The Forgotten Library
1538 Words
The Royal Alpha University Library was unlike any ordinary library.
It was said to be older than the Four Great Packs themselves.
Long before the first Alpha kingdoms were established, long before the Moon Challenge became a sacred tradition, scholars, priests, inventors, and mages had gathered within these walls to preserve the knowledge of the world.
Its towering shelves stretched so high that they disappeared into darkness.
Floating crystal lamps drifted silently through the air, illuminating endless rows of ancient books.
Magical staircases appeared only when someone wished to reach a particular section.
Every shelf was protected by enchantments that preserved books centuries older than any living wolf.
For most students, the library was simply a place to study.
For Astera...
It was a treasure greater than gold.
---
Nearly every evening after class, she disappeared into the library while the rest of the academy gathered in cafés or training grounds.
She preferred books.
Books rarely lied.
People did.
The tiny dragon peeked out from inside her backpack.
Astera looked down.
"You stay hidden."
The creature blinked innocently before curling back inside.
Satisfied, Astera entered.
The librarian, an elderly woman named Lady Mirabel, looked up from her desk.
"You again?"
Astera smiled politely.
"I returned the books I borrowed."
"I noticed."
Lady Mirabel chuckled.
"You finished six advanced history books in two days."
"I couldn't sleep."
The librarian laughed softly.
"I believe that."
She handed Astera another permission crystal.
"The restricted second floor is open for Advanced Royal students."
"Thank you."
---
Astera climbed the spiral staircase.
Unlike the lively lower floors...
The second level was silent.
Dust floated lazily through shafts of moonlight.
Ancient tomes rested inside enchanted glass cabinets.
Titles such as The First Elemental Kingdoms, Runes of Creation, and The History of the Moon Temple lined the shelves.
Her eyes immediately brightened.
Exactly what she had hoped to find.
She began searching methodically.
Every book mentioning wolves without wolves.
Elemental bloodlines.
Moon blessings.
Ancient magic.
Hours passed.
She found countless legends...
But none resembled what had happened to her.
Not the volcano.
Not her wings.
She sighed quietly.
"There has to be something..."
As she reached for another book...
Her fingers accidentally brushed an unusual rune carved into the bookshelf.
Click.
Astera froze.
A faint vibration echoed beneath her feet.
The shelf slowly shifted sideways.
Behind it...
A narrow staircase descended into darkness.
She stared silently.
"A hidden passage..."
No map had mentioned this.
No professor had spoken about it.
Curiosity immediately overcame caution.
She removed a small flashlight from her backpack.
"Stay here."
The dragon shook its head stubbornly.
She sighed.
"I knew you'd say that."
Together...
They descended.
The air grew colder with every step.
Unlike the main library...
This place felt forgotten.
Ancient.
Untouched.
At the bottom lay an enormous circular chamber.
Hundreds of stone shelves surrounded the room.
Each contained books wrapped in protective chains.
Above every shelf glowed strange warning symbols.
Forbidden Archive.
Astera's heartbeat quickened.
"So the rumors were true..."
She had once read that the academy possessed a collection of books too dangerous for ordinary students.
She had never expected to find it.
Unlike the upper library...
There were no librarians.
No students.
Only silence.
She carefully approached the nearest shelf.
Most books carried warning labels.
Forbidden Rituals
Lost Civilizations
Ancient Bloodlines
Moon Temple Records
Her breathing slowed.
Moon Temple...
Exactly what she needed.
She carefully removed one dusty volume.
The cover read:
The Moon Priestesses Through History
She immediately sat down.
The first chapters described the earliest Priestesses chosen directly by the Moon Goddess.
Women who possessed extraordinary spiritual abilities.
Guardians of sacred relics.
Protectors of forgotten knowledge.
Astera turned each page carefully.
Then...
She stopped.
A single paragraph caught her attention.
"The Moon Priestess alone knows the path leading to the Ancient Water, where seals beyond ordinary magic may be broken."
Her eyes widened.
"The Ancient Water..."
The witch grandmother had been telling the truth.
She continued reading eagerly.
"Throughout history, only those who successfully completed the Early Moon Challenge were granted permission to meet moon priestess.
Astera silently memorized every word.
---
She placed the first book aside and selected another.
Forgotten Bloodlines of the Elemental Age
Its pages were brittle with age.
Inside were illustrations of ancient wolves unlike any she had ever seen.
Some possessed crystal antlers.
Others controlled storms.
Several had markings resembling stars.
Then...
She reached a chapter whose title had been partially erased.
Only a few words remained.
...Moon... Bloodline...
