"The Guardian of the Infinite Corridors"
The darkness advanced like a rising tide. Alex couldn't stop watching as the
shadows seemed to lengthen, stretching toward them, feeling the ground like
eager hands. Adrian ran ahead, holding the black-covered book that seemed to
glow faintly from within, as if it were alive.
Helena walked beside him, breathing heavily, but keeping pace. Her eyes were fixed
on a point ahead, as if she knew the way. Alex was running, drunk.Holding Sara's
hand, feeling her constant trembling. The shadows continued to approach, swift,
silent, without a defined shape.
"Don't look back!" Helena shouted.
But Alex couldn't help it. He barely turned his head and saw something that chilled
him to the bone: the darkness wasn't just a lack of light. There were silhouettes
within it. Incomplete faces.Smiles that were too wide. Long hands that dragged
along the floor, nails scraping the wood. Eyes that opened and closed without
blinking.
The library breathed again, a deep breath that made the walls vibrate.
Adrian stopped in front of a narrow staircase that descended to a lower level.
"Here," he said without raising his voice. It was almost a whisper, but everyone
heard him clearly.
Helena pushed Alex and Sara towards the stairs.—Get down quickly. Don't think. Just get down.
Alex didn't understand why fleeing downwards seemed like the best option, but the
alternative was to stay with those figures emerging from the darkness. They went
down.steps almost stumbling. The candles that illuminated the upper part of the
lobby seemed to weaken with each breath of the library, as if light were a scarce
resource in that place.
When they reached the last step, Helena pushed open a side door. It was a small door,
made of lighter wood than the others, and a scent of old dust wafted from it. Adrián
went in first. Sara followed. Alex hesitated briefly… and felt something warm brush
against hisankle from the upper threshold.
He didn't want to know what it was.
He leapt inside just as Helena closed the door behind them. There was no
lock, but the door made a deep sound, as if something inside wasIt will
automatically adjust to seal.
The silence inside the new living room was thick, almost liquid. Alex felt the need
to take a deep breath, but the air smelled of old paper, damp leather, and a hint
of rust. Bookshelves lined the walls, but unlike the foyer, everything here seemed
older… and more alive.
Sara leaned against the wall, panting.
"What... what was that?" she asked between rapid breaths.
Helena observed her for a few seconds, and then spoke:
—The Endless Corridors. They are the main corridors of the library. They are…
inhabited. By the shadows of those who were once trapped here.Sara paled
even more.
—Shadows? Like ghosts?Adrian
shook his head slowly.
—They are not spirits. They are fragments. Pieces of people that the library
broke, absorbed, or rewrote. The parts it couldn't devour… wander. They seek to
complete what they lack. They seek new bodies.
Alex felt a chill run down his spine."And did we just get your attention?" Helena
sighed.
—The door has opened for you. That means the library has already chosen you. From
the
The moment they crossed over, they ceased to be visitors. Now they are… matter.
Sara took a step back.
—No. It can't be. We can get out. There has to be a way.
"There is one," Adrian said, "but it's never easy. And it's never without a price."
Alex stared at the book Adrian was still holding. The black cover seemed to absorb the
light. An uneasy feeling ran through him every time he looked at it.
"And what is that book?" he asked.
Adrian looked down at the volume.
—A guide. A warning. And a weapon.
Alex didn't know if that reassured him or terrified him even more. Every time the
book movedIn Adrian's hands, he seemed to emit a small whisper, as if he were
not completely asleep.
Helena walked to the center of the room and picked up an unlit lamp. With a slight
flick of her wrist, light appeared inside. Alex opened his eyes in surprise.
"How did you do that?" he asked.
"The library responds to those who understand it," she replied. "I own nothing here.
I only learned how not to die."
Alex felt something inside him react to Helena's tone. It wasn't fear. No
Exactly. It was… recognition. As if I had been there before.
But that was impossible.
Sara approached him, taking his hand tightly.
—Alex, we need to find a way out. I don't want to spend any more
time here.Adrian cleared his throat.—Before thinking about leaving, they need to understand where they are. Each level
of the libraryIt has a Guardian. Ancient beings. Concepts made flesh and memory.
If they don't recognize them, they won't survive an hour.
Helena continued:
—And this level belongs to the Guardian of the Infinite Halls. It is the presence
thatThey felt like they were following us. You can't come in here. But you can
wait.
A sound rumbled behind the door, a loud bang, as if something enormous hadcrashed
into it. Then, a second, more violent blow made the shelves tremble.
Sara covered her ears.
—What do you want to come in?
Adrian responded without emotion:
—He doesn't want to come in. He wants to stay with you. You're new. You're
fresh. The shadows feed him. He does too.
Alex felt an icy chill run down his spine. Something was calling him from the doorway.
Something thatHe seemed to be pronouncing her name in a voice that was all too
familiar.
Alex…Open me…
It was the same voice from his nightmares.
Helena approached him quickly, taking hold of his shoulders.
—Don't listen. Don't dwell on that sound. It's the Guardian. He feeds on memories.
And he takes the form of those who once hurt you.
The voice was heard again, this time softer… like her mother's, the night that
died.
Alex felt the ground move beneath his feet.
"How does he know that? How could he
possibly know?" Adrian opened the black book.
—Because the library read you. It read you before you even entered. You… you didn't
arrive here
By accident. They called you. And you answered.Sara looked at Alex in horror.
—What does that mean, Alex? What does it mean?
Alex didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was torn between fear, confusion, and that
strange familiarity with the place. He felt… that he was part of something
older.Something that had been dormant inside him for years.
A third knock shook the door, this time accompanied by a dragging sound,like nails
scratching the wood from the other side.
Helena raised the lamp.
"We can't stay here. If we keep waiting, the library will change this room and trap
us inside. We must move on to the Skin Archive. There we'll be out of the
Guardian's reach."
Sara swallowed.
—What… what is that?
Adrian replied:
—A worse place. But safe. Temporarily.
Alex didn't know what to fear more: the creature behind the door or the place they
had to go.But one thing was clear: they couldn't stay.
Helena opened a side door hidden behind a bookcase. The smell of damp leather
andFresh ink appeared immediately.
"Follow me," he ordered.
Alex took Sara's hand.
The door behind them creaked, as if something were starting to force its way in.
And as they descended the narrow corridor, the library sighed again.As if
he enjoyed the fear he provoked.