THE ROOM was dingy and windowless, lit by four wall torches with rusty brackets. A faint smell of fried fish lingered about the place. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Clara didn't want to know the name of at the moment. A highly polished collection of manacles hung behind a cluttered desk.
Looking around, one thing was certain for Clara: of all the places she had visited so far in Blaire, this was by far the most interesting. It was a cramped space, full of funny little noises. Several curious glowing instruments stood on spindle-legged tables. Apart from the weird glass jars, occupying a single floor-to-ceiling shelf were books giving off a bizarre feeling.
Clara hesitated. She cast a wary eye around the room. Surely it couldn't hurt if they took a look around.
She stepped further into the room, and suddenly stumbled over a bag lying in the middle of the floor. Inside it was a shimmery crystalline shard, an array of multi-colored pens, and what appeared to be a long, curved bone. And at the very bottom, under all the clutter, an old photograph, torn in half.
The colors of the photograph faded with time. Clara could just barely make out the image of a man cradling a baby in his arms. She peered closer. And realized the baby had a sun-shaped birthmark on their shoulder.
She unconsciously touched the back of her left shoulder where her almost-similar birthmark was placed.
Only that she wasn't in her body. She kept on reminding herself.
Holly and Maxwell had been looking around here and there at the opposite sides of the room. It was unnervingly quiet and Clara felt she would suffocate if none of them would speak.
"What do you two reckon? Who could have built a place like this under the ground?" she asked, hoping to lift off the sour mood.
"True, three years of my studies here and I've never heard of such a hidden bizarre place under the academy. Have you, Miss Vanders?" Maxwell asked in a rather polite tone.
"No," Holly said flatly without looking at him.
Clara heard a scraping sound and Maxwell's shadow stretched into the lit portion of the room. He heaved a large wooden chest out of its hiding spot from under the creaking old rectangular table full of broken glasses. As the old thing creaked open, Clara edged forward, expecting something magical—or at least historic—to be revealed. Instead, Maxwell tossed out six standard-issue army canteens, three small bronze lanterns, a heavy stack of blankets and towels, and an armful of crowbars, pickaxes, and shovels.
Clara pondered if she should approach Maxwell. Her left and right foot teetered between going up to him or having herself set her exploration of the place and not being bothered by little things. Surely, this couldn't pass as something bothersome, could it?
In the end, tucking the photo inside the loose sleeve of her nightdress, she walked up to Holly, who was scouring a pile of unwashed musty clothes on a small wooden chair. Her nose was wrinkling in the unpleasant smell, but Holly didn't look ready to part from it.
"Looks like this place is owned by a man," Holly finally said after a thorough inspection. "These are men's clothes. And mind you, he didn't even bother to wash them."
"Not a sign of a single woman occupying this place?" Clara asked, eyeing the nearby table full of scattered papers with wild scribbles on them. A bottle of ink was left open and an eagle quill was left lying on top of the table, its tip dry of the ink.
"None, Your Highness. Though I notice these are high-quality fabrics," Holly said.
"It's safe to say the person who owns this place is of higher status, then," Maxwell said in a muffled voice from the other side of the room.
"Or it could be stolen. There are other possibilities," Holly replied.
Clara nodded and looked at the wall torches one by one. "And perhaps, this place isn't abandoned. The torches are lit. The fire couldn't have been burning unmanned for months, let alone for years."
"Do you think it's safe for us to linger here any longer? The owner of this place might come back any moment and we don't know if it's someone dangerous in hiding," said Holly, peeking through corners and narrow gaps that could pass as a hidden passageway.
"In hiding? Here in the academy, Holly?" Clara asked.
"We cannot take chances. Nowhere can be safe at this time."
Clara frowned upon hearing it. She couldn't have people being overprotective of her at all times. It was the same thing over and over again, yet Holly's concern for her was genuine. It was one thing that set her apart from those who only acted out of order.
"You worry too much about me, Holly. The three of us barged in here unannounced. There's no assurance of safety for the three of us."
"Your life holds greater value than ours."
"Then I refuse to believe such thinking. Every life is precious, not only mine. And I don't like it when everyone treats me like a delicate flower that any moment could break. A princess not only knows how to think but also fights."
Holly smiled at her with pure tenderness and a glint of admiration shone brightly in her eyes. "I wonder about those rumors that had long been circulating about you. None of them seemed to be true."
