The full moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silver glow over the world outside. Its light filtered through the thin curtains, illuminating the room with a ghostly shimmer. The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves like a soft warning. Everything felt… different tonight. Like the air was charged with something unseen.
Selene and I sat side by side, the silence stretching between us, thick with anticipation. The dim light of the moon outlined her delicate figure, her usually calm expression tinged with something else. Was it worry? I couldn't tell, but I felt it too—an unease that neither of us could shake.
"You're sure about this?" Selene's voice was soft, barely a whisper, her eyes fixed on the leather-bound book resting on my lap. Its presence felt heavy, as if it carried a weight far beyond its actual size. Creatures of the Dark, the title engraved in deep silver lettering on the cover, glinted faintly under the moon's gaze.
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yeah. It's just a book… right?" My attempt at reassurance fell flat, even to my own ears.
Selene didn't reply, her gaze lingering on the cover of the tome. The dark leather was cracked and worn, the kind of wear that came from centuries of existence. Along the edges, strange symbols were etched into the surface—symbols I couldn't begin to understand, though they seemed to pulse faintly, as if alive. At the center of the cover, an intricate engraving of a serpent coiled around a crescent moon stared back at us, its eyes two small rubies that glinted ominously in the dim light.
I hesitated for a moment, my fingers hovering over the cover, before finally flipping it open. The pages were yellowed with age, brittle to the touch, and the scent of old parchment filled the air. I could feel the tension in the room thickening, each creak of the wind outside sounding like a ghostly sigh.
Selene shifted beside me, her usually ethereal calm disrupted. I could feel her unease, see it in the way her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress. "It's not just a book," she murmured, her eyes darting from the pages to my face. "There's power in words like these, power that binds and corrupts."
I gave her a crooked smile, trying to break the tension. "Relax, it's probably just some ancient bedtime story." My voice came out more strained than I intended, betraying the nervousness gnawing at the edge of my mind.
Selene didn't laugh. Instead, she leaned closer, her eyes locked on the text. "Bedtime stories don't have warnings written in blood."
I looked down at the first page, where a faded crimson stain spread like a scar across the corner of the parchment. My heart skipped a beat. Okay… maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.
The first line on the page was written in a script that was barely legible, ancient and curling like vines across the paper. I could make out a few words, enough to send a shiver down my spine.
Beware the shadows that walk among men… for they are not what they seem.
I felt Selene's gaze on me, her presence a steadying force despite the tension. I turned to her, my voice quieter now. "What do you think this means?"
She hesitated, her luminous eyes deep with concern. "This book… it's older than anything I've ever seen. It speaks of things that shouldn't exist. Creatures that dwell in the dark, hidden from the eyes of the living."
"Creatures of the dark, huh?" I muttered, more to myself than to her. "Sounds like one hell of a bedtime story…"
But deep down, I knew there was nothing comforting about this. There was a reason this book had been hidden away in the manor's dusty library for so long. As the night deepened and the wind outside picked up, it felt as if we were no longer alone. Like something, or someone, was watching us from the shadows, waiting.
I glanced at Selene. Her hands, which were always so graceful, now trembled slightly. It was subtle, but in the stillness of the room, it felt monumental. She sensed it too—that creeping dread, the weight of something dark looming just beyond our reach.
"I don't like this," she admitted, her voice barely a breath. "We shouldn't read any further."
I hesitated, torn between curiosity and the instinct to protect us both. But the pull of the unknown was too strong. I flipped the page again, each turn feeling like a door creaking open into something darker.The next passage was even more chilling:
In the pale light of the moon, the forgotten rise. They seek the warmth of the living, but only bring the cold of the grave.
A chill ran down my spine. I could feel Selene shift closer to me, her shoulder brushing against mine, the faintest touch of warmth in an otherwise freezing room. For a moment, we sat there, our breaths shallow, listening to the wind outside as it howled through the trees. The leaves rustled like whispers, echoing the words on the page.
"Maybe I should read you something else?" I tried to joke, though my voice came out a little shakier than I intended. "Maybe a fairy tale with less… impending doom?"
Selene didn't smile. Her gaze remained fixed on the book, her brow furrowed in deep thought. "There's more to this than just stories, Leo. This book—it feels… wrong."
The weight of her words hung in the air. I swallowed hard, realizing just how serious this was. The shadows outside seemed to creep closer, as if eager to join our little gathering. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching us—waiting for the right moment to pounce.
Just as I contemplated our next move, my eyes caught a glimpse of a faded illustration in the corner of the page I hadn't noticed before. A small sketch depicted a circle surrounded by runes, each symbol glowing faintly. Below it, a line of text read:
To summon the lost, the ritual must be performed under the full moon's gaze. A bond must be formed, a sacrifice made.
Selene's breath hitched beside me. "A ritual?" she whispered, eyes wide. "What kind of ritual?"
I leaned closer, reading the words again. "It sounds like… summoning something. Or someone."
Selene's expression darkened. "We can't do that, Leo. It could open a door we're not ready to face."
The weight of her words hung in the air. I swallowed hard, realizing just how serious this was. The shadows outside seemed to creep closer, as if eager to join our little gathering. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching us—waiting for the right moment to pounce.
"We should put this away," I suggested, trying to keep my voice steady. But a part of me was still drawn to the mystery of the book. What if it held answers to Selene's past? What if it could help us understand the world beyond the manor?
Selene didn't argue, but her eyes were filled with an urgency that made my stomach churn. "Let's not take any chances," she urged.
As we sat in the dim glow of the moonlight, side by side in the silence, I couldn't help but wonder what we had just uncovered. Something had changed tonight, something I couldn't quite put into words. The room felt colder, the shadows deeper. And somewhere, out there in the darkness, I had the unsettling feeling that whatever we had stumbled upon was only the beginning.