“What is the plan? The elders hid it for a good reason.” Donggun stated firmly.

“My father said it’s deadly for those who don’t understand it,” Addaya explained. “As the guardian of Osiris and the high sorcerer of the kingdom, I know how to get it and how to use it.”

“If, as you claim, you can use the book, why don’t you have access to it in the first place?”

“The access is only for the high priest; when my father was the high guardian, he had access to the halo room only through this stone,” Addaya said, tapping on a green stone on his collar. “We’re going to the halo room, then to the forbidden hall, where we’ll use the other stone to get the book.”

“I don’t know Addaya,” Donggun admitted hesitantly.

“Think about it; we can help others, I know it has powerful spells, but I would never use it to harm anyone.” Donggun studied Addaya’s calm expression.

He knew Addaya would never hurt a fly, and He was a good person who wanted the entire world to know and understand their abilities to make the world a better place. “I’m not thrilled about it, but I’ll help you,” Donggun said, taking a deep breath.

“Great, let’s go now before my father notices his necklace is missing,” Addaya said, standing up and walking to the nearest wall.

“Wait, where is Meritamun, Isn’t she joining us?” Donggun asked loudly.

“No, she’s distracting my father, so we need to get the book as fast as possible,” Addaya said, standing in front of the right wall. He held the blue gemstone in his fingers and drew a medium-sized circle with a tangent line to it; within seconds, it transformed into a glowing blue one.

It continued to glow, and when a minor earthquake shook the ground beneath them, Donggun managed to hang to the table to keep his balance.

The wall began to fade, and a strong white light emanated from it; both raised their hands to cover their faces. “Let’s go,” Addaya said, motioning for Donggun to follow.

They went inside and found themselves standing in a white, empty space. Donggun looked around, trying to figure out where they were. “Is that the place Eisai described?” he asked, looking around.

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“I believe it is,” Addaya said, squatting down and touching the ground while holding the necklace. It transformed into the forbidden hall. The magical aisle cut through the middle of the room, with peaceful lakes on both sides that were connected despite the ground aisle between them. Donggun glimpsed his own reflection on the clear lake.

At the end of the aisle, there were two square shapes flying in the air, with no direct lighting on them. Addaya pointed to the flying boxes and said, “Those are the books.”

As they approached, hundreds of blue lotuses floated on the surface of the two lakes, filling the entire area with a rich earthy floral aromatic scent that evoked a narcotic warm misty atmosphere.

“My father told me...” Addaya snapped his finger, and seven candles appeared and lighted up behind and above the two boxes, revealing their golden form with engraved hieroglyphics.

“Which of these books is the Book of the Dead?” Donggun questioned, looking at both.

Addaya approached the boxes and read what was engraved on them. “It’s a spell that conceals its true form.” He took a step back and placed his hand on his hair, pulling it back to reveal his brow. “I’m not sure which is which,” he began to walk back and forth, trying to come up with a solution.

Donggun remained motionless for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the right box, reading the engraved spell. “Addaya,” Donggun said quietly. He didn’t respond and continued walking with his head down. “Addaya!”

“What?!”

“Look at the right one,” Donggun said, pointing to the flying box on the right. Addaya moved his gaze away from the box and toward Donggun’s intense expression. Donggun mentioned “the spell.”

“So, it’s a protection spell?” Addaya said, shifting his gaze between Donggun’s face and the box.

“It’s written in a strange rhythm,” Donggun explained.

Addaya took another look at it, his eyes widening after a long moment of staring at the box. “It’s not in the right order or rhythm.”

“Exactly,” Donggun said, a victorious smile on his face. Addaya instantly understood what Donggun wanted him to know. The protection spell was an ancient one that was used to trick whosoever tried to solve it.

However, the mind spell Addaya performed on Donggun a year earlier made his mind work in a more advanced force than any regular mundane.

Addaya took a deep breath and dragged the right box down; it was still in the air. He lifted the necklace above the engraved spell. Backward and in a different order, he whispered the written words. The engraved words glowed bright blue.

With the last word, the box slowly rose into the air, and black impish wisps appeared from the bottom of the golden box, followed by soft yet frightening whispers. The wisps gradually covered the entire box, and it began to rise higher in the air. The box was completely covered in black wisps when a chilly wind blew from behind it.

Addaya looked up to see a dark hall started to appear before his eyes. He looked over at Donggun, who was staring in the same direction without blinking. The box moved slowly and stopped right in front of the hall, then dropped to the ground; it cracked, and the black wisps grew stronger.

The wisps moved slowly toward Donggun and Addaya, reaching for their bodies and covering them within seconds. “Hold on,” Addaya said to Donggun as the wisps engulfed them and drew them into the dark forbidden hall.