The next several pages had been torn out completely.
Astera frowned.
"Someone removed them."
Not accidentally.
Every missing page had been cut with precision.
Deliberately.
---
She continued searching.
The third book proved even stranger.
Records of Sealed Wolves
Astera's pulse quickened.
She immediately opened it.
The first entries described ordinary magical seals placed upon dangerous criminals.
Others explained temporary seals used during training.
None resembled her condition.
Then...
Near the end...
One sentence froze her in place.
"Certain bloodlines may be sealed at birth if their awakening threatens the balance of the world."
Her breathing stopped.
The next page...
Was missing.
Then another.
And another.
Someone had removed the entire explanation.
"No..."
Astera whispered.
"Why?"
Whoever had done this hadn't stolen random pages.
They had removed specific information.
Information connected to sealed wolves.
---
She refused to give up.
One shelf remained untouched.
Its books were protected by silver chains.
At the center rested the oldest volume in the chamber.
Its leather cover had almost turned black with age.
No title remained.
Only the symbol of a full moon surrounded by four elemental marks.
Astera carefully opened it.
Dust drifted into the air.
The handwriting inside was older than anything she had ever seen.
She translated each sentence slowly.
Then...
Her eyes landed upon a prophecy.
"When the Four Elements lose their harmony..."
"When darkness awakens beneath forgotten skies..."
"The child abandoned by every pack shall rise."
Astera's heartbeat echoed loudly in the silent chamber.
She continued reading.
"She shall possess..."
The sentence ended abruptly.
The page had been torn away.
Her hands tightened around the book.
Again.
Another missing page.
She quickly turned forward.
"The Moon Goddess shall choose..."
Missing.
"The guardian of..."
Missing.
Almost the entire prophecy had vanished.
Only scattered fragments remained.
---
Astera leaned back against the shelf.
Someone hadn't merely hidden knowledge.
They had erased history.
Every book connected to sealed wolves.
Ancient bloodlines.
The Moon Goddess.
The prophecy.
All contained missing pages.
All missing the exact information she desperately needed.
This couldn't be coincidence.
Someone powerful had wanted these secrets buried.
---
The tiny dragon suddenly climbed out of the backpack.
Its golden eyes stared toward the far wall.
Astera followed its gaze.
Something shimmered there.
She approached cautiously.
Hidden beneath centuries of dust...
A massive mural covered the stone wall.
It depicted the Four Great Packs standing beneath a silver moon.
At the center...
A fifth figure spread enormous wings unlike any wolf she had ever seen.
The face had been deliberately scratched away.
Only the wings remained.
gold.
Astera instinctively touched her own back.
The memory of her hidden wings flashed through her mind.
Impossible...
---
As she examined the mural more closely...
She noticed something engraved beneath it.
A sentence written in an ancient language.
Fortunately...
She recognized enough runes to translate it.
"Truth cannot be destroyed..."
"Only hidden until the rightful one arrives."
A chill ran down her spine.
Before she could examine further...
The warning crystal hanging from the ceiling suddenly flashed crimson.
Visitors were not permitted inside the Forbidden Archive after midnight.
The protective enchantments had activated.
Astera quickly returned every book to its proper place.
She cast one final glance at the ancient prophecy.
"So many answers..."
"...and still so many missing pieces."
---
She quietly climbed back to the main library.
The hidden passage sealed itself behind her as though it had never existed.
Lady Mirabel was extinguishing the last crystal lamps.
"You stayed later than usual."
Astera smiled politely.
"I lost track of time."
The librarian nodded knowingly.
"Books have a habit of doing that."
Astera bowed slightly before leaving.
---
Outside...
The moon hung high above the academy.
Students had already returned to their dormitories.
Only the sound of the distant ocean breeze filled the night.
Astera walked silently toward her room.
Her mind raced.
The Moon Priestess truly knew the location of the Ancient Water.
Her wolf had likely been sealed intentionally.
An ancient bloodline connected to the Moon existed.
A forgotten prophecy spoke of a child abandoned by every pack.
And every book containing the complete truth had been deliberately altered.
Someone...
Somewhere...
Was terrified that this knowledge would one day resurface.
As she reached her dormitory, the tiny dragon climbed onto her shoulder and rubbed its head gently against her cheek.
Astera looked toward the silver moon above.
"I don't know who hid the truth..."
"But I will find every missing page."
"No matter how long it takes."
Far away, in a chamber buried beneath the academy, an ancient crystal embedded in the deepest foundation glowed faintly for the first time in centuries...
As though recognizing that the one destined to uncover history had finally begun following the correct path.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD