Novel & Cerita Apocrypha Treasure Map 1

The revelation awaited us, and we were ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. "Where can we find the Key of Ancients?" Alex asked, his voice steady despite the undercurrent of anticipation. The figure's eyes narrowed, a spark of intrigue lighting their gaze. "The path to the Key lies in the realm of twilight," they replied cryptically. "Seek the sacred gate that bridges the realms, and you shall find the Key." A map materialized in the air before us, intricate and adorned with arcane symbols. It showed a treacherous journey, winding through unforgiving landscapes and ancient ruins. It would test our resolve, but the reward of unlocking the truth was worth every perilous step.

She didn’t notice that Gabriel wasn’t in school today. “Okay, we are searching for a chest of gold.” Stephen said as he handed maps to everyone. He had marked out the position of the treasure in the map, all they had to do was find the shortest route to the treasure. “Our time starts now. I have set the timer to go off when the time elapses. As you all know, it’s very loud and would be heard clearly by everyone, no matter the distance so long you’re within the vicinity in the map. I wish you all the best.” Stephen said and they all disassembled.

A book lay open, its pages made of thin sheets of copper. "These are stolen," she hissed, her finger hovering over a line of text. "This is High Elven. This is a treatise on star-navigation. They stole it when they burned the Silver Spires." "They steal everything," Tristan said, moving deeper into the room. "Keep moving. We’re looking for 'Project Apotheosis' or 'The God-Shell'. Look for the Emperor’s seal." They split up, moving down opposite sides of the narrow aisle. Saoirse scanned the spines. The Anatomy of Angels. Void Theory. The Ethics of Soul Fragmentation.

"The world thinks you both died in the implosion. The St. Claire name is gone. The Moretti name is a ghost. You are officially nobodies." Dante stood, pulling Ivy up with him. He picked up the Red Box, but he didn't open it. He looked at Mateo. "And the other thing?" Mateo hesitated, then pulled a small, singed piece of paper from his pocket. It was a fragment of a map—the real map of the Palisades, the one Ivy had hidden in the frame of her mother’s portrait. "It wasn't destroyed," Mateo said. "It shows a third level, Dante. Under the vault. A level that wasn't in the blueprints you had."

Ashley picked it up carefully. “It’s warm,” she muttered. “Fresh.” I took it from her, ignoring the stabbing in my ribs. The parchment was old. Cracked in some places. But the blood—it wasn’t random. It was intentional. Lines carved with precise strokes. A map, hastily drawn in blood. Hills. Rivers. A star marking a forest glade to the north. Written in barely legible script across the top: > “Where the moon first kissed her—come before it sets again.”

She leans in, crouched, pulling open drawers and feeling along their edges. “There”, Raven said “Could it be it?”, Lycia asked with skepticism “Second drawer. Bottom panel should slide”, Raven replied with certainty, almost like she knew the map would be there. Lycia’s pulse quickened as her fingers brushed the drawer Raven had described. She pressed and slid the panel aside. A faint click broke the silence, and the drawer slid open. There it was, a rolled parchment tied with Crimson String. Relief flooded her. “Got it”, Raven breathed, tucking the map into the inner pocket of her cloak.

“See? We can start here.” As I leaned over to point at a listing, my knee bumped the small side table. A stack of Bella’s papers, including her now-voided rental contract, slid to the floor. We both bent to pick them up. Tucked between the pages of her contract was an old, yellowed piece of parchment that had clearly slipped out. It wasn’t part of her paperwork. It was a hand-drawn map, the ink faded, but the lines were precise. At the top, in ornate script, it read: Moon Tide Ancestral Holdings. And in the corner of a sketched mountain range was a small, familiar symbol—a three-part knot identical to the one on my Holy Grail shard.

“Here you go, Elder. All the information is right here!” He handed the scroll to the First Elder, who took it and opened it. He was quite surprised by the contents of this auction: the Yin and Yang Mirror, and a deep-sea map known as the Treasure Map. But so far, no one had dared to buy the map because, in reality, the deep sea was no ordinary place in the realm of the gods. “Has no one bought this deep-sea map at all? Has it been in the auction for a long time?” the first elder asked the inn manager, who seemed to fully understand the map the elder was referring to.

“We have two completed maps. Could you help to retrieve it? I’m sending one to you and the other to Oritha and Sasha.” Listening to Zen’s soothing voice, Akiko calmed down. It was a shame she failed to finish Johan when she had the chance, but there was always next time. Besides, they had a more important task at hand. Even after gathering so many map parts from more than half the remaining students, they only pieced two of the five treasure maps. She should have ripped out at least one of Johan’s arms. At the same time, Sasha and Oritha complained about the jerk Felix was.

No one answered. The choice was made, they would follow the map and the new seed was their next target. They left the cottage under the full moon, its cold light colouring the world silver and black. The journal, tucked at Liora’s chest, pulsed like a second heartbeat, a grim reminder of their duty. The map led them to an old family crypt on a hill by the river. The air was old and heavy with grief, and the green light on the map pointed to a sarcophagus, the stone lid cracked open.