Emmod and Novel are not exactly sure what to expect the next day.

  They told their mother that they would be out all day.

  Emina sighs heavily as she closes the door behind them. The dark rings under her eyes and her tired gaze reveal the sleepless nights since Ko's death. The tensions in the family weigh on her. She hopes that yesterday's events helped the boys sort out their thoughts after spending the last week as prisoners in their own home.

  Upon arriving at Korbach's place, Novel rushes into the house, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  "Korbach, the secret passages—what exactly are they for?"

  Korbach, still half-asleep, rubs his eyes.

  "What got into you?" he asks. "And why do you both look so exhausted? It's still morning.", he adds, before closing the door behind them.

  "The secret passages. Why were they built, and why does no one know about their existence?" Novel continues probing.

  "Your grandmother and former queen, Naoma Wynfre, built them before the Four Crown War," Korbach begins. "They were primarily meant to serve as a security measure," he adds.

  His eyes narrow as he studies Emmod.

  "You're not wearing your bandana again," he quickly notes. "Is everything okay?"

  "I'm fine," Emmod replies irritably.

  But Korbach senses that there's more to it.

  "You can't run away from who you are," he says.

  "I know who I am," Emmod retorts, almost angrily.

  Korbach snorts.

  "The secret passages were meant to be escape routes in case something happened to the city," he continues. "If the city were to fall, people could escape quietly to the outer part of town," he explains. "However, your father's and your uncles' wildness and curiosity were too great. They used the passages to escape their daily noble lives and roam freely in the city," he elaborates. "When soldiers from Londe once invaded the city, they captured the young princes who had sneaked out earlier," he continues. "Fortunately, they were rescued, but this incident tipped the scales between Londe and Rilgohin and eventually led to the Four Crown War."

  "The Four Crown War?" Emmod asks, surprised. "I thought the complete destruction of the library of Narakoid in Santaria was the trigger."

  "Where did you—?" Korbach starts, but Emmod just shrugs.

  "Sometimes we pay attention in history class."

  Korbach clears his throat.

  "Rilgohin wasn't entirely uninvolved, but what I was actually getting at is... these passages should be accessible to anyone who needs them."

  "Then why aren't they?" Novel presses.

  "Because it was too late before that thought could bear fruit," Korbach replies wearily.

  He then leaves the brothers for a moment to fetch the large, rolled-up parchment from upstairs.

  "Why weren't they used during the war?" Emmod asks directly when Korbach comes back down the stairs. "I mean, when the city was taken."

  "Only the princes and a few select individuals knew about the secret passages. By the time the city was conquered by the three other nations, all those people had already been captured or killed."

  Through Korbach's kitchen, they reach a back door.

  "And you, Korbach?" Emmod asks. "You have knowledge about these secret passages. Where were you when they took the city?"

  Korbach's hand hesitates on the doorknob, and a dark cloud passes over his face.

  Memories of the war's events crowd his thoughts.

  No one had ever accused him of this until now. But was it even an accusation? Or was it a simple, unbiased question from a curious child?

  "I had other priorities at that time," Korbach replies plainly before opening the door.

  From there, they enter a tiny courtyard, which leads them into the adjacent barn.

  "And why does no one know about this?" Emmod now speaks much more accusingly. "At that time, it would have certainly been helpful to use those passages."

  "The main problem was the arrogance of the princes," Korbach finally says. "After they had gained their abilities, they considered themselves invincible. Their arrogance formed a thick wall around them, shielding them from reality," he recounts. "They didn't see the need to devise a plan that could have been implemented in a worst-case scenario. Until, as you know, that very scenario occurred. However, by then, it was too late for any action," he says ruefully, opening the side door of his barn.

  The barn is three times as wide and large as the ground floor of Korbach's house. The walls are made of old wooden beams, and the corners are covered in cobwebs. Dusty rays of sunlight filter through the skylights, casting a muted light across the room. Hay bales are stacked to the ceiling, some higher, some lower.

