The once-vibrant dark eyes now seemed dulled under the flickering candlelight, anguish rippling across the waxy face. The boy leaned closer, straining to catch the words that were little more than a whisper as life’s final moments ebbed from the frail form. “You must journey to the library in Firenze, and remember—ensure that Lorenzo de’ Medici does not see you.”

Father Bruni
For years, Father Bruni has served as a trusted scholar to the illustrious Medici family. Though ordained, it is not faith that defines him but knowledge—an insatiable hunger for the wisdom buried within ancient texts. It was this mastery of lost and forbidden tomes, not his religious devotion, that first captivated Lorenzo de’ Medici.

Lorenzo, the great patron of the arts and intellect, envisioned a library worthy of the Medici name long before Michelangelo was commissioned to design the Laurentian Library; it was Bruni who scoured the known world under the Medici’s patronage, acquiring manuscripts of unparalleled value. Some found sanctuary in the grand Medici villas of Florence, safeguarded from prying eyes whilst others remain hidden in the vaults of The Monastery of Badia Fiesolana.

Yet, it is Father Bruni’s legacy that endures in whispers. He is the author of I Segreti dei Savi—The Secrets of the Sages—and its enigmatic twin, The Voynich Manuscript, works veiled in mystery, riddled with symbols and knowledge that eludes even the most astute minds.

There was one prize, however, that even Bruni could not resist—a secret so profound that it eclipsed all others, a truth he uncovered while serving Lorenzo. It was a discovery he must protect at all costs, and carry to his grave.