BOOK 1: BEYOND THE ICE WALL - Chapter 3: Arkenfall Library (by Clive J. Welan)
Chapter 3: Arkenfall Library
The sky above Novara began to shift as the sun slowly dipped behind the city’s skyline.
A warm orange glow washed over the streets, reflecting off glass buildings and the slow-moving vehicles caught in the evening traffic. But on the northern edge of the city, far from the noise and rush, stood a building long forgotten.
Arkenfall Library.
It stood like a relic from another age. Its gray stone walls were cracked with time. Tall stained-glass windows lined its sides, some of them dimmed by age and dust. The old pillars at the entrance made it look more like an ancient cathedral than a library. The streetlamp in front flickered faintly. Hardly anyone came here anymore. Except those searching for something the internet could not provide.
Eljireh Root stood a few meters from the iron gate, staring at the old structure with mixed emotions. In his hand, his phone still displayed the message he had received hours earlier.
“If you want to know the truth about The Southern, come to Arkenfall Library tonight.”
No follow-up.
No identity.
Nothing more.
“Eljireh.”
Quianna’s voice came from behind him.
He turned. She walked toward him at an easy pace, a small sling bag resting on her shoulder. Her short black bob shifted slightly in the evening breeze.
“So you actually came,” she said.
Eljireh gave a faint smile.
“You did too.”
Quianna shrugged.
“I don’t like unsolved mysteries.”
She glanced at the building.
“Or maybe I’m just curious.”
Eljireh pushed the iron gate. A long creak echoed as it slowly opened. Inside the library, the air felt… different.
Colder.
Quieter.
Dim yellow lights hung from the high ceiling. The scent of old paper and aged wood filled the vast space. Bookshelves rose like a maze. Some sections of the room were swallowed in shadow. An elderly man sat behind the reception desk near the entrance. He wore thin, round glasses and was reading a large, ancient-looking book. As Eljireh and Quianna approached, the man lifted his head slightly. His eyes were sharp—despite the fact that he looked well past sixty.
“Arkenfall Library is almost closed,” he said calmly.
“We’re looking for someone,” Eljireh replied.
“Who?”
Eljireh showed him the message on his phone. The old man read it quickly. But strangely… there was no sign of surprise on his face. Instead, he gave a slow nod.
“Then you are expected.”
Quianna and Eljireh exchanged a glance.
“Expected?” Quianna asked.
The man rose slowly.
“Follow me.”
They walked past towering bookshelves. The library was far larger than it appeared from the outside. Some shelves held history books. Others contained old world atlases. And some looked like ancient manuscripts written entirely by hand. Quianna’s eyes lit up as she looked around.
“This place is like a museum,” she whispered.
Eljireh only nodded. The old man stopped at a large wooden door at the back of the library. He pulled a small key from his pocket.
Click.
The door opened slowly. Beyond it was a smaller room. But its walls were covered in ancient world maps. Large maps hung on every side. Some looked incredibly old. Some were drawn in ink that had nearly faded away. But one thing immediately caught Eljireh’s attention. Not a single map matched the modern world map. Some showed different continents. Some showed oceans far larger than they should be. And some… showed something beyond The Southern.
Quianna stepped closer to one of the large maps.
“This…”
She traced The Southern with her finger.
“Why is there another line here?”
Eljireh moved closer. And she was right. On that map, The Southern was not drawn as a continent. But as a massive circular wall. Beyond that wall… there were other lands.
Eljireh and Quianna turned. The old man stood at the doorway, watching them calmly.
Quianna crossed her arms.
“So you’re the one who sent the message?”
Elias nodded.
“Yes.”
Eljireh looked at him directly.
“Why?”
Elias stepped into the room and stood before the largest map on the wall. This map was unlike the others. It did not show the world as a sphere. Nor as scattered continents across oceans. Instead… the world was drawn as a vast circular plane. Encircling it was a colossal wall of ice.
The White Rim.
And beyond that wall… more land. More oceans. More world.
“Because you’ve started to see the cracks,” Elias said.
“Eljireh Root.”
Eljireh froze.
“You know my name.”
Elias gave a faint smile.
“More than that.”
He gestured toward the map.
“For centuries, humanity has been taught that the world is a sphere drifting through space.”
“That theory gained prominence after Galileo’s work.”
“And it was reinforced by the scientists who came after.”
Quianna raised an eyebrow.
“That’s not a theory. That’s science.”
Elias didn’t argue. He simply nodded.
“That is what the world believes.”
He pointed at The Southern on the map.
“Yet no ordinary human has ever been allowed to explore it freely.”
“All expeditions are monitored.”
“All routes are restricted.”
Eljireh felt something stir in his chest. The same feeling he had when he first saw maps that didn’t align with official data.
“Why?” he asked.
Elias looked at both of them.
“For one simple reason.”
He pointed at the ice wall.
“Because if humanity discovers that this world has a boundary…”
“they will begin to ask what lies beyond it.”
Silence filled the room. Then Elias said quietly,
“And that question is very dangerous… to those who control the world.”
Quianna shook her head slightly.
“This sounds like a conspiracy theory.”
Elias smiled.
“Does it?”
He picked up a small metal cylinder from the table. Then he pulled something out of it. A satellite photograph. But unlike any satellite image they had seen before. It showed a massive wall of ice. Towering. White. Endless—like a cliff that stretched beyond the horizon. Eljireh stared at it without blinking.
“This…”
“It was taken three years ago,” Elias said.
“During a classified expedition.”
Quianna looked at him.
“If this is real, why hasn’t the world seen it?”
Elias answered with a single sentence.
“Because the world is not allowed to.”
Suddenly— footsteps echoed from the outer corridor. Fast. More than one person. Elias turned sharply toward the door. For the first time, his expression changed.
“They’ve arrived sooner than expected.”
“Who?” Eljireh asked.
Elias switched off the lights. Darkness swallowed the room instantly. Outside, the main library door slammed open. Several people entered. Heavy footsteps echoed across the wooden floor. Elias whispered,
“The Global Council.”
Quianna held her breath. Eljireh felt his heartbeat quicken. Elias looked at both of them.
“If you want to know the truth about this world…”
He pointed toward a small door hidden behind the map shelves.
“Go. Now.”
The footsteps were getting closer. Lights flickered in the hallway. Shadows of uniformed figures appeared beneath the door. Elias spoke softly,
“Because starting tonight…”
“you are no longer just searching for the truth.”
He opened the hidden door. A dark passage stretched beyond it.
“You are being hunted.”
And far to the south of the world… beyond the storms of The Southern… the great wall of ice stood unmoving.
The White Rim.
But something beyond it… was beginning to awaken.
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