Jessica, Meryn, and Eleonora walked together through the long halls of the college. None of them spoke. Their face was set in the grim determination that precedes pain. A massive door soon barred their path. Meryn brushed a glowing sigil etched in the stone wall. Without a sound, the heavy door opened. Beyond, it was like silence sucked them in, distorting time and space as their footsteps echoed through a vast room. It looked like a cathedral. The gods being worshipped here were knowledge, ambition, and power.

  The Grandmaster had his back turned to them. He was standing by a huge stone table, covered with open books and journals. Multiple annotations were scribbled in the margins, some not yet dry, some faded to ghostly letters. The three women stopped after a few paces and waited. Reverberating in the hollow space, the scratching of a quill sounded like claws tearing flesh.

  After a few minutes, Eleonora coughed quietly, then whispered, “Grandmaster?” The scratching stopped. The quill was laid down. After a few seconds, the older man turned toward them. His eyes were warm. “My dears, I didn’t expect you today.” He walked toward them, his arms open and welcoming. Meryn frowned, “The experiment was on the schedule today.” The wizard mimicked her frown, then shrugged. “Probably my mistake, I’ve decided we will suspend the experiment for a few days.” He then gently gazed at Jessica, “We all need to recover, some of us more than others.”

  Eleonora was about to speak when he continued. “Feel free to use the time as you see fit, relax, or continue a pet project. I have calculations to make. We will reconvene in a few days.” The three women nodded, and as the Grandmaster shuffled back toward his books, two women walked back toward the door. But Jessica hadn’t moved. Meryn turned to her, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow in a silent question. Jessica smiled and shook her head. Her friend smiled back and nodded. The door closed with a soft bang as two students left the cathedral.

  The Grandmaster was at his table again. The quill remained untouched. After a moment, he tilted his head and asked softly, “Jessica? How can I help you?” Jessica walked toward him. “Why did you lie to Hunter Chala?” The older man nodded. “It was a thin line to walk, and a bit reckless.” He turned toward her, beaming. “I did it to protect you, Jessica. I will always protect you.” His tone switched to stern as he added, “That’s why I have to formally ask you to abandon any idea of going after Gareth. It’s too dangerous, and there is nothing we can do.” Jessica's fist clenched. “There must be something we can do.” Her mentor sighed, “Maybe, but not one I know, and you read all the libraries here, you know as much as I do.”

  Jessica shook her head, “That’s not true, I don’t have access to ALL libraries.” The Grandmaster grew pensive, several expressions shifted on his face. “You’re right, it is overdue.” He walked to a chest. When he set his hands on it, a soft light shone under it. The lid opened, and the wizard took a big black key. The Grandmaster ceremoniously handed it to Jessica, “The forbidden archives are yours.” His eyes sparkled, and he added softly, “I’m so proud of you, my star student.”

  Jessica felt a lump in her throat. She bowed, “Thank you, Grandmaster, this means the world to me.” He released her with a soft gesture and walked back to his books. “Tell me what you find, Jessica, don’t take action alone,” was his last warning. The star student left the room with barely contained eagerness. The treasure was held so tightly in her hand that she could feel her heart beating in her palm.

  After the echoes of the door faded, the Grandmaster glanced back at the now-empty room. His eyes were cold, calculating. “The pieces are set, let the game begin,” he muttered. Then, as he turned back to his books, he added, “Bring me what I want.” His eyes shone with a feverish glow as his fingers traced some scribblings in a margin.

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  ***

  Jessica slowly opened the black door. The air inside was surprisingly fresh. She breathed in the smell of knowledge, and a shiver ran up her spine. She couldn’t help but rub her hands as she took a tour of the archives. Her fingers softly traced the spine of old books, feeling the titles etched by voices long gone. Row of shelves breathed quietly, like a beast hibernating. Books were the teeth, some of them missing. They were probably in the Grandmaster study, in the cathedral… or lost forever.

  “How do I go about it?” muttered the scholar. She looked for ledgers and found none. She picked up some random books and skimmed the content. The sorting didn’t make sense. She embraced the immensity of hidden knowledge and sighed. “One book at a time, I guess.” She pulled a heavy tome with a slightly shredded cover. It resisted for a while, then surrendered to her grip with a soft cracking sound. She walked to a table, cuddling the book. Smelling the old paper brought tears of joy to her eyes. After she sat down, the whispers of pages were all that remained in the eerie room.

  The next day, she entered the room with a brand new book under her arm. She set it carefully on the table and took out a quill. Blank pages embraced her notes with a passion.

  Books moved, some of them stayed on the table. A complex diagram was drawn on a blank page. Sometimes Jessica would look in the distance, her eyes in a trance. Her fingers were mechanically drumming the table. After a few days, her journal found perfect balance, half-written, half-innocence.

  That day, Jessica was deeply focused on a book like no other. Complex geometric designs covered the pages. The writing was in golden, strange letters, not entirely foreign, but not familiar either. She felt like the meaning was just out of her grasp. Her head was pounding, and she knew if she got up she would be dizzy. But sitting with her head in her hands was fine. She could study a while longer. Her body was too exhausted to startle as a soft touch landed on her shoulder. The diagrams and glowing letters that danced in front of her eyes shattered with a wailing sound. She blinked at the blurry pages, then her sight regained focus, and she looked at the intruder. “Meryn?” she said, her voice breaking. Her friend smiled, “You have quite the tan, you shouldn’t stay in the sun that long.” Jessica gave her a tired smile. “I’m fine.” Her protector shook her head, “Like hell you are.” A gentle but firm hand guided her out of the pit of knowledge.

  The two friends were sitting in the park under their tree. A food basket was half empty, and Jessica was absently nibbling on a cookie. The sound of birds and running water sounded foreign to her. Far away. Distorted. Meryn sighed, “Your story matches the Grandmaster’s word.” She tried to lock eyes with the scholar without success. “I’m worried, Jessica, very worried.” The strawberry-blonde female sighed. “There’s a cure, I know it. I’m almost there.” Firm hands held her shoulders. “Maybe, and it’s driving you crazy, and then you will do something dangerous.” Jessica's eyes focused back on reality. Meryn added, “Promise me, Jessica, promise me you won’t go on a doomed quest out there.” Her friend looked puzzled, then she said, “Of course, I’m only searching for knowledge. I have no intention of leaving.”

  As the two friends walked back toward the college, the Grandmaster stepped out from behind a crumbling wall. He looked at Jessica walking away pensively, “The search for knowledge will require you to leave. You just don’t know it yet.” Then he frowned, “I’ll give you two more days to figure it out.” After a deep sigh, he added, “Then I’ll send in my next pawn.”

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