Chapter 3:Secret Room

Alphi woke up the next day feeling refreshed and energized, ready for whatever the day might throw at her. The morning air was breezy, and she shivered slightly as she breathed in the cold. A warm bath was exactly what she needed, and she took her time, enjoying the comfort of the steaming water as it soothed her skin and calmed her thoughts.

Afterward, she returned to the book. Most of what was left were minor details, and soon, she turned the final page—hoping for one last clue. Instead, she found a symbol. It was simple, yet strange... and oddly familiar.

Heart racing, Alphi rushed to her aunt's wardrobe and opened it, revealing the mirror inside. Her eyes darted between the symbol in the book and the one etched faintly onto the glass. They were identical.

Without fully understanding why, she reached out and pressed her hand against the symbol.

Instantly, her eyes began to glow, and a strange sensation passed through her—like energy rushing under her skin. The mirror trembled... then slowly slid aside, revealing a narrow passage and a set of stairs leading downward into darkness.

Alphi jerked her hand back, stumbling away in shock. Her heart pounded. She wanted to pinch herself, to make sure she was awake. But with everything that had happened so far, she knew this was real.

A cold gust of air flowed out from the opening, sending a chill through her.

She stood there for a moment, frozen in place, staring into the shadows. Questions swirled in her mind.

What was down there?

Should she go?

There were too many uncertainties—but one thing was clear.

This was no ordinary mirror... and this was no ordinary house.

At last, curiosity got the better of her. Swallowing her fear, Alphi clutched the book tightly and began her descent into the unknown.

The stairs creaked beneath her feet, layered with dust and cobwebs — clear signs that no one had been down here in years. When she reached the bottom, a strong, musty smell hit her. She coughed, waving the dust from her face.

The room was dim, lit only by a faint glow from a small light embedded in the wall. At its center stood a strange orb resting delicately on a stand — its surface smooth and shimmering, almost alive. Shelves lined the walls, filled with scrolls and books, some written in a language she didn't recognize.

She walked slowly through the room, her eyes darting between unfamiliar objects. Despite the chill in the air, sweat gathered on her palms. The orb seemed to call to her, but she didn't dare touch it.

"Did Aunt want me to find this?" she wondered aloud. "Or… was she hiding it from me?"

Pushing down the swirl of questions in her mind, she turned her attention to the scrolls. There were hundreds. Maybe more. Hoping to find something useful, she came up with a plan: I'll separate the ones I can read from the ones I can't.

And so she did.

Scroll after scroll, hour after hour, Alphi worked without rest. She lost track of time — the room had no windows, no hint of day or night. Her back ached. Her stomach growled.

Eventually, she finished separating the scrolls. But her body could go no further. Hunger tugged at her, and her limbs felt like stone.

Climbing back up the stairs, she was surprised to see night had already fallen. She prepared a simple sauce with what little she knew from her aunt's cooking lessons and ate quickly. Then, exhausted, she turned off the lights and crawled into bed.

She already knew what tomorrow would bring — she was going to read everything she could.

Alphi woke up earlier than usual the next day, feeling better than she had in days. Her mind was clear—there was no room for hesitation anymore. Her mission was simple: find something important inside the secret room.

With a burst of excitement, she rushed down the hall. The memory of sorting the scrolls the day before gave her a sense of relief—at least part of the work was done. Still, a hint of disappointment lingered in her chest when she thought about the documents written in languages she couldn't read.

She began scanning through the scrolls she could understand, the brittle texture of dry parchment rough against her palms. Then after hours of going through one scroll at a time, she suddenly found it.

A scroll, aged but intact, labeled with words that made her breath hitch: Power Test Details.

Her heart leapt, and a squeal of joy escaped her lips as she hugged the scroll to her chest. All her efforts had not been in vain. The joy bubbling inside her was like that of a child receiving a long-awaited gift.

Pushing the other scrolls gently aside, she settled down, her eyes wide with anticipation, and began to read.

The details revealed that witches were divided into three houses: the Starine House, the Moonphine House, and the Cresenters House. They were grouped based on the mark they received during the test. Those with a star mark belonged to the Starine House—the top house, the most powerful, also known as the nobles. Those who received a moon mark were placed in the Moonphine House, the second-ranking house, also known as the knights. Lastly, those who bore a crescent mark were assigned to the Cresenters House, which consisted of witches with little magical ability—commonly referred to as the commoners.

The nobles handled decision-making and governance in Leniva. The knights were tasked with protection, while the commoners worked mostly as maids and servants for the nobles.

The mark given to them basically decides their whole life, Alphi thought. Now more curious than ever about how the test was performed, she also felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. If I did take the test... where would I belong?

She placed a hand on her chest, gripping her necklace to steady herself. The never-ending uncertainties were starting to frustrate her. She paused, letting the information settle, before continuing on.

This system of leadership clearly had its flaws. Families were often torn apart, and internal conflicts brewed beneath the surface. The idea of determining someone's fate based solely on magical strength didn't sit well with Alphi. She struggled to accept a system that valued power over people. But really, what could she do?

