Ethan hesitated before the narrow opening hidden behind the bookshelf. A cold draft slipped through the crack, carrying a scent unlike anything in the lower library—damp stone, aged parchment, and something faintly metallic.
His pulse quickened. He had spent years surrounded by whispers of his worthlessness, suffocated under the weight of rejection. But now, this secret passage, this hidden space that no one else seemed to know about—it had responded to him.
He stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the bookshelf behind him rumbled, sliding back into place. The sound echoed through the stone corridor like a distant growl. Rael's fingers twitched, but he forced himself to move. There was no turning back now.
The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for him to walk without scraping his shoulders against the uneven stone walls. Strange markings ran along the surface—etched deep, yet so faint that they only became visible when the flickering torchlight hit them at certain angles.
He didn't recognize the script.
His breath came slow and controlled as he walked deeper. The passage twisted and turned, leading downward in a steady decline. The deeper he went, the more the air changed. It was heavy, thick with something unseen—like the place itself held a presence.
His instincts screamed at him to be cautious.
Then, the corridor opened.
Ethan stepped into a vast underground chamber, and his breath hitched.
Unlike the dusty, cramped lower library above, this place was pristine. Towering shelves carved from obsidian-like stone spiraled along the curved walls, filled with tomes that looked untouched by time. A dim, bluish glow emanated from somewhere high above, casting elongated shadows.
At the heart of the chamber stood a pedestal.
And on it, a single book.
Ethan's gaze locked onto it.
Unlike the books in the library, this one didn't appear old. Its cover was dark crimson, almost black, marked with intricate symbols that pulsed faintly, as if alive.
A sharp tingle spread through his fingers as he reached out.
This… this doesn't feel like an ordinary book.
As his fingers brushed the cover, a sudden wave of sensation crashed over him. The air shifted, the chamber trembled ever so slightly, and for a split second—something stirred.
Not a sound.
Not a voice.
But a feeling.
A presence acknowledging him.
Rael stiffened, his heart pounding. The symbols on the book pulsed again, almost as if waiting.For the first time in his life, something wasn't rejecting him.It wasn't casting him aside.It had recognized him.His grip tightened.He didn't know what he had just found.But he knew one thing—this was no ordinary book.