The castle was shaking again.
Rahim, Karim, Farid, and Zayan were still inside the small room at the top of the tower.
The old book was lying open on the stone table.
Outside, the Shadow Beast gave a loud roar.
The sound made the windows shake.
Rahim looked at the drawing in the book.
It showed the Shadow Beast standing in front of the Final Gate.
Below the picture, there were some ancient words.
Rahim slowly read them.
"The Shadow Beast was not created to destroy the world. It was created to protect the Final Gate."
Karim looked surprised.
"Protect the gate? Then why is it attacking us?"
Farid thought for a moment.
"Maybe we misunderstood the beast."
Zayan looked at the book.
"If it is protecting the gate, perhaps it attacks anyone who gets too close."
Rahim nodded.
"That could be the reason."
Suddenly, another loud roar came from outside.
BOOM!
The castle shook again.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Karim looked worried.
"Whether the beast is good or bad, it is still causing a lot of trouble."
Farid smiled slightly.
"That is true."
Rahim turned another page.
There was a picture of the first guardian, Arman.
He was standing beside the three ancient keys.
Behind him stood a huge black gate.
Rahim looked carefully at the picture.
"Arman was protecting the Final Gate."
Farid nodded.
"Yes."
Rahim turned another page.
This time, there was a picture of Arman standing beside another person.
But the person's face had been scratched out.
Karim asked,
"Who is that?"
Farid shook his head.
"I don't know."
Zayan looked closely.
"Maybe that person was Arman's friend."
Rahim continued reading.
The page said:
"The first guardian trusted someone close to him. But that trust became his greatest mistake."
Everyone became silent.
Karim slowly said,
"So someone betrayed Arman."
Farid nodded.
"That seems clear."
Rahim asked,
"But who was that person?"
Before anyone could answer, the floor beneath them made a strange sound.
CLICK!
Everyone looked down.
A small symbol appeared on the stone floor.
It looked exactly like the Shadow Key.
Rahim took the Shadow Key from his pocket.
He placed it on the symbol.
Suddenly—
The floor moved.
A hidden staircase appeared beneath them.
Cold air came from the darkness below.
Karim stared at the staircase.
"Why do I feel like we are about to find another big problem?"
Rahim smiled.
"Because we probably are."
Farid looked down the stairs.
"This must be another secret part of the castle."
Zayan nodded.
"We should investigate."
They slowly walked down the staircase.
The stairs were old and covered with dust.
After several minutes, they reached a large underground room.
Rahim looked around.
His eyes became wide.
The room was filled with books.
Hundreds of old books stood on tall stone shelves.
Some books were covered with dust.
Others had strange symbols on their covers.
Karim looked around.
"This place is like a giant library."
Farid replied,
"This may be the Guardian's Library."
Rahim walked toward the nearest shelf.
"What are we looking for?"
Farid said,
"Anything about Arman, the three keys, or the Final Gate."
They began searching through the books.
Karim picked up a thick old book.
"Look! This one has the words 'The Three Guardians' on it."
Rahim quickly took the book.
He opened it carefully.
The first pages described the history of the three keys.
The Silver Key.
The Storm Key.
And the Shadow Key.
Rahim continued reading.
"These keys were created to protect the Final Gate."
Karim asked,
"Why was the Final Gate created?"
Farid answered,
"To keep an ancient power sealed away."
Rahim turned another page.
There was another drawing.
It showed Arman standing beside the Shadow Beast.
Karim looked surprised.
"Arman knew the beast?"
Farid nodded.
"It seems so."
Rahim read the next line.
"The guardian and the beast protected the gate together."
Zayan looked thoughtful.
"Then the beast was never Arman's enemy."
Rahim nodded.
"Maybe it was his protector."
Suddenly, all the lights in the library went out.
The room became completely dark.
Karim whispered,
"Everyone stay together."
Rahim raised the crystal, but its light was very weak.
Farid slowly reached for his sword.
"Someone is here."
A soft sound came from between the bookshelves.
Footsteps.
Slow footsteps.
Step…
Step…
Step…
Everyone became silent.
Then a dark figure appeared at the end of the room.
Its face could not be seen clearly.
Farid shouted,
"Who are you?"
The figure did not answer.
Instead, it slowly raised one hand.
The old books on the shelves began moving.
Several books fell to the floor.
Rahim held the three keys tightly.
The figure finally spoke.
"You should never have come here."
Karim asked,
"Who are you?"
The figure gave a quiet laugh.
"I am only a messenger."
Rahim stepped forward.
"Messenger of whom?"
The figure pointed toward the ceiling.
"The one who wants the Final Gate to open."
Farid's face became serious.
"Who is your master?"
The figure did not answer.
Instead, it said,
"The Shadow Beast is not your greatest enemy."
Rahim looked confused.
"Then who is?"
The figure slowly stepped backward.
"You will discover the answer soon."
Suddenly, the room filled with dark smoke.
When the smoke disappeared—
The figure was gone.
Karim looked around.
"Where did it go?"
Farid searched the room.
"It's gone."
Rahim looked down.
One of the old books was lying open on the floor.
He picked it up.
A new page had appeared.
There was a drawing of the first guardian.
And beneath the drawing was a single sentence:
"The first guardian will return when the three keys are reunited."
Rahim stared at the words.
"The first guardian will return…"
Zayan looked at him.
"Does that mean Arman is still alive?"
Farid answered slowly,
"We don't know."
Suddenly, the three keys began glowing at the same time.
The whole library filled with blue, silver, and purple light.
A hidden door appeared behind the bookshelves.
Rahim looked at his friends.
"There is something behind that door."
Karim sighed.
"Of course there is."
Rahim smiled.
"Let's find out what it is."
They slowly walked toward the hidden door.
But before Rahim could touch it—
A deep voice echoed through the library.
"Rahim…"
Everyone froze.
The voice continued.
"Your journey has only just begun."
Rahim looked around.
"Who are you?"
There was no answer.
The hidden door slowly opened by itself.
Beyond it was a long dark passage.
At the end of the passage, a faint golden light was shining.
Farid looked serious.
"We need to be careful."
Rahim nodded.
Together, they stepped into the passage.
Behind them, the hidden door slowly closed.
And somewhere deep inside the castle—
Someone was waiting for them.
To be continued...