new fragment of the enigma of the emerald building by e.black who has given us the pleasure of gradually publishing parts of the story.

"Yes, the building's former managers used it to store tools and maintenance materials," Teodora replied.

Leo frowned as he looked at the structure.

"It doesn't look very secure."

"That's precisely why it's perfect," Teodora said with an enigmatic smile. "No one would suspect something so important would be hidden in such an obvious place."

Lucía nodded with some reluctance, though she still seemed to have doubts.

"As long as it doesn't collapse while we're using it..."

Teodora pushed the door with effort. It opened slowly, revealing a narrow space, covered in dust, old boxes, and cobwebs everywhere.

"It'll do," she stated, moving some boxes aside to make room.

She took out the medallion, still wrapped, and placed it inside one of the larger boxes, covering it with worn fabrics and rusty tools.

"It'll be safe here for now. But we have to make sure no one comes looking for it."

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"And how do we do that?"

Teodora took a small padlock from her bag and closed the storage room door with a click.

"With something as simple as this. If someone tries to break it in, we'll know."

Lucia didn't seem convinced, but chose not to argue.

"Okay... So, what do we do with Méndez?"

Back in Teodora's apartment, the siblings and the old woman sat around the table to decide their next steps. Lucía, who had been searching the internet for information about the foundation, seemed more frustrated than before.

"It's like everything related to Méndez is blocked. I can't find anything useful."

"That just means he's resourceful," Teodora said thoughtfully. "No one covers their tracks that well without help."

Leo drummed his fingers against the table.

"Then we have to get ahead of ourselves. What if we follow him? Maybe we'll find out what he's really looking for."

Teodora shook her head.

"It's too risky. Méndez isn't a whiz. If he suspects we're watching him, he might change his plans... or get aggressive."

Lucía slumped back in her chair, visibly frustrated.

"So we just wait for him to make his next move?"

Teodora gave a small smile.

"Not exactly. There's another way to get information without confronting him directly."

Leo tilted his head, curious.

"How?"

The old woman stood up and walked over to an old box kept in a corner of the apartment. She took out a notebook with yellowed pages and carefully placed it on the table.

"This was my father's journal. There are details in it about the people who helped build the Emerald Building... and their connection to the artifact. Perhaps we'll find something that will help us understand what Méndez is really after."

Lucía cautiously opened the notebook. His eyes scanned the pages filled with handwritten notes and small drawings with familiar symbols.

"This is... incredible."

"And also our best chance," Teodora stated determinedly.

Leo looked at his sister and then at the journal.

"Where do we start?"

Teodora pointed to a page marked with a drawing of a figure holding a medallion.

"This way. If Méndez is looking for something else, maybe it has to do with this story."

In a dark café on the other side of town, Álvaro Méndez stared at his laptop screen. On it, a digital map of the Esmeralda Building showed the hidden levels revealed by his scanner.

"So they hid the key in the ceiling..." he murmured to himself, cracking a smile.

He closed the laptop and took a sip of coffee, his eyes shining with a mixture of satisfaction and eagerness.

"See you soon." The night dragged on, thick and silent in the Emerald Building, as Teodora, Leo, and Lucía continued to explore the journal. The pages were filled with meticulous notes and drawings of symbols that seemed increasingly familiar… though, at times, they only seemed to multiply the questions.

“It talks about a meeting between the building’s builders and a group that wanted to use the artifact for personal gain,” Lucía said, pointing to an underlined passage. “There seems to have been a conflict, but it doesn’t say exactly what happened.”

Teodora nodded as she read carefully.

“That conflict was the reason the artifact was sealed. The original builders wanted to protect it, but not everyone agreed. Some believed its power should be harnessed.”

Leo, who had been silent, pointed to a section with a drawing of the artifact surrounded by human figures.

“Look at this. It seems the artifact needed more than one person to activate.”

Teodora frowned, focused on the image.

It's 100% original.