Still, none of that mattered in the moment. The truth she had searched so long for was finally in her hands. She had found it — the answer. Her heart leapt with joy as she clutched the ancient scroll and read the title aloud, her voice trembling with excitement: "Steps for Power Test."

She laughed and did a little dance, like a child given her favorite treat. For a few precious seconds, she allowed herself to bask in that joy.

Then she composed herself and read on.

As she suspected, the large orb — the one that had seemed to call to her — played a central role. According to the scroll, she was to cut her thumb to draw blood, press it to the orb, and then channel her magic into it.

That's when she noticed something strange: the orb and her necklace… they were made of the same material.

A wave of uncertainty hit her.

Magic? How was she supposed to channel magic when she didn't even know how? She began pacing, anxiety crawling up her spine as she searched her mind for answers. How was she supposed to unlock a power she didn't understand ?

"Isn't magic just supposed to happen?" Alphi muttered to herself, frustration burning in her chest. She clenched her fists, pacing the room as angry thoughts raced through her mind. What was the point of everything? All the time I spent searching... and now that I've found it, I can't even use it?

She pressed her hands against her temples, as if squeezing her head would force out an answer. Nothing came. Only more anger. More helplessness.

The pressure was unbearable—and now she was hungry too. With a sigh of defeat, she trudged up the stairs and into the kitchen. She threw together some sandwiches and sat heavily at the table, chewing absentmindedly as her mind wandered back to the secret room.

All those hours I spent... arranging scrolls, hunting through dust and silence... And when I finally found what I was looking for—

She slammed her hand on the table, the plate rattling beneath her palm.

No. This wasn't how it was going to end.

The moment she finished eating, she pushed her chair back and stormed down the hallway. Her footsteps were firm. Determined. She was done feeling powerless. She had come too far to let it all slip away.

Alphi was going to figure it out.

She was going to take the test—how, she didn't know. But one thing was certain:

She wasn't going to let all her efforts be in vain.

As Alphi entered the secret room, a wave of confusion washed over her—nothing made sense. Desperation clawed at her, and with no other options left, she resolved to try her luck. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit chamber, searching for anything sharp. They landed on a small pair of scissors resting on the desk. Without hesitation, she rushed over, picked them up, and after a tense moment—a silent staring contest between her eyes, the scissors, and her trembling thumb—she finally pressed the blade against her skin and slit her thumb.

A sharp shriek escaped her lips as warm blood dripped onto the floor. She couldn't believe she had done it—willed herself to cause pain, all for a chance at hope. Heart pounding wildly, mind swirling with panic, she slowly made her way back to the orb. Her hand trembled as she reached out, knowing full well how illogical and dangerous this was, but there was no turning back. Life had cornered her, leaving her no illusion of choice.

She pressed her bleeding thumb against the orb, just as the ancient scroll had instructed, praying the magic would flow into it. But instead, a sudden, searing shock shot through her finger. She screamed, jerking her hand away and shaking it to ease the pain. Like a confused child, she tried again—and the orb rejected her once more, the shock even worse than before.

Tears streamed down Alphi's cheeks as she withdrew her finger, anger and frustration boiling inside her. But worst of all was the crushing helplessness. She wanted to scream, to cry out to someone—anyone—but the room was empty. No one was there to hear her pain. Collapsing to the ground, she lay there, tears falling freely, thoughts racing through her mind. To anyone watching , she might have looked lifeless - just a girl crumpled on the cold stone floor, lost in the silence of her failure.

Alphi cried herself to sleep, worn out by the weight of everything. She didn't care where she lay—curled up on the floor, her face still damp with tears. Sleep came like a storm and didn't let go until morning.

When she finally opened her eyes, her entire body felt stiff and sore from the hard floor. But her mind ached even more. Something wasn't right. Then she noticed—the cut on her thumb was gone.

She sat up slowly. Something inside her had shifted overnight. A quiet obsession had begun to grow. She didn't even bother to wash or change. She just returned to the scroll, poring over the words again and again, desperate to find the flaw in her attempt.

But there wasn't one.

The scroll was clear: place a bloodied thumb on the orb, allow magic to pass into it, and the orb would glow. The brightness would reflect the strength of the magic, and then a mark would appear.

None of that had happened.

Was her magic too weak?

Was there another way to draw it out?

Doubt crept in like a shadow. Maybe I dreamed too high, she thought bitterly.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to remember the rare moments when she had used magic without meaning to. Then—something clicked.

The necklace.

She always held it when something happened. Her mother's necklace—the one that looked almost identical to the orb. Her eyes widened as she snatched it from around her neck, whispering, "Of course…"

Her heartbeat quickened.

This time, she changed the process. She let a drop of blood fall onto the necklace first.

The moment it touched the metal, it glowed with a quiet, golden pulse—warm and alive.

Alphi's breath caught. She pressed her thumb to the orb and clutched the necklace tightly in her other hand.

A spark. A sudden warmth spreading through her fingers. And then—

Her eyes lit up with brilliant light.

So did the orb.

The room pulsed with a blinding glow. Alphi gasped. She felt something stir deep within her—like a sleeping force awakened.

Then, in a single flash of heat and light, a symbol seared itself into her shoulder. It was beautiful, ancient, and alive with power.