Aidan, a computer science student, was staring at his phone, ignoring the blinking cursor of his half-finished Python script on the laptop screen. The notification glowing on his phone demanded his full attention:
"Your favorite author has released a new novel after five years of hiatus!"
Five years? Aidan blinked, letting the words sink in. Rei Althena, the reclusive author behind The Labyrinth Keeper, had finally returned. That book had been a masterpiece—filled with logic puzzles, plot twists, and a protagonist sharp enough to make even Sherlock Holmes look sloppy.
He opened the app, and the cover of the new book, The Path of Shadows, filled his screen. Dark and mysterious, it featured a massive stone door etched with glowing runes. A quick search revealed it was already available at a nearby bookstore.
He glanced at his laptop. The code could wait. Literary brilliance called.
---
At the Bookstore
The chill of the air conditioning greeted him as he entered the store. His eyes scanned the shelves until they landed on the promotional table near the entrance.
There it was: The Path of Shadows. The title gleamed against the dark cover, the embossed runes practically daring him to pick it up.
Aidan grabbed a copy, flipping it over to read the synopsis:
> "In a world full of dungeons, secrets lie behind doors that can only be opened by those who are clever enough to see them. But in the shadows of darkness, who will be the protagonist? Who will destroy the world? Which path will you choose?"
He frowned, running a finger along the edge of the book. No mention of characters. No hints at the plot. Just cryptic questions.
Classic Rei. She always loved leaving her readers guessing, dangling answers just out of reach.
Sliding the book under his arm, Aidan headed toward the cashier. But as he waited in line, a familiar thought bubbled up, uninvited.
You should be writing too.
It wasn't the first time. Every time he picked up a new book from Rei, the same idea nagged at him: If she can create worlds like this, why can't you?
After the next book, he always thought. I'll start after the next book.
Five years had passed, and he still hadn't written a single page.
He glanced down at the cover. The Path of Shadows. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was almost poetic, wasn't it? Procrastination in its purest form.
"Okay, Rei," he muttered under his breath as he reached the cashier. "Let's see if this one's good enough to justify me waiting another five years."
The cashier, a young woman with sharp eyes and a faintly bored expression, glanced up at him as she scanned the book. Aidan's voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough to catch her attention.
She handed him the book, her lips curving into a polite smile, though her tone held a hint of something deeper. "Good luck with your writing," she said lightly, as if it were the most casual remark in the world.
Aidan blinked at her, startled. "What?"
"Enjoy the book," she replied smoothly, already turning her attention to the next customer.
Aidan hesitated for half a second before shrugging it off, tucking the book under his arm, and walking toward the exit. Weird, he thought, but the thought didn't linger. His focus was already back on the book and the puzzle it promised to hold.
---
The Light
As Aidan pushed open the glass door, a sudden flash of light engulfed him. He stumbled back, blinking rapidly.
What the—? The brightness grew, consuming everything around him. His first instinct was to let go of the door handle, but his fingers wouldn't budge.
Great. He squinted into the light, his mind racing. Is this some kind of fancy bookstore security? Do they install flashbangs now?
The light didn't fade. Instead, a voice echoed in his head, calm and unnervingly precise:
"The path you choose begins now."
Aidan's stomach twisted. That definitely wasn't normal. Was this a hallucination? A gas leak? Maybe someone spiked the air conditioning.
Before he could decide, the ground vanished beneath him. His body felt weightless as the world around him distorted, twisting and glitching like a corrupted video file.
"Oh, fantastic," he thought, crossing his arms as darkness closed in. "Abducted by light. What a cliché."
---
A New World
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was grass. Cold, damp grass pressed against his cheek, and the faint smell of earth filled his nose.
Groaning, he pushed himself up, brushing dirt off his face. That's when he noticed his clothes.
Gone were his hoodie and jeans. Instead, he was wearing a plain brown tunic and a pair of scuffed leather boots. The rough fabric scratched at his skin, and the tunic hung awkwardly on his frame like it had been designed for someone twice his size.
"What am I supposed to be, a medieval NPC?" he muttered, tugging at the tunic's neckline. "Did someone forget to render the rest of my inventory?"
Patting his pockets, he found a rolled-up parchment. With a flick, he unrolled it, revealing a crude map with a large red X marked in the center.
"Oh, of course there's a map," he muttered, squinting at the hand-drawn lines. "Because nothing screams 'you're in danger' like treasure-hunting instructions."
A deep, booming voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts:
"Welcome to the world of Shadow's Path. Your choices will determine the fate of this realm."
Aidan froze, his head snapping up to scan the empty sky. The voice was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving him in silence.
He exhaled sharply, clutching the map tightly. Am I… in the book?
The absurdity of the situation struck him like a punchline. He snorted, shaking his head. "Alright, Rei. If this is your idea of immersive storytelling, I have questions."
---
The First Clue
The map led him toward a dense forest in the distance, its towering trees casting long, ominous shadows. Each step heightened his senses: the crunch of grass underfoot, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the faint hum of something magical in the air.
He scanned the treeline as he approached. Rei always starts with puzzles, he thought, narrowing his eyes. There's got to be something here. A test. A challenge. Probably some overly dramatic setup.
Sure enough, a massive wooden door stood in the middle of the clearing. It was unconnected to any structure, its surface carved with glowing runes.
Aidan approached cautiously, reading the inscription at its center:
"The first opens the path, the second chooses the way, the third loses everything."
He frowned, running his fingers over the carvings. Rei, you really don't believe in subtlety, do you?