The Naturalistic

CHAPTER 19

I shift the Dark chest closer to me and place the key over the lock. It fits perfectly as the other half piece of the puzzle. I can feel everyone's intense gaze fixed on me and the chest. I then slowly move the inverse triangle to a perfect triangle and when it reaches the perfect place, a click sound echoes around us.

I now release the breath I didn't even know I was holding back. As my hands reach to open the lid, I feel my heart pounding wildly. And as I open it, almost everyone gasps around me.

"What is it?" Nathan whispers.

All I find inside is a small and rolled piece of paper. I take it outside the chest and close the lid.

"Is it a map?" Kate asks.

"At least give her a chance to open it, woman." Sam replies and Kate rolls her eyes in response. 

I open it and find something written on it, but it isn't the name of the location. I read it once more to understand what exactly is written. "I guess it's a. . . Riddle."

"You have got to be kidding me," Laura says. "After all the things we been through and the time we have wasted over it, all we get is another question to be solved."

"Laura," Rick starts. "If it's such a waste of your precious time," He gestures towards the door. "There's the exit, you can leave." Startled, I shift my gaze toward him and he seems pretty serious about it, no joke.

"Yeah." Sam joins. "Because your silly talks aren't helping anything here."

"Evy," Rick calls out my name. "Would you read it for all of us?"

I nod my head in agreement and start to read. . .

You have to dig deeper into history,
To find the solution of this mystery.

The capitals of the houses are wonders,
And the fact they aren't on the land you are standing is candor.

As linked as our paths are,
The secret won't be far.

In between lies the answer firm,
If you succeed, victory is what you earn.

It is also and it's not as you look around,
The Gods are waiting, don't let them down.

"Dig deeper in history?" My uncle speaks. "What does that mean?"

"Maybe the answer lies in one of the history books," Kate says.

"But then what about the capitals?" Rick asks.

"Each House has its own castle as their capital," Nathan says.

"It also says that it's not on the land we are standing on," Gloria says.

"Can that mean the temple is not in Akonia?" Sam asks.

"So it's in one of the neighbouring Empires?" My mother says.

"How can that be possible?" My uncle speaks. "Without the Emperor's or Empress's permission nothing can enter or leave their own Empire. They have there own magic to protect their borders and Ezuka's magic is not yet that powerful to break their shields."

"So we have to find if any of the Empires have granted any permission before Ezuka's attack over Akonia," Laura says. 

"I'll ask my people to gather information about it," Kate replies.

I don't listen any further, slowly drifting into my own thoughts. All of them are just focusing on a particular verse. That can't help, there's a reason he wrote such a riddle that would give us a headache and take away our peaceful sleep. He indeed is a demon.