Chapter 11: books and faces

Alexi woke up early and looked around: Shadow was sleeping, and Knuckles hadn't yet returned.
He smiled.
He took pen and paper from his backpack, along with a notebook where he kept what Silver had taught him about the Echidna language.
He approached the wall with the large mosaic. He knew it was the prophecy about Sonic and with the topic already known, it was easier to translate.
He would then use the knowledge acquired to translate the words on the other frescoes.
He sat down to write and after a few hours, he obtained a coherent text:

When sun finishes the thirty-sixth cycle, a threat will come from sea.
He will tell the truth and tell the false. He will advance concealing his intentions.
Shadow will stretch on mother stone, but the Wind's Son will bring back light.

Alexi smiled, satisfied with his work, although it had made sense only to a small part of the inscriptions around the mosaic.
He wanted to test himself with something unknown, so he walked among the frescoes.
He stopped in front of one of them: he portrayed an echidna in an armor of gold and blue robes, with a staff in his hand and a mask that resembled that of an Egyptian pharaoh. The green energy enveloped him making him stand out on the black of the eclipse behind him. Below him lay a landscape of ash and ruins, from which sprouted what appeared.
Alexi decided to translate the writings around it. It took all his patience and goodwill but in the end, in addition to the headache, he remedied only one word.

Enerjak

- What the heck mean that? - he whispered and looked up at the figure in the eclipse - Maybe it's the name of that warrior. Or the echidna term for Apocalypse, or whatever it represents to the landscape.
- Hey what are you doing?
Alexi leapt, clutching the notes to her chest, turning and holding back a scream.
He let himself fall, first sitting and then lying down, when he saw Nadia.
She watched him from above as he regained color.
- I thought you were Master Knuckles. - said the raccoon, relaxing.
They went back to their backpacks and sat down to eat some snacks for breakfast.
- You say it's still raining? - Nadia asked
- I don't know. From here I can't hear the thunder.
Nadia shrugged - Maybe it stopped.
- I don't believe. Knuckles hasn't come back yet. That's good, because I want to translate other frescoes. He showed them the notes. - I was curious and bored, so I wanted to try.
- What does "Enerjak" mean?
- I don't know. Maybe it's a name. I found it there. - he indicated the fresco with the eclipse.
- We could ask Master Knuckles. - Alexi said but immediately shook his head. - No. If I ask him, he will find that I have translated the frescoes.
- And he'll be angry - Nadia finished - He gets angry about everything.
- Nah. It only does it if we don't do what it says.
- Which includes not touching, not looking, not moving, not speaking - Nadia snorted - Luckily he forgot that we breathe.
Alexi laughed and finally got up - I don't know about you, but I want to know more about this place. Who knows when we will be back.
- Probably never. - Nadia said, standing up - I'm with you. Let's explore.

- This place is huge. - Murmured Nadia
- Yeah. And look at these archives. - Alexi replied
The two had left the main room taking the corridor on the right and finding themselves in a room almost as big as the previous one and on two levels, where the frescoes gave way to wall bookcases containing books and scrolls.
- These scrolls look ancient - said Alexi.
- Hey look. - Nadia indicated books. Alexi immediately noticed that for each book there were two copies: one was the ancient echidna tome while the one alongside was much more recent and written in the common language. He reached out and took one of the most recent books, opening it gently.

Myths and legends of the East's Tribe
Translation by Knuckles the Echidna

- It's from Knuckles. - said the raccoon and turned his gaze on the shelves - He translated all these books. It must have taken decades. - leafed through the book - There are also figures. I bet they are faithful to the original ones.
- You mean he copied and translated everything? - Said Nadia.
- It seems so. I wonder if - Alexi reached out to the oldest tome written in echidna and opened it.
- Be careful.
Alexi turned the pages gently - The language is different but the hand is the same. He must have made copies before the originals deteriorated. - he looked at her - Not only did he keep the Master Emerald, but also the history and culture of his people. Do you have any idea of the historical value of this place?
Nadia looked at the archive and then at the wide open door on the corridor. - Knuckles will kill us if he finds us here.
- You can say it for sure.
The human rearranged the books - Let's go back to the salon and take a different direction.
Alexi looked reluctant. He looked back at the books again and noticed something - Wait a minute. - he reached out, scrolling the books with his finger to one in particular, with a space next to it, empty.

- Look, this doesn't have the translated copy.
However, the book alongside had it, like the following and those around it.
- How strange.
- You say he didn't translate it on purpose? Master Shadow says there are things Knuckles doesn't tell. - an idea flashed at the human's head, crazy as dangerous. - Do you think you can translate it?
Alexi looked at her as if she had uttered a forbidden formula. After a moment of incredulous silence he replied - I don't know. And in any case, Knuckles will notice that it's missing if I take it with me. Unless - he took the book and looked around. There were several stacks of books stacked against the shelves. Alexi took one and put it in the place of the untranslated one - If he is not going to translate this book, he shouldn't notice the difference. They are all bound with the same skin. He looked at the ancient book in his hands and shivered. He could still put it back, retrace his steps.
But curiosity was too strong. The idea of testing himself, of reading and translating an authentic Echidna tome, was too tempting.
He put the book in his backpack. - Let's go back.

They went back to the hall and took the corridor going in the opposite direction. This emerged in a second arched side tunnel, surrounded by darkness. Nadia took her cell phone and used the light to illuminate the street: a row of tiles that stretched surrounded by pools of water. At the corners of each tank, against the walls, there were stone columns and between the columns, a fresco. On each column there was a mirror.
Nadia noticed that all the mirrors were broken and the frescoes were also damaged in many places, but not for the time: it was as if someone had hit them with an hammer.
Alexi put his feet in the water and walked along the frescoes. - How strange. Usually in places like this you see scenes of everyday life, celebrations and rituals. These instead look like portraits. And they are all broken at face height.
- Alexi, come here!
Nadia had reached the end of the walkway. There was a black stone full of inscriptions, so many that it was difficult to read them so close they were.
But Nadia pointed the beam of light on the wall, on the faces of the only still intact fresco.
- Sonic, Tails, and Silver. - Alexi said.
- We really should get out of here. - Said Nadia.
- Only a moment. - Alexi looked at the stone. - Your device takes pictures, right?
Nadia nodded.
- Can you borrow me it? I want to take a picture.
- Are you crazy?
- Please. I want to know what is written above. Or at least get an idea.
Nadia thought, then sighed and handed Alexi her cell phone. The raccoon put the writing well into focus and took the picture, then returned the phone - Come on, let's go back before Master Knuckles return.