"This is our Forbidden Library," Tobias said, his voice trembling with pride and sorrow. "Our collection concerning history that... was concealed. That was rewritten. That was erased."
Lumi immediately pointed to a shelf in the corner. "That book. Glowing."
Nyxaria followed her direction. Among the black and brown volumes rested one book with a dark purple leather cover, adorned with a fractured silver wax seal. Its title was stamped in faded gold ink: Chronicle of the Shattered Pact.
Tobias drew a sharp breath. "That... that is one of the most perilous texts. Our founder recovered it from the ruins of an ancient southern temple thirty years ago. He nearly perished retrieving it."
Nyxaria took the book. Its cover felt cold, almost metallic. When she opened it, the first page was blank save for a single sentence written in elegant, sharp script:
"In the time when the sky cracked and the earth screamed, two enemies became allies, and allies became traitors."
Mara turned the page. The notes were not a continuous narrative, but fragments: a general's diary entries, diplomatic letters, royal decrees never issued. The language was archaic, but the system in her head translated it seamlessly.
Day 47 of the Sky Siege. The combined forces of the Kingdom of Light and the Monarchy of Darkness finally pushed the Foreign Entity back to the Dimensional Rift. Nyxaria, the Demon Queen, led the counterattack at the cost of her shattered left wing. King Aurelius of the Kingdom of Light personally bandaged her wounds. There was respect. There was hope.
Day 60. The pact was signed. They called it "The Shattered Pact" because it was forged amidst the ruins of the world. Its contents: territorial division, dissolution of combined forces, an oath not to attack each other. The signatures of King Aurelius and Queen Nyxaria are here. Beneath them, the signatures of high bishops and demon lords as witnesses.
Day 90. Betrayal. The Winged Inquisitors, the Church's most fanatical military wing, raided the combined forces' camp while they were disbanding. They slaughtered the demon and human forces who refused the order. General Valerius, the King's right hand, led that massacre. He shouted: "This error is too vast to acknowledge! Better we be remembered as heroes who purged the demons than as traitors who allied with them!"
Final entry, undated: They rewrote everything. They called Nyxaria a traitor. They claimed she stabbed the King in the back. They erased the pact. They burned the archives. I hid this copy. Perhaps one day, someone will unearth the truth. Or perhaps not. The world prefers comfortable lies.
Mara stopped reading. Her hand holding the book did not tremble, but inside, her entire being screamed.
This isn't just a dream. This isn't paranoia. This is black-and-white evidence. They betrayed us. They betrayed the original Nyxaria. They betrayed the peace. Her anger did not erupt like fire, but froze like an iceberg's core—vast, solid, and deadly. Yet behind it lay a strange relief. I'm not insane. I'm right. They are the villains.
"You are reading it," Tobias muttered, observing Nyxaria's impassive expression. "You comprehend."
"I comprehend," Nyxaria replied, her voice lower than usual. "The Church rewrote history. They who started the war. They who betrayed their own allies."
"Yes." Tobias nodded, his eyes growing damp. "But be cautious. That book... is cursed in a manner. Every time someone reads it to completion, sometimes... their data vanishes from the system. As if erased. Some of our members who studied it saw their levels plummet, or their skills disappear. The system does not favor this truth."
[System Feedback]
Artifact Detected: Historical Record – Unverified Data.
No System Commentary Available.
Record Integrity: Suspect.
No commentary. But 'suspect'. The system is complicit in the cover-up. Mara closed the book carefully. "Is there a copy?"
Tobias hesitated, then moved to the stone table. He pressed a hidden panel, and a small drawer slid open. From within, he withdrew an identical book, though thinner—a meticulously crafted copy. "This. A duplicate we made with preservation magic. Imperfect, but the contents match. Take it. Better you keep it than the Rust-Knuckles or... the others."
Nyxaria accepted the copy. The book felt heavy in her hands, not from physical weight, but from its significance. This is a weapon. Evidence. But will the world heed it?
"They seek a 'light box'," Seris said suddenly. "Is that related to this book?"
"I am uncertain," Tobias answered. "But... there is one location that may hold stronger physical proof. A place where the original pact might yet be preserved, or at least its remnants." He glanced at Lumi again, as if the child lent him courage. "The Shattered Temple. In the south, within the Whispering Forest. Legend says that is where the pact was signed. And where the betrayal was plotted."
The Shattered Temple. That name settled in Mara's thoughts. The next objective.
