Chapter 166: Before the Hunger — The Lord of Depths (Part VII: The City That Remembered)
Seven Days Until Arrival
"Knowledge changes the mind.
Responsibility changes the soul."
From the journals of Thalenna, written many years before the Threshold War
The journey back to Ilys-Kareth took two days.
No one spoke much.
The desert remained beautiful, but it no longer felt empty.
Every dune now seemed to hide forgotten cities.
Every ruin hinted at another civilization that had believed itself eternal.
The expedition returned not with treasure...
But with questions.
And questions, the Eshkarai believed, were often far more valuable.
A Different Thalenna
The gates of the Living Library opened as the scholars entered the city.
Students rushed to greet them, eager to hear stories of ancient discoveries.
Normally, Thalenna would have been the first to speak.
This time...She remained quiet.
She watched people instead.
A young apprentice helping an elderly scribe carry books.A baker giving free bread to children studying nearby.
Two astronomers laughing over a calculation that had gone wrong.
These ordinary moments felt precious.
The First Keeper's words echoed in her mind.
Knowledge exists to preserve life.
Never to rule it.
She finally understood that books were not the heart of the Eshkarai.
People were.The Council's Decision
That evening, the Council of Scholars gathered within the Hall of Echoes.
Every member of the expedition gave their report.High Scholar Nareth spoke last.
"The ruins beneath the desert are to be sealed."
A murmur spread through the chamber.
"No further expeditions."
"No artifacts are to be removed."
"No attempt will be made to access the deeper chambers."
Several scholars objected immediately.
"We've barely begun our research!"
"The knowledge down there could change the world!"
"It belongs to the Eshkarai!"
Seraphel rose slowly.
His voice was calm.
"It belongs to humanity."
The chamber fell silent.
"And humanity"
He continued,
"is not yet wise enough to carry it."
A Lesson Unlearned
Not everyone agreed.
One scholar remained silent throughout the debate.
His name was Maelor.
He was brilliant.
Respected.
Patient.
Unlike many ambitious scholars, he rarely argued.
He simply observed.
As the council voted to seal the ruins
Maelor quietly slipped away.
No one noticed.
Except...Auren.
The silver-haired boy watched him disappear down a distant corridor.
His instincts stirred.
Something felt wrong.
Astraeus and Seraphel
Late that night, Astraeus and Seraphel walked through the gardens suspended between the Library's towers.
The floating bridges swayed gently in the evening breeze.
Below them, the city glowed with thousands of lanterns.
"They're afraid."
Astraeus said.
Seraphel nodded.
"They should be."
"You agree with sealing the library?"
"I do."
Astraeus looked toward the stars.
"And if someone breaks the seal?"
The old librarian smiled sadly.
"They will."
Astraeus looked at him.
"You sound certain."
"I've spent my life studying people."
Seraphel answered.
"Curiosity is stronger than stone."
Lyra's Ancestors
Inside the deepest wing of the Living Library, Thalenna continued cataloging the records recovered from the hidden archive.
Among them, she discovered a family register.
Thousands of names.
Generations of Keepers.
Librarians.Scholars.Then...One symbol appeared beside a particular bloodline.
A silver feather.
Unlike the others, this family carried a title.
The Heartkeepers.
According to the records, they possessed an unusual gift.
They could preserve memories without being consumed by them.
The bloodline ended abruptly.
No explanation.
No final entry.
Only one sentence remained.
"One child survived."
Thalenna frowned.
She carefully copied the page into her journal.
She had no idea.
That thousands of years later.
That single surviving bloodline would lead to Lyra, the last living Eshkarai.
Maelor's Curiosity
Far below the city
Maelor returned to the ancient door alone.
He carried no weapons.
Only books.
"I don't seek power."
He whispered into the darkness.
"I seek understanding."
The stone door remained closed.
Nothing happened.
He sighed.
Perhaps the Council had been right.
He turned to leave.
Then
A faint crimson glow appeared beneath the stone.
A whisper reached his ears.
Not loud.
Not commanding.
Gentle.
"Then understand"
The door moved.
Only a finger's width.
Maelor froze.
The whisper came again.
"come alone."
His breathing quickened.
Every lesson he had ever learned warned him to leave.
Instead
He took one step forward.
The Seven Stars
Across the world
Seven extraordinary people continued walking their own paths.
Garrick forged tools instead of weapons.
Thalenna questioned every answer she found.Myra searched endlessly for cures.
Vael united strangers through stories.
Three others...Still remained hidden from history.Different kingdoms.
Different dreams.
Different lives.
None knew the others existed.
Yet each had unknowingly accepted the same burden.
To protect humanity.
Fate had begun gathering them.
The darkness had begun watching them.
High above the desert
Astraeus stood alone on the highest balcony of Ilys-Kareth.Auren joined him without speaking.After a long silence, Auren finally asked,"Do you trust them?"
Astraeus watched the lights of the city below.
"I trust who they are today."
"And tomorrow?"
The Wanderer closed his eyes.
"Tomorrow"
He whispered.
"is why I'm afraid."
Far beneath the city
The crimson light behind the sealed door brightened.It had found the first crack.
Not in stone.In a human heart.
And history had proven
That was always enough.
The Story of Thalenna Continues
Seven Days Until Arrival