  A hint of nostalgia hangs in the air.

  Emmod and Novel discover an entirely new playground, eager to form an opinion before they hear a loud cough.

  "Have you forgotten why we're here?" Korbach asks with a disapproving look.

  "Of course not," Novel clears his throat, trying to appear as serious as Korbach.

  "So," Emmod continues with a raised eyebrow, "from here, we go to the secret passages?"

  "Well, I don't see any entrance," Novel says with a shrug.

  "You just need to look in the right corners," Korbach replies, his voice a bit softer as he points to a stack of hay bales. One of the bales in the bottom row is slightly smaller than the others. Emmod and Novel kneel down, push the hay aside, and uncover a hidden wooden board. Beneath the hay, an inconspicuous trapdoor appears, secured with old leather straps.

  "Dead end," Novel says. "I think you've put the hole in the wrong bale."

  "That's a hatch, you know-it-all," Korbach snaps back.

  Carefully, Emmod loosens the straps, and the door creaks open. A wooden ladder leads down into a narrow tunnel shrouded in deep darkness.

  Korbach's eyes sparkle as the musty smell of damp wood and earth wafts up to him.

  He then approaches a hay bale at waist height. There, he unfolds the large, rolled-up piece of parchment to show it to Emmod and Novel.

  "The tunnel system looks incomplete at first glance and has only a few entrances and exits—four, to be exact, one in each district," Korbach begins. "We are here—at the entrance in the Whitepool district," he says, pointing to a spot on the faded map.

  "From here, this path leads you through half of this district to the Merchant District, where the second entrance is located," he explains. "Mr. Hershay..."

  "The old geezer?!" Novel exclaims loudly, only to get a reprimanding glare from Korbach.

  "I hear he's familiar to you," Korbach says. "Don't be fooled by his simplicity," he warns. "There are reasons why he hasn't set up his stall in the marketplace, despite his popular watermelons. If he were to move away from there, the entrance to these passages would be exposed."

  Emmod and Novel are flabbergasted.

  "That's why he was always so angry when we knocked over his stall during races," Novel concludes.

  "I think, apart from us knocking over his stall, that was only one of the reasons," Emmod adds his subjective opinion.

  Korbach clears his throat again as the brothers digress.

  "Once you pass this point, you'll reach the marketplace," he explains, pointing with his finger at the spot. "From there, follow the corridor southwest to the Royal District, where the first of two hurdles awaits you," he says. "Because roughly from this point, the path splits."

  After that, a brief silence falls between them.

  Emmod and Novel laugh.

  "And what's the difficulty in that?" Emmod asks, grinning just like his brother.

  "One path will lead you to your goal, to the castle," Korbach replies. "The other will lead you to the Shinemore District, near the Rogues' District."

  Their laughter quickly fades as they would prefer to avoid the Rogues' District.

  "And which of the two leads us to the castle?" Emmod asks.

  "You'll find out if you choose the wrong one," Korbach answers with a shrug.

  "Oh, thank you very much, Mister," Emmod retorts in response to this answer.

  "Lower your voice, boy!" Korbach barks back.

  "Why can't you just tell us exactly, Korbach?" Novel now asks, much calmer.

  "Because I've never used them," Korbach clarifies.

  This leaves the boys completely speechless.

  "But don't worry. You should be able to tell by whether you're going uphill or downhill after some time," Korbach says nonchalantly. "The uphill path is the second hurdle, as it could get steep."

  "But how do you know what awaits us down there if you've never been there yourself?" Novel asks, starting to have doubts about their approach.

  "Exactly," Emmod adds. "We could encounter anyone possible down there and be left defenseless."

  "I doubt that," Korbach replies casually.

  "You make it sound so easy," Novel says, slightly trembling. "What if we run into Crimson Crusaders down there? After all, they were the most loyal followers of the princes."

  "The most loyal followers of your family, you mean?" Korbach counters.

