The city didn't sleep. Not really. Especially not in the older parts where time seemed to move differently and everything had a shadow, even in the dark. Benjamin and Amanda found themselves in a narrow alleyway in a part of town that smelled like old books, wet stone, and secrets. Vieux Marché was the kind of place that wasn’t listed on maps, but everyone who mattered knew about it. They stood in front of a heavy iron door. It was weathered, with strange symbols etched into the metal—symbols that shimmered faintly under the flickering lanterns above them.Amanda looked uncertain. She tugged the scarf around her neck a little tighter and glanced at Benjamin. “You sure this is the place?” she asked, voice low.Benjamin didn’t answer right away. He stared at the door, his eyes tracing the glowing symbols like he was reading something only he understood.“Yeah,” he said finally. “It’s the kind of place where secrets are sold, and people disappear.”Before Amanda could ask anything else

The second treasure was finally in their hands. Amanda carried it carefully, wrapped in layers of protective cloth and sealed inside a reinforced case. It looked like nothing special from the outside, but both of them knew better. Whatever ancient force had created it had also given it weight, real, emotional weight. The kind that changed lives.They didn’t speak much on the ride back. Benjamin sat in the passenger seat, eyes scanning the city streets through the tinted windows of their rented car. The radio was off. The hum of tires against asphalt was the only sound between them.Amanda finally broke the silence. “That felt different.”Benjamin didn't look at her. “Because it was.”Amanda tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Do you think they’ll come after us again?”“They’re already on their way.” Benjamin’s voice was low but certain. “The moment we touched that vault, alarms were triggered, not just the physical ones. The ones that reach deep into the world we’ve barely beg