Chapter 959: Heaven's Path

Karyk wandered aimlessly from one room to another, unsure of his purpose or what he was supposed to be searching for. He had been instructed to come to this location, but it was clear that the place had already been devastated. Even if something of significance had once resided here, the chances of finding it now seemed highly unlikely. "There must be something that they haven't managed to find yet. But where would it be?" He checked the walls, wondering if there was any secret opening anywhere. But none of that existed. The entire place looked as ordinary as possible. After thoroughly searching every room, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of disappointment. Doubts started to creep into his mind, making him question whether he had made a mistake and ended up in the wrong location.

The library, supposedly situated in the heart of the city, was a matter of perspective. Depending on how one defined the center, it could be argued that the library stood at its core.

"I'm fairly certain that this spot should be the exact center point of the City," he murmured to himself. Coming to a stop at a peculiar spot within the library, which happened to be roughly at its center, he found himself in yet another ordinary room. Books were scattered across the floor, seemingly abandoned and forgotten.

After an unsuccessful search for anything of significance, he decided to take a chance on a random thought. His gaze fell upon a book that lay on the floor, right next to his feet.

The book was covered in dust, and also looked torn. It also looked like many people had stepped over the book. The condition of this book was even worse than any other book. He picked up the book. At first, he could not see any title on the book. But the moment his fingers touched the book, the name started getting clearer. The book was titled, "Heaven's Path."

"Heaven's Path... What a grand name for a book." Karyk was about to open the book, out of curiosity. "Just when I thought you were useless, you found Heaven's Path. Not bad."

The sound of footsteps echoed in the place. Karyk looked towards the entrance of the place and saw a man stepping inside the room. Karyk did not know the identity of the person, but he felt danger. Even without his abilities, his heart was repeatedly warning him that there was danger. "No wonder people could not find it. It was hidden inside such an insignificant book," the dark robed man spoke. In the next moment, he appeared before Karyk. "I would be taking this."

He reached out his hand to snatch the book for himself. But the moment his fingers touched the book, he was sent flying. He crashed against the library walls which made the entire wall tremble. "It seems I was overly optimistic. I should have realized that they would take extra caution." The man patted his clothes as he stood up. He could see the book was still covered by a protective aura. And that protective aura was also covering Karyk now. "Since you are able to touch it, you must be a remnant of those idiots," he said. "I had a feeling that sooner or later, one might show up. But I did not expect it to happen during my time."

"Would you be kind enough to hand over that book?" He reached out his hand. His voice was calm as he asked for the book. He appeared like a poisonous snake that was waiting to strike if he did not receive what he wanted. "Are you the so-called Child of Heaven?" Karyk asked in return. From the man's reaction, he was convinced that these people were in this world for this book. But what was the reason they wanted this book? Why did the Civilization protect it so much? That remained unclear to him. "A child of heaven? Do people still use that name?" The man rubbed his forehead, as if he was feeling cringed by that name. "It seems you have been with the creatures of this world. No wonder it was so hard to find a remnant. So they had been hiding you." "Why do you want this book?" Karyk asked, after confirming the identity of this person. The man appeared momentarily surprised as he heard Karyk's question. "I see. You don't know anything about that book. No wonder you are so stubborn." The man's sigh echoed in the silent library. "Don't tell me you thought that book is a treasure that could grant you immense strength or something?"

"If you think that way, then you are a fool. That book is not a treasure that can make you strong. It won't lead you to a treasure either. That book is nothing more than a journal."

"A journal?"

"Correct. I suppose you can call it a book that shows the history of this place. You can use that book, but it will be useless for you. Because the moment you finish, I will kill you and read your memories."

"So why do you want to make things hard for both of us?" he asked. "Hand over the book, and I will act as if I did not see you tonight."

"A book depicting the history of the Civilization?'

Karyk had a rough idea about what he held in his hand. If the man was not lying, then it was the collective knowledge of the Civilization that probably mentioned the so-called sins that they had committed. The reason these people wanted this book was because they wanted to see the past? He did not know why they would want to see that past. But one thing was clear. He could not let them see it. The only problem was escaping after using this book. He only had the barrier temporarily. The moment he finished using the Book, the barrier was going to be over.

After that, it was just as the man said. He could be killed, unless he found a way to free himself through this book. "Your offer is interesting, but I would have to refuse." Karyk opened the book, shocking the man.