The afternoon passed quietly within the archive wing.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, slowly shifting across the wooden floor as the hours went by.
John sat at a large table surrounded by manuscripts of varying ages.
Some were neatly preserved.
Others had faded with time, their edges worn and brittle.
In front of him lay two nearly identical copies of the same historical record.
At first glance, they appeared identical.
But after spending nearly half an hour comparing them line by line, John noticed something.
He looked up.
"Master Aldric."
The old archivist looked over from his desk.
"Yes?"
"I think these two copies were written by different people."
Aldric walked over.
"What makes you say that?"
John pointed toward a paragraph near the bottom of the page.
"The wording is the same."
"But the handwriting changes here."
He traced a single line without touching the parchment.
"And this symbol."
"It's written differently."
Miriam walked over as well.
