The two boys snapped out of their daze as they lost sight of Adam and looked around in awe at the transformed surroundings.

The corridors were still there, but their floors were now made of swampy soil, with puddles and plants all around. The bookshelves forming the aisles were made of rotten wood, and almost all of them were broken. Practically, every shelf was empty, with no books in sight, and the usual decorations were nowhere to be found. Except for a few shelves that had at most one or two books, but they were in pretty bad condition and covered in dust.

There were no torches or lamps in the corridors, yet Adam was surprised to see the same red flowers as in the little books' house. The flowers were parasitizing the rotten wooden planks of the shelves, but there were so few of them that the hallway was even darker than the labyrinth. Just like the flowers in the labyrinth, these hallway flowers emitted a faint red light that flickered from time to time, creating moments of darkness.

—Where are we, big guy?— Hermes asked with some fear.

—I have no idea...—Adam murmured with concern, putting on his magical glasses again —Just in case, don't wander too far, and lower your voice...

—Where are we?— Apolo asked a bit louder than Hermes.

—I just told you not to speak loudly, and I don't know where we are— Adam replied, looking at the two frightened boys.

Then, Adam looked incredulously at the floor where the boys were standing; he observed the puddles and brown soil: not a single footprint on the ground! There were no librarians in this place!

Adam glanced at the shelf of the eyeless old man for answers, but it didn't seem the same. It was now just an empty shelf with all its planks broken. While observing his surroundings, the young hero noticed a faint murmur bothering his ears.

—Can you hear the voices too?— Apolo asked with fear, moving closer to Adam.

—Yes, they're starting to hurt my ears—Hermes almost shouted, covering his ears.

Adam saw that the boys were holding their ears and seemed really bothered by the noise. However, for him, the murmurs were faint and didn't bother him as much. He noticed that the voices or murmurs were coming from the rotten wooden planks of some shelves.

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Before Adam could say anything to the boys, he noticed that a head was forming on one of the shelves; it should be the monk since it was next to the eyeless old man. It was one of the few shelves that had books, but there were only two damaged and dusty books on its broken shelves.

The head fully formed, and the monk came out to greet them with hurried words:

—If you don't want to die, come to my house. My house is safe for lost souls, but be careful. If you leave my home at the wrong moment, the executioner will greet you on the other side.

Upon hearing these words, Adam quickly said in a low voice:

—You two, come with me, and no matter what happens, don't make too much noise.

However, the boys didn't seem to hear him, so Adam took them by their tunics and pushed them toward the monk while asking in a hurry:

—Can you open the door to your house?

—Even though my home is not beautiful...—The monk replied worriedly—It's always open to shelter those who need it...

With some doubt and haste, Adam approached and touched the monk's planks, and the two boys followed his example. After doing so, Adam asked fearfully:

—Am I in your house? Where are we? How can everything be so different?

—Yes, you are in my home in the reverse world...—The monk answered in a low voice, looking suspiciously at one of the corners of the hallway —The judge has condemned you. There's an ancient treaty that says: 'You shall not kill the children of the day care centers.'

—But I didn't do anything to the children...—Adam complained, trying to keep calm. Now, only information could help him escape this strange place.

The boys seemed more and more bothered by the murmurs, and the young hero understood that they needed to get out of here soon. Adam noticed that the monk didn't reply, so he changed his tone to a friendlier one and said:

—Why did the children have to suffer the same unjust punishment as me?

—Because the judge hates heroes and doesn't care about children either...—The monk replied in a low voice, looking at the children with great sorrow.

—Am I safe as long as I touch your planks?—Adam asked, cursing internally. This was the first time his karma condemned him to a tragedy.

But the monk didn't answer. Adam noticed the problem and asked again:

—Are the children safe touching your shelf?

—I don't think so... Something very evil has sensed your presence, hero!—The monk replied with concern, looking suspiciously at one of the corners of the hallway—These hallways are no longer safe for your kind: Go and seek the general; he'll tell you how to escape!

Adam got scared and thanked his general knowledge for understanding that the monk was referring to the stairs when he spoke of the general. Holding the hands of the two boys, Adam carefully examined the floor for dangerous footprints and went in the opposite direction from where the monk looked suspiciously.

But before the three could leave, the monk shouted to Adam with concern:

—Why does the hero walk towards his destiny? Run with greatness, fool! Or the beast will catch you! You must protect the future, hero! If you fail by listening to the murmurs, who else could save your people? I'll give you time, but if you don't run, I'm afraid no one will save them!