Seven Guardians
Prologue
1949 Kabul Province
The cave had no name on any map.
Hidden beneath layers of collapsed stone and centuries of silence, it lay exposed only because of an earthquake that cracked the mountain like brittle bone. What the archaeologists expected were relics pottery, skeletal remains, fragments of forgotten worship. What they found instead was a book.
It was sealed in a stone cradle, untouched by moisture, time, or decay. No script known to modern scholars matched the symbols etched into its pages. The ink was neither faded nor fresh. It existed in a state that defied chronology.
The lead archaeologist recorded a single line in his journal before sealing the discovery:
"This is not history. This is a warning."
Within weeks, the artifact was classified, quietly removed from Afghanistan, and routed through diplomatic channels. No public announcement was made. No questions were encouraged.
The book was transferred to one of the oldest repositories of human knowledge.
Khizanat al-Qarawiyyin, Fez - Morocco
The Al-Qarawiyyin Library accepted the manuscript under restricted custody. It was cataloged without translation, placed deep within the protected archives, and marked Non-Circulating.
Librarians who handled it reported unease disorientation, fragmented dreams, the sensation of being watched. One archivist resigned without explanation. Another requested a religious transfer. The book remained untouched.
Until history repeated itself.
1978 The Theft
The morning newspaper carried a small headline, buried beneath politics and war:
"RARE MANUSCRIPT STOLEN FROM AL-QARAWIYYIN MUSEUM"
According to official reports, three thieves breached the library after midnight. No alarms were triggered. No locks were forced. The guards claimed the corridors felt empty as if the building itself had momentarily ceased to exist.
Surveillance cameras showed nothing but static for exactly seven minutes.
When the signal returned, the manuscript was gone.
Authorities dismissed the incident as an inside job. The investigation quietly dissolved within months. The names of the thieves were never confirmed. The case was archived and forgotten by the world.
But not by the Soul World.
That night, far beyond human perception, the Gatekeeper turned her faceless gaze toward the mortal realm.
The cycle had been disturbed.
And the countdown had begun.