“What’s next?” Tiziano finally said.

  They had walked for more than an hour without a word. Vin’s horrible tragedy haunted their minds, giving them no rest. Their gazes were vacant, and they seemed to be walking on air, like wandering ghosts floating in limbo. The boy’s question snapped them back to reality.

  “To Nune,” Roderic answered firmly. “We have to go to Nune.”

  “And how will we get there?” Jayden asked in a small voice.

  “We have to go east and take the Serpent Road,” the young man explained. “It’s the safest route to the Blue Mountains pass that connects with the city.”

  “No,” Isgalis said coldly. “We’ll take the path that leads to the Pipers’ village.”

  “Are you crazy?!” Roderic exclaimed. “The Serpent Road goes around Fabras Forest and is much safer. To get to the Pipers’ village, we’d have to cross The Cold Plot. It’s too dangerous!”

  “We’ll do it my way. End of discussion!” the Guardian declared, with a grim expression.

  “No! We won’t!” Roderic protested, furious. “You heard Irkman! The Agents took Milena to Nune, and we have to get there as soon as possible! The Serpent Road is the fastest and safest way!”

  “What makes you believe the word of a traitor?” the young woman retorted.

  “I’m tired of your arrogant attitude, Isgalis!” the regenerator shouted. “You think you know everything and have everything under control, but that’s not the case. The people of the village trusted you! If you had been there to protect them when everything happened, they wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable way!”

  The young woman’s breath caught in her throat. She knew that words could hurt, but she hadn’t realized they could cause such deep pain.

  “Enough!” Teo shouted, completely enraged. “What you just said is despicable! But the vile things your mouth spews say more about the pathetic human being you are than about our beloved Guardian! I can’t stand having you in front of me! Go alone, with your baseness and the shame of knowing who you are weighing you down! Get out of my sight now, or there will be serious consequences!”

  Roderic was incensed. Being insulted in front of his classmates by a ten-year-old brat who had just arrived was humiliating. But he knew better than to provoke the boy’s wrath. So, he had to swallow his anger and keep quiet. Then, silently and without looking at the others, he turned around and walked until he disappeared into the distance.

  “I’m so sorry you had to hear such offensive words, Isgalis!” Teo said, turning to the Guardian. “Nothing that happened was your fault. The only person responsible for that horror sits on the throne of Galath, and I swear by my father that sooner or later I will make him pay!”

  “Don’t worry about me, Teo,” the young woman said. “I’ll be fine. We have a purpose to fulfill, and we have to move forward.”

  They advanced several more miles through the forest until they came across a mysterious structure hidden among the trees, dating back to time immemorial. They were the ruins of an ancient temple, made of limestone, with magnificent arches and staircases, of which only some walls and columns remained standing. At the top of one of the columns was a fabulous carved capital depicting warriors with tiger heads.

  “What is that, Isgalis?” Tania asked in wonder, tugging at the sleeves of the young woman’s kimono.

  “That, dear Tania, are the ruins of the Sacred Temple of the ancient Ixarions, lords and protectors of Mantra.”

  “Teo, your pendant!” Tiziano exclaimed, seeing that the amulet the boy was wearing around his neck lit up.

  Teo was stunned.

  “I didn’t know it could do this,” he said. “Sir Phleas gave it to me before I left the Library of Babel. Maybe it’s trying to tell us something.”

  “The very keeper of the Library gave it to you?!” Tiziano shouted, impressed. “Why?”

  Teo turned to Isgalis, questioning her with his gaze, and the Guardian nodded with a smile.

  “I have to show it to the patriarch of the Pipers so that he knows I’m a chosen one of the Library and not an impostor. That’s why we’re headed to their village.”

  “Why, Teo?” Jayden asked, bewildered.

  “The old patriarch of the Pipers guards a key that opens the doors of an ancient monastery of Thoros, where the Book of Beginning and Destruction is hidden.”

  “The book of what…?” Tania asked in her squeaky little voice.

  “The Book of Beginning and Destruction is a grimoire, that is, a book of magical knowledge, written in code, containing instructions for casting incantations and spells, making talismans, or invoking entities. According to Sir Phleas, the Book of Beginning and Destruction can give its bearer immeasurable power.”

  “You already have immeasurable power, Teo,” Jayden observed, ironically.

