Auren stared at the final page of the Guidebook, its light now completely faded.
The riddle that had appeared before kept echoing in her mind, endlessly repeating.
> "Within a shadow that bears no form,
the truth awaits between two lights.
One will guide you, one will deceive you.
Choose the one that breathes... not the one that shines."
"Two lights…" she murmured softly, her voice sinking into the cold air of the room.
She tried to unravel each line, but the longer she thought, the further the meaning drifted away—like mist that retreats every time it's touched.
Auren let herself fall to the cold stone floor, leaning against the wall.
Her gaze was empty, fixed upon the dim ceiling.
"Why am I here… what does this world truly want from me?"
She looked toward the window.
The sky outside was a dull gray — no sun, no life.
And for the first time, she felt something close to despair.
Silence swallowed her whole.
Yet amidst her collapsing thoughts, a faint whisper emerged —
not from outside, but from within herself:
"If you wish to know the truth… then leave this place."
Auren closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She didn't know where the strength came from, but one thing was clear — she couldn't stay still.
She had to find the answer, and to do that… she had to understand the Guidebook's riddle.
She rose, brushed the dust off her clothes, and stepped out of the room.
The castle's corridors swallowed her footsteps, winding and endless like a living labyrinth.
Shadows on the walls shifted with the flicker of torches —
like unseen eyes watching her in silence.
Hours passed, yet she found nothing.
The stairways twisted without direction, the doors led her back to where she started.
As if the castle itself was alive — and toying with her.
At last, Auren leaned against a wall, exhausted.
Beyond the tall window, thick fog shrouded the forest.
And yet, beneath all that gloom, she felt something —
a faint calling from beyond, as if the world itself was whispering to her.
Then, a memory surfaced —
the library.
The place where she had first opened her eyes in this world.
She looked at the Guidebook in her hands.
It seemed lifeless now, like a stone.
But deep inside, her heart whispered: the answer waits there.
She gazed at the staircase before her and whispered,
"The library… which floor is it on?"
But her memory was blank.
Only silence.
Until finally, something answered.
Soft, faint — almost like a dream breathing against her ear.
"The fourth floor…"
Auren flinched.
The voice was neither from the Guidebook nor from Noxen.
Yet amid all her fear, she felt something strange — trust.
As if that voice… wanted to guide her.
She took a deep breath and looked down the stairs.
"Then… the fourth floor."
The castle's staircase felt alive — each step different, each turn leading to an unfamiliar place.
Still, she continued, descending the narrow steps lit by dying candles.
The flames danced gently, as if trying to speak before fading away.
When she finally reached the bottom, a chilling air wrapped around her.
A long corridor stretched ahead — ending at a great door she knew too well.
The library door.
She stared at it for a long time.
Then placed her hand upon the cold wood.
Creeeaaak…
The sound echoed through the hall, shaking the silence itself.
And in the dim light of the candle, she saw someone standing with his back to her.
Golden hair shimmered faintly, as though reflecting light from a world long dead.
The man slowly turned a page of the book in his hand, a small smile curving his lips.
A smile she knew all too well.
"…You," Auren whispered, barely audible.
The man closed the book gently.
Then turned to her — his eyes calm, his smile warm.
"Auren," he said softly,
as if time had never passed.
"I've been waiting for you."