Leo walked with steady, firm steps toward the west, heading for the "Great Library." He turned to the dragon accompanying him and spoke in a calm tone that carried a deep, probing question: "What do you think? Do you believe we will find something in that library that will lead us to other dragons?"
The dragon answered in a thunderous voice that echoed through the surroundings: "If it truly is the 'Great' Library as they claim, then we will surely discover much more than we expect."
Leo gazed at the horizon, an unquenchable ambition burning in the depths of his eyes. He thought to himself in silence: "And perhaps I will find the way to walk beneath the rays of the sun in freedom… without being a slave to this creature or any other." Leo raised his gaze to the sky, a confident smile etching itself onto his lips as he murmured: "But despite everything… it won't be long until I become the actual ruler of this world."
The End of the Cave
Meanwhile, Niloufer had reached the exit of the cave with Alex. But something was preventing her from moving forward; a strange, powerful, and disorienting sensation surged through her body. She no longer heard just the whistling of the wind; she began to hear distant sounds so clearly they felt as if they were right next to her ear.
She turned toward a dark corner of the cave and froze. She distinctly heard the crawling of a tiny worm as it slithered between the rocks and stones. She turned in the opposite direction and saw squirrels darting with incredible speed between the trees at the exit. She watched their movements with staggering precision, and in that moment, she felt as though she could reach out and catch them in the blink of an eye. She could hear the heartbeats of those creatures and the sound of their light footsteps on the ground with terrifying clarity.
Niloufer raised her hands before her face, her features filled with bewilderment. She whispered in a voice barely audible: "What is happening to me? Was I truly someone who never noticed these details before?"
She looked at Alex, who was watching her silence. She tried to regain her composure, then addressed him in a serious tone: "So, it won't be long until we know the end of this map."