The Secret Library - 1

3. The Secret Library - 1.

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…

…

Seventeen stared at the note, wide eyed. "Victor Amodean…", he softly repeated to himself.

"Victor who?", Reio chimed in.

"…I gotta go." Seventeen stuffed the note in his pocket and hurriedly tied his shoelaces again.

"Eh?? Where?"

"Uh… shops. I'm hungry."

"Oh, I'll come with-"

"No, no. You're good, stay there. I'll get whatever you want."

"Huh…" Reio looked at his suspiciously but quickly shrugged it off as he melted into the bottom bunk once again. "One energy drink, please."

Seventeen sighed. "That shit again? You seriously need to quit it. Whatever, fine."

Reio rolled his eyes. "I know you're going to go see that girl!"

Seventeen slammed the door shut behind him before he let Reio finish his sentence. He jumped down the stairs and rushed out of the dormitories, going outside. He ran through the courtyard and snow, towards the castle-like building. When he arrived, he noticed some lights were on inside.

"Shit…" Seventeen crouched beside the building, peeking though the window at a class with half a dozen students, their heads down as their pens scribbled on their paper.

"Man… afternoon classes? Poor bastards. Well… at least that means the doors should be open", he mumbled to himself, quietly walking towards the entrance and pulling the doorhandle, which was locked.

"Seriously?…"

'I could return tomorrow? No, there'd be people', he thought to himself. After a moment of pondering, an idea struck him. Seventeen crouched and slowly made his way to one of the open windows of the afternoon classes. Whilst the student inside wasn't looking, he poked his hand through the gap and grabbed the students pen, before pulling it back and dropping it on the floor loud enough to be heard.

Seventeen hid behind the wall, out of eyeshot. The student noticed that his pen was missing, and saw it through the window.

"Uh, sir?" The student lifted his head.

"Yes?"

"My pen fell out the window, can I go get it?"

The teacher sighed and buries his hand into his pocket, pulling out a steel key which he handed to the student.

Seventeen waited behind the door. A minute or so later, the door opened and the student walked out, not noticing his peer behind the door. Seventeen quickly held the door in place and made his way inside.

He paced himself through the corridors, avoiding the gaze of the teachers and students inside the classrooms. When he arrived at the entrance to the library, he turned the handle again. Locked.

"I'm not doing this bullshit again!" Seventeen stepped back, putting space between him and the doorhandle. He kicked the door open and walked in, shutting the door behind him.

He dug his hand in his pocket and searched for the note which was left behind in the book. He pulled it out and reread it a few more times.

"Under the first library… is a second?" he questioned. Seventeen scanned the note a few more times before turning it over. His eyes squinted and his eyebrows arched a little.

"The hell…?"

The note read: '4, 9, 7, 6, 6, 7.'

"What does this mean?…"

Seventeen scanned the library as he circles around the centre. Underneath? Well, underneath is the basement. That can't be it, it'd be too obvious. He crouched beside a large rug, letting his curiosity run wild as he pulled it out of the ground, to the side.

In dead centre of the library, was something of a stone altar in the ground. In a circular shape. It has the numbers 0 to 9 around it, and a handprint engraving in the middle.

"…Is this what the numbers were for, Victor Amodean?'

Seventeen got on his knees and leaned over the stone structure. He took off his black, fingerless glove off his right hand and placed it in the engraving. The numbers around it glowed a deep blue. He then began to press the letters which were stated on the note.

4.

9.

7.

6.

6.

7.

The glow on numbers dimmed, before they turned red and his hand was shocked with a high voltage. Seventeen yanked his hands back in pain as he grit his teeth.

"Holy fu- Damn!"

He rubs his hand and looks at the note again. The numbers were correct. Seventeen sighs and looks around the library. After a moment, he takes notice of the bookshelves themselves, and the numbers they have at the side to arrange them.

"…no fuckin' way." Seventeen arises, his eyes widening at the revaluation. They all had numbers, but only a few had lines engraved underneath them. He grabs a pen from a nearby desk and turns the note to its back as he walks through the library, taking note of the amount of lines under each number.

Bookshelf 4 had 2 lines under it.

Bookshelf 9 has 3 lines under it.

Bookshelf 7 has 1 line under it, and another 4 lines under that.

Bookshelf 6 has 2 lines under it, and another 1 line under that.

After taking notes, he returns to the stone structure in the floor, putting his hand in the engraving again, the numbers igniting a deep blue once more.

He pressed 4, 2 times.

He pressed 9, 3 times.

He pressed 7, 1 time.

He pressed 6, 2 times.

He pressed 6 again.

He pressed 7, 4 times.

The numbers changed to a bright green, as the numbers grew from the stone and began morphing before him, a plethora of numbers and letters flashing before they formed a word:

'Hypnos.'

Then, the stone structure rised from the floor, revealing small doors which opened, revealing the same fragranced, starry substance oozing from it, a dark bluish-purple. The very same which Headmaster So could manipulate to enter his dream realm.