Miro glanced around the room, wondering what his classmates were thinking. Some looked surprised, others looked concerned. But all were listening intently as Professor Kaito continued.
"Unfortunately," the Professor's voice continued, "none of those students ever returned," she said, her voice lower still.
Professor Kaito's words hung heavy in the air. "None of those students ever returned," she repeated, her voice now almost a whisper..."They were sent to the villages, and they were never heard from again," she continued, her gaze moving over the students. "It's unclear exactly what happened to them, but the general belief is that they were unable to access the villages due to the villagers' strict measures and that they met an unfortunate end on their journey."
The room was silent as the students absorbed this information. Miro was stunned. The thought of these previous students venturing out and never returning was chilling. He glanced around him, seeing the looks of shock and concern mirrored on the faces of his classmates. Professor Kaito saw the effect of her words on the class. "I'm telling you all this not to scare you," she said, her voice firmer now, "but to make you all aware of the risks involved in this legend."
Professor Kaito's gaze swept over the room, making eye contact with each student. "These tales are not a game or a playground story," she emphasized. "The Seven Scrolls are powerful, and the villages protecting them are fiercely guarding them. You must understand that if you choose to believe these legends, the path to finding the Seven Scrolls is a dangerous one.Which is why," she said, her voice stern, "I am warning you all now. Do not go off seeking these scrolls just because you think it would be exciting or adventurous. It could be costly for you if you do."
No one spoke. The class was still, the weight of the Professor's words heavy in the air. Miro's mind was racing. He had been excited by the legend, but hearing the professor's warnings gave him pause.Professor Kaito nodded, noticing the bell signalling the end of the class.
"Alright class," she said, raising her voice to gain the students' attention. "That's enough for today."
"I expect you all to do further research into the legend," she continued. "We will discuss this more in our next class."
The students began to gather their things and file out of the classroom.As Miro packed up his books, his mind was still swirling with the information he had just learned. He couldn't shake the image of the previous students who had ventured off, never to return.
Miro hurried out of the classroom, his mind set on finding a book about the Seven Scrolls in the library. He walked briskly, not even noticing Luna as he passed.Finally reaching the library, Miro headed straight for the section on myth and legends.The library was a spacious hall lined with bookshelves and filled with the rustling sounds of turning pages. Miro quickly scanned the shelves, searching for anything that looked like it might give him more information about the legendary scrolls.
After a few minutes of searching, he came across a book called 'The Legends of the Seven Scrolls'. The cover was old and worn, the title written in peeling golden letters. This looked promising.Miro carefully took the book off the shelf and sat down at the nearest reading table. He ran his fingers over the cover, then opened the book gently. The pages were thin and yellowed, the scent of old paper filling his nostrils.
He turned the pages carefully, his eyes skimming the text. There were stories and legends about the scrolls, their abilities and their hiding places. Some pages even depicted their supposed appearance - ancient, jewel-encrusted cylinders that glimmered with untold magic. Miro's eyes widened as he turned a page and saw that a good portion of the text had been ripped out. This was strange. Why would someone rip out pages from a book in the library?..
Confused, Miro turned the next page. Sure enough, even more of the text was missing. Frustrated, he flipped through the rest of the pages to find that many of them had been carelessly torn out.He sat back in his chair, mulling over what he had just discovered. Whoever had ripped the pages out of the book had effectively destroyed a good chunk of the information about the Legendary Scrolls.
Miro was frustrated. He needed that information for his research and now it was gone. He looked at the book, the torn pages and missing information. With a sigh, he closed the book and put it back on the shelf, determined to find another source of information. As he put the book back on the shelf, a sight caught Miro's eye. Set into the back of the bookshelf, so cleverly hidden that he hadn't seen it until now, was a wooden panel cut to fit the shelf, it looked strangely like a door.
Miro felt a wave of curiosity and he stepped closer to the bookshelf. He stretched out his hand and pressed it against the panel, gently applying pressure.To his surprise, the panel gave way slightly. It was indeed a door, opening inwards, revealing a hidden room behind the bookshelf.Miro's heart skipped a beat. He had stumbled upon something unexpected. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then pushed on the door.
As Miro entered the secret room, his eyes widened. The room was small, with walls lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves, and piled high with papers, scrolls, and manuscripts all related to the Seven Scrolls, or so it appeared.Miro's heart raced as he realized what he had found. This was a treasure trove of information about the legendary scrolls. He approached the nearest bookshelf and looked at the spines of the books. They were all about the myths, legends, and truths surrounding the Seven Scrolls.
Miro worked quickly, gathering as many papers and scrolls as he could fit into his bag. His heart was pounding, filled with excitement and a sense of urgency. This was information that potentially no one else knew about. He couldn't risk getting caught here. Finally, when his bag was filled, he quickly slipped out of the secret room, closing the door behind him quietly. He looked around, ensuring no one had seen him. The library was still silent and empty. The bell signifying the end of class had rung, and the students were likely enjoying lunch or attending their afternoon classes.
Miro took a deep breath, feeling a thrill of excitement. He had just discovered secrets that were meant to be kept hidden. He patted his bag, feeling the weight of the information he had gathered.Miro arrived at the classroom, a bit late after the lunch break. He quickly took his seat, his mind still buzzing from his discovery in the library.
