Anna hurried through the labyrinthine halls, retracing her steps. She recalled Aria’s appearance, the image of the mysterious girl with her adorable cat ears and tail wagging about brought a smile to Anna's face.
Yet, the sprawling maze was a puzzle without a map, and Anna found herself unsure of where to head. She needed a way to mark her path, so she picked up a jagged piece of rock that had once been part of the wall. With X-shaped markings, she etched a trail on the stone, a guide to remind her of her route.
As she ventured forward, she reached a junction with two doors at its end. Uncertain of which way to proceed, she opened the first door and was greeted by a shroud of impenetrable darkness. The previous hall had been lit with torches on the walls, so she returned to retrieve one, carrying the flickering flame back to the dark chamber.
In that chamber, she was met with an astonishing sight—an opulent library, resplendent with arrays of books in various sizes, covering topics that ranged from law and economics to social sciences to fiction. Her curiosity overwhelmed her common sense, urging her deeper into the obscurity.
As she delved further into the chamber, her eyes fell upon a dimly lit area housing a desk, where a singular blue-flamed green candle illuminated a volume of unusual drawings. "Las Cortes Ejemplares—Exemplary Courts, in English," Anna translated the title to herself. Although intriguing, something else caught her attention—a peculiar metal box resting beside the book.
Inside the box, she discovered a pair of gloves, gnawed and grimy, but still bearing the city's heraldic shield, a bear standing atop a bridge. Beneath the box lay several letters filled with writing she couldn't understand but recognized as Spanish, like the title of the book.
Just as she was about to investigate further, a subtle thud echoed through the chamber, suggesting the presence of someone nearby. Anna acted quickly, extinguishing her torch and silently moving behind a group of dressed mannequins against the far wall. She pulled a blue cloth from one of them and put it over her head to conceal herself behind the mannequins, waiting in tense silence.
From her concealed vantage point, Anna watched a male figure meticulously tidy up the clutter on the desk. The candle's flame was extinguished with a simple breath before he turned his attention to the lineup of mannequins. There, five female figures stood in unwavering military postures, their silent vigilance almost unnerving. Anna held her breath, hoping to remain unnoticed.
The gentleman, lost in his task, moved the right arms of the first and third mannequins up and down. With the others, he repeated the gesture but with their left arms. As he manipulated the figures, a concealed door behind the last one obediently swung open, revealing a passage beyond. Without a second thought, the man passed through and vanished from sight.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Anna couldn't contain her pent-up breath any longer. As she emerged from her hiding place, she knelt before the enigmatic mannequins, studying their unsettling presence. One of the mannequins wore a medieval-style dress, a stark contrast to the others' contemporary attire.
Anna decided to follow in the footsteps of the man and opened the secret door following the same sequence the man used. She proceeded with caution, venturing into the obscurity. A spiral staircase led her further down, eventually taking her into a well-lit, vaulted chamber.
Leo rushed in the opposite direction, his frantic pursuit of an unseen goal propelling him forward. However, as he retraced his steps, nearly losing his footing in the process, he realized Anna's presence and called out her name in concern.
Anna noticed his frantic approach, but his cries of distress only deepened her chagrin. She faced Leo, her expression tinged with a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Come on," she sighed, her voice heavy with the weight of her recent experiences.
Leo's worry was palpable as he questioned her about her peculiar behavior. She recounted the strange events involving the Baku and Aria, but a gaping void in her memory obscured any recollection of her encounter with Alice, she recalled fighting her, but she didn’t remember why, though.
"Do not worry. Everything is okay. Let’s find Steve's daughter, let's rescue her!" Anna's thoughts raced, but she held back the urge to mention the enigmatic man in the library. That moment felt inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Still, curiosity nagged at her, questions about that man, the unusual gloves, the book, and the mysterious Spanish letters that had crossed her path. "Who was that man?" Anna mumbled, her eyes darting about the room as Leo's hands gently rested on her shoulders, urging her forward.
With a nod, her face transformed from its usual sullen expression to one of concern, as she frowned, they ventured into the eerie entry room of the Palace of Jäävarasto, the same room adorned with crumbling statues, moldy frescoes, and majestic iron doors.
Leo raised his hand, a ring adorning his finger, and whispered barely audible words. Then, he kissed the gem on the ring. "I have told everyone I found you," he assured Anna.
Anna stared with fascination as Leo retrieved a unique brush, smeared it with ink, and began to paint a compass on the floor. This wasn't an ordinary compass; there were no cardinal points labeled. Instead, the needle took the form of a capital letter A. He continued, writing specific instructions next to it.
Specifications:
1. Special compass. It can determine Alice’s whereabouts.
2. The letter A indicates her direction, pointing north, south, east, west, or any derivatives thereof.
3. The letter A will turn red when near danger, guiding us along a safer path without losing sight of our target.
After he completed the drawing, he carefully dried the brush, pocketed the ink jar, and peeled the compass from the floor as if it were a sticker. A proud smile played on his lips as he shared his discovery with Anna.
"It occurred to me recently," he explained, his smile widening. "It was thanks to a similar compass that I found you."
With this new tool in hand, Leo stepped forward and she followed after.