“Welcome to the Library of Babel, Teo,” Dromegard said, “the only gateway to Ardoras!”

  The old man and the boy walked through a long gallery, topped by a magnificent dome adorned with frescoes depicting fantastical scenes. Images of creatures and animals beyond Teo’s wildest imagination were everywhere. The walls were lined with shelves packed with books of all sizes, textures, and colors. Teo could see the Library stretched seven stories upwards, while ahead, it branched out like the trunk of a colossal tree.

  “The Library of… Babel?” Teo asked timidly. “Why do they call it that, Dromegard?”

  “In the human world, there are texts that speak of a legendary, phenomenal tower that tried to reach the heavens. I must tell you, it wasn’t just a legend, but about this very Library. You see, some men have powerful revelations in their dreams. When we sleep, we exist between two worlds: this one and the one we left behind. Some of these men have glimpsed the Library for fleeting moments and tried to fit it into their understanding of reality. But the Library of Babel is infinite; no one can fully see or comprehend it.”

  Teo took a deep breath, afraid he’d made a terrible mistake in coming here.

  “But if it’s infinite, how do we get out?”

  “Excellent question!” the old man replied cheerfully. “In the Library of Babel, you don’t choose the path… the books do!”

  “The books?” Teo asked, his worry growing.

  “That’s right!” Dromegard exclaimed, his smile widening. “The books of the Library of Babel…”

  Teo took a few steps forward, his attention drifting from the old man’s words. He thought he’d seen someone dart past in one of the hallways.

  “What’s wrong, Teo?” the old man asked.

  “I think… I think I saw a shadow move. Oh no!” he said, turning sharply to the old man. “Steffi! Steffi’s alone here!”

  Teo ran, stumbling, towards where he’d seen the shadow. Noel, who had been sleeping peacefully in his arms, jumped to the ground, startled.

  “Teo, wait!” Dromegard called out, raising his voice.

  The boy ignored him and kept running. Again, the shadow flickered before his eyes. Suddenly, the gallery wall he was heading towards slammed shut, blocking his way. When he tried to go to one of the branching galleries, they closed one after another, trapping him.

  “That’s what I was trying to warn you about, Teo,” Dromegard said, approaching slowly. “The books won’t let you proceed until you’ve passed Level 1.”

  “Level 1? What are you talking about?! My sister’s lost somewhere in this huge Library! She’s alone and must be terrified! I’m her older brother… I have to take care of her!”

  “Calm down, Teo!” the old man reprimanded him sternly. “Desperation won’t help! Estefanía is probably exploring the Library herself, and you need to focus on starting your own journey!”

  “Exploring the Library on her own? How is that possible? You just told me the books dictate the path! How can she navigate if she can barely read?”

  “If you’d listened to me earlier, you’d know,” Dromegard reproached him. “The books in the Library of Babel aren’t ordinary books like those you knew in the human world.”

  “What do you mean, they’re not ordinary?”

  “You’ll understand when you open one yourself… But before you do, listen carefully: stand in front of a wall, raise your hand high, and say clearly, ‘Level 1, initiated.’ Understand?”

  “I think so,” Teo said, starting to calm down.

  “Then go ahead!”

  Teo did as Dromegard instructed. The wall before him was lined with shelves filled with thick volumes covered in what looked like goatskin. He raised his right hand and said in a loud voice, “Level 1, initiated!”

  Nothing. Absolutely nothing happened.

  The boy turned, a little annoyed, to the old man, who said, “Try another wall, Teo.”

  So, he tried again. He raised his right hand and intoned powerfully, “Level 1, initiated!” He felt a slight tremor under his feet. The books on the shelves began to shake, as if filled with energy. He saw golden letters light up on the thick spine of one: “Creatures of the Southern Forest,” it read. The book slid smoothly off the shelf, as if an invisible hand had taken it, and floated in the air. Then it shot into Teo’s palm, like a baseball hit with a bat.

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  Teo, amazed, took it in both hands and turned to Dromegard.

  “What do I do?” he seemed to ask with his eyes.

  “Open it, Teo,” the old man said. “Don’t be afraid. It chose you; it won’t harm you. Just hold on tight.”

  Teo opened the book expectantly, almost breathless.

  “There’s nothing here!” he exclaimed, disappointed. “The pages are blank!”

  He was about to close the book when paint chips fell from the ceiling onto its pages. Teo looked up and took a terrified step back, unable to believe his eyes: one of the creatures from the fresco, a hybrid eagle with a hyena head, its wings spread about ten feet wide, had come to life and emerged from the dome, producing a thunderous roar as it leapt onto the upper shelves. The creature dove towards Teo and plunged him into the pages of the open book, trapped in its claws.

  The boy screamed, but he couldn’t hear his own voice. He felt himself being dragged at an incredible speed through a tunnel of intense colors, his body stretching and shrinking like a spring. Confusing images flashed before his eyes: children with old faces, flutes, a silver key, a burrow at the base of a tree, a hooded figure, and a large cluster of white asphodels on a hillside.

