A few minutes later, Elizabeth rejoined Claus, who was standing on the deck, lost in thought, still not quite accustomed to this new life.
— Claus, we have a mission… I hope you haven't forgotten.
— Don't worry, I'm still present. And where is our friend?
— He's asleep in a room. I made sure he has a… deep sleep.
Elizabeth smiled while discreetly showing a small packet containing a white powder: a very powerful sleeping draught that Winston himself had prepared.
— I took the keys to his manor. We need to hurry to retrieve the package.
Claus and Elizabeth cordially greeted every person they passed. Claus had already paid for the items acquired at the auction; it was therefore perfectly normal for him to leave.
Once they had disembarked from the boat, they got into the car. Gordon, already dressed as a chauffeur, was waiting for them.
— Is everything OK? Are we ready to go? he asked in a strict and serious voice.
— Yes, we have everything we need, replied Claus, removing the blindfold from his eyes.
After about twenty minutes of driving, they finally caught sight of Alfred Blakrocks's manor. Gordon stopped the car halfway, and Elizabeth and Claus got out to finish on foot. Their extraction point was the Bridge of Massacres.
— You have exactly twenty minutes to enter, secure, and extract the package, Gordon reminded them before leaving to take up his position at the agreed-upon location.
They scaled the wall after carving an invisibility rune onto their bodies, which concealed them completely from anyone's sight.
Once in the garden, they took care to avoid the twenty guards armed with rifles and swords. By circumventing the surveillance, they reached the rear of the manor. A guard, busy smoking, didn't see Claus appear behind him: the latter knocked him out with a blow to the back of the head. Elizabeth quickly picked the lock using pins removed from her hair.
The door opened into the kitchen. Claus dragged the body inside to avoid it being discovered.
Step 1: penetrate the manor… successful.
Inside, Claus and Elizabeth crossed the kitchen. The manor's lights were off; in total darkness, their only guide was the plan they had studied at length. Using a light rune was out of the question: it would have alerted the guards. Their destination: the library.
They moved down a corridor adorned with dozens of portraits. According to the plans, the library was at the very end. Elizabeth picked the lock, entered, then closed the door behind them.
Step 2: reach the library… successful.
According to their information, a small lever was located under the large desk placed in the center of the room. Once activated, the floor opened, revealing a spiral staircase leading to a basement illuminated by torches fixed to the brick walls.
Without waiting, they descended. Roots broke through the floor, forming a kind of natural carpet.
— Where have we ended up? murmured Elizabeth, fascinated by the size of the place.
She wondered how the Blakrocks could have built a structure of such magnitude. But Claus, drawing on his years in archaeology, knew instinctively that this structure was not from this era. The texts engraved on the walls only confirmed his intuition.
— They look like the same inscriptions as in your book, Claus… Are you hiding something from me?
— I told you we would talk about it after the mission, he replied, continuing forward.
At the end of the corridor stood a gigantic door. The architecture was nothing human: the proof was right before them.
— According to legends, angels, archangels, and gods lived on Earth before creating humans… But these writings are not runic, observed Elizabeth.
As they approached, the door slowly opened. Inside, dozens of torches lit up with a blue flame, revealing seven colossal statues of winged beasts: dragons.
In Jhon's world, these creatures were slumbering Calamities that must on no account be awakened. But here, they seemed never to have existed… until this day.
The statues stood facing a circular altar, on which rested two pairs of black wings attached to a large crystal circle resembling diamond.
— I'm starting the sealing, warned Elizabeth. It will take a few minutes.
She closed her eyes, and luminous runes appeared on her body. Her eyes became incandescent, changing the atmosphere around her. Reciting an incomprehensible incantation, she made rune after rune appear on the wings. A beam of light shot forth; the wings disappeared, replaced by a box sealed with engraved bands.
— It's done! she exclaimed.
Claus picked up the box and noticed, on the altar, a marble engraving: the shadow of a man with a halo of thorns floating above his head, holding a golden apple, golden tears flowing from his blood-red eyes.
— What is it? asked Elizabeth, seeing Claus frozen.
— I've seen this before… in a vision. The day we were attacked.
— This, is Adam… the first man the Earth ever bore, said a voice behind them.
Claus and Elizabeth already knew who was speaking. Alfred Blakrocks stood there, pistol in hand, five guards at his side; evidently, the sleeping draught had not taken effect.
— How did you discover my treasure? Are you from the Church? Or from those dogs who think they are protectors of the past? Alfred spat.
They remained silent.
— You think you know everything… But this world is not what you believe. You came to retrieve the wings of an archangel? You are mistaken. You are merely frogs at the bottom of a well…
— Calm down, Alfred, attempted Claus.
— Calm? I am calm. But I will tell you the truth: according to the Church, the Sun King and the Holy Moon gave birth to Aeva, the first human, after creating this world. That is false. The first human existed long before: Adam…
— You're rambling, retorted Elizabeth. The runes say that the Universe gave birth to all that exists, and that the Concepts, the true gods, appeared next, and that in the end, they created all men.
Alfred sketched a smile.
— At least I know where you come from… But you are not ready to know the whole truth. Give me back that box.
— Alright… but tell me about Adam, asked Claus.
— I don't believe you are in a position to bargain.
— I'm not bargaining. I just want the truth.
— Only the Apostles know the truth about the Seven Gods… and about Adam, the true creator of this world.
Step 3: secure and extract the package... failed.