August 24th. In the building at 2 Chirac Street, screams and groans were heard all night. But they were heard only by the people in brown robes sitting inside. They heard, and they rejoiced. They drank, danced, and tortured the professor, who still could not remember the name of the journalist the people in brown had come for.

At 6 a.m., Professor Zaraski let his head drop. He had no strength left to hold it up. And he didn’t want to look at the red numbers, which were growing smaller. Blood was dripping from everywhere.

3… 2… 1…

And Professor Zaraski, like his laboratory, was gone. His bowed head flew up to the skies.

꧁⎝ 𓆩༺☠︎︎༻𓆪 ⎠꧂

August 24th. At 5 Bagra Street stood the huge building of the old Library Number 13. Entry was open only to representatives of the academies and ministries, and only a handful of people had access to the special sections where books and manuscripts were kept under the heading “secret.”

General Emin had not left the 6th block of the second level of Library Number 13 for two weeks now. His eyes were bloodshot, and the bags beneath them hung in black folds. It was a matter of life and death. His own health did not matter.

A flame was burning at the entrance to the 6th block. Unexpectedly, it began to blaze unnaturally. Someone was coming. Several people. And they didn’t even try to hide their presence.

“It’s after me,” Emin thought. A great many thoughts churned in his head. “They’ll… torture me. They… they’ll kill me.” His head sank lower and lower, until at last it collapsed onto the manuscripts. His body trembled; there was not enough air. His pupils shrank to specks of dust as he stared desperately into the darkness. Finally, he crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. The panic was gone.

“Halls of Mind! Open up!” he shouted.

His memory began to divide into an infinite number of folders and files. They scattered in chaos before his eyes. A solution was needed. One single solution. How to destroy all the documents and yet preserve them, so that they would fall into the right hands. The footsteps of the strangers grew more and more distinct. Emin’s pulse was tap-dancing. The blood wanted to burst from his temples, from his veins, from his eyes.

The manuscript data was hastily copied into Emin’s long-term memory. Numbers and letters, marks, everything important and unimportant flowed into his brain. There was no time left. Whistling could be heard from afar.

“Let there be light!” Emin screamed. The whole room began to blaze with fire. The fire that had burned in the corridor heaved and spread down its length. The men, who had almost reached the door, tried to react, but the fire reached them first.

“Oh, you bastard!” The whistling stopped, and the dark-haired man walking in front knocked several of his subordinates to the floor as he shoved past. “Ant, quickly! The wall! The wall! The wall!”

Out of nowhere, a huge wall appeared in front of the men. But it did not solve the problem. The fire was already burning on their clothes.

Despite the situation, the dark-haired man rushed into the room. But it was already too late. The entire 6th block was burning with bloody fire. The manuscripts scattered around the room had burned to ash.

“Emin, you bloody brat! You’re in deep trouble! You won’t get out of here alive!”

“Ah, □□□, it’s you. I knew it. Well, after this, I don’t intend to stay alive.”

“Noo. You didn’t understand me. Nobody will let you die here, you moron. Now □□□ and □□□ will deal with your damn fire, and we’ll torture you and find out the whole truth, and the name of the scum who arranged all this.”

“Dear, you seem to have forgotten one of my powers. You can never blackmail the lord of memory. At any second, the information in my head can turn into random text, photos of cats and dogs, or your worst memories.”

“Freeze.” Bandages wrapped around Emin’s head. “And did you, by any chance, forget about my power? You don’t have a single chance. Your ability will no longer work.”

“Ahahaha, funny, funny. □□□, you’re as prudent as always, but not prudent enough. At least make a mummy out of me with your bandages. Your damn ability can’t affect the ‘final’ enchantment. The process has already begun. This fire is my blood. It will stop only when all of it has flowed out. Ahahahahaha. And my memory is no longer accessible - not to me, not to you, not to Oswald. It flows out with my blood into oblivion.”

“Aah, you’re so loyal to your master that you’re ready to die here like a dog. Then die. If not you, there will be others - traitors. And believe me, they’ll talk. And all your suffering now, all your sacrifice, will be in vain.”

Blood was pouring out of Emin. He had no strength left to stand. He fell to the floor. There was anxiety in his heart. Only one thing kept spinning in his head: was this sacrifice, his life, worth it all?

“Well, Emin? Any strength left? Sad, huh? Understand this: all sacrifices are meaningless. You ruined your life, and your family’s too. Not a single person, not a single great idea, is worth your life. The only one here who isn’t prudent enough is you. You’re pathetic.”

Emin sat motionless.

“Fine. Then I’ll kill you. Since there’s no getting to the bottom of you, there’s no other option. Any last wish?”

Emin lifted his head and looked at the dark-haired man he had known for many years.

“Son… my… son…”

Emin’s head sank again, and his body slumped to the floor in an awkward position.

“Are you dead?”

The fire began to fade. It smelled of burning. The door opened. Several people in brown clothes entered. Their hair, their clothing, even their skin was burned. The Last Fire had spared no one.

“Ant, I’m counting on you. Try to dig some information out of here. This moron didn’t leave these walls for two weeks. Maybe he lost his mind and started talking to himself.”

“Yeah, just find me a healer. It hurts, you know.”

“We’ll figure it out now. Just come to me.”

As soon as Ant approached the leader, the man leaned toward his burnt ear.

“If you can, do something about the last conversation with Emin. When you hear it, you’ll understand.”

“Okay.”

The man stood in the midst of his crippled companions.

“That’s it, guys! No fun tonight. We wait until Daddy gives us new goals. Until then, you can head back. Dismissed.”

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