"Oh." Clara raised an eyebrow. Was Anneliese that unlikable? she wondered. Well, the rumors couldn't be that far from the truth. She would have to ask Holly about them. That way, she would be able to know more about Anneliese. "I wonder what those are. I hope you can list them down for me if you could. We could go down to Caelholme once again some other time. Maybe we can talk about the things you're fond of doing before you became my Ward."
"That's something I am looking forward to, Your Highness."
They surveyed the place but agreed not to attempt to bring any item with them once they were out, in case the person would notice something was missing. The last thing they wanted was for someone to hunt them down.
Too many old books had been stored there. Despite signs of its occupant, the room was messy as if no one bothered to organize it. The covers were almost tattered and the pages were yellowed.
It was hard to see through the dim lights. Clara had to be heedful with her every step to not trip on the cluttered pile of books.
One by one, after opening the bookcases' glass panes, she read the spine of each book with keen eyes. Clara was not sure what exactly she was looking for, but maybe there was something that might catch her interest.
Finding nothing intriguing, she turned to the next case right beside it, but her heart almost lurched as she accidentally tripped herself on the heap of books. Clara shrieked her lungs out as her hands grabbed onto the ledge as if her life depended on it. The ancient-looking bookcase terrifyingly swayed from her weight.
"No, no. Don't," she mumbled in the air, shaking her head as if it could hear her and stop swaying. Bags of dust started to circulate which made her cough and something hard and heavy hit her head.
"Ugh." She groaned and winced in pain, but the growing bump on the top of her head was the least of her worries. Clara could easily heal herself later using her magic.
She crouched down to pick up the book to return it to its place. She was about to slip it between the space of two worn-out books when her eyes chanced upon the title on its cover.
Ancient Magic of the Sun and Moon
Clara's eyes popped into the red leather-bound book that was thicker and heavier than a normal book. There was a sign of old age, but there were no other damages. It also seemed to be well taken care of. She turned it over at a different angle to inspect and figure out anything, but nothing else—not even the name of its writer—was written other than the title itself.
She held it tight against her chest before she strode quickly over the table in a jumbled mess. Thrill and excitement rushed into her system as she cleared the table of strewn parchments. She fixed the candelabra in a suitable position, so it could properly cast a light on the book's pages.
She sat on an uncomfortable squeaky old wooden chair and took a deep breath before opening the book on its first page. At first, Clara thought it was blank. She was about to turn it to the next page when words started to appear. Clara stared at it wide-eyed. Words appeared as they formed a sentence.
Everything in this book is a history witnessed by my own eyes. I have lived hundreds of years, but this book shall live on for a thousand and more.
This book will only shed its mysteries to The One, to The Holder, and to The Chosen. And if it does, then it is for you--for you who holds the Ancient Magic, bearer of the seal.
When the world turns a blind eye, my words will shed light on the truth.
When the world chooses to forget, let the spilled ink seep deep through their minds.
When the world dares to forget, blood will spill and watch them fall apart.
Your eyes will be the door to the past.
Your mind is etched with their memories.
Your soul will writhe in pain and agony.
Your mouth will be the bearer of the news.
Now, I entrust you with the conundrums this wretched world conceals.
Clara's heart hammered in her chest despite knowing that this book might hold memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Who knew what she might find out?
Clara turned it to the next page, eager to know more. Letters started to appear as if someone was writing on them from inside the book.
The Ancient Magic was the very first to ever exist, primitively called the One Magic or Lone Magic. It, later on, gave birth to two equally powerful attributes--the Sun and Moon. These two were halves that, when combined once again, will awaken the said Ancient Magic.
These two powerful attributes gave birth to more magical elements, resulting in the existence of more immense powers--the air, water, earth, fire, and ice.
With the existence of abilities that the human mind could not comprehend, a separate world was created by the Great Guardian Deity for those who possessed tremendous power--the magical world of Hiestoth, home for the Attuned.
Each kingdom shall be ruled by powerful families from the royal bloodline, with the help of five appointed Elders, to ensure peace and unity among the five empires.
There was nothing new with what was written, but maybe there was something more. Something deeper and darker just like this book she held. This seemed to hold many secrets, so she decided to carry on with it.
