Chapter 164 - 159: A Scholar Named Darius
The office grew quiet once more after the young librarian left.
The only sound was the steady ticking of an old pendulum clock mounted on the wall.
John looked toward Aldric.
"Who exactly is Darius Voss?"
The Chief Archivist remained standing by the window for a few moments before answering.
"He is... a complicated man."
Miriam gave a small snort.
"That’s one way to describe him."
Aldric smiled faintly.
"He is undoubtedly one of the most knowledgeable independent historians on the continent."
John waited for him to continue.
"But knowledge alone does not determine a person’s character."
"He travels constantly, purchasing relics, forgotten manuscripts, and artifacts from adventurers."
"He has financed several archaeological expeditions with his own fortune."
John raised an eyebrow.
"That doesn’t sound so bad."
"It isn’t."
Aldric admitted.
"The problem is that he rarely shares what he discovers."
Miriam folded her arms.
"If he uncovers ten ancient records..."
"The world may only learn about one."
"And the other nine?"
"They disappear into his private collection."
John frowned.
"So no one can study them."
"Exactly."
---
John thought for a moment.
"Have you met him?"
Aldric nodded.
"Twice."
"The first meeting was nearly twenty years ago."
"He was younger then."
"Ambitious."
"Clever."
"He asked excellent questions."
"What happened?"
John asked.
The old scholar sighed quietly.
"We disagreed."
"About history?"
"In a way."
Aldric walked back toward his desk.
"I believe history belongs to everyone."
"Darius believes history belongs to whoever discovers it."
John immediately understood the difference.
Neither man wanted to destroy history.
But their philosophies couldn’t have been more different.
One preserved knowledge so everyone could learn.
The other collected it as something rare and valuable.
---
Miriam opened another cabinet and carefully returned the ancient scroll to its proper place.
"When people hide knowledge..."
She said without turning around.
"They also control who receives it."
John nodded slowly.
"And control often leads to power."
Miriam glanced back at him.
"You learn quickly."
---
A knock interrupted the conversation.
"Come in."
Elena entered once again.
This time she carried a leather-bound ledger.
"Master Aldric."
"I checked today’s visitor records."
"There is something unusual."
Aldric accepted the ledger.
"What did you find?"
Elena opened it to a bookmarked page.
"Darius Voss signed the registry shortly after sunrise."
John looked surprised.
"So he came before the library even opened?"
Elena nodded.
"He requested every publicly available manuscript concerning dragons."
"And?"
"He spent less than thirty minutes reading them."
John frowned.
"That’s impossible."
Even reading quickly, there was no way someone could carefully examine so many texts in such a short time.
Aldric shared the same concern.
"He wasn’t searching for information."
The old scholar murmured.
"He was confirming something."
---
John looked toward the elderly archivist.
"You think he already knows what he’s looking for."
"I do."
Aldric replied.
"He was likely checking whether our public collection had changed."
Miriam’s expression hardened slightly.
"Meaning his real interest lies elsewhere."
"The restricted archives."
John finished.
Neither of the elders disagreed.
---
Aldric closed the ledger.
"Did he request access upstairs?"
"Yes."
Elena answered.
"I politely refused."
"As expected."
"He accepted the answer without complaint."
Miriam frowned.
"That worries me more."
John looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because persistent men argue."
She replied.
"Patient men make other plans."
The room became silent.
---
Aldric turned toward John.
"Do you know why I invited you this morning instead of next week?"
John slowly shook his head.
"I was afraid someone else would arrive first."
John blinked.
"You expected this?"
"Not specifically Darius."
"But rumors spread quickly among historians."
"When an old manuscript is displayed..."
"When ruins are discovered..."
"When unusual records surface..."
"Scholars notice."
John thought back to the damaged manuscript from yesterday.
Had someone else been following the same clues all along?
---
Aldric walked to one of the bookshelves and selected a thin volume.
Unlike the others, it contained no title.
He handed it to John.
"This is your first assignment."
John accepted it carefully.
"It’s blank."
"Open it."
John did.
Every page was empty.
He looked back up.
"I don’t understand."
"It is your research journal."
Aldric smiled.
"From today onward..."
"Write everything."
"Questions."
"Theories."
"Observations."
"Even ideas that later prove incorrect."
John gently turned another blank page.
"A journal..."
"When I was your age."
Aldric continued.
"I believed memory alone was enough."
"I was wrong."
He pointed toward one of the shelves.
"I have filled thirty-seven journals."
John’s eyes widened.
"Thirty-seven?"
"I still consult the oldest ones."
John smiled.
"I suppose even historians forget things."
"We all do."
Aldric laughed.
"The wise ones simply prepare for it."
---
Miriam walked over carrying a small bottle of dark blue ink and a finely crafted fountain pen.
She placed them beside the journal.
"A gift."
John looked surprised.
"I can’t accept—"
"You can."
She interrupted gently.
"I’ve had that pen for years."
"It deserves someone who will actually use it."
John carefully picked it up.
It was beautifully balanced.
The wooden body had been polished smooth from decades of handling.
"Thank you."
Miriam smiled.
"Fill every page."
---
Just then, another bell echoed through the library.
Lunch hour.
Outside the office windows, scholars began leaving the reading halls.
Some discussed research.
Others simply enjoyed the gardens.
Life continued as normal.
Yet inside the office...
Something had changed.
John no longer felt like a visitor.
For the first time since entering the Royal Library...
He felt as though he had become part of it.
---
Aldric looked at the clock.
"We’ve kept your companions waiting long enough."
John chuckled.
"Lythriel is probably wondering if I’ve been buried under books."
Miriam laughed softly.
"Not yet."
"But give Aldric another week."
"I heard that."
"You were meant to."
The three shared a quiet laugh.
---
As John prepared to leave, Aldric spoke once more.
"One final piece of advice."
John stopped near the doorway.
The old scholar’s voice had become unusually serious.
"Never assume that every mystery should be solved immediately."
John listened carefully.
"Some answers require strength."
"Others require wisdom."
"And a few..."
He looked toward the cabinet containing the ancient scroll.
"...require both."
John nodded solemnly.
"I’ll remember that."
Aldric smiled.
"I believe you will."
---
John stepped out into the corridor with Elena accompanying him back toward the public halls.
Neither noticed the man standing across the courtyard below.
A traveler dressed in a dark gray coat adjusted the brim of his wide hat as he looked up toward the upper windows of the archive wing.
His face was calm.
His eyes sharp and calculating.
He had watched John leave the restricted section.
Only for a moment.
Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd without speaking to anyone.
From a distance...
He looked no different from the hundreds of other travelers visiting Valenor.
But John had unknowingly crossed paths with the man called Darius Voss.
And although neither of them had exchanged a single word...
Their paths had finally begun to converge.
---
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