Lucien read the small writing in the corner of the map once again. The Seventh Revision.
He gently brushed the surface of the paper, yellowed with age, hoping his eyes had simply misread the faded letters. But no—the writing remained the same.
“Why?” he murmured.
If a map was labeled the seventh revision, then there should have been a first, second, and all the way through sixth revision. A document couldn’t possibly begin with the number seven.
Lucien realized he needed another perspective. He remembered the Linguistics student he had met yesterday in front of the manuscript room.
He hesitated for a moment. “I wonder if she’s busy.”
In the end, he walked to the manuscript room, where he found Lyra arranging several manuscripts on a table.
“Excuse me...”
Lyra raised her head. “Oh...” “We meet again.”
“Yeah.” Lucien smiled awkwardly.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all.” Lyra shook her head. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“I found something strange...” Lucien unfolded the map. “I need your opinion.”
Lyra looked at the map. “Is it about the language?”
Lucien shook his head. “I don’t know yet, either.” “I just feel like... there’s something I’m missing.”
Lyra stepped closer. “Then let’s take a look.”
“That is strange.” Lyra was still standing beside the table after listening to Lucien’s full explanation of the map.
“What’s strange about it?” Lucien asked.
“Normally, every revision would be kept in the archives.”
“Even if the contents were almost identical?”
Lyra nodded. “Especially if this is part of a university library collection. They rarely throw away old documents.”
Lucien looked at the map in front of him again. “So if the seventh revision still exists... the previous revisions should exist, too.”
“Unless they were deliberately removed.” The answer slipped out of Lyra before she immediately gave a small shake of her head. “Sorry. I’m just speculating.”
Lucien didn’t smile along with her.
For some reason, those words reminded him of his conversation with Elara that morning.
“If something really is missing... then someone must have taken it.”
Was it a coincidence? Or... did all these clues really lead to the same place?
Without wasting any time, Lucien took the map back to the catalog table. Old wooden drawers lined one side of the room. Every card inside had been handwritten decades ago, complete with a collection number, date of entry, and the document’s condition.
Lucien began searching by the catalog number listed on the map. It took several minutes before he finally found the card in question. He read it slowly.
Map of the Western Region.
Cartographic Collection.
The Seventh Revision.
That was all.
There was no record of the first through sixth revisions.
Lucien opened another drawer, then the next one, but the result was the same.
Lyra, who had been watching all along, finally joined him. “What are you looking for?”
“The previous revisions.” Lyra took several cards and began reading them one by one. Once again, the room filled with the sound of catalog cards rubbing against one another.
Several students passed behind them, but no one paid any attention to the two people busy digging through the old catalog.
A few minutes later, Lyra closed the last drawer. “Nothing.”
Lucien let out a quiet breath. “If it was never made, why call it the seventh revision?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.” Lyra leaned her back against the table.
A moment later, Lyra called to him. “Lucien.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t think this is a writing error.”
Lucien turned toward her. “Why not?”
“Because if it were just a mistake, the catalog clerk would have made the same mistake.” Lyra pointed to the card still in Lucien’s hand.
“But look.”
“The map says the seventh revision.”
“The catalog card also says the seventh revision.”
“That means someone deliberately recorded it this way.”
Lucien looked at the card again.
It made sense.
Too many coincidences were beginning to gather in the same place. A book without an identity.
And now...
A library catalog that seemed to acknowledge the existence of the seventh revision while forgetting all the revisions that came before it.
“Looks like you two are solving a major case.” The sudden voice from behind made Lucien and Lyra turn at the same time.
Rowan stood there with two thick books tucked under his arm. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“We’re just here.”
“I can see that.” Rowan glanced at the map spread across the table.
“So... what’s so interesting about that old map?”
Lucien remembered Professor Whitmore’s warning. “Don’t tell anyone about this book.”
Lucien quickly rolled the map back up. “Just a research assignment.”
Rowan narrowed his eyes.
“Lucien.”
“Hm?”
“You’re not very good at lying.”
Lyra instinctively lowered her head to hide a smile.
Lucien let out a small sigh. “I am researching something.”
“A secret?”
“No.”
“I’m just not sure yet.”
Rowan stared at him for a few seconds before finally shrugging. “All right.” “Then I won’t pressure you.” “But if it turns out you find buried treasure... I’m in.”
Lucien chuckled.
“Deal.” Rowan left after borrowing a reference book from the shelf beside them.
Once his footsteps faded beyond the aisle, Lyra unrolled the map again. “There’s one more thing bothering me.”
Lucien looked at her. “What?”
Lyra leaned her face closer to the surface of the paper. “The type of paper.”
“The paper?”
“Yeah.” She touched the edge of the map with her fingertip. “The texture is different.”
Lucien examined it as well.
At first glance, it looked ordinary.
But after touching it... certain sections felt slightly thicker than the rest.
As if... an additional layer had once been applied.
Lyra tilted the map toward the light coming through the window. “Wait...” she whispered. “Try looking at it from here.”
Lucien stood beside her.
Beneath the soft reflection of the afternoon light, the surface of the map began to reveal something that had been completely invisible before.
A faint shadow.
Almost imperceptible.
But clear enough to make the two of them look at each other.
“There’s something beneath this layer...”