  Emmod and Novel will need more time to get used to that.

  "Listen," Korbach continues, "I remember your mother had similar concerns when she first took this step."

  "Our mother? She was here?" they ask in turn.

  "Of course," Korbach says boastfully. "I'm still impressed by her determination and the courage Emina showed back then. A strength that she has surely passed on to you," he continues. "She met the princes when she was about your age. Haven't you talked to her about it since the incident with Ko?"

  Their silence indicates a no.

  "Hmm. Well, maybe it's better that way until you've processed the events properly," Korbach answers himself, wanting to avoid opening another can of worms.

  "So then—I think you're ready," he continues confidently, intending to send them on their way. "I'll wait here for your return."

  "Don't you want to come along?" Novel asks.

  "No, no. I'm too old to squeeze through there," Korbach replies.

  Meanwhile, Emmod stares thoughtfully at the hatch, which does not go unnoticed by Korbach.

  "Is everything okay?" Korbach asks encouragingly.

  Novel also notices that something is weighing on his older brother's mind.

  "What are snitches?" Emmod murmurs, completely focused, before turning to Korbach.

  Korbach raises an eyebrow.

  "Why do you ask?" he questions suspiciously.

  "Because of Uncle Ko," Emmod replies absentmindedly. "The Black Guardians only found him because he was betrayed by a snitch," he explains, as Novel pauses. "They accused him of changing his eye color during a fight. They got that information from the snitch."

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Korbach sighs.

  "After the attacks by the Crimson Crusaders a few weeks ago, the king had an idea," he begins. "He doesn't force the citizens to help him by violence; instead, he gives them a good reason," he elaborates. "Snitches are people who report suspicious occurrences in the city to soldiers, either for a piece of bread, a free night with a woman, or a hallucinogenic drug," he explains. "People who don't have it as easy in life as you and I or people who discard all morals and would sell you for a silver coin to meet their needs," he continues. "A list of individuals reported by the snitches is created each week, signed by the king, and sent to Londe. The responsible people in Londe then pass the case on to the High Council, which ultimately decides whether those suspicious occurrences need to be investigated further."

  He then looks at Emmod, who is nodding thoughtfully.

  "Why exactly did you want to know?" Korbach asks sharply.

  "Curiosity," Emmod replies with a forced smile, before Korbach lets him off the hook.

  "Must be in the family," Korbach chuckles.

  He then looks at Emmod, who is nodding thoughtfully.

  "Why exactly did you want to know?" Korbach asks sharply.

  "Curiosity," Emmod replies with a forced smile, before Korbach lets him off the hook.

  "Must be in the family," Korbach chuckles. "You've picked up some unique talents from them," he adds. "They will be of assistance to you on your journey," he supplements in a slightly grumpy tone.

  Finally, Korbach gives them two torches to light their way in the darkness.

  Then Novel slips through the hatch behind his brother, and they ascend a slippery wooden ladder.

  "Oh, and one more thing," Korbach says. "I'll take care of this today, but please be so kind as to close the hatch every time you come through here. You can never be too careful," he winks at them before his face disappears.

  It seems Korbach already has a premonition that the brothers will not use this passage just once, but will also do so without informing him when they do.

  "And one more thing."

  "Yes?" they ask simultaneously, irritated.

  "Don't be too disappointed if the girl doesn't come along. It would be foolish of you to think she would simply give in and come with you."

  Ultimately, he bids farewell to the Brymbachs with these words.

  After carefully descending the wooden ladder, they see a long corridor ahead of them. It smells even more moldy than before.

  "Can you see anything?" Emmod whispers to his brother in the darkness.

  "Nothing of relevance," Novel replies with a shrug.

  And indeed, apart from the crawling vermin, it seemed that no one else was sharing their company.

  Meanwhile, Emmod lights the first torch.

  "Then let's go," he says nervously, taking the first step into the unknown. The light of the torch allows him to see only a few meters ahead.

