The knock on the door was not loud.
Yet the sound of cracking wood from the apartment's main door still echoed throughout the old building.
Kael stood several paces from his chamber door.
Lyra was beside the desk, her body slightly leaning forward, her eyes fixed on the door as if counting something in her head.
The knock sounded again.
Three times.
Calm.
Patient.
The masked man's voice from the corridor was heard again.
"This would be much easier if we did not damage more doors."
Kael did not answer.
Lyra whispered softly,
"Don't open."
Her tone was not panicked, but firm enough to show she was serious.
Other footsteps were heard behind the masked man.
Several people.
The old wooden stairs creaked every time they moved.
Lyra glanced at the window.
"Third floor."
She murmured softly.
"Jumping from there will most likely break your legs."
Kael answered shortly,
"A bad choice."
Lyra nodded.
"True."
Outside the door, the masked man spoke again.
"I know you are in there."
His tone remained polite.
As if this conversation were merely an ordinary night visit.
"I also know you are not alone."
Lyra raised an eyebrow slightly.
She whispered,
"Interesting."
Kael looked at her.
"You didn't mention your friends."
Lyra smiled slightly.
"They are not my friends."
In the corridor, the masked man continued.
"So let us do this the simple way."
Something knocked on Kael's chamber door.
Not with a hand.
More like a small metal object.
A soft clinking sound was heard.
Lyra immediately tensed.
"What is that?"
Kael asked.
Lyra answered quickly,
"A tracker artifact."
Right as she finished speaking—
the symbol on Kael's wrist suddenly felt hot.
The small cracks glowed faintly.
The book on the desk trembled slightly.
Its pages moved by themselves.
Lyra stared at the book.
"Don't tell me..."
The book opened by itself.
The empty middle pages began filling with rapidly moving ink.
A new sentence emerged.
"They smell the trail."
Kael read in silence.
Lyra stood closer now, her eyes narrowing.
The ink kept writing.
"They come to close the book."
Several seconds passed.
The next sentence emerged.
"Or kill its reader."
Lyra sighed.
"Yes, that sounds like them."
Outside the door, the masked man said,
"You have ten seconds."
His tone remained calm.
"No more."
He began counting.
"One."
Kael stared at the book.
The ink kept moving.
"If you wish to survive..."
Lyra read that sentence too.
She murmured,
"I don't like where this is going."
The ink wrote the final sentence.
"Turn to the next page."
Lyra immediately said,
"Don't."
The masked man's voice outside continued his count.
"Four."
"Five."
Footsteps in the corridor drew closer to the door.
Someone held the door handle.
Old wood creaked.
Lyra looked at Kael.
"We can still try to fight."
But her own expression showed she was not very confident.
Kael looked at the symbol on his wrist.
The cracks glowed slightly brighter now.
He glanced at the book once more.
The next page was still empty.
But the ink on the previous page moved again.
One additional sentence emerged.
"Knowledge always has a price."
Outside the door—
"Eight."
Lyra muttered softly.
Kael pulled a chair and sat.
His hand touched that empty page.
Lyra stared at him with wide eyes.
"Seriously?"
Kael answered shortly.
"We're out of choices."
The masked man's voice outside said,
"Nine."
Kael's hand pressed that page.
The symbol on his wrist blazed bright.
The book opened fully.
And right as the masked man said—
"Te—"
the chamber door exploded open.
Wood shattered into the room.
Cold mist flowed in from the corridor.
The masked man stood in the doorway.
But at the same time—
black ink from the book suddenly spread across the entire page.
And the entire room became completely dark.