The Shadow Corridor became dark again.
The light from Lyra's artifact still guided their path, but now their steps were faster. There was no more time to stop.
Kael was still thinking about the book's last sentence.
Someone in the real world has felt the change of that mark.
He looked at the symbol on his wrist. Two cracks now formed a pattern that almost resembled a broken circle.
"So someone can feel this?"
Lyra answered without looking.
"Not an ordinary someone."
Kael waited for explanation.
Lyra continued,
"There are people in this world who have studied the Veil for tens of years."
She pointed at the mark on Kael's hand.
"And a change like that... for them feels like a bell suddenly ringing in the middle of the night."
Kael asked shortly,
"Hunters?"
Lyra shook her head.
"Sometimes."
She paused for a moment.
"Sometimes worse."
They walked several more minutes.
The shadows along the corridor began moving away from their light path, like small creatures avoiding fire.
Kael realized something.
"This corridor changed."
Lyra nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Lyra answered with one sentence.
"Because someone is trying to open a path from the other side."
Kael stopped walking.
"From the real world?"
Lyra finally turned to him.
"Yes."
Several seconds of silence.
Then the corridor trembled.
Not like before.
This was not from creatures of the Veil.
This came from the human world.
The mist in the walls trembled like water touched by a stone.
The light from Lyra's artifact flickered.
Lyra muttered softly.
"They're faster than I thought."
Kael asked,
"Who are they?"
Before Lyra could answer—
the corridor before them cracked.
Not like glass cracking.
More like someone tearing the fabric of reality.
A thin line of white light appeared in the air.
Then slowly widened.
A rift opened.
From that rift emerged someone.
A tall man in a long dark gray coat.
His hair was short and black.
His eyes were sharp.
And most striking—
a silver pocket watch hung in his hand.
He stepped out of that rift like someone walking out of an ordinary door.
Once his foot touched the Shadow Corridor, all small shadows around the corridor immediately moved away.
The man looked around casually.
As if this place was not something foreign to him.
Then his eyes stopped on Kael.
He observed the symbol on Kael's wrist for several seconds.
Then smiled slightly.
"Bingo."
Lyra immediately moved one step in front of Kael.
Her body tensed.
The man spun his pocket watch casually.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The small sound of that watch mechanism was clearly heard in the silent corridor.
The man spoke in a light tone.
"I followed the vibration of that mark for one hour."
He pointed at Kael.
"Turns out it's true."
Kael looked at him calmly.
"Who are you?"
The man put his pocket watch back into his coat.
Then answered with a voice that sounded too casual for this situation.
"Someone very interested in strange artifacts... and people foolish enough to open them."
Lyra looked at him sharply.
"You shouldn't be able to open a path to the Shadow Corridor."
The man smiled again.
"Many things shouldn't be possible."
He pointed at the symbol on Kael's hand.
"For instance... surviving after being marked by the second observer."
Kael observed the man carefully.
The man looked like an ordinary human.
But something about his presence felt different.
Too stable.
Too calm.
As if the Shadow Corridor itself didn't truly affect him.
The man finally extended his hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"Adrian Vale."
He paused for a moment.
Then added with a slightly more serious tone.
"And if you two are smart enough... you'll come with me now."
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
Adrian shrugged.
"Because something far worse than me..."
He looked at the darkness of the corridor behind them.
"...has just begun to move."