Chapter 23 – Among the Voices Never Recorded

Laterano was never truly dark.

Even when the night crept in and the sky lost its final hint of color, the streetlamps stayed lit, pulsing in a rhythm too steady to be called random.

The tall buildings, with their pristine white rooftops, reflected the moonlight in a soft blue hue.

Every window seemed like a watching eye—bright and unblinking.

Exu walked slowly along a narrow path between the school and the district library.

She wore a light jacket and loose pants that made movement easy, though their color stood out.

She was alone.

No voices accompanied her—only the sound of her own footsteps against stone.

She wasn't sneaking around. Just walking.

Or so she could say, if asked.

But in truth… she was measuring something.

Something not marked on any map:

the lines of trust between people, the blind spots between watchful eyes,

the rhythm of Laterano's volunteer patrols which—though diligent—were still human.

After five minutes of silence, she stopped.

She stared at the west wall of the library, where the marble layer had chipped away slightly.

A small ventilation grate was there—wide enough for a cat.

Not big enough for her, but big enough... for sound.

She pressed a small device to the grate.

It wasn't high-tech.

Just a hacked radio toy she had modified on her own.

No sound tonight.

But she knew this was one of the points where important voices sometimes leaked.

She had heard them before.

Sometimes names.

Sometimes codes.

Sometimes just... breathing.

Exu removed the device, pocketed it, and kept walking.

She didn't run. She didn't sneak.

She simply walked like a child who couldn't sleep and had decided to taste the night air.

Until another set of footsteps appeared.

Light, but rhythmic.

From the opposite direction.

Exu halted. Straightened.

"Exu?"

That voice was soft. And instantly familiar.

Lemuen.

He stepped out from behind a turn in the path, jacket half-worn, an anxious expression he barely tried to hide.

"What are you doing out here at this hour?"

Exu raised an eyebrow.

"Night air helps the brain."

Lemuen walked closer, gazing at her silently for a moment.

"Don't lie to me. You're looking for something."

Exu offered a thin smile.

"If I said I was just taking a walk, would you believe me?"

"No."

"Good," she murmured, "then I don't have to make something up."

Lemuen stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"If you know what you're doing... fine.

But remember—

even those who know the most can still lose their way in Laterano if they walk alone."

"What do you mean?" Exu asked quietly.

Lemuen looked at her for a long time.

"It's not this city that's dangerous.

It's those who live... behind it."

That night, they walked home together without many words.

Their steps were unhurried.

And though the cold air bit a little deeper, neither of them wanted to go faster.

At home, Exu went straight to her room.

But she didn't sleep.

She opened her notebook again and added a single line:

Lemuen knows. But hasn't stopped me.

Then she opened her window and gazed at the starlit sky—

a sky that somehow felt denser than usual.

And far away, elsewhere beneath Laterano,

a heavy metal door creaked open.

A place unmarked, lit by a greenish glow.

A figure in black robes stood still, staring toward a stone table etched with an unfamiliar sigil.

"The influence is beginning to spread," the figure whispered.

"It's time... to move closer to the second target."

And at her window, Exu narrowed her eyes at the sky.

She didn't yet know what was coming.

But she could feel it.