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ArtistThe Cottage of the Vanished Wizard – Chapter 16 Part 1 – The Hall of the First Footsteps. The silver mist slowly parts, revealing an unimaginably vast magical library hall. Endless bookshelves disappear into glowing clouds high above. Every ancient book has no title and bears only a single luminous footprint upon its cover. Thousands of floating silver, golden, sapphire, emerald and crimson footprints drift silently through the air, all slowly turning toward the far end of the hall where a mysterious cloaked figure, the First Keeper, waits motionless in the glowing mist. Beautiful young woman, 22 years old, approximately 1.70 m tall. Long naturally wavy golden-blonde hair with soft loose waves reaching the middle of her back. Bright blue eyes, fair skin with light freckles across the nose, soft youthful oval face, warm gentle smile. Slender naturally athletic figure. Loose straight-cut forest-green medieval linen tunic reaching the upper thighs, simple brown leather waist belt, dark charcoal trousers, sturdy brown leather boots. Ticko, a small intelligent squirrel with a fluffy bushy tail, sits on Mara's shoulder with his tail gently wrapped around her neck. Beautiful young woman with long auburn hair, intelligent green eyes, elegant dark blue medieval dress and brown leather boots. Beside her stands Lumio, a friendly living enchanted modern smartphone with expressive bright blue eyes, smiling face displayed on the screen, metallic arms and legs, dark gloves, dark leather boots and a gentle silver-blue magical aura. Wise elderly librarian and keeper of the Great Library. Long white hair reaching the shoulders, full white beard, calm blue-grey eyes, noble intelligent face. Tall dignified build wearing elegant deep blue medieval scholar robes while holding a large ancient book. Beside him stands Memoris, an elderly archivist with round spectacles and parchment scrolls. Nearby stand Klemmi, a friendly living oversized polished golden paperclip with bright blue eyes, golden wire eyebrows, wire arms and legs and brown leather shoes, Sir Fegelot, the living enchanted broom with his old black magic hat, Madam Arabica, the living antique copper coffee kettle, and the living enchanted square glass ink bottle with blue-black magical ink splashing from its open brass lid. Everyone stands in silent awe, staring toward the distant First Keeper. Epic medieval fantasy, cinematic realism, breathtaking scale, volumetric silver light, magical atmosphere, masterpiece, ultra detailed, 4:3 composition. Tiny full-body white unicorn logo with the text "AI by Unicorngraphics" in the bottom right corner.
For several silent seconds, nobody moved. The silver spark inside Mara's crystal bottle hovered before the ancient doorway, circling slowly as though it were listening to something hidden beyond the pale mist. The heavy boot print they had discovered on the staircase still glowed faintly behind them, yet no second footprint appeared. It was as if the staircase itself had paused, waiting to see whether they would continue. The little squirrel climbed onto Mara's shoulder and wrapped its bushy tail gently around her neck.. For once, even the fearless squirrel made no attempt to run ahead. His bright eyes never left the silent doorway. Biblior slowly knelt beside the final glowing step and rested one hand upon the silver letters carved into the stone. They shimmered beneath his fingertips like moonlight upon calm water. A thoughtful smile crossed his face. “It is awake,” he whispered. “What is?” Mara asked. “The staircase.” Linora frowned. “You mean the magic?” Biblior slowly shook his head. “Magic sleeps. Magic fades. This is older. The staircase remembers every traveller who ever reached this place.” Memoris adjusted his spectacles. “The oldest passages of the Great Library were never built from stone alone. They were built from memory. Every important journey leaves behind an echo.” Linora instinctively looked at Lumio, her enchanted smartphone. Ever since the forgotten wand had passed part of its lingering spell into the device, it had begun reacting to mysteries long before anyone else noticed them. The display brightened without being touched. Tiny silver footprints appeared one after another, crossing the screen in every direction. Some were large, others so small they could only belong to children. A few resembled animal tracks, while several belonged to creatures none of them could recognize. Suddenly every mark disappeared except one. A single heavy boot print remained. Beneath it four glowing words slowly formed. EVERY STORY BEGINS HERE. The message faded before Linora could show it to the others. “It isn't translating anymore,” she murmured. “It is remembering,” Memoris answered quietly. Sir Fegelot straightened the little black top hat above his eyes. “I preferred enchanted objects when they merely sparkled politely.” Madam Arabica released a fragrant cloud of steam. “Considering your own history, my dear broom, politely has never been your strongest quality.” Klemmi laughed softly while Ticko chattered in agreement. Even Mara smiled, and for a brief moment the strange tension surrounding the doorway eased. Then she drew a careful breath and stepped forward. Nothing happened. She crossed the threshold. Still nothing. One after another the others followed her into the mist. The instant Ticko's tiny paws touched the floor beyond the doorway, a deep musical vibration rolled through the enormous chamber ahead. The silver mist drifted slowly aside, revealing a sight that stole the breath from every traveller.