  The further they walk down the corridor, the colder, damper, and bumpier it becomes. The shape and size change little. And after several minutes, they have lost all sense of time. They are using up the torches faster than they can look.

  Emmod grows increasingly anxious about the inevitable. With each extinguished torch, he curses the next one, which at least brings a bit of amusement to Novel along their journey.

  After what feels like an eternity, they reach several rusty bars that have been mounted vertically on the wall, one above the other. Emmod shakes them vigorously.

  "They're quite rusty, but still usable," he says after inspecting them.

  "Do you hear that?" he then asks.

  "No, what?" Novel replies.

  Emmod holds the torch up high, allowing them to estimate that they are about five meters underground.

  He then points up at the ceiling.

  "Is that...?" Novel asks. Driven by curiosity, he instinctively climbs the metal bars toward the ceiling. There, he encounters a wooden surface with a peephole in the middle.

  "Be careful," he hears his brother hiss from below as Novel cautiously presses his eye to the peephole.

  His view is severely obstructed. However, his ears catch an unmistakable voice that is often used to yell at either him or his brother.

  This man is doing what he always does: selling watermelons. But for Novel, Mr. Hershay is no longer seen merely as a simple vendor but as a good friend of his family.

  In his excitement, Novel almost loses sight of the actual goal until his brother reminds him by hitting him in the back with his extinguished torch. Novel is so startled that he bangs his head against the wooden ceiling.

  It shifts slightly for a brief moment, which Mr. Hershay's sharp eye immediately catches.

  Novel holds his breath.

  Mr. Hershay concentrates all his senses on the secret access point as he speaks to himself:

  "Fata Morgana, Hershay. Wouldn't that be nice?"

  Then he turns back to his work. Emmod and Novel can breathe a sigh of relief.

  They know that this revelation can wait a little longer.

  Novel returns to Emmod, who is busy lighting the next torch.

  "How long do you think we've been down here?" Emmod asks.

  "The sun is nearly at the top," Novel replies.

  "So it's been that long," Emmod says, sobering, before they continue on.

  After another hour, the two of them have finally had enough.

  The corridor seems endless. Additionally, the ceiling is sometimes so low that they can only proceed in a slight crouch. This effort leaves them gasping for breath and sweating.

  Especially Novel is done with it, which he strongly expresses with every loud and quickly repeated sigh—much to the annoyance of his older brother.

  "Tired?" his brother asks irritably.

  "Of the path," Novel replies.

  "The path is the goal," Emmod responds, trying to cheer himself up at least.

  "Are you sure it will just be okay again?" Novel adds, "I mean, after our last encounter with her."

  "I don't think so," Emmod says with a shrug, "But if you care about her, you should do everything you can to make things right."

  At that moment, however, this problem became a problem for tomorrow.

  "Please hand me the next torch," Emmod says to Novel after the second one has gone out.

  "I don't have any more," Novel replies flatly.

  "Don't joke around now, just give it to me," Emmod says, slightly thrown off.

  "That wasn't a joke," Novel retorts. "Korbach only gave us two. But what difference does it make..." he says, turning to see his older brother standing frozen in place.

  "Oh right."

  "Oh right," Emmod repeats with exaggerated mock sounds.

  Emmod doesn't want to accept it, but there's no doubt about it.

  Should he continue with his eyes closed?

  Because with his eyes open, he doesn't feel surrounded by simple darkness but by something more profound, something he has never experienced before.

  For Novel, however, it's a piece of cake. He recognizes the very narrow and low tunnel just as well as before.

  "Alright," Emmod tries to calm himself, "You have to lead me."

  Easier said than done.

  Because even with Novel's help, Emmod frequently stumbles and, despite his best efforts, bumps against the walls, coming into contact with various creatures that have avoided him thanks to the fire.

  But his suffering doesn't seem to last long.

  "What is that?" Novel asks after a few minutes. "Do you see that?"

