Ethan's eyes stung from hours of prolonged glaring at screens and pages. His research had yielded little, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. The symbol on Julian's wrist and his windowsill haunted him.
As night fell, Ethan's room grew darker, illuminated only by the faint moonlight filtering through the curtains. Shadows danced across the walls, making him feel like he was being watched. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on his research.
Ethan's laptop glowed softly, casting an eerie light on his face. He scrolled through articles on ancient glyph languages, his eyes scanning for any mention of the symbol. The clock ticked away, each passing minute marked by the creaks and groans of the old house.
He was so immersed in his research that he forgot that he was supposed to eat dinner. His Mom had been patiently waiting for him.
Outside, the wind rustled through the trees, its gentle whispers weaving in and out of Ethan's thoughts. He rubbed his tired eyes, trying to shake off the fatigue. His mind began to wander, conjuring images of Julian's enigmatic smile.
As the hours dragged on, Ethan's room grew colder. He wrapped his jacket around him, but the chill lingered. His thoughts turned to Lena, wondering if she was safe, if she knew anything about the symbol.
As at now, Ethan was frustrated as hours of research yielded more or less nothing. He couldn't even account for the uncontrollable movement of his mind.
Suddenly his gaze drifted to his bookshelf, remembering that he had carried a lot of old history books from his sister's room after she died. He began to search one by one, which book would give him the satisfaction he yearned. Minutes past with no meaningful information to show and decided to drag his feet to the bed.
" Ouch! ", Ethan exclaimed as he had hit himself on an elevated platform just before his bed for some reason he had not seen this before. He reached in and opened the cabinet and found sth.
" A book "
It read
" Mesopotamian Mythology: Vol. 1 "
" What could this be ", he asked himself. As he flipped through the pages he was struck with awe. It was everything he was looking for. He pulled it up, dust motes dancing in the faint light. The pages yellowed with age, revealing intricate illustrations of ancient gods and symbols.
He immediately took it to his desk and started reading it. Although he felt sleepy, he was determined to find what he was looking for. But as he read, the words blurred together. Ethan's eyelids drooped, his head nodding forward. He jerked awake, heart racing, and continued reading.
But the fight was lost, he couldn't stop his sleepiness and was bound to give in. So the more he went through it's pages, the more his eyes grew heavy. Then, he fell asleep, the book slipping from his grasp, and landing with a soft thud on the carpet.
In the silence of the night, Ethan's thoughts unraveled, weaving together fragments of dreams and reality. Julian's whisper echoed in his mind: "You shouldn't be looking for this."
As the darkness closed in, Ethan's consciousness faded. His head dropped forward, chin resting on his chest. The laptop's glow softened, casting an ethereal light on his peaceful face.
Ethan's Mom had waited long enough and decided to bring Ethan his dinner. It was late in the night but she didn't care. She knocked a couple of times but Ethan didn't respond. She then tried the knob and discovered that his room was open.
She peeked inside and say poor Ethan on the floor, his books scattered everywhere, his laptop open and desk scattered.
" Poor Ethan, you shouldn't be doing this to yourself ", she said trying to tidy up his room a little bit. She also left a note for Ethan.
Then she left for bed.
In the stillness of the night, the symbol on his windowsill seemed to pulse, waiting for Ethan's subtle return to the mystery.