Genesis. Volume 3.

January 13, 1989. Edinburgh. The Greyfriars Inn. 7:00 a.m. Lisa woke to the metal under her pillow pulsing in time with her heartbeat—steady, insistent, like a second pulse. She lay still, staring at the ceiling with its molding, where centuries of dust had gathered in gray swirls, listening to the day beginning outside. Somewhere below, a door slammed, cups clinked—the hotel was waking up, and that ordinary sound seemed almost wrong amid the silence in which this city lived. She sat up and took the metal in her hand. It was warm, almost hot, and she could feel it pulling her downward—through the floor, through the stone, through the earth, into that very darkness Eleanor had spoken of. "You feel it too?" Jack asked. He stood at the window, barefoot, in an old T-shirt, looking out at the foggy city. His eyes—one green, one blue—burned with the same light as the metal in her hand. "Yes," Lisa said. "It's calling." "We need to go." "I know." She got up, pulled on jeans and a sweater. She didn't let go of the metal—it lay in her pocket, warm, alive, and she could feel it pulsing in time with her steps. They went downstairs. The fire was already burning in the sitting room on the second floor, and the smell of coffee filled the air. Sophia stood by the table, arranging cups, and seeing them, she smiled—that smile that was both warm and sad at the same time. "You're early," she said. "I just brewed the coffee." "We can't wait," Lisa said. "The artifact. It's calling to us. We need to find the Keeper today." Sophia set cups before them, pushed a plate of toast closer. "You're not going on an empty stomach," she said. "I know you're in a hurry. But if you faint from hunger, it won't help anyone." Lisa wanted to argue, but Jack sat down at the table and took a piece of toast. "She's right," he said. "We can't fight if we don't eat." Lisa sighed but sat down beside him. The coffee was hot, strong, with the milk Sophia always added to soften the bitterness. She drank slowly, feeling the warmth spread through her body, clarity returning. Half an hour later, everyone had gathered in the sitting room. Arthur spread the map of Edinburgh Eleanor had given them on the table, and Sasha pointed out the marked locations. "Here," she said, indicating an old quarter near the castle. "According to Eleanor, a woman lives here who knows more about the underground than anyone. Her name is Margaret. She's the last Keeper in Scotland." "And we just walk up to her?" Max asked. "Say, 'Hello, we're looking for an artifact that could save the world'?" "She's expecting us," Jenny said. "I can feel it. The ring... it knows her." She looked at the ring on her finger. It pulsed steadily, calmly, as if it felt at home in this city. "Then let's go," Arthur said. They left the hotel. The fog hadn't lifted—it had only grown thicker, and the city drowned in it like in milk. Narrow streets twisted between stone houses, and each step echoed, the sound lost somewhere in the depths of the alleys. Somewhere in the distance, a crow cawed, and that sound was the only living thing in that gray silence. They walked through the old quarter, past closed shops and houses with dark windows. Sasha led them, checking the map, her steps confident, as if she'd known this city all her life. "Here," she said, stopping before a small door set into the wall between two buildings. Above the door hung an old sign with faded lettering: "Antiques Shop. Ring for entry." Arthur pressed the doorbell. Somewhere inside, a dull, rattling sound came—like a bell that hadn't been cleaned in a hundred years. The door didn't open right away. First, a lock creaked, then the door opened a crack on a chain, and a face peered through the gap—old, wrinkled, with piercing gray eyes that seemed to see right through each of them. "You came," the woman said. It wasn't a question. "Come in. I've been waiting for you." She removed the chain and stepped back, letting them inside. The shop was small, crowded with shelves of books, old maps, strange objects that were impossible to identify. It smelled of dust, wax, and dried herbs hanging in bunches from the ceiling. In the corner stood an old stove with a fire burning, its light flickering on the walls, making the shadows come alive. "I'm Margaret," the woman said, closing the door and gesturing to chairs arranged around a small table. "Sit down. I know what you're looking for." She sat across from them, clasping her hands on the table. Her fingers were knotted, with prominent joints, and on one of them gleamed an old ring—the same as Jenny's. "You're a Keeper," Jenny said. "Like me." "I was," Margaret said. "Now I'm just an old woman who remembers. My task is to pass on what I know. And to tell you what awaits you underground." She rose and walked to an old cabinet in the corner. Opened it, revealing a shelf of old scrolls. She took one, unrolled it on the table. The paper was dark, the ink faded, but the lines on it were clear—a map of Edinburgh's underground. "Mary King's Close," she said, pointing to a tangled network of tunnels stretching beneath the city. "The old city that was buried under the new one. Here, the Guardians hid for centuries what was not meant to see the light. And here is hidden the artifact you seek." "How