FRANK PAYNE AND THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE

-- Chapter 23 -- The Holy Temple

"Let's go, Frank. We need to move on."

"You can go without me." I will stay here a while longer!"

"We're all sad about what happened to your grandfather. He was a great man and until his last seconds of life he acted like a hero, trading places with you. He wanted you to move on!" Jason pleaded, trying to convince him.

"You are not understanding. He didn't want to come here at all. I insisted several times, but it seemed like he knew the dangers of this journey and didn't want to come. I didn't want to listen to him, turned my back on my grandfather and left without even thinking about him and the consequences. I was reckless, selfish, and belittled the person who was most devoted to me in recent years, and who loved me most of all. It turned out that he didn't want to put me in danger and accompanied me to this deadly trap that I created myself. If he's not here with us anymore, it's all my fault!" Frank roared, screaming and crying.

"He gave you the opportunity to become a hero like he was, son. We still must rescue many children who depend on you, as well as save your father who is out there in danger. You remember what old Bolduf said: 'he passed by, but things didn't go according to plan'. He may be in danger! Be the hero your grandfather would have liked you to be!"

It seems that these words messed with Frank's head, because without waiting a minute more, the boy was standing, drying his tears and gathering his things to leave and rescue the boys, who, like Luiz and Pedro, were suffering at the hands of those evil beings. He could not allow there to be any more deaths and he would put an end to the race of those soulless monsters.

Frank looked resolute, striding along to get as quickly as possible to where the creatures were hiding. He knew that maybe it was a no-return destination, but nothing would stop him, except Barbara, who asked him to hold his fast steps and stop in front of the inscriptions that not so long ago were responsible, along with herself, for the death of Walter.

Frank found himself in front of a sobbing girl kneeling before him, apologizing for everything that had happened.

"Frank, I'm sorry. It's all my fault!" screamed the girl, between words and tears.

"It is not your fault, Bah."

"Yes, it is. I was the one who triggered the collapse after discovering and uttering the sentence, despite Walter's recommendation not to do so."

"How so?" Frank questioned, incredulous at what he heard.

"Yes!" said the girl, crying nonstop. "When I translated and read that sentence, the walls of the cave began to shake, starting a sequence of collapsing small stones and, so, the closing of that other room, locking Walter up with those damned animals."

"I'm sure that wasn't it." Just an unfortunate coincidence" Frank said, trying to comfort Barbara even though he had a tremendous pain in his heart. "Show me the sentence you deciphered."

Barbara took out the notes she had already put in her backpack and Frank, with the help of the torch he was carrying, began to read a few single words and then the entire sentence.

"Lend me your dictionary, please."

The young woman took the book and handed it to her friend, who was already looking at page 120, according to her notes.

"Look, Bah. I know who the symbology specialist is and has always been you, and I don't ever want to take on that fame earned with much praise," the boy said, trying to soothe the girl's poignant despair and bring out a small smile. "But look at this drawing carefully. It may be similar, but it is not the word 'king'. I remember seeing something similar before, but I don't know where. I'm pretty sure that symbol over there must be the word 'emperor'. So, the correct phrase would go like this: 'Brainy emperor lead insecure elements to be victorious either.'. It's just an inscription, worthless. Someone who knows runes must have written maybe to get a message across, or something, but it doesn't seem magical to me."