Chapter 5 - The Forgotten Path
Silence.
The grand hall had emptied. The guests, once wrapped in layers of fine silk and embroidered robes, had all departed, leaving only the fading echoes of laughter and murmured gossip behind. The gathering had ended, but its weight lingered in the air, pressing down on the cold stone floor like an unseen force.
He stood there for a long time, unmoving.
The night sky stretched endlessly above the estate, moonlight filtering through the towering pillars that framed the courtyard. He could still hear the voices in his head, repeating like a curse. The whispered scorn. The sideways glances. The contempt.
He had thought he was used to it.
But today had been different.
Today, they had not just ignored him. They had made him the centerpiece of their ridicule, weaving his name into a story of shame that would be passed around like a fine wine among noble families.
He lowered his gaze, hands clenched tightly at his sides. The world around him—the family he was born into—had decided his worth a long time ago. Yet, tonight, it felt like that judgment had been sealed, carved into the very foundation of his existence.
He could still see his father's back as he left without a word, as if his presence alone was a stain too insignificant to acknowledge. He could still hear his younger sibling's voice, effortlessly charming, effortlessly powerful, standing in the light while he was condemned to the shadows.
He took a slow breath.
The estate was vast, its many corridors lined with history and prestige, yet to him, it was a place that never felt like home. There was nowhere to go. No one who would welcome his presence.
Except one place.
The halls were deserted at this hour, the torches casting long, flickering shadows as he made his way through the quieter parts of the estate. Here, in the lower sections, the grand decor of the main halls faded, replaced by simpler stone and worn wooden doors.
It was fitting.
This was where those without power belonged.
The Lower Library—a place where the powerless were sent when they wished to seek knowledge. Not that it held anything of value. It was an abandoned space, a relic of the past, filled with books that had long since been deemed irrelevant. The true records, the ancient techniques, the forbidden arts—those were kept in the Grand Library, where only the strong, the worthy, were permitted entry.
He pushed open the heavy wooden doors, and a faint scent of dust and old parchment greeted him. The dim glow of lanterns barely illuminated the countless shelves, their contents covered in neglect.
No one came here.
Even the powerless didn't bother anymore.
There was nothing in these books that could change their fate.
And yet, as he stepped deeper inside, a strange feeling settled over him.
A pull—subtle, but undeniable.
He moved without thinking, weaving between the shelves, the air thick with the weight of forgotten knowledge. His fingers brushed against the spines of aged tomes, their titles barely visible through the layers of dust.
Then he stopped.
A single book—misplaced.
Unlike the others, which rested neatly in their designated slots, this one leaned awkwardly against the side of the shelf, as if it had been disturbed and hastily returned. It was old, its leather binding cracked, the lettering on its spine almost unreadable.
Something about it felt… off.
His heart pounded in his chest as he reached for it, fingers hesitating just for a moment before pulling it free.
And then—
A faint click.The air shifted.
The floor beneath him trembled ever so slightly, as if something ancient had awakened from its slumber.
And then, in the silence of the forgotten library, a hidden door creaked open.
For a moment, he didn't move.
His breath was steady, but his mind was racing.
A passage. Hidden behind the shelves, embedded into the very foundation of the estate. A secret locked away in a place no one had cared to search.
Why?
Slowly, cautiously, he stepped forward, his fingers brushing against the cold stone as he pushed the door further open. Beyond it, a narrow stairway spiraled downward, disappearing into darkness.
Something told him he shouldn't be here.
And yet, he couldn't turn back.
Because for the first time, he wasn't walking in someone else's shadow.
For the first time, he was stepping into something meant only for him.
And whatever lay at the bottom of those stairs
It would change everything.