"It's this way."
Faïz pointed to the door on the other side of the entrance. I followed him to this room, lit by artificial light. The immaculate white walls were covered with mirrors. The huge library at the back of the room revealed a definite taste for literature. In front of it was an armchair and sofa area, all in a contemporary style. The raw concrete floor gave an original and sober appearance to the place. As I looked up, I discovered again the blue sky, radiant, which was still following us.
"Are we alone?"
"No, the others are coming."
"The others? William and Julio?"
A voice behind us interrupted our conversation.
"How are you guys doing?"
A singing tone resonated in the room. As I turned around, I discovered a young man with a completely bald head, his face smiling, moving towards us. I immediately questioned Faïz with look.
"Don't be afraid, my pretty. I'm Julio."
He gently took my hand and kissed it gently. Uncomfortable with this sudden gesture, I removed it timidly.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Zoe."
Julio gave me a very charming smile.
"Yes, I recognized you. Actually, we waited for you, like the messiah."
Faïz seemed to get annoyed by his friend's casualness. The two men greeted each other with a short friendly handshake.
"Relax, Faïz. Why is there so much electricity in you?"
Julio sighed before adding,
"I wonder how Zoe can stand you."
I immediately cleared my throat to approve of what he had just said. My intervention earned me a stunning glare from Faïz, who preferred to settle down into one of the chairs near the library. Julio then invited me to do the same.
"Would you like something to drink, Zoe?"
"Yes, tea, if you have some. Thank you."
He looked at Faïz, who shook his head to indicate that he did not want anything.
"I'll be right back."
As he walked away, I could not help but observe this strange individual with a straight and slender appearance and a certain charisma. As he was about to walk through the door, another young man broke into the room. The two of them exchanged a few words in a whisper and then finally looked at me. The other young man, with slightly long, blond hair, lingered a little longer on me. We looked at each other for a few moments before Julio whispered something else to him, forcing him to take his attention away from me.
"Who is that?"
"William."
Faïz looked at me strangely, as if he was trying to read my mind at that moment. Unbelieving, I looked away again towards the entrance. It was then that I saw William coming to meet us, wearing a wide smile that radiated his sweet face. Faïz got up to greet him with a fraternal hug before introducing me to him.
"Zoe, this is William."
Her blue eyes pierced me. Captivated by the brilliance of his entire appearance, I stared at this man who seemed to come from another world.
"Hi," I whispered.
His hypnotic gaze still on me intimidated me.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zoe."
His handshake was soft and protective. It stayed a little too long in mine, which made me uncomfortable. I pulled it out in a hurry to regain my freedom.
"Your Alma Gemela is lovely," William said to Faïz in a flattering tone.
Faïz said nothing, but he made a strange face. Adopting an attitude of calm, I saw his jaw contract and his features harden. What could possibly put him in this state?
"Will, I came with Zoe so she'd understand who she is. With everything she's learned recently, she has a lot of questions."
Faïz sat down in the chair behind him, his face closed. He seemed to be struggling to get the last words out of his mouth as calmly as possible.
"I'll wait for you here."
"Well. I'm going to take Zoe downstairs, where the Callis is. Would you like to go after your tea? "
— "No, we can go there now," I hastened to answer.
I then turned to Faïz.
"Are you coming with us?"
Seeing the concern in my eyes, he straightened up from his seat and approached me.
"William is a very good guide. I trust him completely," he assured me in a sweet voice, "I won't move from here."
His words succeeded in calming me down. William began to leave through the door. I left Faïz behind with regret. When I turned around one last time before leaving the room, he watched me, standing up, as if he were holding back from following me. My emotions collided. He followed me with his eyes until I disappeared with William.
We walked along a long corridor whose walls turned out to be vertiginous. Large burning torches were hung on either side of this narrow passage, giving the impression of being in an old castle. The atmosphere became darker and darker and the oxygen less rich as we went deeper into the mansion.
"William, have you lived here long?" I said, trying to start a conversation.
In front of me, he stopped. When I arrived at his side, I observed his face more carefully and in detail, despite the darkness that surrounded us. He seemed older than Faïz, with a physique worthy of a Greek statue. His semi-long hair, which fell down his neck, gave him a slightly rebellious look.
"Yes, my brother and I have always lived here."
His penetrating gaze stared at me for a moment and then he resumed his walk, but this time at my side.
"You seem surprised to learn that Julio is my brother," he added.
"It's true. I don't think there's much resemblance between the two of you."
"He's my little brother, to tell you the truth. He is twenty-two years old, and I am twenty-five."
"What about your parents?"
His charming smile disappeared in a second. New features appeared on his face, saying aloud what he felt deep down, drawing a certain sadness, a deep melancholy. I felt stupid and immediately blamed myself for asking him this question.
"Our parents left us a while ago. They knew Faïz and Victoria's grandfather well. Our two families are very united, facing the same battle we are fighting."
