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| The Connection |
A stolen artifact. An ancient symbol. A name buried in history.
As Laric, Zanna, and Allen search for answers at the Arklow Museum, a shocking discovery links Colin's mysterious symbol to a relic from the reign of King Manasseh. But while the truth begins to surface in the present, another investigation unfolds centuries earlier—where a single name may hold the key to everything.
Episode 25 | The Connection
Arklow Museum — Present Day
“I know I’ve seen it before,” she muttered.
Laric leaned against the wall of the hospital room, arms folded. Allen sat nearby, watching her scroll through images on her phone.
“Seen what?” Allen asked.
“The symbol,” Zanna said. “From Colin’s room.”
She tapped the screen, flipping through pages of ancient markings, sketches, and symbols.
“None of these are exact… but they’re close.”
Laric pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer.
“Close how?”
Zanna turned the phone toward him.
“These are from ancient cultures… mostly Near Eastern. Some of them date back to biblical times.”
Laric’s expression tightened slightly.
“That’s what you said back at the house.”
Zanna nodded.
“Yeah… and I don’t think I was wrong.”
Allen leaned forward.
“So what, Colin suddenly became an ancient symbol expert overnight?”
Zanna shot him a look.
“I’m saying this isn’t random.”
Laric looked away for a moment, thinking.
Then something clicked.
“My uncle…” he said slowly.
Both of them looked at him.
“What about him?” Allen asked.
Laric hesitated.
“A few days ago, he told me something was stolen from the museum.”
Allen sat up straighter.
“The museum theft?” he said. “My dad was all over that. They never said what was taken.”
Laric nodded.
“He didn’t tell me either… just that it was important.”
Zanna frowned.
“You think it’s connected?”
Laric didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“There’s one way to find out.”
Later that evening, the museum was quiet.
Too quiet.
Laric moved quickly through the dimly lit halls, Zanna and Allen close behind him.
“You sure we’re allowed to be here?” Allen whispered.
Laric didn’t slow down.
“I work here.”
“That’s not exactly a yes.”
Laric ignored him.
They reached a secured office near the back. Laric unlocked the door and stepped inside, heading straight for the computer.
The screen flickered to life.
Zanna stood behind him, arms folded, watching.
Allen glanced around nervously.
“This feels illegal.”
Laric typed quickly.
“It’s not.”
A pause.
“…probably.”
Allen exhaled.
“Great.”
Laric searched through the archive system, scrolling through files.
“Come on…”
Then—
He stopped.
A file appeared on the screen.
Artifact Record: Royal Amulet – Kingdom of Judah
Zanna leaned in.
“Open it.”
Laric clicked.
The image loaded slowly.
Then it appeared.
A worn, ancient amulet.
Circular.
Marked with carved lines.
Symbols.
Zanna’s breath caught.
“That’s it.”
Laric looked at her.
“That’s the same symbol,” she said, pointing at the screen.
“The one in Colin’s room.”
Allen stepped closer, squinting.
“You’re serious?”
Zanna nodded.
“I’m sure of it.”
Laric stared at the image, something uneasy settling deep inside him.
“This is what was stolen,” he said quietly.
Allen shook his head.
“My dad said the theft didn’t make sense. No forced entry. No alarms.”
Zanna looked between them.
“So someone breaks into a secured museum… steals one specific artifact… and suddenly Colin starts setting fires?”
Silence.
The pieces were starting to fall into place.
Zanna scrolled further down the record.
Her eyes moved quickly across the text.
Then she slowed. “…wait.”
Laric looked at her. “What?”
Zanna didn’t answer immediately.
She kept reading.
Then she looked up. “Laric…”
Her voice was quieter now. “This amulet…”
She turned the screen toward him.
“…it dates back to the reign of King Manasseh.”
Laric froze.
Allen frowned.
“Who?”
But Laric wasn’t listening anymore.
Because something about that name felt familiar.
Too familiar.
🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️
Jerusalem — Reign of King Manasseh
Asher did not stop until the palace walls disappeared behind him.
Only then did he slow.
Not out of relief.
Out of thought.
Azariah.
The name repeated in his mind with every step.
The keeper.
The last man trusted with the chamber.
The last man who could have touched the amulet.
Which meant—
He was not just a name.
He was the answer.
Asher moved through the streets with purpose now.
Not searching.
Not wandering.
Tracking.
Names like Azariah did not vanish completely.
Not in a city like this.
Someone always remembered.
Someone always knew.
He didn’t ask many people.
Just one.
A man who handled records near the lower trade routes.
A man who watched more than he spoke.
Asher approached quietly.
“I’m looking for a keeper,” he said. “Treasury chambers.”
The man didn’t respond at first.
Then—
“Too late for that.”
Asher’s eyes narrowed.
“Azariah.”
The man froze.
Just for a moment.
Then leaned closer.
“You shouldn’t say that name out loud.”
Asher didn’t move.
“Where is he?”
The man glanced around.
Then spoke low.
“He spoke against the king.”
Asher’s jaw tightened.
“And now?”
The man shook his head.
“He didn’t disappear.”
A pause.
Then—
“He was taken.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
🔄 Previous Episode 24: The Mark
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