  “But I don’t have the knowledge necessary to defeat a Vendalion expert in the Dark Arts like Raen. The Book of Beginning and Destruction is my only hope to defeat him.”

  “Look!” Baruch warned them, mimicking Teo’s voice.

  The Mantra emblem had projected a ray of light that reached the steps of the Sacred Temple.

  “It’s a sign,” Teo said, convinced of his words. “We have to follow the path it shows us.”

  The others nodded and followed him. When they climbed the last step and passed through the archway that led inside, the beam of light led them to a monumental white marble sculpture, about thirteen feet high, representing Sir Phleas. The beam of light then illuminated the torso of the sculpture, at the level of the heart. Teo climbed the pedestal and hung from one of the arms of the effigy to reach the chest. He discovered that it had a carved circle in which the talisman the Ixarion had given him fit perfectly. The amulet also functioned as a key! After placing it on the circular molding, a secret passage opened behind the sculpture. The gallery was plunged into complete darkness, and everyone was afraid to enter.

  “Light it up with the amulet, Teo,” little Tania said, clinging to Noel.

  “I’m sorry, Tania,” the boy responded. “But it doesn’t shine anymore.”

  Rubble from the ancient walls was scattered everywhere on the ground. Tiziano picked up a piece and made it glow, converging the particles of light on it.

  “Of course!” exclaimed the little girl, smiling and jumping for joy. “I almost forgot about you, Tizi. Thank you!”

  “It’s nothing, Tania,” the photoconverger said with a smile.

  “Oh, right!” Baruch cried. “You do let her call you Tizi, don’t you?”

  “Don’t provoke me, Baruch!”

  “Or what will you do? ... Dazzle me with your super luminescence?”

  “Hey, you two!” Jayden burst out, upset. “Grow up, for once!”

  “I see something at the end of the gallery,” Teo said.

  “I see it too,” Isgalis agreed. “Come on, let’s move forward!”

  At the end of the path, they came across a ten-foot-tall pyramidal structure, whose iron gate was guarded by two unlit cauldrons.

  “So, it’s true…” Isgalis muttered.

  “What are those two lamp-shaped containers, Isgalis?” Tania asked.

  “They’re called ’cauldrons,’ Tania. When their flame burns, it reminds us that the kanach is an eternal flame. Because everything that has lived cannot perish.”

  “And what are the cauldrons doing here?” Tiziano asked.

  “When the last Ixarions fell in the war against the Vendalions, Sir Phleas kept the kanach of each of them in an urn and buried it in a pyramidal structure, guarded by two burning cauldrons, to keep the flame of his race alive.”

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  “So, this is…” said Tiziano.

  “A mausoleum,” the Guardian completed the sentence.

  Suddenly, the ground began to shake under their feet, and the walls rotated on their axis one hundred and eighty degrees. Little Tania had decided that the fire of the Ixarion race should continue burning, and she lit the cauldrons with her own hands.

  “That’s it!” she said, satisfied. “Now their flame will stay alive!”

  “Look!” Tiziano pointed out.

  The newly exposed section of the walls revealed piles of swords, axes, warhammers, spears, and bows of all shapes, sizes, and materials.

  “These must be the combat weapons of the fallen Ixarions,” Jayden surmised.

  “That’s right,” Isgalis confirmed. “I had never seen them before. I only know about them from my father.”

  Each one approached to take a different weapon, but none of them could remove them from the wall. It seemed as if they were fixed there.

  “What’s happening, Isgalis?” Tiziano asked.

  “The weapons won’t allow anyone to possess them,” the young woman responded enigmatically.

  The only one who had not approached the walls was Teo. He was standing by the door of the mausoleum, staring at the ground. He had discovered another carved circle there, similar to the one on the sculpture’s chest.

  He placed the Mantra emblem on it and turned his hand around. A lock was heard unlocking, and a silver chest, with intricate engravings and slightly tarnished edges, emerged to the surface. Inside, resting on worn crimson velvet, lay two Tamahagane steel Japanese swords. One of them was a katana, a long and elegantly curved saber with a deadly sharp blade, featuring a hilt designed for two-handed use. The other was a wakizashi, a shorter saber, but with the same curvature and lethal edge. This sword was not merely a secondary weapon, but an active and integral piece in the two-handed combat style, used in the daisho for defense, deflecting blows, attacking in close quarters, or complementing the katana’s movements.

