The book's flames had barely faded from my hands, leaving a faint warmth that I could still feel even after I dropped it to the floor. My breathing was ragged. The stranger's eyes—storm-colored and unreadable—never left me.
"You have to come with me," he said quietly, but with an urgency that made my heart pound.
"Come with you? Where?" I asked, backing away instinctively.
He extended a hand, and the air around us seemed to shimmer, like heat rising off asphalt in summer. "To a place that exists between your world and another. A place you were always meant to see."
I blinked. The words sounded insane. My life had been nothing but chaos, but this… this was a leap into something I couldn't even imagine.
"I don't understand," I whispered. "Why me?"
His lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "Because the book chose you. That's why."
I wanted to shake my head, to scream, to throw the book at him—but something about the way the air pulsed, as if responding to his voice, made me stop. Before I could move, a strange force pulled me toward him. I stumbled, my fingers brushing the book again. A swirl of light erupted, enveloping the room, and the next moment, the world around me dissolved.
I fell. Or floated. It was impossible to tell. The crimson sky faded into a blur of stars and shadows. Shapes moved around me—towers, spires, bridges that twisted impossibly, some upside down, some floating. It was like being inside a dream that defied all logic.
Then my feet hit solid ground.
I was standing on a stone platform in a city suspended in the air. Below, clouds swirled endlessly, tinged with silver and violet. The buildings were tall and narrow, made of black stone and glass that reflected the endless twilight sky. Strange lanterns hovered in the air, glowing softly like floating moons.
"This is… impossible," I murmured.
"You're seeing it because you're supposed to," he said. "Welcome to the world between worlds."
I turned to face him, and the stranger removed his hood for the first time. His dark hair fell in sharp angles around his face, and his eyes—storm-gray—seemed to pierce right through me.
"I'm Eiran," he said, bowing slightly. "And this is where you begin."
"Begin what?" I asked, though my voice trembled.
"To understand your connection to the book. To understand the power that chose you. And to survive what's coming."
Before I could ask him to explain, a noise echoed across the platform—a low, hissing whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. I turned, heart racing.
From the shadowed alleyways of the floating city, a figure emerged. Its body was thin, cloaked in dark robes, and its face hidden behind a mask that gleamed like silver in the twilight. It didn't walk; it glided.
Eiran stepped in front of me, eyes narrowing. "Stay behind me."
The figure raised a hand, pointing toward me. The air warped, and a cold wind rushed past, almost knocking me off the platform. My legs shook.
"I… I don't even know what's happening!" I shouted, panic rising.
"You will," Eiran said calmly. "But first, you need to control your fear. The book senses your emotions. It responds to you. If you panic, you might awaken things that should remain asleep."
My fingers itched to touch the book, but I remembered the flames from earlier. I wasn't ready. My heart beat so hard it hurt.
The figure's masked face tilted, and I thought I heard a whisper in my own mind: Aria… you're mine.
I froze. Every instinct screamed to run. But Eiran's hand on my shoulder was steady, grounding me.
"Aria," he said softly. "You have a choice. Step back into fear, or step forward into what's meant for you. The book chose you for a reason. Now it's time to decide if you will accept it."
I swallowed hard. My chest tightened. Could I trust him? Could I trust myself?
The masked figure moved closer. The platform trembled beneath its presence. Shadows stretched unnaturally, creeping toward me like living things.
I closed my eyes. A memory flashed—my life, small and fragile, filled with failures and disappointments. And beneath it all, a spark of curiosity, a desire to matter, to be part of something bigger.
I opened my eyes and stepped forward.
The world seemed to hold its breath. The shadows paused, hesitant, as if sensing my choice. Eiran's hand released mine and he gestured toward the city. "Good. Now follow me. You have much to learn, and little time."
A sudden gust of wind ripped through the platform. The masked figure hissed and vanished, leaving only a whisper behind: You cannot hide from destiny.
I swallowed my fear and clutched the book tightly. The glow from the symbols pulsed softly, warming my palms, as if acknowledging my choice.
And with that, I followed Eiran deeper into the floating city, my heart pounding, my mind racing.
The world between worlds was vast, strange, and beautiful. But I had a feeling it was also dangerous—far more than I was ready to face.