Julian stood frozen in the center of the room, his heart heavy with doubt and his mind in turmoil. Before him stood the enigmatic man named Albus, unwavering and self-assured, as though he knew everything about Julian. The look in his eyes—a blend of wisdom and danger—left Julian unsettled, questioning Albus's true intentions.
"What do you want from me?" Julian finally spoke, struggling to steady his voice and mask his growing fear. Trust did not come easily to Julian, and the presence of this mysterious man in his home was enough to put all his senses on high alert.
Albus offered a faint smile, one that seemed to hide worlds of secrets. He replied in a calm yet commanding tone:
"I want you to understand, Julian. To see the bigger picture. What you carry within you is not mere power. It is a key… a key to things beyond your imagination."
He raised his hand and pointed toward the table, where a small, seemingly ordinary book lay. But as Julian approached, he noticed something strange emanating from it—a pulsing, invisible energy. A faint yet potent force made his fingertips tremble as he stared at it.
"This book…" Julian muttered hesitantly, wondering if he was dreaming. "It's… alive?"
"Alive?" Albus repeated the word, savoring it. "It is not merely a book. It is a gateway. Read it, Julian… and you will understand."
Why me?
The question echoed in Julian's mind, but he couldn't ignore his doubts. He took a slow breath and asked sharply:
"Understand what ? Everything you say is vague. Why me? And why now?"
Albus's smile vanished, replaced by a grave expression. He stepped closer to Julian and said in a deep, weighty voice:
"Why you? Because you were born for this. Every step you've taken, every pain, every loss, every moment of doubt—they've all led you here."
Then, his tone dropped to a warning whisper:
"As for why now… the world is changing, Julian. The time that once hid in shadows is resurfacing. And shadows… need someone to guide them."
A chill ran down Julian's spine. Albus's words stirred something primal within him, as though he were a pawn in a game far grander than he'd imagined. But he wasn't ready to surrender so easily.
"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked coldly, masking his unease.
Albus chuckled, a sound both hollow and laden with meaning.
"Trust? I don't ask for your trust. I prefer your skepticism. Those who trust too easily… always end up losing."
He extended his hand toward the black book, his gaze sharp with warning:
"Open it. Only then will you begin to grasp a fragment of the truth. But do not expect direct answers. You'll need to prepare for the next step."
Julian hesitated before asking cautiously:
"The next step?"
Albus turned toward the open window, poised to leave. Slowly, he glanced back and said in a quiet voice:
"To where you should have been from the beginning."
He paused, then added in a hushed, urgent tone:
"Ah, one more thing… Do not tell Adir about this. Not yet."
Before Julian could respond, Albus vanished into the darkness.
Julian sank onto the couch, staring at the book. It pulsed with the same strange energy he'd felt earlier, as though breathing. He wondered silently:
What is happening here? Am I dreaming, or…?
After a long moment of hesitation, he cautiously reached out. When his fingers touched the cover, a faint warmth spread through his skin—unsettling but harmless. He opened it slowly, revealing pages filled with cryptic symbols and unintelligible text.
He read the first line aloud, his voice barely a whisper:
"This world was shaped by six epochs. Five lie forgotten, and what remains is our present—a veil over the shadows of the past."
His heartbeat quickened. The words felt personal, as though they were telling a story he had always been part of but never known. He continued reading:
The First Age: The Age of Chaos
"In the beginning, there were no laws, no order. The world was tempest-torn, ruled by nameless, merciless forces. Annihilation was the only rule; survival belonged to the strongest."
The Second Age: The Age of Darkness
"From the chaos emerged a superior race—the Jinn. They ruled with iron fists, enslaving humans and other beings. Their civilization reached unparalleled heights, but it was built on the bones of the weak."
The Third Age: The Human Revolt
"Amid the darkness rose a great leader: Sordel, the first human king. Legends say he wielded a mysterious, unearthly power that shattered the Jinn's reign. His strength altered the course of history itself."*
Julian froze at the name Sordel. A flicker of recognition stirred in his memory. The name felt hauntingly familiar, though he couldn't place why. "Sordel…" he murmured. "I've heard this name before…"
As he read on, the text began to fade, replaced by a cryptic map marked with strange symbols. It pointed to unknown lands—places Julian had never seen yet felt inexplicably drawn to.
He couldn't stay idle. Slamming the book shut, he threw on his coat and rushed to the ancient library on the city's outskirts—a forgotten place crowded with neglected tomes.
The library greeted him with heavy silence and the scent of aged paper. Flickering oil lamps cast a dim light over dusty shelves. Julian combed through the crumbling books, desperate to decipher the map.
After minutes of frantic searching, his eyes landed on a leather-bound volume titled
The Forgotten Myths. He carefully pulled it from the shelf, its weight oddly disproportionate to its size.
Opening it on a nearby table, he found handwritten pages filled with meticulous script and symbols mirroring those in the black book. Within its pages lay tales of erased histories and whispered legends:
"There are epochs lost to all but whispers. Myths buried beneath time's ashes, spoken only by those who seek hidden truths."
Julian flipped through the pages until he found a chapter on the mythic King Sordel:
"Sordel—the rebel king who defied the Jinn. A figure shrouded in mystery said to wield a power no human could possess. After the Jinn's fall, Sordel vanished. Some claim he retreated into solitude; others believe his power destroyed him."
Julian muttered under his breath, "Disturbing legends…"
Hours later, Julian returned home and collapsed onto his bed, exhausted but sleepless. His mind churned with myths and maps. The forgotten legends now bled into his reality.
But one question haunted him:
"Who is Albus… and what awaits me?"