  When Teo wielded both swords, instantly, a halo of intense blue enveloped his body, discharging electric sparks.

  “What’s happening with Teo, Isgalis?!” Tania asked, alarmed.

  “He’s fine, Tania,” the Guardian reassured her. “Don’t worry. But I need everyone to return to the temple entrance.”

  “Is everything okay, Isgalis?” Tiziano asked, worried.

  “Everything’s fine. Just trust me and do what I ask. I’ll meet you all on the steps before nightfall.”

  Tiziano obeyed the Guardian without question, and the small group retraced their steps to the gallery.

  “Why did you ask them to leave, Isgalis?” Teo asked. “What’s happening?”

  “The swords you hold in your hands are Mazdart’s, I’m sure.”

  “Mazdart?”

  “Sir Phleas’s brother. He was the general of the Ixarion army. He was killed by Raen in the crusade against the Vendalions.”

  “Why did this happen to me when I took them?”

  “Ixarion weapons share a spiritual bond with their wielder. Part of their soul remains attached to them. When their wielder dies, the weapons seek a new master. And when they find one, the souls of the old master and the new one merge into a single entity.”

  “Does that mean that…?”

  “Your soul and Mazdart’s are now one.”

  Teo was shocked.

  “Why the electric halo?” he inquired.

  “By communing with Mazdart’s soul, some of his abilities and powers were transferred to you. The halo of blue light that surrounds you is the phenomenal expression of that communion.”

  “Why did the swords choose me?”

  “I guess what they’re trying to tell you is that you should continue with the task that Mazdart couldn’t complete.”

  “Finish Raen…” Teo mumbled. “Why did you make the others leave?” he insisted.

  “It’s time for your Initiation, a ritual that only a master and his disciple should participate in,” the Guardian pointed out. “It’s extremely necessary that you learn to control your kanach, to channel it, and make it flow through your body according to your will.”

  “Okay,” the boy agreed. “Let’s get started, then.”

  Isgalis approached and stood in front of him.

  “I want you to stand tall and cross your swords over your chest. Close your eyes and focus on the sound of my voice.”

  Teo did so.

  “Now, clear your mind,” the young woman continued. “Imagine yourself in the center of a huge void. Everything is calm and in absolute silence. Now, you begin to hear the water flow and the wind blow. You feel the touch of the earth beneath your bare feet, and the heat of a flame burns your skin. Then, the world begins to be populated. The sky is suspended above your head, and there are millions of stars. Mountains and vegetation rise from the earth, extending beyond the horizon. The sun is born from it. You will go to meet it. You will advance very slowly at first and then faster. Against the golden disk of the sun, the silhouette of an animal will be outlined, coming to meet you. First, you can’t tell it apart; it’s just a shadow that moves towards you. Then, you start to see every detail. With each look, your mind gives shape and color to its body! Every time, you are closer to each other! With each step, the animal gets bigger until it completely envelops you!”

  Teo emerged from the altered state of consciousness completely startled, sucking in large gulps of air and turning his head in all directions.

  “It’s just you and me, Teo,” Isgalis calmed him down. “What did you see?”

  The boy was still disoriented.

  “A laotar,” he muttered. “The same creature with the body of an eagle and the head of a hyena that I saw in the Library of Babel. What does all this mean, Isgalis?”

  “You see, on Ardoras, animals share a mystical connection with the cosmos. Their spirits hold certain qualities and abilities that can be passed on to Ardorians and humans. When this occurs, that animal becomes what’s known as the individual’s ’power animal,’ because their kanach starts to show itself in the form of that creature.”

  “Does that mean that the laotar is my power animal?”

  “Yeah. This animal is the symbol of your double nature: the predatory Force that walks the earth and the virtuous Wisdom that rises in the heavens. You have to learn to reconcile both poles to defeat Raen.”

  “And how am I going to achieve it?”

  Isgalis took her sai.

  “Try to hit me with your swords,” she ordered.

  Teo somehow knew how to take the hilts and how to position the swords with respect to his body to deliver a blow. “The spirit of Mazdart,” he thought.

