Zal slowly opened the door.

  But before his eyes could fall on the library, they fell on Anubis. He wanted to finally see his face.

  He saw a very strange face. His face was like marble. But on the other hand, it was as if absolute darkness. Zal could not see from the mouth upward — as if something prevented it. But from within that darkness, two faint lights glowed. As if they were his eyes.

  He looked at Anubis's robe. Completely black. As if light could not pass through it. He wore gloves the same color as his robe, and shoes too. And he had a hat of the same color. As if something had made it so no one could see Anubis.

  Anubis, seeing Zal's gaze, placed his hand on his stomach.

  Laughter.

  Ha

  Ha

  Ha

  "Wow... it's been a while since I've seen anyone with that expression. Usually the first thing people see is the White Spire, not me. I'm not the one who grants wishes in the end."

  Zal put his hand on his head and scratched his chin with the other. "Sorry if I bothered you with my staring. I won't look that way anymore."

  Anubis laughed. "No, actually. I rarely see people like that. You probably can't see my face completely. That's normal. You could say that the rank I was given, the one that increased my lifespan, also created these illusions for people who look at me."

  He paused.

  "Strange. I still haven't fully understood what this is good for. Maybe just for being mysterious."

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  He waved his hand.

  "Hey. Alright alright. You better move now. Boy, run run, you'll be late."

  Zal said hurriedly: "Oh, you're right. I'm late. I need to go to the Spire now."

  As he ran, he started waving and saying goodbye.

  ---

  "There are farewells where no one knows it's the last farewell. Zal waved to a being whose face he never saw, whose name he barely learned, and whom he might never see again. But Anubis stood and watched him. Until Zal vanished on the horizon. Until the darkness of the carriage swallowed him again."

  ---

  He quickly reached the castle door.

  But the castle door — or library door — was closed.

  He knocked softly. No one answered. He knocked louder and faster. No one came.

  He shouted: "Can anyone hear me? Can anyone hear me?"

  ...

  No one answered.

  So Zal began to walk around the Press. Slowly, he moved away from where he was. He had to go all around. So he continued.

  There was nothing around the Press.

  Zal sighed deeply and went toward a small hill near the castle. He began to observe the castle.

  It looked like an immensely huge column. A column that went beyond the clouds. He looked closer. In every part of this castle — which apparently was the Press — there were windows and balconies for people to see outside.

  The dominant color was gray. In some places, a copper color could also be seen. It was clear the entire Press was made of stone. Both from the color and from the fact that there was no difference between the top and bottom of the Press.

  ---

  "Towers that reach the sky are always heaviest at their lowest point. Zal looked up and could not see the end. Perhaps the Sage was the same. Perhaps he too had no end that could be seen."

  ---

  Bell.

  A loud sound came.

  Zal snapped back to attention. He looked for the sound. Sound... sound... it was the wooden door of the Press. It had opened.

  He ran toward the door as fast as he could. He reached it in a few minutes.

  Zal, gasping, lowered his head to catch his breath.

  Slowly, a voice reached his ears.

  The voice of a servant. A very ordinary servant.

  Servant: "Welcome to the Press, Zal, by invitation."

  After catching his breath, Zal went inside without delay.

  As they walked, he asked: "Hey, servant, what's your name?"

  The servant said: "We don't have the right to have names."

  Zal said: "Are you sure? What about that carriage driver of yours? Anubis. He had one."

  The servant, still walking, said: "We have no such person. Strange. Maybe someone fooled you."

  Zal was confused. He didn't know whether to see Anubis as just a liar, or someone who broke the rules, or maybe a fraud. But he explained things very precisely. He knew history very well.

  Zal was lost in thought when suddenly the servant said: "Mr. Zal. This is your room."

  Zal said: "Oh, okay. Thanks for your help."

  The servant gave him his room key. Zal thanked him again.

  And slowly he began to enter. Into the room. Into his temporary home in this world.

  ---

  "Zal did not know what kind of house he had entered. A room that smelled of age, but not of enmity. Perhaps here he could finally breathe deeply. Perhaps this was the place where he was supposed to finally face himself."

  ---

  "And outside, in the darkness of the carriage, Anubis still stood. Looking at the Spire. At a window not yet lit. At a man who did not know what would happen to him tomorrow. Anubis knew this well: all guests enter one day. But not all come out."