UNDERGROUND LIBRARY

                Chapter 1
There it was, the one thing they had been in search of for months. Finally, the location of the Crescentia had been found after months of intense research.
     "Pierre, don't you think the EW has to be informed? I'm surprised you're not as excited as I am; this is our greatest achievement so far on this mission."
Silence.
     "Pierre."
     "Pierre?"
     "Pierre!"
     "Huh?" He looked at his watch. It was almost time to go home. What had he been thinking of all this while? Oh yes, the Crescentia. The one thing which had compelled them to devote all their time to saving the world.
Pierre Frances and Jean-Paul Marco were the prospective saviours of the world. The future of Explorers Worldwide, the organization to which they belonged, was in the hands of these two men, for only when they found the Crescentia was the EW main library going to be complete and the impending apocalypse ended.

Explorers Worldwide, was an organization of strong-willed men who took turns in travelling to the other worlds, where people were not ruled by people, but by forces. One such world was Matanceros, ruled by the treasure that held the force of universal knowledge. That treasure also happened to be what Pierre and his companion were seeking to save both Explorers Worldwide and the world. The organization was said to have been founded by one Katherine Vilemont, a well-versed archeologist who travelled to all the "other worlds" and discovered the four gems which held the knowledge of the forces of nature - water, wind, earth and fire. Realizing how precious these gems were, she built a special library and kept them there. Before she passed away, she found out that the gems needed stability for the forces of nature to be at peace, or else they would wage war against the coming generation.

To be stable, they needed the treasure that held the power of nature's knowledge, but she could not find out what it was before she died. Now, Explorers Worldwide has been able to find out that the precious treasure they had been looking for was the Crown Of The Crescent; the Crescentia. And the two men had found its location, but that was small compared to the task ahead of them; bringing the Crescentia from its sacred hideout in Matanceros to EW.
Before they decided to leave for home, a messenger arrived with the news that they were needed in the manager's office.

     "The purpose of this meeting is simple. I called you two here to ask of the progress of your mission. I know this is a lot of pressure, but Explorers Worldwide is counting on you; the world is counting on you."

Jean-Paul rose up to speak when he was interrupted by Pierre.

     "Sir, we are doing our best and we can assure you that your hopes will not be let down. Isn't that right, Jean-Paul?"

     Pierre's right, Mr. Andres, we are not going to let you down", Jean-Paul said, very confused.

     "We'll like to take our leave now, Sir", Pierre said and hurried out of the  office with Jean-Paul close on his heels.

On their way home, Jean-Paul was the first to speak.
     "Pierre, I've been thinking, why don't we just make Mr. Andres aware of this? The whole organisation trusted us that they confided this mission to us alone, and this incurs our loyalty; so I don't seem to comprehend why you keep saying we should wait. The more we wait, the more time is wasted."

He wanted to shout, "Why don't you just quit if you don't want to agree with me?" But he knew that, Jean-Paul was no quitter; he was surely going to get this out by hook or crook, so he had to find a way to shut him up.

     "Jean, I'm very tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?", he said with a heavy sigh as the car screeched to a halt at the front of his house.
To exaggerate his statement, he moved out of the car and shuffled to his house till Jean's car was out of sight. He was very agitated and frustrated. Even the flowers blooming abundantly in the front yard could do nothing to lessen his anger. It was as if the flowers had sensed his mood, for they had began to wilt, with a handful of petals scattered on the ground.
The moment he opened the door, a rat terrier jumped at him, almost making him scream. With a quick move of his foot, he violently shoved the dog aside and slumped into an amber coloured armchair, his usual spot in the house.

    "You're home early, what happened at EW?" His wife's voice cut into his thoughts just as he about to mull over his previous conversations with Mr. Andres and Jean-Paul. The whole issue jarred on him. Being pestered to do something he wasn't willing to do was a trigger to his anger, and at the moment, he did not want to talk to anyone, not even Susan.

     "Pierre,"he felt a hand on his shoulder.

     "Nothing, Susan. Just don't worry about it."

Sighing heavily, she said, "If you say so, I've just finished preparing dinner and the table is already set so let's go."

     "I have no appetite, so please leave me."

Susan did not.
     "Pierre, can you stop doing this and just move to the dinning room."

He was having a hard time fighting back the urge to shout at her, bearing in mind the effect it had on her. Unable to hold it in any longer, he bellowed,"Susan!", and she quickly backed away from him.

     "Alright then, have it your way,"she spat and left him alone as he blankly stared at her retreating figure.
Suddenly he heard a voice.

"You are the one destined to possess the crown. That crown was made for you. You were destined to rule the world."

He shook his head violently.
The voice went on, "You the want to  be remembered forever, don't you?"

     "Huh?", he said to the voice.

     "Bringing the Crescentia to EW does not mean you will be remembered forever. After some time you will be forgotten, but EW will forever stay in their hearts and mind and on their lips."