A spoiler-free look at the character who sets everything in motion.
Jakob Mertens is the son of a blacksmith. He knows fire, iron, sweat and the quiet strength of labour. He is not someone who grew up with words – he is someone who thinks with his hands.
And that is precisely what makes his journey so interesting.
What drives him
Jakob is curious, without actually calling it that. He observes people. He doesn’t ask many questions – but he listens. In Conrad Albrecht’s bookbinding workshop, he discovers that the world contains more than he ever knew. That knowledge can take shape. That books are not just objects, but doors.
What holds him back
He carries his background with him. His father, the smithy, the smell of coal. It’s not a burden – but it is a weight he must learn to bear without being weighed down by it.
Who he wants to become
He doesn’t know that at the start. And that is the most honest thing I can say about him: he doesn’t want to become anyone in particular. He just wants to arrive. Somewhere where he is allowed to be himself.