The door slammed shut behind me, and the cold fingers of one of the "men in black" squeezed my wrist.
—Don't move,— the second man hissed, pulling out the handcuffs.
I instinctively pulled away, and at the same moment the book on the bed flashed with a bright blue light.
* BANG-BANG!*
The window exploded into the room, and a waterspout burst into the apartment, thin and swift as a whip. He punched the first agent in the chest, throwing him against the wall. The second one froze in place, his eyes widened.
"What the—?"
I wasn't thinking. Acted.
My hand reached for the book of its own accord, and the moment my fingers touched the cover, it flashed through my head.:
* "Run." *
I jumped through the broken window.
Falling from the third floor was supposed to kill. But instead of hitting the ground, I **dived** into something soft, enveloping, as if I had jumped into a lake.
* Squelch.*
I collapsed onto the wet asphalt, cleared my throat, and jumped up. There's an alley all around, not a soul. But screams were already coming from above.
"He's downstairs!"
I lunged forward, clutching the book. It throbbed in my hand as if it were alive.
"Turn the corner," a voice suddenly whispered in my head.
I turned into a narrow passage between the houses and came up against a blank wall.
* Dead end. *
Footsteps sounded behind him.
"Don't move!" One of the pursuers shouted.
I turned around. Two of them. Pistols. Cold eyes.
"The book," the voice whispered again.
I opened it abruptly, and the pages turned over on their own, stopping at the "Hiding" section.
The text was burning:
"1. Burn the sheet.
2. Whisper: "Obscura."
3. Step into the shadow."
I tore out the page, squeezed it in my fist, and mentally set it on fire.
The paper burst into blue flame without burning my fingers.
—Obscura," I whispered.
And the darkness collapsed around them.
When my consciousness cleared, I was standing in total darkness.
Not just dark— but absolute, thick as ink.
— Where…
"You're in the Shadows," the voice replied.
I whirled around.
There was a girl standing in front of me.
More precisely, her silhouette looks like it was carved out of the night sky. Only her eyes glowed, a cold blue, like the flame of a book.
"Who are you?" I exhaled.
—The one who found you,— she bowed her head. "You woke up the Book." Which means you're one of us.
"One of whom?"
She grinned.
—The magicians. The real ones.
Somewhere in the distance, there was the sound of broken glass.
"They're close,— her voice became harsh. — **Shadows won't hide you for long. You need to get out.
"Where to?"
She stepped forward, and the shadow beneath her came to life, spreading out into a portal.
"To a world where magic doesn't hide."
I hesitated.
"Why are you helping me?
" Her eyes narrowed.
"Because if they catch you first."
She didn't finish. But I ** understood**.
I stepped into the portal.
The darkness receded.
I was standing on the roof of a high-rise building. The city sprawled below, but unfamiliar.
The sky was purple.
And in the distance, above the horizon, there was a huge castle floating in the clouds.
—Welcome,— the girl said, appearing next to him.
— Where...?*
— To Arcania.
She smiled.
"You're in the game now.