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14: The Guardian of Secrets

14: The Guardian of Secrets

My eyes remained staring at the books before I realized something. As I scanned the covers in this room, I realized why these words seem so familiar.

They were the families written in our old books. Families who brought honor to Diere from its establishment. Families who fought for the safety of our land.

And families who lost their last heir.

My family has been living in Diere since the beginning. Even before we were bestowed the gift of taming, de Tame family already lived for years, helping Diere to prosper. So it is not impossible to see my family name in this hidden room.

I pulled the book where my family's name was written. And as soon as it created an empty space on the shelf, every book in the room buzzed and vibrated loudly. The books from the top came crashing down to the floor. It tumbled to each other with an aim of flooding the room.

I ran towards the exit while clutching the book in my chest. The mischievous laughter was back, louder than it was before. I kept on jumping and evading the falling books, running past mountains, almost falling to the ground several times.

But before I could even reach the exit, a wall slid down from above with a loud thud. The light of my orbs flickered before it went out. The entire room became dark.

I stopped moving and exhaled loudly to calm my nerves as everything warns me danger.

"How will you go out, Dahlia de Tame?" A voice, that of a female child, spoke, followed by giggling sounds and a high pitch laughter. I closed my eyes to trace where the laughs come from, but it led me all over the room. Her voice could be traced everywhere.

And this is bad.

"You cannot find me, de Tame. Unless I will." The sinister childish laughter was there again. My forehead creased in anticipation at the situation I am in. My eyesight is still pitch black, I am locked in a hidden room, and I couldn't find the child who locked me.

"Who are you? Why do you know me?" I shouted. My voice echoed around the room. I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. I suddenly wanted to cover my ears as I listen to my voice repeated several times.

The giggling became louder. I inhaled a deep breath before closing my eyes once again to try my luck in tracing the owner of the sound. But just like what happened earlier, I still couldn't find her.

A loud sigh escaped her lips. "Haven't I told you that you cannot find me?"

"What do you want?" I asked her with a loud voice. She giggled and a cold blow of air flew past my ears. I balled my fist at the thought of being played.

A small ball of light emerged in the distance, growing larger, until it formed a silhouette of a child with her long hair flowing down to the floor.

"What do you think of this world, child?" I suppressed the look of shock in my face when I heard what she called me.

Child. This means that this creature in front of me is ancient, more ancient than me. If I am a century older than the rest of them, she is probably someone from the beginning of time.

"Who are you?" I softy asked. She remained unmoving with her back facing me.

"I am the guardian of secrets, the bearer of truth." I was taken aback on how she called herself. I thought she was a myth. She was a famous being in book - guarding the book of sacred life.

She started walking further and I cautiously followed behind as she was a walking light in this darkness. I tried producing light from my dust, but I couldn't make a single one. I groaned silently while walking.

We stopped in the middle of darkness. No shelves, no light aside from her. Not even a single thing could be seen.

"Have you ever thought of being played, de Tame?" Cold sweats emerged in my forehead and trickles down my face.

"Child, are you afraid?" I didn't say anything. The loud beating of my heart resonated in his abyss. I was ready to run away in fear, but her childlike laugh, free of malicious intent, forced me to look at her.

And I gasped.

For the child who led me here, turned into a woman whose dress are flowing, floating in the air, glowing as if she was made of thousands of lights. Her golden hair was flowing like waves in the ocean, and her face... I have never seen anyone living with such beauty.

"Fear not, de Tame. I have no intention of harming you. But, beware. You must not mention to anyone that you have been here."

"Why..." My voice trailed. Her eyes darted to the darkness surrounding us. It was soft, full of sadness, as if longing for something that could never be reach.

"Because you have to be careful about what you see. You have to know who to trust. For all you know, you will be picking your side soon, de Tame. "

My mouth hanged after hearing her. Something clicked in my head and I gasped as I realized why it was so familiar in my hears.

"What do you mean? Was it you in the dungeon? Were you the one who visited me?!" I asked rapidly. She laughed softly, different from the mischievous childish laughter she used.

"I am not him nor is he me. But you have to remember his words." Her head turned to the side in an instant, her forehead creased slighlty before she sighed.

"I'm afraid our time is up. I give you the permission to visit this place whenever you need, and the book in your hand is yours to take." My eyes darted to the book I'm holding, clutching it in my chest tighter.

"Wait! How can I come back here?" She gave me a a soft smile before walking a step back.

With a flick of her finger, everything around us spun. The darkness surrounding us turned into an array of colors passing in a blur .

"That is what you must find." Everything became fast, and it felt as if I was falling miles and miles below. As my body arched to protect myself from the fall, her faint voice floated in the air once again, like a whisper, with words that confused me even more.

"When will you wake up, de Tame?"