There Is No Lie In This World

Chapter 38: String

The elevator doors closed with a hush, but the silence that followed was not the same as before.

As we rose, I expected the long, drawn-out ascent from the depths of the archive. But instead, the elevator jolted once, and probably before I could even count five - it opened.

We were already back.

I blinked, disoriented. Had we really gone that deep? The descent had taken so long. Now the return felt almost unreal.

Cain and Abe were waiting in the corridor, their postures taut. They didn’t say anything. Abe looked at me with a concern, while Cain stood like a tomb-guarding statue, grave regret carved into his silence. The Zhen staff promptly left as soon as I was ’handed over’.

Cassian was already outside my office. When he saw me, he stood straighter, smile forming like clockwork. But there was a pause - barely a beat - where his eyes studied my face too closely.

"Miss Roen," he said, voice smooth as ever. "Welcome back. Was the archive enlightening?"

"I don’t know yet," I said, brushing past him. I couldn’t tell if I was shaking from cold or from something else entirely.

Inside my office, the lighting felt harsh. The windows too clean. Even the walls looked sterile.

It was always an intimidating place, a place where I didn’t quite fit - an imposter, but I had grown into gradually. Right now though, I felt as if I was new to this place - or rather, the place was new to me.

Cassian followed me in. "Would you like something warm? Tea? Ginger tonic?"

"There was a girl," I said.

He tilted his head slightly. "A girl?"

"In the archive. In a room full of mirrors. She looked like... she belonged here."

Cassian folded his hands in front of him. His face betrayed nothing, but something about the way he blinked told me what I told him wasn’t out of his expectation.

"There’s no one else in the archive, Miss Roen. Only the Archivist and the records. I believe Councilor Zhen’s men would confirm that."

"No," I insisted. "She was there. A young girl."

Cassian’s expression softened, like he was speaking to a child. "The archive is a strange place. Even for the Roens it is unusual to make a visit there."

"Why did you send her there?" Cain’s voice boomed from behind me. It was out of ordinary that he spoke without being asked to.

"Miss Roen wanted to go. The CEO of the Roen Group, the Head of the Roen family, the leader acknowledged by the Council - she has every right to go there any time she wants to."

"I wonder what the Boss would have to say about that?" Abe chimed in. He sounded clearly irritated too.

I turned and held up a palm, asking them to give me a moment to speak for myself.

I stared back at Cassian. "I remember what she said. She touched me. She whispered something, and then—" I faltered. "And then I don’t remember."

Cassian was quiet for a beat. "I’m afraid we cannot make much out of what you cannot remember."

His answers were too smooth. Too clean. I felt a coil of unease tighten in my chest.

"You knew that room existed," I said quietly.

"Miss Roen, I’m a Vale. Those floors are sealed to us. I’ve never been in one personally - only heard of them."

"But you sent me there."

"You asked to know the truth," Cassian said, seemingly stepping closer without moving an inch. "I merely assisted you with directions."

I walked over to the window and stared outside. It was raining. The whole city looked gray. My reflection on the glass was faint, and distorted. It reminded me of the mirror room. I could almost - almost remember what the girl said.

But all I could recall was the heartache.

———

After the day was over, I sat on my chair with Elune gently massaging my head from behind. She was humming a tune that I could almost recognize, but couldn’t quite remember where I heard it from. It felt like a song from a long time ago. Possibly from the time before I was even born.

Despite Elune’s best efforts, I couldn’t stop thinking about the girl. Her voice. Her face. The mirrored room.

What did she whisper?

Elune rubbed my temples. Light pressure to soothe my thoughts. My attempt to force the memory back wasn’t working.

"Elune," I whispered, my eyes closed as I felt her touch.

"Yes, Miss Roen."

"How long have you been working here?"

"For a long time, Miss Roen."

"Have you ever served-" then I stopped myself for a bit. I hated myself for using the word ’served’. What was I becoming?

"I’m sorry."

"Please do not worry over small things."

"Have you ever... worked with the previous CEOs? Anyone from the Roen family?"

"To be honest, Miss Roen, I’ve always worked for the Mistress. You are the first one that the Mistress asked me to serve."

That surprised a little.

"The first one...?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"The Mistress works in mysterious ways," Elune giggled.

I gave up for the moment and let myself sink deeper into the chair, listening to Elune’s humming.

As Elune’s humming continued I was suddenly gripped by a thought I couldn’t ignore. I pulled open the drawer and took out the envelope. Elune stopped massaging, seemingly startled.

Inside was the envelope of my old school field trip photo. The one that was mysteriously delivered to me.

"Please give me some time alone, Elune," I requested.

A hint of hesitation - "Certainly, Miss Roen."

With that, she quietly left the office.

Once the door clicked shut, I took out the photograph and looked at it intently. Everything seemed normal - just as how I remembered them.

Then something caught my eye.

The girl on the far right. Her face looked familiar, but not because she was my classmate. It seemed I had seen her very recently.

I brought the photograph closer to my eyes and studied her face.

The round eyes, small nose, puffy cheeks.

And then it hit me.

It was the strange girl who rushed into the elevator on my way back from the Offering Room.

———

A quiet knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts. It was Abe, holding a small tray.

"Late tea," he said. "You didn’t eat today."

"Come in."

He set the tray down gently on the desk, then turned to leave.

"Abe," I said suddenly. "Have you ever... heard of someone else being kept in the archive?"

He didn’t answer.

"Surely, Luc would know about it?"

His hands froze.

I didn’t miss that it took him a little longer than natural to turn to face me again.

"The Mistress knows everything she wishes to know"

He looked me into eye, took a step closer, and smiled.

"And if she would like you to know about something, I’m certain she would tell you herself."

I stood. "So you have heard of it."

"I’m sorry, Miss Roen. I do not know what you are talking about," Abe halted in place.

"Abe-"

"I believe these things are best discussed when the Mistress is back. If I said a word now, I’d get unalived - if not outright killed by Cain before the Mistress even comes back."

Without waiting for my answer, Abe bowed slightly and left before I could continue

———

Alone again, I stared at the teacup, untouched.

Abe was hiding something. Unlike Cain or Luc, his face could not lie. Maybe he did not know the full details of anything, but he knew there was something in the basement that I shouldn’t have seen.

It could only be her - the girl wasn’t just a hallucination.

Luc knew. Cassian knew. The Archivist knew.

Everyone knew but me.

And now I didn’t even know what she’d told me.

My hands curled into fists.

My name school desk and chair, field trip photograph, the girl - my former classmate - who came to warn me, and now the eerie girl in the archive.

It was all connected.

And someone was putting a string through these beads.