"Do you possess a map?" Seris asked.
Tobias shook his head. "No accurate map exists. That place... is guarded by ancient magic. But if you have... a guide who can perceive the unseen," his eyes returned to Lumi, "perhaps you can locate it."
Lumi looked at Tobias, then gave a single, slow nod. As if she already knew.
Nyxaria stored the book's copy inside her robe. "Thank you, Tobias. This information is invaluable."
"Do not thank me," Tobias answered, a bitter chuckle escaping him. "By telling you, I may have condemned you to death. Or the opposite. But... better the truth rest with someone brave, than lie buried forever." He looked toward the destruction above. "I must flee this place. The Rust-Knuckles will return once the plague subsides. Or the Church will come themselves."
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"Do you have somewhere to go?" Seris asked.
"I have kin in another city. Perhaps." Tobias sounded unsure.
Nyxaria considered. Bringing a low-level NPC who was a target to Sanctuary was risky. But leaving him here was a death sentence. My LUK 3 might complicate this. But...
"We have a safe place," Nyxaria finally said. "Far from here. If you wish, you may come. You will be protected, and your knowledge will prove useful."
Tobias looked shocked, then fearful, then hesitant. "A safe place? Where? Who... who are you truly?"
"Allies," Nyxaria answered simply. "Who are also hunted by 'those in white robes'."
Understanding dawned slowly on Tobias's face. He looked from Nyxaria to Seris, to Lazarus posing dramatically, to the peculiar Lumi. "You... you are the ones they speak of. The ones who halted the plague earlier."
No one denied it.
Tobias drew a deep breath. Then, with a resolute movement, he straightened his cracked glasses. "Very well. I will come. Better to die seeking truth than to live within lies."
Lazarus nodded, satisfied. "A wise choice, learned human! Sanctuary will welcome you with open arms! Although... it may be somewhat dark and rich with deathly aura. But that is part of its charm!"
Sanctuary isn't for everyone, Mara thought. But we need more than warriors. We need keepers of memory.
"We leave now," Nyxaria decided. "Before anyone returns." She extended a hand to Tobias. "Hold fast. This journey will be... unusual."
Tobias grasped her hand, tentative. Lumi already clutched Nyxaria's robe on the other side. Seris and Lazarus prepared.
[Shadow Step] was not fully off cooldown, but Nyxaria could force it with slight strain on the [Veil]. She gathered energy, feeling the fabric of reality around her vibrate, ready to fold.
But before she activated it, Lumi whispered, her voice clear in the basement's silence.
"They're coming. Many. From above."
Everyone froze.
Seris glanced upward, as if she could see through the ceiling. "How many?"
Lumi raised both hands, all fingers extended, then repeated the gesture twice. Ten. Twenty.
"Rust-Knuckles?" Tobias hissed, his face pale once more.
"Or the others," Seris answered. "We are trapped."
Nyxaria listened. Heavy footsteps above, many. Rough voices, laughter, orders barked. They were ransacking the ruins again. Hunting for something. Or hunting for someone.
Light box. They're still searching. Mara analyzed swiftly. We're in a hidden basement. Secret door. But if they discover it...
Then the sound above shifted. Someone with a heavier, more authoritative voice spoke. "Search it again! The boss wants it found tonight! Check every crevice!"
That voice... familiar. Mara could not place it, but it carried an arrogant tone, a cutting confidence. A high-level player.
"Do we fight?" Lazarus asked, his voice a whisper, hands already glowing faint green with necromantic preparation.
Nyxaria shook her head. "No. Conflict is not our objective." She scanned the basement. Only one exit: the stairs up. But there was another way. [Shadow Step] could extract them, but required concentration and a moment. If they were shielded from detection...
She turned to Tobias. "Is there another chamber? A more concealed space?"
Tobias bit his lip, then nodded. "There is... a niche. Behind that bookshelf. For emergencies. But it is very narrow."
"Sufficient." Nyxaria directed them all to the bookshelf on the rear wall. Tobias pressed a sequence of books in a specific order, and a section of the shelf rotated slowly, revealing a narrow gap to a dark space behind it. It was more a cavity than a room, perhaps only two meters square.
They slipped in one by one. Lumi, Tobias, Seris, Lazarus. Nyxaria last. As she stepped inside, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Someone was descending into the basement.
She pulled the secret door shut slowly, just as flashlight beams pierced the basement's gloom.
