Few seconds after the shock...
«drops of sweat glistened at Aether's forehead as he was staring like a statue at His name written in this unknown book—his thoughts were all over the place, millions of possibilities,And all of them doesn't make an explanation for what he is looking at»
Aether:"t..that cant be real..— am I dreaming!?!"
«afterward ,somehow how he manages to gather his courage to flip the page which was containing the next text titled with "cant change the fate"»
The text:
"After opening this book, he leaves the library—but not before convincing Joel to let him borrow it. The next day, school resumes. English exam results are announced. He scores 99%. His rival? 97%."
«Aether stared at the cryptic text, a storm of question marks practically visible above his head. The library's strict "no borrowing" policy twisted the situation from bizarre to impossible. Still, he approached Joel, clutching the book with forced casualness. His voice was all friendly ease—a stark contrast to the unease coiling in his gut»
Aether:"Hey Joel, mind if I... uh, take this one home tonight?"
«Joel on the other side looked at Aether quietly then his eyes recognized the book in his hands — a second laterJoels eyebrows raised in abit of confusion before saying.»
Joel:"and what would you need with an empty book?"
«Aether got stunned at the first but then he saw a chance to get the book.»
Aether:""Well... since it is blank, maybe I could just... keep it? I can pay—"
«Joel took the book, flipping through pages with methodical slowness. Empty. All empty. After an eternity, he shrugged, tossing it back with a chuckle.»
Joel:"Keep it, kid. Not like it's worth anything"
«Aether let out a sigh in relief after hearing Joel's words then he nod and left the library، He burst through the front door to find his mother, Sandra, humming over a pot in the kitchen—the scent of herbs and warmth wrapping around him like a hug.»
Aether's:"good evening mom"
«Sandra turned, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. That voice—soft as worn velvet—never failed to unravel his stress.»
Sandra:"welcome back sweetie come on go and get ready while I finish preparing the dinner"
«Nodding, he passed his older brother in the hallway—fresh from the shower, towel slung over damp hair. A casual "Hey" bounced between them before Aether slipped into his room.
In one fluid motion, he yanked the cursed book from his backpack and shoved it deep under the bed, he muttered then»
That is a problem for another time...see you later
«during the dinner time Aether's mind kept nagging him to see what is in that book's pages even though he tried to not think much of it or show any distress marks to his family— eventually his father(Callum), mother ,elder sister(Fiona) and the younger brother(Jacob) altogether around the dinning table—Callum's laughter boomed during a story about work. Seizing a lull, Aether gripped his fork tighter.»
«he seized the moment. Sliding from his chair like a shadow, he slipped down the hall. His bedroom door locked behind him with a soft *click*. Heart drumming, he dropped to his knees, yanked the book from its dusty grave under the bed, and scrambled onto the mattress. Fingers trembling, he pried it open. »
Aether:"Let's see what you're hiding..."
'he opened the book and start reading'
«he starts reading and discover that his called—"rival" was Emily which was reasonable since their academic performance was nearly equaled»
«after these events the next papers get filled with non understandable words»
Aether:"huh?— what the heck is this? Asi...ta...ka... Veylos... Mor'goth? Who the hell written this?"
«He twisted the book sideways, upside down, even held it to the flickering lamp—nothing resolved the chaotic script. Was it code? Madness? Or something... older?»
Aether:"no matter how much i try, it's not readable"
«He slammed the book shut, shoved it back under the bed, and collapsed onto the sheets. Within minutes, sleep dragged him into dreams»
In his dreams...
???:"hey~ do you hear me boy?"
«Aether sees a mysterious man in a surreal void, staring back with a featureless face. The man continues:»
???:"If you hear me,after two days come at the entrance of 'spikea forest' I need your help ,you will know me when we meet"
«Before Aether can open his mouth, he jolts awake from a sharp pinch on his cheek—his elder sister's doing. He scrambles up, shooting her a sleepy pout.»
Aether:"ughh why always like that!?"
'Fiona grins mischievously, examining her nails with faux innocence'
Fiona:"well you said 'wake me 5 AM' BUT"
'She raised her finger in vulgar way'
"You've never said How, Right?"
«He push her face away and sigh in fake annoyance and hop out of the bed to start his routine»
Couple of hours later...
«As the school building rose before him, its familiar warmth washed over Aether—a fleeting comfort against the book's shadow still clawing at his mind. He forced a smile, whispering reassurance to himself»
Aether:
"Just your name in a book... Doesn't mean anything. You're not the only 'Aether' in the world."
«as he was muttering this he heard a voice, the voice that he will never miss for a once —Emily...»
'she looks at him mischievously and smirk arrogantly with her usual "bright" character, her smirk almost seemse menace'
Emily:"hey~ who are you talk to mister?"
'her voice dripping with venom sweetness', however he decided to not overreact and said with shrug'
Aether:"some kind of ghost ,he's so friendly though you gotta met him once
By the way see you in English class"
«after saying that he walked inside the building not waiting to hear her response, anyway she crossed her arms under her chest with her eyebrow shot upward»
Emily:"The English class?, what's the deal with him?"
'karen on the other side was talking with her other friend about some sort of concert that one of students in there class is preparing for'
10:15 AM....
«The results of the exam of mid term got announced, while the students around Aether were having a variety sort of reactions ,whoops of joy, groans of disappointment, chairs scraping as students mobbed the front desk. Aether hung back, his palms slick with cold sweat., he was stunned like a statue looking horrfied at his paper...he looked like he saw the apocalypse»
«another second later he heard an expected voice»
(Teasingly)
Emily:"Earth to Aether~... Hellooooo? Anyone home"
«Slowly, mechanically, he turned. His voice emerged hollow, stripped of all color:»
Aether:"97%...right?"
'her eyes got widen as her mind was trying to take in what she has heard
That answer got her Goosebumps deep till her spine—she has been hiding her mark since the moment she got the paper...no human saw the paper beside her'
To be continued...
Note:
'Ai was used only for Proofreading and poetic terms'