Rain fell hard over the shattered remains of Novalem City, pounding against the rooftop of an abandoned cathedral-turned-library. Inside, the air smelled of old paper and whispered secrets.
A girl—pale, cloaked, and shivering—stood in the middle of the ruined hall. Her name was Elara Myles, or at least that's what the note in her pocket said when she woke up in the forest two days ago.
No memories. No home. No reason to be alive.
Only one thing drew her: the library.
It called to her in dreams. In symbols. In pain.
She had followed the dreams here, to this haunted ruin.
And now, standing before a cracked podium, she reached out to touch the single book that rested on it—bound in black leather, pulsing faintly with warmth, even in the cold.
Its title had been burned off.
The instant her fingers brushed the cover, a sound like thunder echoed through the library.
The chandeliers above rattled. Shadows twisted unnaturally.
The book opened on its own.
And the first page read:
> "To the One Who Awakens Me—
You are not real.
This world is not yours.
But if you wish to remember,
bleed."
Elara blinked. "Bleed?"
The page glowed crimson.
Then it cut her.
A single drop of her blood sank into the paper, and the world changed.
The library melted away.
Books screamed.
And a voice whispered behind her ear—
> "Welcome back, daughter of Eden."