CHAPTER 14: STRANGE WORDS

Leek stood at the window of his courtroom, the moonlight painting his sharp features with a cold glow. The night was eerily quiet, but his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He could still feel the weight of the hidden chamber's discoveries pressing on his shoulders. There was no turning back now.

"Karth, I want you to bring me Nhir," he said, his voice firm but calm.

Karth, his trusted right-hand man, stepped forward with a slight bow. "At once, my lord."

Leek didn't need to explain why he wanted Nhir. The ancient scholar had a reputation that spanned centuries. He was not just a master of languages but someone who could delve into the depths of a soul, sketching its truths in ways no one else could.

As Karth left to fetch Nhir, Leek moved to the hidden passage connected to his private quarters. He pushed open the concealed door, entering the secret chamber where he had stored the mysterious palm-printed book. The air in the room was thick with the scent of age and secrets.

Walking directly to the table, Leek retrieved the book. As soon as his hands touched the cover, the palm print glowed faintly, and the book flipped itself open to page 119. Strange words in an ancient language shimmered before his eyes, their glow almost hypnotic.

The text read:

"Lo potere della erede è pericoloso e buono,

Pò sanare ma pò destruggere

La profezia si deve adempiere

L'ultima erede è maledetta

Trova ogni cosa da Ishmelia

Tutte le sue reliquie rimanenti

Riposano aldilà dell'orizzonte

Una volta fissato non c'è ritorno."

Leek's eyes narrowed as he absorbed the words. The words hinted at something both powerful and dangerous.

Shutting the book, he exited the chamber and returned to the study room. Moments later, the heavy doors creaked open, and Karth entered, leading Nhir.

"My lord, Nhir is here," Karth announced.

Leek gave a slight nod but didn't turn from the window. His posture was stiff, his hands clasped behind his back. Once Karth left and shut the door.Leek went straight to the courtroom and moved toward the long table at the center of the room. He placed the glowing book down with a thud, its faint light casting eerie shadows across the chamber.

"Nhir," Leek began, his voice steady, "you've lived for over three thousand years. You know more about old languages than anyone alive. I need you to look at this."

Nhir, a man with deep-set eyes and an aura of wisdom, approached the table. He glanced at the book and immediately stiffened. "The palm-printed book," he murmured, his voice almost reverent.

Leek pushed the book toward him. "Tell me what you see."

Nhir opened the cover carefully, his fingers tracing the edges of the pages. He flipped through the book, pausing to study the illustrations and texts. Shaking his head slightly, he muttered, "This is no ordinary book. It holds knowledge that transcends mortal understanding. Translating it could take weeks, if not months."

Leek's patience was already thin, and Nhir's cautious response didn't help. "Look at page 119," Leek instructed, flipping directly to the glowing text.

Nhir leaned over, his sharp eyes scanning the page. But to Leek's surprise, Nhir's expression remained blank. "I see nothing unusual here, just a blank page" Nhir said, his tone puzzled.

Leek's chest tightened. The glowing words were vivid to him, but Nhir couldn't see them. This revelation changed everything. It wasn't just a book; it was tied to him in a way he didn't yet understand.

Realizing that giving the book to Nhir would be futile, Leek straightened and dismissed him. "Thank you, Nhir. I'll send for you when I'm ready for your expertise."

Nhir hesitated for a moment, sensing there was more to the book than Leek was letting on. But he knew better than to question the Lord of the V-Clan. With a respectful bow, he left the courtroom.

Once alone, Leek picked up the book and returned to his study.

He opened a tall shelf filled with books on languages and their interpretations. These texts had been gathered over centuries, each one a testament to the V-Clan's pursuit of knowledge.

Leek set the palm-printed book on his desk and began pulling out volumes from the shelf. He spread them across the table, forming a makeshift library of resources.

"This will take time," he muttered to himself, rolling up his sleeves. "But I'll find the answers, no matter how long it takes."

Leek opened the first book, comparing its script to the glowing words in the palm-printed book. Line by line, symbol by symbol, he worked tirelessly. The night stretched on, and the castle grew silent, but Leek's determination burned brighter than ever.

The study was quiet except for the occasional rustle of pages as Leek meticulously compared symbols. The glow of the palm-printed book illuminated his sharp feature, etched on his face. Hours passed, and the pile of opened books on his desk grew taller, but his progress was painstakingly slow.

The dim light of his study barely illuminated the room, casting long shadows that danced with the flickering flame of the lantern. He straightened from his slumped position over the desk, the ancient book lying open before him, its cryptic symbols defying his attempts at translation.

He became aware of a presence a shadow lingering at the periphery of his vision. He remained motionless, his senses heightened, every fiber of his being attuned to the intruder. Leek reached for the lantern, its feeble light barely piercing the darkness. The shadow vanished, leaving only the oppressive silence of the room. Frustration gnawed at him.

He rose, as he couldn't find answers to the book yet. Shutting the study door, he moved through the dim corridors toward his chamber. Yet, with each step, the sensation of being followed lingered on him a prickling awareness that made him very cautious . He spun around, eyes scanning the darkness, but found nothing.

Entering his room, he closed the door and concealed himself behind the heavy drapes, his breath shallow, ears straining for any sound. Moments later, the door creaked openby itself, Leek could see the shadow entering but couldn't see the physical features, the shadow entered his bathroom and ame out scanning through the room then the shadow left, and immediately the door shut closed. Leek came out and understood that this might be a spirit, without too much thought he entered his bed and drifted to sleep.