do we find it?" Arthur asked. "It's not simple," Margaret said. "The underground is full of traps—not only those made by the Guardians, but also those left by the Red Circle. They know you're coming. They're waiting for you." "They want the artifact," Jack said. "Yes," Margaret said. "But they can't enter without the key. And the key..." she looked at Jenny, "is with you." Jenny clenched the ring on her finger. "This is the key?" she asked. "Not entirely," Margaret said. "It's part of the key. The second part is with you," she looked at Lisa, "and with you," she looked at Jack. "Your power, your connection to the metal—that's the other half. Without you, the ring won't open the way." "What do we have to do?" Lisa asked. "You have to go down together," Margaret said. "The three of you—Jenny, Lisa, and Jack. Your connection will activate the artifact. But be careful: the Circle knows about you. They will try to stop you." She rolled up the map and handed it to Arthur. "This is the map of the underground. Follow it. Don't turn into dead ends—they lead to traps. And remember: the artifact is hidden in the very heart of the old city, beneath where the market square used to be. You'll know it when you see it." She looked at them for a long moment—each one in turn. "I can't go with you," she said. "My task is to wait here and pray that you return. But I will wait. No matter how long it takes." They left the shop, and the fog met them with renewed force. The city seemed even more alien, even more ancient. "We're going," Arthur said. "All together." "We'll split up," Lisa said. "Jack, Jenny, and I go for the artifact. The rest of you cover us. If the Circle comes, you have to hold them off." "We'll hold them off," Max said. "We won't let them through." Arthur looked at Lisa. In her eyes was the same resolve as in his. "Be careful," he said. "We will," Lisa replied. They found the entrance to the underground on the edge of the old quarter—an old stone arch, overgrown with ivy, leading down into darkness. The air coming from it was cold, damp, with the smell of ancient earth and something else—metallic, sharp, like blood. Jenny approached the arch and touched the stone with her hand. The ring flashed with bright red light, and the stone hummed—low, guttural. "It's open," she said. "We can go in." Lisa took Jack's hand. His palm was warm, and she could feel his power joining with hers. "Together," she said. "Together," he replied. They stepped into the darkness. Inside, it was cold. So cold that their breath came out in white puffs, and each step echoed, lost somewhere in the depths. The walls were stone, damp, with protrusions that caught at their clothes. Somewhere, water dripped—steady, monotonous, like a countdown. Lisa turned on her flashlight. Yellow light cut through the darkness, revealing a low ceiling covered in mold and a floor with streams of water running across it. "Let's go," she said. "The map says we need to turn left after a hundred meters." They walked slowly, checking every step. Jack held the piece of metal in his hand, and it pulsed, pointing the way. Jenny clenched the ring, and it glowed with a dull red light, illuminating the walls. "I can feel them," Jack said. "The Circle. They're here. They know we're here." "We're faster," Lisa said. "We have to be faster." They turned left, and the corridor widened into a small chamber. In the center of the chamber stood an old stone altar, covered in symbols, and on it lay an object—dark, glinting dully in the flashlight beams. "That's it," Jenny said. "The artifact." She stepped closer, but Lisa grabbed her arm. "Stop," she said. "A trap." She pointed to the floor before the altar. The stones were laid differently—with gaps where darkness showed through. "It's a trap," she said. "We have to go around." They circled the altar from the side, stepping on stones that held. Jack approached the altar and reached out his hand, but at that moment the walls began to rumble, and stone dust rained from the ceiling. "They triggered the trap," Jack said. "The Circle. They know we're here." "We have to take the artifact and get out," Jenny said. She walked up to the altar, touched the artifact with her hand. It flared with bright light, and the ring on her finger responded with the same flash. "It's mine," she said. "I can feel it." She took the artifact in her hands. It was cold, smooth, with engraved symbols that glowed with a dim light. "We have to go," Jack said. They ran back down the corridor. The walls trembled, and stones fell from the ceiling. Somewhere behind them, deep in the underground, a low, guttural rumble sounded—as if something had awakened. They burst out onto the surface as the fog was beginning to lift. Arthur, Max, Emma, and Sasha were waiting for them at the entrance. "We found it," Lisa said, breathing hard. "We found the artifact." "And we found them," Arthur said, pointing to the horizon. "The Circle is here." In the distance, on the hill, stood figures—three people in dark cloaks. They didn't move, just stared in their direction. "They were waiting for us," Max said. "They've always been waiting," Jack said. He clenched the piece of metal in his hand and felt his power pulse in time with his heart. "We're ready," he said. "We've always been ready."