Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: The Living Tattoo

The pain was not merely a fleeting sensation; it was a living pulse, as if a second heart had been implanted in the back of his right hand, beating with a strange rhythm that did not synchronize with his own. Every step Elian took out of the Great Library felt heavy, as if the earth refused to bear his weight, or perhaps… as if the world itself had begun to perceive him differently—as a creature no longer part of the natural order of things.He hid his hand under the sleeve of his ragged shirt, but the heat did not cease. On the contrary, the more he tried to suppress it, the more the black ink beneath his skin glowed. He glanced around quickly, ensuring no one was watching. The corridors were nearly empty, and the elite students were busy with their magical drills in the outer courtyards, their voices rising with words like "Lux!" and "Ventus!", while he… he carried something that could not be spoken without consequences.He passed by a glass mirror mounted on the wall of the main corridor. He stopped for a moment, then approached slowly. His reflection was pale, his eyes wide, and his curly hair looked more disheveled than usual. But what caught his attention was not his face… but his hand.The tattoo was no longer just a word. Its shape had changed. The letters, which had resembled intertwined tree roots, had become more complex, resembling an incomplete linguistic diagram—lines connecting points, small circles surrounding letters, all moving slowly beneath his skin, as if trying to form a new sentence."Kaelum" was no longer enough.He whispered to himself, "What does this mean? Is the word… growing?"He remembered the dusty face that had appeared before him in the library. The face that had said, "I have found one who hears." Who was that entity? Was it truly speaking to him? Or was it merely an illusion resulting from magical shock?In the world of Lexica, there were documented cases of students suffering from "Linguistic Echo" after reading forbidden books—hearing voices, seeing shapes, and feeling sensations that were not their own. But those cases were rare, and most ended in memory loss or madness.Elian did not feel mad. He felt… connected. As if, for the first time in his life, he had become part of something greater than himself.Elian knew the answers would not be found in the Great Library. That library was for display, for education, for control. The true truths were buried deeper—literally and metaphorically. He knew of a secret entrance behind the shelves of the Historical Section, where very ancient books were stored away from students' eyes. The entrance was a wooden panel decorated with ancient grammatical inscriptions—if you pressed the correct symbol, the panel would open to reveal a narrow staircase leading to an underground floor.He entered the staircase cautiously, the stone steps cold beneath his feet. The air here was completely different—heavier, colder, and the smell of mold was much stronger. There were no windows, only oil candles hanging on the walls, illuminating the narrow passages with a dim light that flickered with every breeze.He reached a small room filled with curved wooden shelves, resembling the ribs of an ancient beast. Here, the books were not arranged by subject or era, but by "danger level." Some covers were wrapped in chains, while others were sealed with magical locks that glowed when approached.Elian searched with his eyes until he found what he was looking for: a small book, bound in shiny black leather, its title written in faded gold script: "Names That Should Not Be Spoken."He removed it carefully and placed it on a nearby wooden table. He opened it slowly; its pages were thin as child's skin, and the ink upon them was so dark it seemed to drip from the page.He read the first entry: "Kaelum — The Key That Opens What Should Not Be Opened."Then he read the warning below it: "Whoever speaks this word becomes a Gateway. And whoever becomes a Gateway opens themselves to that which they cannot withstand. Use it only if you are prepared to become a conduit between worlds."Elian swallowed hard. He continued reading. He found a full page dedicated to "The Bearers"—individuals born with the ability to hear the true names of things without learning them. They were considered weapons of war in ancient times, used to open gates between dimensions or to seal rifts in reality. But due to their unstable power, most of them were exterminated in the "Linguistic Purge Campaign" three hundred years ago.The author wrote: "The Bearer is not a mage. The Bearer is a Vessel. And a vessel is either filled with light… or drowned in chaos."He slammed the book shut as if it had burned his fingers."I am a Bearer…" he whispered with a trembling voice. "That is why I heard the voice. That is why I saw the face."At that moment, he heard a sound behind him. A quiet voice, yet firm, as if it came from the shadows of the room itself:"Are you looking for something specific, Elian?"He spun around quickly, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest.A woman stood at the entrance of the room, wearing a long dark cloak and a wide-brimmed hat that hid half her face. But she held a wooden staff with an inscription resembling the drawing he had seen in the book—a circle surrounded by twisted letters."Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling. "And how do you know my name?"She lifted her hat slightly, revealing a pale face, piercing gray eyes, and white hair tied back strictly."I am Professor Vera. And I know your name because I have been waiting for you."Elian sat on a worn wooden chair, while Professor Vera stood before him, her staff placed on the table between them. She did not sit. She did not smile. She showed no emotion. But she did not appear hostile either.She said to him in a low voice, "The tattoo will not disappear. It will grow. And the more you use it, the stronger your connection to the other world becomes. 'Kaelum' is not an ordinary word… it is a key to a gate between reality and Semantic Chaos."Elian asked, "And what is Semantic Chaos?"She replied, "It is the language that existed before the system was created. The language governed by no rules, subject to no logic. Those who learn it can rewrite reality… but the price is the loss of sanity, or memories, or even identity."She looked at his hand and said, "The tattoo will begin to change tomorrow. Pay attention to what it writes. Because it will not be just a word… it will be a message."She took out a small piece of paper from her cloak pocket and wrote an address on it in quick handwriting: "Memory Dungeon — Seventh Floor, Room 7B. Come at night. And trust no one."Before leaving, she paused at the door and looked at him once more."You are no longer safe here, Elian. The guards noticed something strange in the energy surrounding you. And Lord Selix… is beginning to suspect."Then she left, leaving him alone with the note, the book, and the tattoo that was now pulsing faster.Elian returned to his small room on the third floor of the dormitory for poor students. He closed the door behind him, sat on his bed, and looked at his hand.The tattoo had indeed changed. It no longer said "Kaelum."Instead, it now read: "Read me again."Elian felt a strong, almost compulsive urge to do so. As if the word wanted to be spoken. As if it were hungry.But he resisted. He placed his hand under his pillow and closed his eyes.But sleep did not come. For whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the dusty face smiling at him. And whenever he tried to breathe, he heard the whisper:"Read me… Read me… Read me…"