She turned to another page to find something tucked in it—an old and yellowed page that was burnt on the sides, looking like it was from another book. It was crisp and frangible that it might break like a dried leaf if she even tried to fold it. The sides were charred which made some of the words unreadable.
The practice of this one element has been banned and forbidden. This attribute was branded as evil when a group of individuals threatened the peace and harmony of other Hiestorans.
The mastery of life. The power to give life and the power to take it. The users of Blo–
Then the pages began to blow as though caught in a high wind. All this time, Clara thought she knew everything. Despite being locked up, she wasn't deprived of the common knowledge that everyone else learned. But the fact that there's another unspoken attribute used to co-exist with the others was unheard to her ears.
How much longer would Clara have to stay ignorant?
She didn't notice that the fragile piece of burnt parchment was crumpled inside her clutch. Not until Maxwell had broken her off her bitter trance.
"I suggest we come back up now. We've searched everything and nothing in here is dangerous. Weird things but that's all," Maxwell said. He was beside Clara in an instant just in time for her to shove the book under the table without getting noticed.
"Weird things do come off dangerous in the end," Holly said but Maxwell, probably tired of their endless banter, chose not to say anything.
"What are we going to do with this place? We have knowledge that it exists and I wonder if... it shall remain a secret," Clara said, biting her lip, silently suggesting they keep the existence of this place to themselves. She wanted it to stay that way. Something in her didn't want it to be discovered just yet. There were things yet to explore and Maxwell and Holly didn't realize it yet.
"You don't plan on coming back here, are you, Your Highness?" Holly asked.
"Just so you know," Maxwell drawled. "I'm not always a strict follower of rules."
"Oh, snap out of it. As if we don't already know that you're a loyal lapdog to the prince. And what's your point anyway?" Holly asked.
"I suggest we find out... who goes in here," he said and Clara straightened herself on the chair as she listened to him with all ears.
"Oh, Your Highness," Holly said in a downcast voice. "Listen no more of his gibberish. I don't trust him at all."
"I prefer listening first before I judge, Holly," Clara said, her eyes huge with excitement as she looked at Maxwell expectantly.
"This can't be the end of our little adventure through the school's woods, you know. And I believe no dangerous people are sane enough to build an underground fort here in a school building at the center of the Eirinia Empire, where all paths to each kingdom intersect at one point. We don't need to come in here if you don't want to. We only have to observe from a safe distance to find out who's going here."
Clara agreed. And surely, Holly would agree against her will if the princess did.
Another triumphant grin spread across Maxwell's face towards Holly. "Can't you feel it? It feels like we're bonding like friends."
As they were figuring out how to get out, Clara spotted a huge hollow in the wall.
"Look at this," she called to them.
"Hmm," Maxwell wondered and slid his head inside to get a better look.
"What? Is it safe? What's that anyway?" Holly asked.
"Looks like the way back up to the ground," Maxwell said, his voice echoing.
"Can't we just use the broken ceiling to get out? Who knows what's waiting in there," Holly said.
"I don't know, Miss Vanders. Perhaps a squirrel. I think it's leading up to a tree." He let out a snigger and pushed his entire body forward, head first, and crawled up an earthy slope to the upper tunnel. Seconds later, Clara and Holly slithered after him.
They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double ahead of them. On and on went the passage. And then it began to rise; moments later, it twisted and they emerged at the hollow at the base of the trunk and into the darkness of the still redwood.
"How do we fix it?" Holly asked, pointing at the huge crate leading down to the secret room. "Surely anyone would notice by morning."
"Do you have your Miracle Marbles with you, Your Highness?" Maxwell asked.
Clara immediately searched for her drawstring pouch and took a marble with swirling green smoke inside it. It was an item of privilege given to royalties like her since it wasn't available for the common market. Using it, they could have limited experience of the power of other Attuned.
Mud started to pour out of the marble as if it was a giant slug. It crept onto the ground into the large gaping hole. It filled the opening until it hardened like a mass, and not long after, lush grass grew on it. Not a sliver sign that a hidden sanctum existed beneath it; it was completely hidden out of sight.
The three of them sneaked into the Royal Residence, stealthily avoiding patrolling guards until they were inside the safety of their chamber and under the softness of their blankets. But not Clara. She would risk getting spotted just to get her hands on that mysterious book once more, and so she went back, creeping into the shadow of the night and the underground sanctum of the hidden secrets.