BOOK 1: BEYOND THE ICE WALL - Chapter 4: The Hidden Passage (by Clive J. Welan)
Chapter 4: The Hidden Passage
The secret door behind the map shelves opened slowly.
A narrow, dark corridor revealed itself beyond it, dimly lit by a single flickering light hanging from the low ceiling. The air inside felt damp—like a place untouched by human presence for years. Elias Corvin glanced once more toward the main hall of the library.
The sound of heavy footsteps was now unmistakable. Military.
“Quick,” he whispered.
Eljireh and Quianna didn’t hesitate. They stepped into the passage. Elias shut the hidden door behind them. The map shelves slid back into place, concealing their presence. Darkness swallowed them. Only the faint, flickering light remained. Quianna looked around.
“This place… feels like an old tunnel.”
They began walking. Their footsteps echoed along the narrow stone walls. Behind them, the archive room door burst open. A voice rang out—firm, controlled.
“We know you’re here, Corvin.”
A man’s voice. Cold. Disciplined. Eljireh glanced back. Elias shook his head.
“Don’t stop.”
They kept moving. The corridor twisted like an underground labyrinth. Some sections branched into smaller paths, sealed by rusted iron doors. Quianna studied the stone walls.
“This isn’t part of the library.”
Elias nodded.
“No.”
“This tunnel is older than the city itself.”
Eljireh looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
Elias paused briefly at an intersection, placing his hand against the cold stone.
“Arkenfall Library was built on top of something far older.”
“A hidden archive.”
“A place where some tried to preserve knowledge the world wanted forgotten.”
They continued forward. In the distance, the sound of metal echoed—another door being forced open. The Global Council had begun sweeping the library. Quianna lowered her voice.
“Why are they hunting us?”
Elias answered without turning.
“Because you saw that map.”
“Eljireh saw it first.”
“And people like the Global Council do not like those who ask too many questions.”
Eljireh clenched his fist slightly.
“So they’re hiding the truth about the world.”
Elias stopped again. This time, he turned. His eyes were serious beneath the dim light.
“They’re not just hiding it.”
“They built the entire system of the world to keep it hidden.”
Silence lingered.
Then Quianna asked softly,
“Why?”
Elias didn’t answer immediately. They reached a spiral stone staircase descending into darkness. He began to walk down.
“Because if humanity ever discovers what lies beyond the White Rim…”
“…the history of the world would have to be rewritten.”
Above them, in the archive room of Arkenfall Library, Three men in black uniforms stood among the ancient maps. Each bore a small insignia on their shoulder: A circle representing the world, crossed by three vertical lines.
The symbol of the Global Council.
One of them held the satellite photograph Elias had shown earlier. He was tall, with neatly combed-back hair. His name was Commander Lucien Varkis. He studied the map on the wall.
“He showed this to them.”
“Yes, Commander,” one of the agents replied.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
“Corvin has guarded this secret for far too long.”
He gestured toward a slightly shifted map shelf.
“Find the door.”
The second agent moved forward. Within seconds, he located the hidden mechanism. Click. The shelf slid aside. The dark passage revealed itself. Lucien allowed himself a faint smile.
“They’re not far.”
Underground, Eljireh, Quianna, and Elias continued down the spiral staircase. It finally opened into a large stone chamber. The room resembled an ancient storage hall. But what stood at its center made Eljireh stop. A massive stone table. And upon it, a world map. But unlike anything he had ever seen. Far more detailed than the maps in the archive. Far stranger.
Beyond the White Rim…
there were entire continents. Quianna stepped closer slowly.
“This…”
She turned to Elias.
“This isn’t The Southern.”
Elias nodded.
“No.”
He pointed at the massive ring of ice.
“This is the White Rim.”
Then his finger moved beyond it.
“And this…”
“…is the world humanity was never taught.”
Eljireh stared at the map, barely breathing. Several regions were labeled. Ancient script. Yet still readable.
Quianna frowned.
“This looks like… another world.”
Elias shook his head.
“Not another world.”
“The same world.”
“Humanity has simply never been allowed to reach it.”
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the staircase above. They froze. Elias quickly sealed the small map cylinder on the table.
“They found the passage.”
Quianna looked toward the stairs.
“How many?”
Elias thought briefly.
“Enough to capture us.”
Eljireh noticed another stone door on the far side of the chamber.
“Where does that lead?”
“Out of the city.”
“An old escape tunnel.”
“But we need to move now.”
The footsteps were getting closer.
Then, Lucien Varkis appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked down. His eyes met Eljireh’s. For a moment, silence. Then Lucien spoke calmly.
“Eljireh Root.”
His footsteps echoed as he began descending.
“You have no idea how grave a mistake you’ve just made.”
Quianna whispered,
“He knows your name.”
Eljireh replied quietly,
“I think they know much more than that.”
Lucien stopped halfway down the stairs.
“Hand over the map, Corvin.”
“And perhaps we won’t detain these students.”
Elias didn’t move. Instead, he placed the map cylinder into his worn leather bag. Lucien sighed.
“I see.”
He raised his hand slightly. The agents behind him began descending as well. Elias looked at Eljireh.
“Go.”
“Now.”
He pointed toward the stone door. Quianna grabbed Eljireh’s arm.
“We have to move!”
But Eljireh hesitated, looking at Elias.
“What about you?”
Elias smiled faintly.
“Some people protect the truth.”
“Others carry it forward.”
“Go.”
Lucien took another step down.
“You won’t get far.”
Eljireh finally turned. He and Quianna ran toward the stone door. Elias pulled a metal lever on the wall. The door groaned open. A long, dark tunnel stretched beyond it.
“Run!” Elias shouted.
They rushed inside. The stone door began to close behind them. At the last second, Eljireh glanced back. Elias stood alone in the chamber. Facing Lucien Varkis… and the agents of the Global Council. Then, the door sealed shut. Darkness. Silence. Only the sound of their breathing filled the tunnel.
Quianna spoke softly,
“Now we’re really in trouble.”
Eljireh stared into the darkness ahead. Then he said something that sent a chill even through himself.
“No.”
“We’ve just discovered the real world.”
And far to the south… the storms of The Southern grew stronger. Beyond them, the White Rim stood like a colossal wall separating two worlds. And something beyond that wall… had begun to notice them.
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