Ok Author's Note I know it's titled Mask Of Anubis but i'm going to make it a whole different quest and treasure to make things different. It's still gonna be set in season 2. And also I know the past three chapters has been all about Jerome but I promise there will be some new scenes and big plotlines to come with different character. Such as Fabian/Nolan. Nolan/Amber. Nina/Fabian. Nina/Jerome. Nina/Amber and lots more so please stay tuned!
Jerome strolled into the library and under the compulsion of his vision began to search for something. In his mind the voices whispered to him what he would later know to be the first part of a prophecy. "The first piece of the puzzle awaits inside, then hold it to the falcon's eye. Allow the power of the moon to flow and the door will be revealed by its pale glow. Descend the steps to the earth's beating heart, with essential allies you then must part. One path must be walked alone, only with truth and wisdom can Night's prize be won. Unite with friends once more and seek the treasure of the rising sun."
The rest of the Sibunas crept inside after Jerome, watching him carefully from the safety of their hiding spot as he continued pulling books off the shelves, looking within and then putting them back. Then he headed over to an old antique desk sitting in the corner of the room.
"This isn't like any sleepwalking I've ever seen." Alfie murmured.
"That's true it isn't. Let's wait a bit longer, then we can try to wake Jerome up again." Fabian replied in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah, I bet he knows something about what's happening that he isn't telling us." Patricia said in slight suspicion.
Alfie frowned at her. "Jerome is one of us now and as a Sibuna and my best friend, he wouldn't keep secrets from us. He probably just hasn't had the chance to tell us, what with the fever, the coma… now this." he retorted defensively.
"This is Jerome we're talking about." Patricia pointed out sarcastically. She huffed. "What if he's just pretending to be sleepwalking? He seems to be pretty aware of what he's doing to me." she muttered.
Before Alfie could argue back, Nina shot them both a sharp look. "Guys, now is not the time to argue." she said sternly.
"Ooh, look, what is that Jerome's holding?" Amber piped up.
The others all stopped talking and turned to where Amber was pointing. While they had been arguing, Jerome had found a small mahogany box tucked in an old desk drawer. He had opened it and was now holding up an oval opaque white stone, the milky white color seeming to shimmer slightly as he stroked it with his thumb.
Fabian tilted his head to the side, looking at it closely. "It looks like a moonstone." he told them, sounding as confused as the rest of them.
Jerome set the box down but kept the stone clutched in his hand as headed right towards the vents.
"Why is he going down through the vents? What is he hiding?!" Patricia hissed.
Nina shook her head. "I don't know." she replied.
The bookshelf swung out .
The Sibunas exchanged glances as they quickly got up and followed Jerome as he walked into the tunnel, the bookshelf swinging closed behind them.
Once in the room, Jerome felt himself guided to the wall with the zodiac and the sun and moon gears that had acted as the countdown to the constellation task. Ignoring these, he stepped up to a blank stretch of wall next to it and rested his hand against the smooth dark stone.
Everyone watched with wide eyes as a blazing silver falcon appeared on the wall under his touch. He lifted the moonstone and placed it in the indentation where the eye would be. Closing his eyes, he was enveloped in a soft silvery white glow that suddenly pulsed brighter as the light flowed down his arm and into the moonstone. The stone glowed brilliantly with the power and the outline of a door appeared where none had been before.
"What's happening? Why is Jerome glowing? How is he doing that?" Alfie asked frantically as they all peeked from behind the tunnel doorway into the room.
Nina and Fabian both waved at him to be quiet but looked equally as shocked. The whole room began to shake and then with the loud groan of sliding stone, the glowing section of the wall sunk into the floor, revealing a hidden space behind it.
The glow around Jerome dissipated and he stumbled slightly as he broke from the half-asleep trance-like state he had been in, full awakening and leaning against the newly formed doorway a bit unsteadily.
"Jerome!" Alfie called, running to his friend and offered a supporting arm. Jerome used Alfie's offered arm to steady himself as he carefully pushed away from the wall, regaining his balance and wiping the sleep from his eyes before letting go. He looked around in confusion, his eyes slightly fearful. "W-what am I doing in the tunnels? How did I even get here?" he asked as he noticed the rest of the Sibuna gang were now standing around him and Alfie and looking at him questioningly.
"That's what we want to know." Patricia said with her arms folded across her chest.
Jerome held up his hands. "I had no clue about any of this I swear! I'm as confused as you guys! One minute I was going to sleep, then I was having this weird dream… and then I woke up here." he explained.
"What dream?" Nina asked curiously.
Jerome was about to answer when Amber spoke up again, once more pulling their attention to the more urgent matter. "Uh, guys, you might want to see this." she said.
They all turned to see Amber standing in the doorway of the new room Jerome had somehow opened. They peered in with her and all looked stunned to see that inside, a spiraling stone staircase with no railing jutted out from the smooth cylindrical chamber and went down into a seemingly endless black void.
Jerome picked up a small pebble laying on the ground and tossed it into the pit, where it bounced and clanked out of sight, the sound echoing back up to them, growing fainter and fainter as it fell into the darkness. They couldn't even here it hit the ground, if there was any.
"That is a long way down." Alfie murmured in mixed fear and awe.
"Where does it go?" Amber wondered.
"To the earth's beating heart." Jerome replied softly without thinking.
"The what? Jerome what are you talking about?" Fabian asked as they all looked back at him.
Jerome looked at them all sheepishly. "I was going to tell you all… it's just as I said before, I had this weird dream, but it wasn't actually the first one I've had. It all started right before I got sick. I don't know what any of it means though." he told them with a sigh.
Patricia raised an eyebrow. "So you don't know how you were suddenly glowing and managed to open up a new chamber in these tunnels that we didn't even know existed?" she asked scathingly.
Jerome gave a quiet nervous chuckle, looking completely confused now. "I was glowing? What are you talking about Trixie?"
Fabian gave Patricia a glare to stop being rude as Nina looked at Jerome thoughtfully.
"How about you explain these dreams to us and we can all figure out what's happening together?" she suggested reasonably.
Jerome exchanged a glance with Alfie, who shrugged and nodded, and Jerome gestured for them all to sit down. Once they were seated in a circle on the floor, Jerome ran a hand through his hair and thought about how to begin telling them what little he knew.
"Alright, the first dream started like this…"
