Chapter 19 – “Wrong Turn, Right Place”

This morning, the skies over Laterano weren't as bright as usual.

Clouds hung low like a thick blanket left unfolded.

Still, the city stayed alive.

The streets were bustling, courier messengers flying low in white coats, and the central tower bells chimed gently in the distance.

In front of the house, Lemuen stood beside her hover-bike, studying a small map.

Mostima—who had appeared from who-knows-where—was already lounging in the back seat, legs swinging carelessly.

"Exu, ready?" Lemuen called, waving a hand.

Exu jogged out from the house. "Ready, Captain!" she shouted, even though her safety helmet was tilted sideways.

"Today we're going to the administrative district to deliver some documents. But let's turn it into a little trip too, okay?" Lemuen said, slipping the map into her pocket.

Mostima turned and winked at Exu.

"They say there's an ice cream shop that matches the flavor to your personality."

"Is there a flavor for 'noticed but not reciprocated'?" Exu joked.

Lemuen patted her little sister's head.

"There is a flavor called 'talks too much'."

The three of them set off, the hover-bike humming slowly over Laterano's white roads.

The administrative district lay to the east—quieter, full of old-style buildings.

The further they went from the city center, the quieter it grew, and narrow alleys began to appear.

Half an hour later, Lemuen paused at a fork in the road.

"Should we take the usual route or try Avello Street?"

Mostima shrugged. "I forgot the way."

"I've been through there! It's faster!" Exu declared, pointing to a small lane between two buildings.

"You sure?" Lemuen asked.

"Totally," Exu replied, confident.

So they turned.

Avello Street turned out not to be a main road, but rather an old alley partially closed off.

The stone floor was rough, and the walls were overgrown with crawling vines.

"This isn't made for vehicles," Lemuen murmured.

"Every adventure starts with a wrong turn," Mostima whispered.

After a few minutes of pushing the bike on foot, they arrived at a dead end.

But at the far end stood a rusted iron door, half-covered in roots.

"This… isn't on any map," Lemuen muttered as she stepped closer.

Exu touched the door handle. "It's got the old Laterano emblem… look."

Mostima approached.

"A spiral lock. That's a symbol from before the new regulations.

This must be a transitional-era building."

Lemuen hesitated. "We're not supposed to open random doors, but… this place seems long abandoned."

They exchanged looks.

It was Exu who pushed the door first—loud and creaky, but it opened.

Inside, the room was dark but spacious.

Old wooden tables, shelves covered in dust, and on the wall, a faded mural of a Sankta with three wings.

Mostima stepped further in. "Looks like… an observation room. There's an optic lens in the corner."

Exu examined the wall. Strange lines—like a star map, but incomplete.

Lemuen wiped the small skylight. "Why would a room like this be hidden?"

Exu ran her finger over a small carving on the table.

The Sankta emblem… with two crossed lines beneath it.

"Looks like it's marked as… 'not for dissemination'," she whispered.

Mostima sat on one of the old chairs.

"Or… something meant to be remembered quietly."

Suddenly, a soft cracking sound.

One of the wooden floorboards near the wall gave way, revealing a small hidden compartment.

Inside was a metal drawer.

Lemuen opened it.

Inside were only two things: an old, weathered notebook and a pendant shaped like a tiny halo.

Exu picked up the pendant.

Cold. Heavy. But… somehow familiar.

They stood in silence.

The room felt like it was holding its breath.

"I think this place holds something Laterano wanted to forget," Lemuen murmured.

Mostima stood and dusted off her jacket.

"And now, we've found it—because we took the wrong way."

Exu stared at the pendant for a long moment.

"Sometimes shortcuts take you to the right place."

When they stepped back into the narrow alley, the sun was already leaning westward.

Lemuen decided to send the documents through a courier instead.

And the personality-matching ice cream?

Mostima got coffee and watermelon.

Exu got apple-vanilla with mint specks.

Lemuen… lemon with a touch of bitter orange.

They didn't talk about the old room again on the way home.

But that night, Exu quietly hid the small pendant beneath her pillow.

She didn't know why,

but it felt like the first clue to something much, much bigger.