With the sound of the second bell fading away, the archive became utterly quiet.
Everyone stood still. Robert started counting the seconds without even realising it, much like someone anticipating a sound they know will come again. Five seconds went by. Then ten. But the third bell? It never chimed.
He held onto that silence for a moment, then something dawned on him that he hadn't picked up on while the sounds were still ringing. The second bell had a bit more volume than the first. It wasn't a dramatic change, but it was clear enough to be real.
The first bell had reached them faintly, its sound barely penetrating the stone above the archive. The second bell, on the other hand, rang out with a stronger presence, its tone richer and more resonant, free from the muffled effect of distance and stone.
That wasn't just a coincidence. If the sound was becoming clearer, it meant they were getting closer to it.
He turned his attention to the system.
