The clock struck midnight.
Thunder growled as the fog settled, rain violently assaulting the roofs and streets as the scent of wet Earth lingered in the air. It was difficult to even see what was right in front of me. For a moment, I considered turning back, but if the rain made things difficult for me, it would also make it difficult for everyone else. If I did get caught, the rain would make escaping much easier, or so I thought as I navigated blindly through the streets, guided solely by the warm dots of lights floating in the air. The streets were empty thanks to the storm, which was a blessing, until I had to face flying pieces of metal being launched from all angles. Even I did not know I could be this good at dodging.
After a while, I finally reached Mr. Douglas' shop, which of course, was locked. I peeked through the window—not a soul in sight. Locks here were no different from the locks in the world I was from; there was no magic or any mysterious element involved, which made picking it quite easy (yes, I knew how to pick locks. I learnt it when I was a child because I thought girls would find it cool). A loud, obnoxious "creak" followed as I pushed open the door, only enough to let me in, out of fear that the noise might wake someone up, if it hadn't already. Of course, the thunder and rain did a good job of masking any other sound.
I closed the door immediately, for the winds were strong, before heading towards the counter.
'Now, where does he keep his records…'
I checked the drawers, one by one, moving things here and there, but making sure to put them back exactly where they were. I found a few books in the lower drawer, but none of them were what I was searching for. I checked the heights of the drawers, in case there was a secret room, but there wasn't anything suspicious.
'Strange…where does he keep his records?'
From Zoras' memories, usually he would keep it in the upper drawer, but there was nothing there of that sort. I checked them again, before turning my attention elsewhere, to the opposite end of the room, where there was a shelf with artifacts on display, but underneath that shelf was a small locker.
'Maybe he keeps it there for the night?'
There was no reason for it to be in a locker—that would, frankly, be quite annoying. Thus, what was more likely to be the case, was that he would keep his records in the locker for the night alone and take them out in the morning—at least, if it was in the locker. Opening it though, would be a little more annoying. I wasn't as versed in opening a dial lock.
What do I do now?
I should probably search the rest of the shop first, I thought, but I couldn't really think of anywhere else he could keep the records, unless he kept them in his room, which was upstairs. It would be unwise to go there first…
I let out a sigh as I kneeled down, pressing my ears against the door as I rotated the dial. I had a rough idea of what to do, but of course, as inexperienced as I was, it would take me a while. I rotated the dial, taking note of every click, and after about half an hour of trying out combinations—
Jackpot.
The door opened, and was a mess, with several sheets of paper just lying on top of one another, with multiple books and copies and random documents under them. I browsed through them, keeping track of every item, and at last, hidden underneath all of it:
'Found it!'
The fact that it was hidden underneath it all was all the proof I needed that Mr. Douglas was behind this.
Wait…if he kept it hidden…was he expecting this?
I quickly glanced behind me, then at the stairs, then at every corner of the room. There was no one present, yet fear started to creep in. Any moment, he could appear. There was probably a trap in place that I hadn't noticed. I quickly looked through the records of the past month, trying to find something, anything—but it was all clean.
…What?
There wasn't a single torn page or any signs of overwriting. If I were to believe the records, Zoras had neither borrowed nor donated any artifact in the past month.
'This can't be,' I thought to myself. Perhaps he simply didn't record it?
But that wouldn't make any sense, knowing the kind of person Zoras was, he would not let that happen…
So what else…?
I checked the records again, and again, and again, but it was the same no matter how many times I went through them. Eventually, I put it back in, arranging everything to the best of my memory, before closing the locker. Now, there I was, sitting on the floor, somewhat defeated. I was sure that I would find something of interest here, but there was nothing.
Nothing…
I have done nothing since I came here…
A day had already passed, but I made absolutely zero progress. Frustrated, I punched the floor. Damn it, I cursed in my head. There had to be something I was missing, but what? Should I just check the whole room? What were the chances that these records were fake…no, at that point, I was probably overthinking it. I got up and left the shop. The storm was still rampant, but at this point I was simply too tired. I walked towards my apartment, lost in thought. What could I do now? I didn't have any other clues on me.
I felt…lost.
But it was then, dear reader, that I witnessed the most wonderful of sights that I could in this world. The crimson light of the moon broke through the clouds, casting its gaze upon a lone girl, her face, fair, blooming a reddish tint, and her eyes, sparkling like emeralds—it was the Lady from before, whom I encountered on the streets, but what possible reason could she have to be here, in this hour, that too without an umbrella, no less? She simply stared at the sky, raindrops cascading down her face as the fog surrounded her, and for a moment I honestly thought that I had reached a tiny false paradise. Of course, a true paradise would be with my wife.
It was a captivating sight, and for a moment I simply stood there, admiring its beauty. Of course, it didn't take me long to return to my senses and realise that I would probably have to explain myself if she turned towards me. Luckily, she had not, but you see, she did not need to, for she had already noticed me.
'What brings you here?' she said, her face slowly turning away from the sky and towards me, her gaze as if it stared right at my soul.