The city stretched before Noah Cain like an endless maze of steel and glass, illuminated by the flickering neon lights that barely fought back the consuming darkness of the night. He had lived here his whole life, navigating the mundanity of existence like everyone else—college lectures, part-time jobs, and the occasional night out with friends. Yet, despite the predictability, something within him always felt displaced, as if an unseen thread pulled at his soul toward something far greater. He knew he could do better, but never knew how.
Noah Cain turned the corner of the block and entered his favorite library. Although he was never much of a reader, he enjoyed the silence and the peace the library provided—a stark contrast to the city's noisy streets. Noah enjoyed browsing the books on the shelves. He would normally pick out a book, read a bit of it, and move on to the next one. He has been to this library countless times after his lectures just to get away from reality for a while. Despite how many times he visited the library, he had never seen this book before .
Tucked away in the forgotten recess of the old bookstore, he had never noticed this book before, the tome was pinned snuggly between books. Its leather cover was cracked with age, golden etchings forming symbols Noah did not recognize. The moment his eyes landed on it, a chill ran through his spine. It seemed more than just ancient, it looked like it could suddenly turn to dust in his hands.
"Odd find, isn't it?" came a voice from behind the counter.
The shopkeeper, an old man with clouded eyes that seemed to pierce through Noah's very being, regarded him with an amused smile. He said nothing more, allowing the eerie silence of the bookstore to settle. Noah's fingers hesitated over the cover before he pressed his palm against it. The instant he made contact, a surge of warmth coursed through his veins, and the world around him dimmed.
His breath hitched as the bookstore melted away. In its place, a swirling abyss of golden light and shadow enveloped him, voices murmuring in languages long forgotten. Images flickered in his mind—ruins of a world scorched by divine fire, an endless sky ruptured by lightning, and a great hand descending from the heavens, bearing a lantern that radiated a brilliance beyond mortal sight. He saw beings with faces shrouded in light, their forms shifting between fire, water, and pure celestial radiance.
His knees buckled as the force of the vision overwhelmed him, yet he couldn't pull away. Words, ancient and absolute, carved themselves into his soul:
"The burden is yours to claim. Step forward, or be forgotten in the dust of time."
And just as suddenly as it began, the vision ended.
Noah found himself back in the bookstore, gasping for breath, his fingers still clutching the book's cover. Noah swallowed, his throat dry.
"What… what was that?" Noah rasped.
Noah looked down at the book. It was open now, the pages blank except for a single line scrawled in ink that shimmered like starlight:
"Do you seek the Light, or shall you remain in the dark?"
The weight of that question pressed against his chest. He had always felt different, had always felt called to something beyond this mundane existence. Was this it? The reason for the restlessness that never left him?
A deep, resounding silence filled the space between heartbeats. And then, without truly knowing why, he reached forward and turned the page.
The world erupted into light.
And Noah Cain was never seen in that bookstore again.