"I saw a man. He stood in the flames, yet he did not burn. The flames danced around him like a crown of kings; he looked happy. As he reveled in the flames…" Erik muttered in his sleep.
"Erik, Erik, wake up."
A pretty young girl, around ten years old, in a light green Victorian dress with long brown curly hair, called out as she tapped the back of a sleeping boy slouched over a table.
"Huh? What…"
"You were talking in your sleep again. Something about flames."
Erik rubbed his eyes and looked up, momentarily entranced by the classical music and the glittering chandeliers above.
"Erik!" the girl called again. When he didn't respond, she grabbed his collar and yanked him upright, jolting him fully awake.
"If you ignore me again, it won't end well," the girl said.
"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Erik said, rubbing his eyes.
Katrin crossed her arms. "Come on. The others are already waiting in the library."
"All right, Madam Katrin," Erik joked as they started walking out of the ballroom.
They passed by tall windows covered in thick curtains, moonlight shining through the gaps and lighting up the floor. The music had stopped, and only their footsteps echoed in the quiet hall.
"Do you think they started without us?" Erik asked.
"If they did, they'd regret it," Katrin said, a small smile slipping through.
"Scary as always," Erik said.
"What was that?"
"Nothing; I said nothing."
Katrin smiled and grabbed Erik's left hand as they walked past portraits of past rulers, their painted eyes watching in silence. The hallway grew quieter as their footsteps echoed through the corridors.
"Next year the ball will be held in the Steinberg Mansion; when the time comes, I'd like to show you something," Katrin said while giggling.
"So be it, Madam," Erik replied, and they both burst into laughter.
They walked up to two huge oak doors and stopped in front of them.
"We're here," Erik said as he pushed them open.
Before them stood a majestic library. Towering bookshelves lined both sides, filled with ancient tomes. Spiral staircases curled upward toward hidden alcoves, and at the center of the back wall stood a massive stone curtain carved with intricate, strange symbols.
"Wow," Katrin said, as her eyes widened. "The Kaiser Library is just as grand as the books say."
"Hello? Where are you?" Katrin called out, still holding on to Erik's hand.
"Right here", another female voice replied from behind one of the many bookshelves.
Erik and Katrin followed the voice revealing four other children around their age, surrounded by stacks of books.
"Erik, quickly! We found something!" a girl in a light red dress with dark hair called out.
"What did you find?" Erik asked as he and Katrin stepped closer to the group.
"Look!" the girl in red said, holding up an old, dusty book that had a cracked leather cover.
"It doesn't have a title, and it was hidden behind the shelves."
She opened it to the middle, and a folded parchment slipped out. Erik picked it up and carefully unfolded it. It was a map, but not like any he'd seen before. It showed the library, yes, but with something else behind the stone curtain… a room that wasn't supposed to be there.
"What section is that? Have you been there before?" a boy with golden blond hair asked.
"I didn't even know there was supposed to be a room there," Erik responded.
"François, take a look at this too," Katrin said, pointing to the parchment.
"There are markings on some parts of the library. I think they're in Ancient Adumandi."
"I didn't take my lessons seriously," François said while rubbing the back of his head.
"There's a phrase in front of the curtains on the map. What does it say?" one of the boys asked.
"Johannes, it says devils hide behind the curtain," Erik replied, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Looks like someone has been taking their Adumandi lessons seriously," the girl in the red dress said with a giggle.
"Very funny, Esther. Very funny," Erik muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Treasure hunt, let's split up into four groups and find what each marking on the map means. Erik and I will move to the east wing, François to the north, Johannes and Esther to the south, and then Virgil will go to the west; whoever finds their clues first wins, let's go."
"Hey, why do I have to go alone?" Virgil complained, but everyone began to run to their designated areas, so he had to move as well.
Erik and Katrin moved to the east wing and kept scouring the books, hoping to find a clue.
"I found something," Katrin shouted as Erik came close to check; it was an old but clean book, with no sign of dust. It had the words 'Devils' inscribed on it in Adumandi.
"Let's move to the curtains now," Katrin said excitedly as they began running towards the curtains.
They all gathered in front of the stone curtain, each holding a book. Each cover had one word etched into it: François held a book that said "Curtains," Esther found one titled "Hide," Johannes held "Behind," and Erik's book read "Devils."
Katrin looked at the books and whispered, "It's the same message: 'Devils hide behind curtains.'"
François read aloud slowly, "Devils hide behind curtains." A cold silence filled the room.
Johannes frowned. "How do we open it? Maybe we shouldn't."
Erik looked at the curtain, then at the books. "Maybe it's dangerous. But… I want to see what's behind it."
Esther smiled slightly. "We're here already. Let's go."
Together, they placed the books on the ground, side by side. The ground trembled softly. The stone curtain began to move, grinding open slowly. Behind it was a dark stairway leading down.
"Wow, that worked," Virgil said.
"It seems it is a codex gate. We have some of those in the Raphina Mansion too," Esther said as she grabbed Erik's right hand while Katrin was still clinging to his left.
They lit a brass-handled torch they found on one of the library tables and started to walk down the stairway. The path was long and quiet. As they walked, the walls were covered with statues. The statues wept silently, their stone tears glinting under the torchlight. One angel hid her face, while another reached out with cracked fingers as if begging for mercy. The deeper they went, the more sorrow they felt. Soon, statues of demons appeared. The demons were twisted and cruel. They tore at carved humans who looked terrified. One statue showed a man on his knees, crying out while a demon smiled above him. No sound came from the statues, but the sadness and pain were clear. Finally, the stairs ended.
They entered a huge underground chamber. In the center stood a giant statue. It looked like a god, but something was wrong. The statue wore heavy robes. A crown of stone flames hovered above its head. Its face was hidden behind a broken mask. Its hands were open like it was waiting. But its presence felt evil. Around it was seven statues of angels. All of them were kneeling or bowed, and all were weeping. Some had broken wings.
One angel covered his face with his hands.
François whispered, "What is this place?"
Erik stepped closer and looked at the base of the statue, words circled it, written in the ancient tongue of Adumandi.
Erik read slowly, "He who burned Gehenna.", then his face turned pale.
"Esther," he said quietly, "This isn't just any room. It's a shrine. And it's not a shrine to a god; it's to a devil."