The classroom was almost full. Some students were talking among themselves, others were quietly waiting for the class to start. Professor Kaito, seeing Miro enter, raised an eyebrow at his tardiness but didn't comment.
Miro noticed Luna gesturing to him from her seat. He quickly made his way over and sat down beside her just as Professor Kaito was about to start the class.
Professor Kaito cleared her throat, signaling that class had begun. The chatter in the room subsided as the students focused their attention on her..."Alright," Professor Kaito began, "now that everyone is present and accounted for," she said, her gaze sweeping over the room, "let's continue our discussion from our last class."
Professor Kaito continued her lecture where she had left off, delving into more detail about the legends and lore surrounding the Seven Scrolls. The students listened intently, jotting down notes and asking questions. Despite Miro's mind occasionally wandering to the books and papers in his bag, he did his best to stay focused.After an hour or so, the class concluded with a detailed discussion about the potential powers of the Seven Scrolls if they were real, and their dangers if wielded by the wrong hands.
Professor Kaito dismissed the class, and the students began to pack up their things. Miro, having been focused on the lecture, hadn't noticed the glances from Luna, who seemed to want to talk to him.As Miro stuffed his notebooks into his bag, Luna, who had been sitting next to him, leaned over and whispered, "Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Miro looked up, slightly startled from his thoughts. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sure," he said, hoisting his bag onto his shoulder.Luna motioned for them to move away from the desks. Once they were at a quieter corner of the classroom, she turned to face Miro. "I wanted to ask you something," she said, seeming a bit hesitant.Miro looked at her curiously. He wondered what she wanted to ask. "Okay," he said, "What is it?" Luna paused for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully. "I noticed you seemed distracted in class. You looked like you had a lot on your mind," she said, her eyes searching his. "Is everything okay?"
Miro was taken aback. He hadn't realized he'd been so obvious. He hesitated for a moment, thinking of how much to tell her. "Yeah, everything's fine," he said, though even to his own ears, he didn't sound very convincing. Miro and Luna went back to their dorm, each heading to their respective beds. Miro, feeling the weight of the secret information he had retrieved from the library, tried to push it out of his mind, at least for the moment. He climbed into his bed, settling back against his pillow.
Miro waited for what felt like hours, trying to feign sleep and waiting for Luna to doze off. The room was silent, the only sound being the soft breathing of his dorm mate.Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Miro heard Luna's breathing turn into the deep, steady breaths of sleep. He waited a few more moments, just to be sure, then slowly sat up in bed.He climbed out of bed, careful not to make any noise that might wake Luna. The floorboards creaked softly beneath his feet as he stepped onto the cold stone floor.
He took his backpack from the foot of the bed and set it down quietly on his desk. He unzipped it and began pulling out the files he'd gathered from the library. He spread out the pages on the desk, arranging them in neat piles according to their content. Some were old, yellowed parchment with faded ink, others were newer looking printouts or notes.Miro sat down at his desk, his eyes scanning over the papers. There was so much information here; legends, theories, warnings, all about the Seven Scrolls of Legend.
He began to sift through the papers, searching for specific information while trying to keep quiet. The room was dark, only a strip of moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, casting a pale light over him and the papers.He found himself engrossed in the tales and descriptions of the Seven Scrolls. There were detailed accounts of what each scroll could do, and what conditions had to be met for their powers to be unlocked.
Miro was so engrossed in his reading that he wasn't aware of how much time had passed. The moon was high in the sky, its silver light now streaming into the room, casting long shadows across the floor. As Miro read through the papers, one particular page caught his eye. It was a list of names, written in careful, neat handwriting. The list included the names of the students that Professor Kaito had mentioned earlier, those who had been sent to investigate the villages and had never come back.
Miro felt a chill run down his spine as he read the names. These were the students who had attempted to seek out the Seven Scrolls, and they hadn't returned. He looked up from the papers, his mind racing. The weight of what he was reading began to sink in. He was now in possession of information that could lead him to the Scrolls, but the price could be high. His thoughts were interrupted by a creak of a bed. Miro spun around in his chair, heart pounding, to see Luna stirring in her bed. She mumbled something in her sleep and turned over, resuming her deep breathing.
Miro let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, relieved that Luna hadn't woken up. He looked back at the pile of papers on his desk, the names of the missing students staring back at him.He picked up the papers quietly and placed them back into his backpack. After double-checking that everything was in order, he climbed back into bed silently, careful not to disturb the sleeping figure a few feet away.He pulled the covers over himself and lay on his back, gazing up at the ceiling. The room was quiet and still, the only sound was the soft breathing of Luna, the faint chirping of crickets outside and his own thoughts swirling in his mind.
He closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but his mind was too full of thoughts and questions. The scrolls, the legendary powers, the fate of the students who didn't return... he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had stumbled upon something much bigger and more dangerous than he had imagined.
Eventually, exhaustion and the silence of the night took their toll, and Miro's tired body and mind succumbed to sleep. His breathing slowed, his eyelids grew heavy, and he fell into a restless slumber.
...All the secrets are too deep...