Ikshan's Library

3. Ancient Artefacts, Coffee and Rock'n'roll

This book is not interesting at all. I don't know what Ikshan will do with it. It's just the memoirs of a regular guy in the 18th century. Nothing related to the occult here.

I rock my head following the rhythm of the Led Zeppelin song resonating in the office, while I manipulate the book to try to understand what's the deal with it. Oh yes, I launched a classic rock playlist on my phone as I started opening the boxes. I know I said I loved silence. But I meant the absence of talking. Not the absence of sound. Anyway, I'm alone, so I can go full Dean Winchester if I want to.

I check the first large wooden box. Maybe someone put the book in it by mistake. Because the other objects, carefully packed, are incredible. I read the letter we received with the boxes. These items belonged to an immortal who died a few months ago, and his best friend, who knew Ikshan, decided to give them everything they found that could be interesting for the library.

The guy was clearly old, and when I say old, I mean I-can-assure-you-Gladiator-is-not-historically-accurate-cause-I-was-there-old. Some of this stuff is ancient. Or maybe he was a collector like Ikshan. There's a Chinese vase, a tiny stone that could be Mesopotamian, a dagger I cannot identify the origin of, and many books. It's a small treasure. Ikshan's gonna be so excited.

But this book. I don't get it.

Oh wait, there is something in the binding. It's a little bit ripped at the back. I try to see what's in there, and a thin piece of metal falls on the floor. I crouch to grab the object. It's an irregular square, and it looks like gold. There's something written on it. I look at it more closely but I cannot recognize the language. There's also an image in a frame, almost like a coat of arms. It's some kind of creature, maybe an image of a god. Well, it doesn't look very nice, I must say. So maybe a demon? Who knows? But this thing is definitely old. I've never seen the likes of it.

I'm intrigued. I'll bring the other objects to Ikshan's office and I'm going to do more research on this item. There's maybe something in the library's catalog that could help me. Ikshan has digitalized part of their data during the pandemic but not for their own sake. They seem to know each and every piece they have in the library and where it is. Generally, I just have to assess the book or the object first but they're going to classify everything and decide where it's going to go.

I take one of the wooden boxes in my arms and put everything carefully in Ikshan's office. I slip the piece of metal into my pocket. I'd like to grab a coffee first and then I will work on the computer.

But when I take a step in the hallway, there it is. Just in front of me. A... monster? It's massive. It's made of some sort of dark mist but it doesn't seem ethereal at all. It seems heavy and strong, and dangerous. And oh, it's making a step towards me, and the floor is shaking. And... what the hell is that?