Through thin cracks in the wood, Mara could see large figures entering the room. Six of them. Heavy armor, sizable weapons. Their levels ranged from 70 to 80. Not formidable opponents, but noisy. And before them, a human in gleaming black armor, a longsword at his hip. His black hair was tied neatly, his face handsome but cold. His level: [Garrick – Level 86 – Vanguard]. He was a player.
"Empty," one of his subordinates growled.
Garrick paced slowly, his eyes sweeping the room. He halted before the stone table, observing the open, empty drawer. "Someone was here first." His voice was flat, dangerous. "Look for traces. Check for a hidden door."
They'll find it. Mara prepared. If they opened this door, she must act. But her [Veil] remained active. She could slay them all with a single motion, but that would leave traces. Or...
Lumi pressed her small hand against the wooden wall. She whispered, almost inaudible. "Give me... book."
Mara was confused. But Tobias understood. He reached into his pocket, withdrew a small book—an ordinary notebook—and handed it to Lumi.
Lumi placed the book on the floor, right in the center of their narrow cavity. Then she stared at it, her heterochromatic eyes blinking. From her tiny hand, flickering pale white light—like television static—emanated, touching the book.
Outside, Garrick spun around. "What was that?" He strode toward the very bookshelf concealing them. "There's anomalous energy here."
He reached out to touch the shelf.
But before his fingers made contact, from another corner of the basement, a brilliant white light suddenly flared. It issued from beneath a collapsed pile of books—a light matching the description of the 'light box'.
Garrick and his subordinates whirled. "There! Secure it!"
They all rushed toward the light, ignoring the bookshelf that hid them. As they shifted the debris, a small box of pale stone etched with glowing runes became visible. Garrick seized it, his face registering satisfaction. "This is it. Move out."
They clambered back up the stairs swiftly, leaving the basement once again silent.
Inside the secret niche, everyone exhaled. Lumi smiled faintly, proud. She retrieved the notebook—the static light on its surface had already faded.
"How..." Tobias was astonished.
"She manipulated the code," Nyxaria answered, comprehending. Lumi had not created a real light box, but a data illusion detectable by their scanning skills. Her Glitch Sight was not merely for perception, but for deceiving the system. That was a new revelation.
"We wait a moment longer, then depart," Seris whispered. "They may have left sentries above."
They waited in silence. Tobias trembled, but his eyes shone with intellectual fascination toward Lumi. Lazarus stood ready in a protective stance. Seris listened intently.
And Nyxaria, behind her calm exterior, felt the copy of the book in her robe like a burning coal. That truth was incendiary. But now she possessed it. And the next step was clear. After several minutes that felt far longer, Seris gave a signal. "Clear."
Nyxaria opened the secret door. The basement remained empty. She extended her hand once more, this time without interruption. [Shadow Step] energy flowed, enveloping them all, and the grimy, perilous world of Ironveil vanished, replaced by the silent security of Obsidian Sanctuary.
They materialized in the throne room. Tobias gaped, awestruck by the obsidian architecture and crystal-studded ceiling. "This... this is astounding."
But Nyxaria had no time for a tour. She looked toward Lazarus. "Escort Tobias to Aldric. Settle him in the refugee quarters. Provide whatever he requires to continue his research."
Lazarus nodded, then guided the still-dazed Tobias from the room.
Seris approached. "The next step? The Shattered Temple?"
Nyxaria nodded. "We require preparation. More intelligence. But now we have a foothold." She touched the book within her robe. "Truth is a weapon. And we have just claimed our first armament."
Lumi clung to her waist, yawning widely. Today's adventure was enough for a small child.
Mara, in her heart, felt a complex blend of emotions. Anger, yes. But also a crystallizing resolve. The Church was not merely her opposition—they were villains masquerading as heroes. And now, she held the means to unmask them.
But Tobias had warned. This truth was perilous. The system could erase those who knew it. So be it, Mara's thoughts were clear and cold. If the system seeks to erase me, let it try. I am weary of living within others' lies.
She walked to the great window overlooking the Twilight Garden. That garden, which grew from her emotions, was now filled with glass-stemmed flowers glowing more brightly than usual, as if responding to her newfound determination.
The war was no longer merely about survival. Now, it was about dismantling the lies that had shaped the world.
And Nyxaria, the scapegoated Demon Queen, stood ready to become history's most unexpected bearer of truth.