferre, and we can’t pretend like nothing happened. I bet he can smell our lies. Let’s hide in here for a while,” I said.
I held her hand to assure her that everything will be fine, even though I am in doubt myself. She squeezed my hand as her nervousness traveled to my body.
In the middle of uncertainty, if we can hide from the eyes of Luxferre, a terrifying moment added up to our panic attack. The cabinet suddenly sank under the ground, and we screamed in shock as the Earth swallowed us.
“Why is this place always moving?” I asked in terror as my voice vibrated.
“I don’t know!”
The cabinet stopped falling as we landed with a massive explosion. We panted as silence enveloped us. I heard the loud pounding of her heart. Our eyes met in a millisecond before she pushed me away when she realized we were wrapped in each other’s arms the whole time.
I cleared my throat before I spoke.
“A-are you alright?”
“Y-yes.”
“I’m not.”
It was dark inside the cabinet and we couldn’t see ourselves or the outside.
“Should we go out?” she asked.
Before I could respond, a faint smell came rushing to my nose. I coughed as the odor choked me.
“What’s that smell? It’s so gross,” she said.
“I didn’t fart.”
“Me neither.”
“I can’t take this anymore. It’s killing me. We must go out.”
I grasped for the handle and pushed the door, but I can’t open it. It’s tightly shut.
“I need a hand,” I said.
“Let’s push it together as I count to three.”
I nodded.
“1, 2, 3!”
We fell to the floor as the door opened. My back was in pain. I heard her groan as she lay on the icy floor. We raised our heads to see where we landed.
“What… the hell is this mess,” I said with a shaky voice.
My posture stiffened as I roamed my eyes around the room. She pulled me closer to her, and I felt her body tremble.
There were black marks on the walls and everything looks greasy, like it’s an abandoned place that has turned into a dumpsite. It was covered with moisture and mosses crawled up to the ceiling. It was like a basement with a rustic theme, and it’s chilly dark.
What was nerve-wracking about it was the source of the foul smell. There were corpses lying on the floor, and bloodstains remained. Lonely souls inhabited the room, and the thought of it made me quiver.