  Emmod doesn't respond, as he obviously doesn't see whatever it is that Novel seems to be seeing.

  "The path forks," Novel continues.

  "That's what Korbach was talking about, you fool," Emmod says. "Look at the map and compare it with the paths."

  "Okay," Novel replies and dares a glance at it.

  First a short look, then a long one, then...

  "Are you still there?" Emmod asks.

  "Yes."

  "And? What do you see?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Just as I said," Novel replies. "I could go ahead and scout. Then I'll know eventually if it's the right or wrong way."

  But before he can dash off, Emmod grabs him by the shoulder.

  "And leave me here in the dark? Let's not do that."

  "But Emmod, look at the paths. They're identical!" Novel nearly cries out in desperation.

  "Novel, I swear, if you say that one more time..."

  "Alright. Alright," Novel says, though this time it wasn't meant to be insincere.

  Emmod sighs.

  "Novel," he begins, "Listen. This is important," he says. "I've lost all sense of direction. I'm not blaming you, but I can't help you down here. I don't know where is left, right, up, or down. I don't even know if we're standing normally or upside down," he explains. "I've always taken responsibility for us. But here, I can't do that. You have to decide. You are now—today, here—responsible for us. So concentrate—please."

  At that, Novel pulls himself together.

  He looks again at the map and then at the two real paths directly in front of them.

  Then back to the map until he finally lowers it to focus entirely on the two paths.

  His ability to see in the dark isn't helping him at the moment.

  So, he closes his eyes and concentrates.

  It's a mixture of unconscious and conscious, as well as uncontrolled and controlled action.

  He searches for a connection. A connection that feels strange but right.

  A connection to Lina.

  Meanwhile, Emmod wonders if Novel has even been listening to him.

  'In the end, it's not that bad,' Emmod thinks, 'If we take the wrong path...'

  "This is it," Emmod suddenly hears.

  "W-what?" he asks, completely pulled from his thoughts.

  "We have to take the left path."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Just a feeling," Novel answers with a shrug.

  Emmod snorts.

  "I trust you blindly," he says sarcastically.

  "Then let's go," Novel calls out and makes his way forward.

  "Novel," he hears quietly behind him.

  "Oh."

  Indeed, Novel's gut feeling has proven correct.

  The corridor slowly rises higher and becomes steeper. This is an indication that they are beneath the Royal District, on the right path to the castle.

  After some time, Novel sees a staircase at the end of the corridor that disappears far upward.

  The last thing that could happen to Emmod has occurred, as Novel cannot say how many steps they must climb. Counting doesn't help much either, as Emmod stumbles after what feels like every third step, throwing them off rhythm.

  But their persistence pays off, as they reach a hatch at the top of the stairs that lies horizontally in the ceiling.

  Cautiously, Novel pushes the hatch upward, but it doesn't budge, even when he applies more force. Emmod supports him, but even together they cannot move the hatch an inch.

  Emmod groans.

  "This can't be true!" he exclaims. "We're already here, and nothing is happening."

  Instead, Novel examines the walls around them more closely.

  'Wait a moment,' he thinks as he notices a stone that juts out unusually far on one side.

  Curiously, he presses the stone deeper into the wall, and in an instant, the hatch opens a crack. They peek into the room. No one is in sight.

  With combined strength, they push the door upward, causing some household clutter that was on the hatch to tumble left and right. Then they climb out. The hatch closes by itself, leaving no trace on the floor.

  They find themselves in a small, dusty storage room within the castle walls.

  This is the very storage room where they first met Lina almost a month ago to return her forehead chain.

  But this time, there is no sign of Lina.

  Instead, Mister Red stands on his hind legs before them, his bushy tail flicking irritably behind him.

  "You certainly kept me waiting," Mister Red says as Emmod and Novel brush the dirt off their clothes. "After all the fuss this morning, I expected you to be here quicker.", he adds with a grin.