Alyce Lydell's Arc

Chapter 5 of 10

Alyce found a staircase hidden behind a collapsed wall in the eastern tunnels. The steps led down to a locked door, and she'd spent three days searching for the right tool to open it. This morning she'd traded for a heavy crowbar at the market. Now she wedged it into the gap between the door and its frame. Metal groaned against metal as she pushed. The lock broke with a sharp crack. The door swung open into a room lined with shelves. Books filled every shelf, their spines marked with dates from before the Dream Wardens existed. Maps hung on the walls showing tunnels that current charts didn't include. She ran her fingers along the nearest shelf and pulled out a journal. The pages inside described structures buried three levels deeper than anyone was supposed to go. This was exactly what she'd been searching for—proof that Dreamland's ancient truths weren't just stories. She stood in the center of the room and let herself smile. She'd found it. She'd actually found it. She spent the next hour sorting through the materials. One map showed a network of chambers beneath the abandoned districts. Another marked locations with symbols she'd seen carved into tunnel walls during her explorations. She laid three journals on a cleared table and photographed each page with her salvaged camera. The evidence would stay safe even if she had to leave this place. Outside the library, she noticed carved stones embedded in the walls. Twisted symbols covered their surfaces in indigo, magenta, gold, and white. Some matched the markings from the maps inside. Others showed patterns she'd never seen before. She traced one with her finger and recognized it from the tea party gathering. These symbols connected everything—the forbidden zones, the hidden library, the ancient structures buried below. Other explorers would need to see this. She pulled out her chalk and copied the most important symbols onto a flat section of wall where lamplight would hit them. Anyone searching for answers would recognize what they meant. Her chest felt lighter than it had in months. She had proof. She had evidence. She had a path forward into the deeper levels, and now she knew exactly where to go next. The monument stood three blocks from the library entrance, carved from dark stone. A grinning cat face twisted across its surface, surrounded by the same indigo, magenta, gold, and white symbols she'd found inside. The craftsmanship looked old, older than anything the Dream Wardens had built. Someone had placed it here to mark a discovery, something that changed what people knew about Dreamland's past. She studied the cat's face and the spiraling patterns around it. This wasn't just decoration. It was a record, proof that others before her had found truths worth celebrating. She pulled out her camera and photographed it from three angles. When she made it to the deeper levels, when she found what those old journals described, she'd have her own discoveries to document. The monument showed her what was possible. Other explorers had succeeded. They'd gone into forbidden zones and returned with knowledge that mattered. Now she had the maps and journals to do the same. She touched the carved cat's grin once more, then turned back toward her base. Tomorrow she'd start planning her descent to the third level below. Today she'd proven she could find what others said didn't exist. She walked past a building with huge glass windows that caught the afternoon light. Strange objects filled the display space inside—twisted cups, broken clocks, keys that didn't match any modern locks. Someone had gathered artifacts from the forbidden zones and put them where people could see them. She pressed her hand against the glass and looked at each item. These were discoveries like the ones she'd just made, proof that the ancient truths were real and waiting to be found. The journals in her bag held directions to even more. The maps showed paths no one else was using. She had everything she needed to go deeper than anyone expected. Her reflection stared back at her from the window, pink streaks bright in her hair, determination clear on her face. She'd started this search alone with nothing but questions. Now she had answers, evidence, and a clear path forward. The forbidden zones had given up their first secrets to her, and she wasn't going to stop until she'd uncovered them all.