"So… where did Kaivan go?" he asked, bewildered. He knew everything had spiraled the moment Kaivan disappeared without a word.
Felicia lifted her head, eyes trembling with unease. "He read the Tome of Omnicent again," she said flatly, fighting back another surge of emotion. "He's probably following its instructions again."
Frans shook his head, disbelief written across his face. "Kaivan… still hasn't learned, has he? After everything that happened…" His voice trailed off. The thought of the danger Kaivan faced weighed heavily on him.
Suddenly, the doors to the operating room swung open. A doctor stepped out, his expression serious. Even behind his medical mask, they could see the exhaustion, and faint relief, on his face.
"The surgery was successful," he said, voice steady but lacking cheer. "However, the damage to her brain is severe. She will remain unconscious for a long time. We can't say when she might wake up."
Felicia covered her mouth with both hands as tears streamed again. Frans squeezed her trembling hand, trying to lend her strength though his own heart felt like shattering.
The doctor reached into his pocket and took out a small plastic bag. Inside were shards of metal.
"We found this lodged in her skull. This metal… it's usually used for nails. I've never seen a bullet made from material like this."
Felicia's eyes widened. "This must be Vella's work," she whispered, voice shaking.
Frans furrowed his brows, thinking hard. Radit, Ethan, Raphael, and Isabel stood still, the gravity of the situation sinking into each of them.
"Vella… the user of the Tome of Omniphilos," Ethan muttered. This attack was no coincidence.
Far away, beyond the hospital walls, Kaivan raced through the storm, toward answers, toward danger, and toward a mystery that was only just beginning to unfold.
That night, rain crashed down over the city, its thunderous roar echoing like a warning from the heavens. Kaivan arrived at old Lady House, the place where he had first received the Tome of Omnicent. His hair dripped, his jacket soaked through, leaving a trail of water across the dusty tiles. The house looked abandoned, forgotten by time; thick dust and cobwebs clung to every corner, hiding the memories that once lived there.
Following the Tome's final hint, Kaivan headed for the basement. He pushed open the creaking wooden door and descended the fragile steps. At the far end of the dark room stood an old cabinet, slightly shifted, as if something behind it had once tried to reveal itself.
His breath tightened. He grabbed the cabinet and pushed with all his strength. Inch by inch, it slid aside… revealing something impossible: a modern lift with a glowing digital panel.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
He pressed the panel, but an eight-digit passcode screen appeared. He tried his grandmother's usual code, 2131, but the system rejected it.
The Tome of Omnicent in his hand was silent, drained of light. No letters, no glow. It felt lifeless.
Kaivan scanned the room again, and then he saw it. A wall covered in words written in countless languages: Kra, Lege, Soma, Po, Oku, Doc, Lees, Read, Baca, Iqro, Karanta, Anbib, Ik'ikthe. All of them meant one thing.
"Bacalah…" he murmured.
He began counting the letters:
B(2), A(1), C(3), A(1), 2131.
But the system needed eight digits.
He continued: L(12), A(1), H(8), 1218.
Combined: 21311218.
With trembling fingers, he entered the code.
Silence.
Then, the screen turned green. A soft mechanical hum echoed as the doors slid open, revealing a chamber bathed in blue light.
Kaivan stepped inside. Fear and curiosity churned in his chest. The door closed, and the lift descended smoothly, near soundless, like falling through a dream. There was no turning back.
About a minute later, the doors opened.
Before him stretched a futuristic laboratory, a perfect ten-meter cube glowing with neon blue. Holographic screens floated in the air, and unfamiliar scientific devices lined the walls. Drawn across one wall were sketches of thirteen ancient tomes. One of them he recognized instantly: the Tome of Omnicent.
Kaivan walked toward the center, both awed and tense. There, inside a glass container, shimmered a purple crystal, glowing gently, pulsing like a living heart.
"That crystal…" he breathed.
He opened the case and pressed the crystal into the Tome's cover. The moment they connected, a blue light filled the room. Ancient letters bloomed across the pages, and a soft voice, clearer, almost human, spoke.
"Looks like you made it, Kaivan," the voice said calmly. "Oh dear… your clothes are soaked. Why not change first? There's a wardrobe in the corner."
Kaivan turned. A sleek metal wardrobe stood where the Tome indicated. Inside were several clean outfits. He peeled off his wet jacket and shirt, shivering slightly as the cold air touched his skin. After changing, he returned to the table where the Tome rested.