B-4
In the North where the sun sets, stands the Black Gate.
A-33.
**
Min didn't understand. And his first reaction was to read again, and again, until he figured it out. It was him who wrote the note. Sure, he wasn't exactly the same. And sure, it was meant to keep a secret. But he should be able to figure out the meaning.
A whole hour of nothing had him defeated.
Maybe it was in the words, he thought. North where the sun sets. He saw the map of the academy in his head. The coordinates of the academy grounds aligned with the geographical coordinates. The academy's north was the geographical north. And that meant, the sun set in the west.
Then, what was the Black Gate?
Could A-33 be referring to a locker? Or some kind of safe that he left his notes inside for safekeeping?
How was he to proceed when he couldn't understand his own message?
He folded the paper along the creases and stuffed it into his pocket. Returned the book to its shelf. And decided to continue touring the library.
After the second story, he went up to the third. On the third story, the sitting area was actually bigger than the area occupied by the books. The books were all advanced, with an almost equal mix of handwritten notes and journals, and printed hardbound books. Every single book on the third story was extremely important and immensely valuable.
He felt a longing from the third story that he didn't from the other two. He knew from a cursory glance that he spent a lot of time up here. And he knew he wouldn't profane such a sacred space. There was no clue up here.
Another day he would return. Grab a book. Sit. Read. Enjoy himself up there. Today, for now, he needed something else.
Walking down the stairs, he felt he understood himself a little better. Anyone else, searching for the same clues, would definitely lose themselves up there. Didn't it seem obvious that he would hide a clue where he was most at?
The thought brought him to a stop on the bottom step. Hadn't he made the same mistake? He looked where he would have, where anyone would have. But not where he should have.
He walked to the far end of the sitting area, and looked in at the books resting on the shelves. Separated by subject. He saw the aisle in which were the books on social clusters. His eyes slowly moved to the aisle where he found Prof Lushe's book. And then he traced the route to Prof Wuchang's book. A faint shadow of realisation had begun to form.
What he would have done was follow the titles. Of the books he would read. Of the authors who would interest him. Try to decipher the messages hidden in the books.
What he would have done was leave a lot of secret notes. Red herrings. Many would bear no meaning. Others would be distractions. Where better to hide a leaf than in a forest?
What he should be doing, was think like himself. Do what he wouldn't do. What no one would expect him to do. And that was to leave nothing in the library.
No. That was wrong. He shook his head. The goal wasn't to hide so deep the clues would never be found. The goal was to make it so only he would find the clue. And maybe, the paper in his pocket was the first clue.
He pulled out the paper, unfolded it against the wall, and read it again.
**
In the North where the sun sets, stands the Black Gate.
A-33.
**
He paused. What if it wasn't the academy? What if the world was limited to the library? What if the directions were governed by the geographical coordinates?
He walked to the west, which was the opposite end of where he was standing. He was at the other end, among books on mythology. If this was where the sun set, then what was the north?
His eyes were gliding past the titles on the spines of the books, when he froze. It wasn't the north, but the North. The North wasn't referring to the cardinal direction but to a name. Of a book?
He was excited, as he began walking along the aisles, searching for a book with any reference of the North. He found it on the tagline to the book's title.
Igunati - of the giants' North.
It was the retelling of old folklore of the giants of the North. Igunati was the sacred custom of the giants, offering their offsprings to the gods after the first month. Blessed were those that were claimed and taken by the gods, for those babies started their journeys among the gods.
But why this book? He couldn't figure it out. He couldn't find the patience to walk back to the sitting area before pulling open the book. He flipped pages, searched underneath the jacket, but found nothing. Was he supposed to read the entire book? It wasn't thick, but wasn't little either.
A-33.
He remembered. Excited again, he looked at the page numbers. Sure enough, it wasn't just numbers. Every chapter had a letter, and every page of each chapter was numbered from 1 along with the letter of the chapter. A-33 was the last page of the first chapter. The first chapter spoke about the origins of the giants, about the curse of the mountain people that turned them into giants.
He flipped to the last page. A-33.
**
The prophecy spoke of the son of Midgard, who would brave the winds and the rocks and death itself as he walked up to the peak. From there, he would step off. But he wouldn't fall, for the mountains would be flipped. And he would be walking up to the abode of the gods. Appeased with his wisdom, the gods would grant him a boon. And that would be the salvation of the giants.
**
He was startled by the flash of understanding. He had to step off the end. Have faith. For the world would turn itself upside down, to save him. And then, he would find the stairs upward.
With trembling hands, he returned the book. Turned away. Walked down and out the library. Which was as long as he could hold himself. At the first whiff of the outside air, he set off running.