"For the future?" Ryu asked, his voice quiet, laced with suspicion. His brows knit together as the strange glow from the shelf cast faint ripples of light across his face.
The voice only laughed softly, the sound rich yet distant, as though it didn't come from the air around him but from somewhere inside the world itself. "Yes, for the future. I am someone who would never harm you, and… you've shown me something intriguing about this world. Consider this a reward for that."
Ryu's small fingers curled against his palm, steadying himself. Intriguing? His eyes narrowed, suspicion sharpening his young features. "What are you? Some kind of telepath?"
"Perhaps," the voice answered, playful yet evasive. "I might tell you later. For now, simply accept this book. You already know it carries no trap—you can feel it. So I needn't waste words convincing you."
Her tone softened, almost fond. "Goodbye, Ryu. We will meet again."
With those words, the presence faded like ripples across still water, leaving only silence behind.
Ryu stood motionless, the quiet hum of the room suddenly heavy on his ears. His heart had spiked for a moment, but his equilibrium settled it back into a calm rhythm. 'She knew…' His thoughts turned sharp. 'She knew about Dave's memories… and my ability. But how?'
For the first time since awakening, a true unease stirred in his chest. He had accepted this world might hide powerful beings—but this was proof. Proof that something, or someone, had already noticed him.
He exhaled slowly, pushing the thought aside, and returned his attention to the shelf. The glowing book pulsed faintly, surrounded by dozens of ordinary spines. Unlike the others, it carried no distortion of chaos. No resistance, no instability. Just stillness.
"…It's calm," Ryu murmured, as though reminding himself.
He reached out. His small hand trembled faintly—whether from anticipation or the weight of the unknown, even he wasn't sure. Then his palm pressed against the cover.
The book lit up instantly. A sharp flare of light burst outward, forcing his eyes shut. Before he could even react, the brilliance streamed into his forehead, vanishing between his eyebrows like liquid fire.
His breath caught, but panic never came. 'No… this isn't an attack.' The sensation was strange—warm, pressing, yet not painful. Guided by instinct, he closed his eyes tighter, focusing inward.
And then it appeared again. Floating in the air before him, no longer physical but ethereal, the book re-formed. Its edges shimmered in greenish-blue light, translucent yet solid, like a hologram painted by something beyond technology. White and black letters glowed on its cover with undeniable authority.
[BOOK OF EVERYTHING.]
Ryu looked at the glowing book floating before him. Its title—[BOOK OF EVERYTHING]—shone with quiet authority, but the words only deepened his confusion.
"Everything…?" he whispered under his breath. 'What exactly did everything mean?'
His first thought was to simply open it, to flip through its pages and see what secrets it contained. But when he reached out, the cover refused to budge. Instead, the glowing letters shifted, morphing fluidly as though written by an unseen hand.
[Which knowledge do you seek?]
Ryu blinked, his calm expression giving way to a faint flicker of intrigue. 'It's asking me… directly? Does that mean only what I choose will appear?'
The idea made a strange kind of sense. He folded his arms, tilting his head as he thought. 'Then… let's test it with something simple.'
Almost immediately, he focused on the words 'Introduction to Biology.' The letters on the cover rippled once more, rearranging themselves into the exact title he had thought of:
[Introduction to Biology]
Then the book opened on its own, pages glowing faintly as neat lines of text formed. Ryu leaned closer, eyes narrowing as the words became clear.
[Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It encompasses their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. At its core, biology seeks to understand the processes that define living things, distinguishing them from non-living matter…]
Ryu's eyes traced the words carefully, his mind absorbing them with unusual clarity. His memory recall worked seamlessly, like he had been wired to retain every detail. Yet what struck him more was how natural it felt—almost as if the book was writing directly into his thoughts.
He pulled back slightly, thoughtful. "So… it really is giving me only what I ask for. Not random knowledge, not hidden riddles… just exactly what I choose."
The glowing book floated silently, waiting, as though daring him to decide what he would request next.
Ryu stared at the still-floating book, its faint glow casting a soft green-blue hue across his face. The words Introduction to Biology still lingered in his mind, but his thoughts shifted.
'Wait… I don't even know how this thing truly works. Isn't it reckless to use it blindly?'
His brows furrowed. 'Then… the first thing I need is not just knowledge, but the knowledge of the book itself.'
He focused that intent sharply, almost like sending his words directly into the book. 'Show me a complete guide on how to use the Book of Everything.'
The pages snapped shut on their own. A ripple of light shimmered across the cover, and the title began to change. The glowing letters reshaped themselves until they read:
[Manual of Use]
The book opened again, this time more deliberate, each page flickering with a faint golden hue instead of the usual Greenish blue. The letters carved themselves line by line, glowing softly before settling into firm black text.
Ryu leaned forward, his heart steady but his curiosity sharpening.
[The Book of Everything is not a book of answers, but a book of clarity. It reflects the seeker's intent and grants structured knowledge in the form most easily understood.]
[What you choose is what is revealed. Knowledge unasked will remain hidden.]
[The book does not lie, but neither does it act as an oracle of fate. It is not omniscient, but rather a mirror of the truths that exist within the fabric of reality.]
Ryu exhaled softly, his fingers tapping against his side. "So… it's like a library that only opens the shelf I ask for. And… it doesn't predict the future either. Just knowledge of the world as it is."
His gaze lingered on the glowing black text. There was more—rules, conditions, warnings—still forming on the next page. He straightened his back slightly, eyes narrowing in concentration.
***
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