We arrived in front of a large black and thick door, on which were engraved gold scriptures that I tried as best I could to decipher, but in vain. Was this inscription even readable by the common man? I doubted it. William opened the heavy and thick door without difficulty, I followed him inside. The door slammed shut behind us, deaf and noisy, which startled me. Once the beats of my heart had subsided, I began to contemplate this place, my eyes wide open, fascinated by what I discovered. The basement was as sumptuous as the rest of the house. I had the feeling that I was in the middle of an enchanted place. The large gallery had several meters of wine racks at the entrance. The granular gray soil shone under our feet, as if thousands of small diamonds were embedded in it. As for the ceiling, it was covered with flowers and branches that sheltered lanterns of all shapes and sizes.
A sound of varying intensity suddenly reached me, which aroused my curiosity. As I walked a few meters forward, I saw a transparent stream with blue and green reflections crossing the area. I understood that these waters had dug and sculpted this underground gallery. This dynamic watercourse was bordered by large rocks with eroded shapes that were simply magnificent. Pillars rose from the depths of these crystalline waters to support the large vaults with their metamorphosed limestone. William's steps resonated at the other end of this place. I guessed he was waiting for me. When I joined him a little further away, his Olympian calm had not left him. His patience seemed unwavering, unlike that of Faïz.
"This place is simply magnificent," I whispered, awed by the unique setting that surrounded me.
"It's a soothing place, I'll give you that. It is here that we, guardians and protectors of history, keep the great holy books, including the Callis."
It was then that I saw in his hands a book as imposing as an encyclopedia. Its very old cover seemed to be damaged by time or by too many manipulations. William placed it in
a niche in a corner of the wall in front of us, serving at that moment as a desk, then turned towards me with a serious look.
"Faïz must have already told you about the evil that threatens this world?"
I nodded.
"We thought we were done with this slanderous being, the one called The Maestro. Many gave their lives, forty years ago, in this war between the forces of good and evil... But the traveler returned, as he promised, and as it was written."
"So Harry's wife's sacrifice was useless?"
"Her sacrifice allowed us to have a few more years, precious years to study the genesis of this myth and also to understand it. Gladys held the stone in her hands at the edge of a cliff when Athanasius was about to take it. She threw herself into the void with it, to keep it from falling into his hands. If The Maestro had taken possession of it, the doors of evil would have opened to the world, leading to the extinction of humanity."
"Athanasius?"
"It is his real name. No one likes to say it out loud, because it is the source of many misfortunes."
I finally knew the name of this demon who had returned from Hell. An uncontrolled shiver ran through my body. Suddenly, his repulsive face came back to me.
"He came to me," I confided to William.
"What do you mean?" He worried immediately about what I revealed to him.
He stood in front of me and a flash of distress crossed his eyes. I continued my story, awakening an uneasiness that terrified me.
"Last night, he appeared to me in my sleep. I would like to tell you that it was just a bad dream, but that voice... That face..."
My voice was having trouble making sound. William was waiting for my next words, and encouraged me to continue by placing his hand on my shoulder.
"He has plans. I realized it was only a matter of time. The Maestro wants me more than anything. Why me?"
Compassionate toward my distress, William took my hand and directed me to the Callis, positioning himself just behind me. This sudden proximity between us disturbed me somewhat. Separated by a few centimeters, he provided me with the security I hadn't felt in a while. A strange feeling of well-being settled in me. His hands rested on either side of the book, which forced me to stay in the hollow of his arms. The only time I had been so close to another man was at the Halloween ball with Faïz. And then the image of him and Rachelle came back to ruin that memory. Fortunately, my back was against William. He couldn't see the saddened look that had covered my face. He opened the huge manuscript, which revealed texts written with ancient calligraphy in a language that was unknown to me. Drawings, but also diagrams, appeared as the old pages turned, noting many blank sheets without any inscription. His hand finally stopped on a page where a portrait of a woman was drawn. The young face with its distant eyes and wavy hair immediately caught my attention. The portrait, drawn meticulously with a gray wooden pencil, seemed only partially finished. My fingers, attracted like a magnet, brushed against the contours of the young woman's face, and then color appeared where my fingers landed and disappeared as soon as I removed them. On contact with my skin, the Callis had just come to life. Fascinated, I immediately turned to William for an explanation.
"How…is that possible?"
"Then it is you," he whispered, subjugated.
His eyes stared at the manuscript. He seemed captivated by the scene he had just witnessed. His gaze detached itself from the book and then came to rest on me.
"The Callis recognized you, thank God," he said, relieved.
I turned back to the book again to touch the portrait. This time I placed my hands on the cheeks. The cheekbones immediately turned pink. Then I tried it on the long hair and finally the eyes. These came to life instantly, revealing a deep and vibrant green. My fingers froze. I could not take my eyes off the drawing, disturbed by what I saw. I realized that the young woman on the paper was none other than myself. A little scream escaped my throat. I removed my hand instantly.
