Chapter 1756 The Silent Library.
1756 The Silent Library.
While they were discussing ways to travel the desert in the shortest possible time, Felix, Apollo, Commander Bia, and the rest of the squad were seen sitting on a dark cloud ascending an ethereal, infinite staircase that spiraled upwards into a void. Each step was illuminated, s.h.i.+ning brightly in the darkness.
The vast emptiness around them was disorienting, the only sense of direction was provided by the stairs.
This was the 96th floor, The Staircase of Solitude.
It was a staircase that went on forever and ever within a dimensional void, making it impossible to find a different path than going up or down the staircase.
Fortunately, with the map at hand, everyone knew the hidden exit"s location.
As they climbed, Felix suddenly broke the silence, his voice echoing slightly in the vast expanse. "The Predator has failed to slow them down. They"ve already reached the desert floor."
Apollo, his expression darkening, cursed under his breath.
"d.a.m.n it, that"s just two floors above us. At this rate, they will catch up in no time. With Eris" overpowered laws in the tower, they can move through these levels like they"re nothing."
Their conversation left Dankin and the rest of the squadmates utterly confused. They gazed at Commander Bia and noticed the color in her face drain a bit.
"We have wasted too much time on the desert floor." Commander Bia remarked with a hopeful tone, "They might take as long as us."
"Doubtful." Felix replied sternly, "The floor makes it impossible to use anything that affects the speed of the travelers. However, with Eris" intelligence and unique set of abilities, I am certain she will succeed in what we failed to achieve."
"You mean pulling the exit to them?"
"Yes, I am watching them do it as we speak."
He shared while spying on Eris, Ura.n.u.s, and Demeter in the desert from high above.
He was smart enough to bring a few demonized creatures with him and leave them along the way to keep him updated on their movements.
The best part, he could spy on each floor through his evil energy connection without any risks...If he left his wisp of consciousness behind and it got caught, Eris might use her laws to turn it against him.
"Let me show you."
Felix created a spiritual reflection that showed their enemies" movements. As expected, they were working together to bring the exit to them instead of walking to it!
Commander Bia and the rest of the squadmates were shocked to see Demeter use her quantum sand laws to split the desert in front of them into two halves, creating the same iconic scene of Moses splitting the sea.
The wilderness parted ways in a straight line for thousands of kilometers until it reached the buried exit. It was a chaotic portal suspended between two pillars.
"Eris, you up." Demeter said calmly.
Eris brought out her tome and opened it from the middle while pointing her finger at the portal. Immediately after, the portal"s location was switched with a small yellow rock in front of them!
Just like that, the three of them stepped onto the next floor in less than half a minute!
"They are right behind us now..."
Commander Bia felt chills course down her spine at the notion of being caught by Ura.n.u.s. She knew that her fate would be much worse than what she had gone through before.
"What do we do? What do we do?"
Commander Bia appeared anxious, biting her nails and glancing nervously behind her, feeling like Ura.n.u.s was ascending the staircase with them.
"Can someone tell me what the f*ck is going on?!" Dankin uttered distressedly after noticing the fear in his commander"s eyes.
If even Commander Bia was losing her cool, there was no way it wouldn"t rub off on the others.
Felix ignored Dankin and the others" search for answers and kept looking out into the void, collecting his thoughts.
"We need a new strategy," He admitted, the wheels turning in his mind. "Simply climbing down isn"t going to cut it anymore. We need a way to either delay them further or hide our trail."
"I agree." Apollo nodded, stepping beside Felix and peering into the seemingly endless void below.
"Maybe there"s a way to hide on any of the next floors." He suggested.
In his eyes, if they couldn"t outpace them, then, their best option was to hide on a floor and wait for them to surpa.s.s them.
After they were gone, they could carry on their journey. This strategy had a chance of success only because there were shortcuts spread out on those floors.
Shortcuts that could lead a traveler straight twenty floors down or even more. In other words, there was a chance of taking one of those shortcuts and arriving nearer to the 20th floor while their enemies were still searching floor by floor!
Felix thought this to be a viable strategy, making him think about the characteristics of the floors they were about to pa.s.s through and think of a way to help them hide.
Soon, he found out what he was looking for.
"I got something." He shared, "There isn"t any guarantee it will succeed, but it has the highest chance of keeping us hidden as they pa.s.s through our floor."
"What do you have in mind." Apollo inquired.
"The Silent Librably Floor." Felix narrowed his eyes in focus.
"Ohh, I see what you are trying to pull." Apollo rubbed his chin, "It is quite risky, but, we will be caught sooner or later either way...Might as well risk it."
If most upcoming challenges required speed, Apollo would be confident to put a great distance between him and their chasers. But, based on the map"s details, the next ten floors were going to pose great difficulty for them.
"It"s decided then."
***
Sometime later...
Felix and his squad found the floor"s exit hidden in a random stairstep using the map"s tips. After they stepped through it, their footsteps were m.u.f.fled almost instantly by the dense, sound-absorbing carpet beneath them.
They stood before a vast library, its far walls and ceilings disappearing into the shadows. The atmosphere was thick with the comforting scent of old paper and leather-bound volumes.
This was the Silent Library Floor!
The library was a maze-like network of corridors, each one lined with towering shelves crammed with books.
The shelves were crafted from dark, richly varnished wood that gleamed under the soft, ambient lighting.
Each shelf was stuffed with an uncountable number of books. The books ranged from ancient, leather-bound tomes with faded gold lettering to more modern publications.
"Do not make a single sound. It"s too soon to draw the librarian." Commander Bia ordered her squadmates.
She had somewhat explained to them the situation they were in and made them understand their lives would be over the moment they got caught by these three.
Although the news was unsettling, they knew they had to accept it. They had no other choice but to follow Commander Bia"s leaders.h.i.+p, as it was the only reason they were still alive.
As they ventured deeper, the silence deepened.
The rules of this floor were immediately apparent; no sound could be made, as even the slightest murmur seemed to be swallowed by the surrounding tomes.
"Take the others and go find the exit, we will carry on with the rest." Felix ordered Bia after separating from the squad with Apollo.
"I can"t believe each book is a complete story of a living being." Candace murmured as she gazed at the endless sea of books.
"This is my dream place."
Lady Sphinx remarked with a tint of desire in her voice, wanting nothing more but to enter this place and read every book.
Alas, she understood that her fate would end up in one of those books if she were to prolong her welcome here...
This floor might seem like a library from the outside but in reality, it was a graveyard...