The urge to go to the library was like a thorn in Arshin/Kaveh's mind. The image of that man—whom he now knew he had to call the "Azure Protocol"—and the mysterious backpack had stolen sleep from his eyes. It was a puzzle from his past life, a key that might unlock the vault of Zargah.
But the Caravan Academy library wasn't just a simple book storage. It was the "Vault of Zargah Knowledge," heavily guarded. Accessing certain sections required high-level clearance—clearances a weak and suspicious student like him could never get.
He needed a plan. And his plan was Master Mirza.
"You want access to the 'Forbidden Texts' section?" Mirza chuckled dryly, devoid of any real amusement after hearing his request. "Did you think I'm the head of the academy? I'm just a drunken servant teaching kids how not to burn themselves alive."
"I thought maybe… you'd know how to bypass something," Arshin said, glancing meaningfully at Mirza's energy gloves. "You said this power is just noise. Maybe those texts have a reason for the noise. Maybe a way to silence it."
It was a lie—or a half-truth—but convincing enough. Mirza squinted. The curiosity of an old scholar flickered in his eyes.
"The Forbidden Texts are full of nonsense. Stories about the outside world, creatures living in darkness… things that can destroy a man's mind." He paused. "But… if you really want to get yourself into trouble… tomorrow night, when the guards switch shifts, use the ventilation shaft behind the library. An old, forgotten path. Just watch out for the 'Silent Warden.'"
"Silent Warden?"
Mirza gave him a hollow look. "Everything in Zargah has a guardian, boy. Even memory."
At midnight, Arshin found himself behind the library, facing a rusted vent. Using a controlled, focused spark of the Azure Protocol, he melted the lock. A dark, dusty corridor unfolded before him.
The air inside was thick and ancient. He illuminated his path with the faint blue glow emanating from his palm—now a trick he could control. The corridor felt like the forgotten veins of the academy. Ancient scrolls and broken tools littered the corners.
The relic in his pocket throbbed warmly. The blue point on the map was now very close.
He exited the corridor and found himself in a hidden gallery above the main library hall. Behind an intricate stone carving, he could see the entire library. And there it was, right in the center under a glass dome that let artificial moonlight shine through.
A statue. A man in ancient robes holding a torch. But this torch wasn't ordinary. From it glowed a crystalline orb—just like his own relic, only bigger and unbroken. Its light was a calm, steady blue.
This was the signal source.
Before he could make a move, a sound—or rather, a presence—stirred. The air around the statue chilled. Shadows at its base gathered into a humanoid shape—a being of pure darkness, faceless, with only two cold blue points for eyes.
The Silent Warden.
The entity, without blinking, "looked" toward his hidden gallery, as if sensing his presence.
Arshin held his breath. Fear gripped him. This wasn't a physical guard. It was… something else. Something tied to energy.
[System Alert: Anomalous energy signature detected. Spectral entity. Designation: Warden. Match to Azure Protocol energy frequency detected. Entity is hostile.]
The Warden began floating toward the gallery, its legs unmoving. Darkness around it expanded like a curtain of night.
Arshin/Kaveh realized that fighting was futile. This being was made of the same energy he had just learned to control—but far stronger and older.
He slowly backed toward the ventilation shaft. But the Warden noticed. A shadowy hand detached from its body and shot toward the gallery like a spear.
Arshin dove into the vent. The shadow-spear struck the stone he had been behind, not shattering it, but erasing it—like it had never existed.
He ran through the dark corridor as weightless, hateful whispers echoed in his mind: "…thief… memory thief… out…"
He emerged from the vent into the cold night air, gasping, trembling from fear. He had found something—but it was alive, and it hated him.
Not only had he discovered another relic, but also a new enemy. An enemy guarding the secrets of Zargah.
[System Note: Integration: 78%. Entity "The Warden" logged. Objective updated: Find a way to bypass or communicate with the Warden. The statue is the key.]