Chương 65: The Door That Remembered

The door did not open with a groan. It opened quietly. That was what unsettled Leo most. A passage appeared behind the stone, narrow at first, then widening as the darkness beyond swallowed the light from the archive. There was no dust, no stale air, no smell of an untouched chamber. A faint current moved through the opening, carrying the cold scent of rain despite the fact that Blackridge had not seen rain for days. Elias stood motionless.

The expression on his face was not that of a scholar discovering something impossible. It was the expression of a father who had just heard the voice of a dead child.

"Father?" The voice came again. Closer this time. Elias took one step toward the doorway. Leo caught his shoulder.

"Don't." The old man looked at him.

"That's her."

"You don't know that."

"I know my daughter's voice." Leo released him. Perhaps he did. That was precisely why this was dangerous. The three intruders had stopped fighting. Even the man whose throat was still beneath Leo's sword had forgotten the blade. All of them were looking at the open door. The woman holding the staff whispered, "It shouldn't be open." The crossbowman slowly lowered his weapon. The armored man took a step backward. Leo noticed. Fear. Not surprise. Fear. That changed the situation.

"What happens if it stays open?" Leo asked. Nobody answered. Elias did.

"We don't know." Leo looked at him.

"You said it opened once."

"It was different."

"How?"

"The first time, someone opened it." He looked toward the passage.

"This time, it opened itself." A soft sound came from the darkness. Footsteps. One. Then another. Measured. Unhurried. Elias moved toward the door again. Leo stepped in front of him.

"Stay here." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"My daughter is in there."

"Whatever is in there knows her voice."

"That doesn't mean—""It means we don't know what we're dealing with." Elias stared at him for several seconds. Then, reluctantly, he stopped. Leo entered the passage alone. The air became colder immediately. The archive disappeared behind him as the stone doorway narrowed until only a thin rectangle of blue light remained. The walls were smooth. No carvings. No shelves. No lamps. Yet Leo could see. Not because of magic.

The darkness itself seemed slightly different, as though the passage absorbed light without becoming completely black. He walked slowly. His sword remained in his hand. After perhaps thirty meters, he reached a circular chamber. There was a woman standing in the center. She looked around twenty-five. Long brown hair. Simple white clothing. Bare feet. Her face was pale. She was looking directly at him. Leo stopped. She smiled.

"You're not my father."

"No."

"You shouldn't be here."

"I could say the same about you." The woman tilted her head.

"You sound like him."

"Who?"

"My father." Leo studied her. There was something wrong with her presence. Not her appearance. Her presence. She had a body, but he could not feel the ordinary signs of life beneath it. No warmth. No breath. No heartbeat. She looked alive. She wasn't.

"What is your name?" She hesitated.

"Elena." Elias's daughter. Leo did not react.

"How long have you been here?" Elena looked around the chamber.

"I don't know."

"Years?" She shook her head.

"Not years."

"Months?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know your father?" Her expression softened.

"Because he visits me." Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Elias comes here?"

"No." She smiled sadly.

"Not anymore." Something moved behind Leo. He turned. Nothing. When he looked back, Elena was closer. Much closer. She was standing less than a meter away. Leo had not heard her move. His sword rose instantly. She stopped.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Then stay there." She obeyed. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Elena looked at his sword.

"That isn't magic."

"No."

"Internal Energy." Leo's eyes hardened.

"How do you know that?" She looked genuinely confused.

"I've seen it before."

"From whom?" She did not answer. Instead, she looked past him.

"How many years has it been?"

"Twenty-two." Elena's face changed. She looked down at her hands.

"They said it had only been a few days." Leo remained silent. She touched her own wrist. Her fingers passed through the skin. For the first time, fear appeared in her eyes.

"I thought I was still alive." Leo understood. Not a ghost. Not exactly. A memory given shape. Something had preserved her consciousness while severing it from the world.

"Who did this to you?" Elena looked toward the far wall.

"I don't remember."

"You don't remember?"

"I remember entering."

"And after that?"

"Nothing."

"Then how do you know your father visits you?" Her eyes lifted.

"He speaks to me."

"Where?"

"Through the door." Leo looked toward the doorway behind him. The stone was gone. Only darkness remained.

"Your father never entered." Elena stared at him.

"No." She whispered the word as though hearing it for the first time.

"He never entered." Leo waited. Her expression slowly changed from confusion to something deeper. Recognition. Not of Leo. Of a truth she had been unable to see.

"He has been speaking to me for twenty-two years."

"No." Elena shook her head.

"He has."

"Not your father." Silence. Leo continued carefully.

"Something has been using his voice." Elena's face went completely still. The chamber changed. A low vibration passed through the floor. Leo felt it in his feet. Then came the voice.

"Elena." Her head turned. The voice had come from the darkness behind her. It sounded exactly like Elias.

"My daughter." Elena's eyes filled with tears.

"Father?" Leo stepped forward.

"Don't answer." The voice came again.

"Come home." Elena moved. Leo caught her arm. His fingers passed through her skin. She was not solid. He could still feel something. Cold. Like touching the surface of deep water. The voice became louder.

"Elena." The walls trembled. Leo turned toward the darkness.

"Enough." Something answered. Not with words. With pressure. The entire chamber pressed inward. Leo's Internal Energy surged instinctively. The pressure struck him. His boots slid across the stone. He stopped himself. The force was enormous. But it wasn't directed at him. It was directed at Elena. She screamed. Her body began to distort. Leo grabbed her wrist again. This time his Internal Energy flowed through his hand. The effect was immediate. The pressure weakened. Elena stared at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping you here."

"Why?"

"Because whatever is calling you doesn't want you to leave." The voice changed. It no longer sounded like Elias. It became deeper. Older.

"She does not belong to you." Leo looked into the darkness.

"I never said she did." The voice answered:"Then why interfere?" Leo tightened his grip.

"Because you're hurting her." Silence. Then something stepped into the chamber. It was tall. Humanoid. Covered entirely in black cloth. Its face was hidden behind a smooth white mask. No eyes. No mouth. Nothing. Yet Leo could feel it watching him. The masked figure raised one hand. The chamber filled with pressure. Leo's sword began to vibrate. His Internal Energy responded. For the first time since entering the archive, Leo smiled. Not because he was confident. Because now he finally had something he understood.

An enemy. He shifted his stance.

"Stay behind me." Elena stared at him.

"You're going to fight it?" Leo looked at the figure.

"No." His eyes narrowed.

"I'm going to find out what it is." The masked figure moved. And the darkness moved with it. End of Chapter 65.