  Teo was still screaming, the book clutched in his hands, when Dromegard grabbed his shoulder.

  “Calm down, Teo! You’re back; everything’s fine!”

  The boy’s eyes widened, he swayed like a drunk, and fell to the ground.

  “Where is it?!” he shouted, terrified. “Where is it?!”

  “Who, Teo?” Dromegard asked. “What did you see?”

  Teo instinctively turned his head towards the dome—everything was normal. There was no crack. The fresco seemed harmless.

  “It was so real, Dromegard! I saw a creature with the body of an eagle and the head of a hyena come out of the dome and lunge at me, and then fall into the book and… I don’t know, I’m not sure. There were so many colors and a terrible silence. I think I saw a silver key, a person with a hood, flutes, some children… I think they were children, but their faces were all wrinkled, a hole in the ground under a tree, and… what else? Oh yeah! A hillside covered in white flowers. What does it all mean?”

  “Well, let’s see… The creature you described sounds like what the natives call a ’laotar,’ which means ’dog-bird.’ It’s a monster that’s ravaged many villages in Southern Ardoras for generations. You saw it come out of the dome because there’s one painted in the fresco, next to those little creatures with long ears,” the old man said, pointing up. “They’re the Pipers, the inhabitants of this part of The Continent. You described them as children with old faces. They’re happy, sociable beings, and excellent flutists. There are also those from the north, but they’re more surly and elusive, though notable bagpipers. The music of the Pipers is magical—it can cure serious illnesses or turn a barren stone into a delicacy. As for the white flowers on a hillside, I assume they’re asphodels—they grow abundantly in these regions. But I’m afraid I can’t tell you what the hole in the ground under the tree means, or the silver key, let alone who the hooded figure is.”

  Teo paused, reflecting on the old man’s words.

  “But why did I see all that, Dromegard? How important is it?”

  “As I told you, the books in the Library of Babel aren’t ordinary books—they don’t have printed letters, but they combine your recent memories with the designs Ardoras has prepared for each of us. That’s why you saw the laotar come out of the dome, because you’d just seen it painted there. That image was linked in your mind to the destiny Ardoras has planned for you. It’s a kind of map in images, guiding us on our journey—for example, the laotar you saw wasn’t a real laotar, but a Draft, a kind of mental hologram of the true creature.”

  “Can a Draft hurt me?” Teo asked, his voice trembling.

  “Well, not a Library Draft, but there are some out on The Continent that can be very dangerous.”

  “What was my Draft trying to tell me?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but it’s clear you’re meant to meet the southern Pipers.”

  “And when will that happen?”

  “As soon as you finish your tour of the Library of Babel. Put the book back on the shelf, and we’ll move on to Level 2.”

  When Teo reached down to pick up the book from the floor, his hand passed right through it, like it was water vapor.

  “I’m afraid I can’t let you go any further, Dromegard,” a resonant voice boomed, shaking the entire room. “Not with him.”

  “What’s going on, Dromegard?!” Teo shouted, terrified, barely able to hear himself.

  “Get down on your right knee and bow!” the old man commanded, his tone solemn and stern.

  “I don’t understand!”

  “Now, Teo! Do as I say!”

  The boy hesitated. He was terrified and had no idea what was happening, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to disobey the old man. After all, Dromegard knew Ardoras far better than he did. He knelt and bowed, just like the old man.

  “I can’t let you pass with him, Dromegard,” the powerful voice insisted. “If you want, I can return the little girl to you, but they’ll have to go their separate ways…”

  “Steffi, no!!” Teo shouted, standing defiantly. “She’s just a kid, and I’m her big brother! It’s my job to take care of her! I won’t let anyone split us up!”

  “Get down, Teo!” Dromegard urged him. “Don’t be insolent!”

  “The decision has been made, boy,” the stranger’s deep voice replied. “You’ll continue the journey with me. Dromegard will take care of your sister.”

  The room shook. The shelves of books receded into the walls, revealing monoliths carved with hieroglyphs. The magnificent fresco on the dome came to life, each figure moving like the gears of a colossal lock. The dome itself split open, like the retractable roof of a giant stadium. A figure descended from the sky, riding an imposing winged direwolf. The creature was about twenty feet long from nose to tail and eight feet tall at the shoulder. The figure was formidable—about six and a half feet tall, with the powerful, athletic build of a man. He wore Spartan armor, but his head was that of a tiger. His eyes were sharp and deep, and his fur was golden like sunlight.

  When he dismounted the winged direwolf, he walked straight to Dromegard and placed his bronze sword on the old man’s right shoulder.

  “The girl is in Nune,” the rider said in a solemn voice. “Go there and help her.”

  A beam of icy energy shot out, engulfing Dromegard, turning him the soft bluish-white of a glacier, and he vanished, leaving a trail of light.

  “From this moment on, I’ll be your guide, Teo Sacks,” the rider said, turning to the boy, who stared at him defiantly, despite being scared to death.

  THANKS FOR READING!

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