"How long has this manuscript been in existence?"
"Eighteen years! It is we, the guardians of history, who have the mission to update it over the years. Some manuscripts that you see arranged here around you have existed since the mists of time. We listen to the words of the prophets who come from all over the world to announce the divine words to us, and we transcribe them. Only, some passages have been written in a cosmic way since Athanasius threatened human existence. These passages are invisible to all of us except one person."
He pointed to the portrait. I turned around to face him again, knowing that he was talking about me without aiming directly at me. The proximity between us allowed me to examine the features of his face more closely. His hair, so light, combed backwards, freed the whole of his face, allowing me to soak up his beauty. There was something hypnotic in him. In an effort, I looked away to regain a bit of my mind and my breathing, which had become labored. For a short while, I thought I saw a slight sneer on the corner of his lips. Did he notice that he was disturbing me a bit? As a result, I freed myself from his arms, which forced him to step back and let go of his grip on me.
"This illustration is me?" I dared to ask at last.
He leaned his head backwards, his eyes turned towards the sky as if looking for words.
Then his clear gaze bore into mine.
"Yes," he agreed in his crystalline voice.
"When was it drawn?" I insisted with aplomb.
"Zoe..."
William, uncomfortable, approached me, but I automatically took a step back, refusing to be spared the truth.
"Thirty-eight years ago."
My arms, crossed at that moment over my chest, fell down to my sides while listening to this announcement. Feeling dizzy, everything rushed through my head. To sum up, there was a portrait of me in an old manuscript, which had been there since long before I was born. So what was real in my life so far? A breath of anguish engulfed everything in me. Disoriented, I put my face in my hands.
"Okay. Are you human, William?"
After all, nothing could surprise me anymore.
"Yes and no."
"I want to know everything, so tell me!"
"I am a seraphic creature. In short, I am a Sylph, or more familiarly an Elf, just like Julio."
"Elf... Like a Fairy?"
"Fairies or Sylfides have supernatural powers and protect humans on Earth. We Sylphs are semi-heavenly creatures. It is nature that we protect by transmitting to it our strength, as well as the sacred manuscripts written by man since the first words of humanity."
I shook my head. Could all this really be real? I had too much information to assimilate all at once. I continued to discover, several weeks after the revelation of the Mattew's secret, this parallel world where Sylphs were now added in the midst of Leviathans, legends...and me. How could I be drawn even before I was conceived? Suddenly, a question burned my lips, but I feared the answer.
"What about me? Am I human?"
William turned towards the Callis and touched the illustration with his hand. To my great surprise, the manuscript did not react to his contact. The portrait remained as it was, without color, without life. I squinted without understanding anything.
"W...Why doesn't it work with you? You just told me you were an Elf!"
"A Sylph, " he corrected me.
William, nervous, put a hand through his hair, obviously lost. He didn't know where to start.
"You were created by our creator himself, the Lord, or God, if you prefer."
"Yes, like everyone else, if we assume that."
"Not like everyone else. You, you were created solely for the purpose of saving humanity. You are made of flesh and blood and, of course, you are mortal, but your conception is no coincidence. Gladys, a simple human being, failed to send Athanasius back into darkness, despite the emerald she had in her possession. Her sacrifice was only a time-saver. Only, over the years, The Maestro has provoked wars, great misfortunes, in order to nourish hatred of others in man, rushing into each of the brea
ches opened. Look around you. The natural balance of this world is gradually diminishing. Corruption of body and mind affects all human beings. They choose to close their eyes and turn to the Devil and alienation. The good is running out of steam while the darkness is growing. Our creator has given you a wonderful legacy, but what do you do with it? Apart from cutting down the trees that feed you with oxygen, poisoning the water that is your first source of life. You invented the word 'religion,' with the sole purpose of creating your 'Holy' wars, when in the end everything comes together. Good, fewer and fewer people believe in it, so it fades away and will eventually disappear one day. The universe or God, no matter what he is called here on earth, materialized the Emerald in a body shaped by himself alone, and it was born in the most beautiful prayers recited by man. You are blessed, Zoe, and have been since you were born. Your soul is therefore purer and more incorruptible than any other on this Earth. God has appointed a man of each religion, with the clearest and most devoted soul to him. Each of them was called to a secret place eighteen years ago."
"The date of my birth," I guessed as I listened to the story.
"That's right. On the day of your birth, eighteen mortals gathered in a shelter, on the top of a plain, and each one of them began to pray in his own dialect for your coming into the world. So you have been blessed by the heavens, but more than that. You are the only one who has been blessed, recognized, by each of the religions existing on this Earth, and those in the same voice. You alone represent universal peace between all faiths."
DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend Page 13