  He launched the first attack but missed. Isgalis blocked the attack with her sai and knocked him down with a hook kick to his legs.

  The Guardian then helped her disciple get up.

  “The first lesson is: ‘Anticipate your opponent’s moves.’ You need to plan your attack based on where they’re going to be, not just where they are right now. Don’t aim for their current position; instead, aim for where they’ll move in the future.

  “It’s crucial that you never get discouraged. You can always get better; it just takes perseverance and discipline. Improving your physical and mental abilities will boost your power animal’s capabilities. It will be able to advance through several levels, which in turn will make your kanach stronger and more sophisticated.”

  “What does each level a power animal reaches actually mean?”

  “It means a new skill gained, and a corresponding bump in your kanach’s versatility and power.”

  In the distance, at the end of the gallery, a sharp and sustained scream of horror was heard.

  Isgalis and Teo rushed towards the entrance of the temple.

  When they arrived, they saw everyone’s terrified expression. They had pale faces and purple lips. Tania and Noel had disappeared.

  “Where is Tania?!” Teo shouted.

  Tiziano raised his hand, pointing in the direction of the forest consumed by shadows.

  Someone was crawling towards them, but it wasn’t Tania. It came swaying and making a hoarse, stertorous sound. It was Josef Irkman (or what was left of him). His face was covered in his own clotted blood, and his eye sockets were empty. The wound he had opened on his neck was still there.

  “Josef, don’t go any further!” Teo shouted loudly. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

  “He can’t hear you,” Isgalis pointed out. “Now he’s one of them.”

  Irkman’s body convulsed and fell to the ground. At first, he was limp, but in an instant, a spasmodic movement caused him to writhe, and the sound of tearing flesh could be heard. Two clusters of bones surrounded by a thin translucent membrane sprouted from the back of the stableman.

  “He’s transformed!” Tiziano shouted, horrified. “It’s a Necropter!”

  Irkman began to flap his wings erratically and rose a few feet above the ground. When he had complete control over his new limbs, he rushed dizzily towards the group.

  “Hide inside the temple! Now!” Teo shouted.

  “I’m not going to leave you alone,” the Guardian retorted.

  “I can do it, Isgalis. Take care of the others.”

  The boy ran to meet the creature, attempting to strike it with his swords. However, the Necropter swiftly evaded the attack, raking his face with the sharp, claw-shaped ends of its wings. When Teo confronted him again, the monster charged, dragging him across the ground for dozens of yards. The boy’s head slammed into a tree trunk, blurring his vision. He sat up immediately, but dizziness overwhelmed him, and his legs barely held him. The creature descended again, launching its final offensive, the claws of its wings aimed directly at the child’s heart.

  Teo took a deep breath, crossing his swords over his chest. An ornate halo of blue light burst from his body, revealing the faint image of a laotar. Just as the Necropter was so close it nearly passed through him, the boy propelled himself against the tree trunk, using it as a pivot point for a swift, evasive spin, rapidly rotating backward around his own axis. As he did, he slashed the blades of his swords across Irkman’s neck, decapitating him.

  The Necropter’s body fell motionless, its head rolling several feet away. Teo watched the gruesome sight with sadness. He believed Irkman was simply a desperate man who’d made bad decisions, who didn’t deserve to end up like this.

  A ray of green light shot from the creature’s body, and its remains turned to ash. But their problems were far from over.

  Teo ran back to the temple entrance, where Isgalis waited with the others.

  “Irkman’s gone,” he said tersely. “Where’s Tania?”

  “When she saw Irkman’s body crawling toward us, she took off, terrified,” Jayden reported. “Fear rooted us to the spot; none of us could help her.”

  “We have to look for her immediately!” Teo shouted. “It’s dangerous for her to be out in the forest alone at night.”

  They searched for her diligently for about an hour but couldn’t find her anywhere.

  “The temperature’s really dropped,” Jayden said. “I’m freezing!”

  “I was just about to say the same thing,” Tiziano agreed.

  “Me too,” Baruch added.

  Just as they were about to postpone the search until morning, Teo’s eyes caught something: a deep opening at the base of a tree, leading to an underground tunnel. The rabbit hole the Library Draft had shown him!

  “Tania went this way,” Teo said, pointing the group toward the hole in the ground. “I’m sure of it.”

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