Chapter 188. Cara Gratia

Carter furrows his brow, puzzled by Lara's statement. He steps closer, peering over her shoulder at the book's pages.

“Empty?” he echoes, his voice tinged with confusion.

Lara flips through the pages again, each one as barren as the last. There are no words, no markings—nothing but the blank, aged, yellow paper staring back at her.

“That's strange,” Carter murmurs, his gaze fixated on the empty leaves. “There must be something here. Maybe it is hidden, or...”

Before he can finish his sentence, Lara notices a faint glimmer of an object caught between two of the pages. She carefully pries them apart, revealing a small, intricately folded piece of parchment nestled within the crease. With trembling fingers, she reaches for it, her curiosity piqued.

Carefully, she unfolds it, revealing a delicately calligraphic handwriting etched onto the surface. Just two words are written on it.

“Cara Gratia,” Lara reads out loud, then passes a