What if...

I delve into my research, flipping through the pages of ‘Magical Beasts of the Endless,’ and find myself utterly captivated by the unfolding narrative.

The story revolves around the main characters, Arthros, an Endless being, and his human mate, Isidora. The Endless are beings who walked the earth long before humans came into existence. They were immortals who possessed immense powers, ruling galaxies, and creating new ones. A group of Endless decided to make the earth their home for its beauty and potential for growth. Some of them mated with the creatures of the planet and spawned offsprings that became dragons, hippogriffs, phoenixes, sea serpents, and basilisks. And when the dawn of humans came, these Endless offsprings mated with the humans, too—producing offsprings that could shape-shift between human and animal forms. They became formidable rulers, ruling over humankind because of their powers and abilities.

But one of the original Endless, Arthros, fell in love with a human maiden, Isidora. It was true love. He told her the secrets of the universe. They had children who possessed magical abilities and were raised with an understanding of the universe by their mother, because not long after their third child was born, Arthros was punished by the other Endless for passing on his knowledge to his lover, a mere human. He was banished from the Earth, never to return. Isidora, heartbroken, vowed to avenge her lover’s banishment.

She raised her children to become mages and eventually put an end to the reign of the Endless creatures, casting a powerful spell that sent them to an alternate dimension, never to be seen on earth again.

The mages were half-human and half-Endless, meaning they’re not fully immortal. When their bodies die, their souls move to another living body or be totally reborn, retaining only fragments of their memories of the past lifetime, but most of these memories they retain are memories of their experiences of love. Because love never dies.

I suddenly stop turning the pages and go back to the first pages of the book, staring at the author and publisher details.

Liam interrupts my thoughts. “Something wrong?” he asks. “I don’t think you’ll find a more vivid and detailed description of mythical creatures other than that book— from the creatures’ origins to how they all just vanished from the face of the earth— it’s an epic work.”

“I know… it’s just… there’s something—”

Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, it hits me.

“Wait— Liam, look at this,” I say, moving my chair closer to Liam’s. “This book was published posthumously, about thirty years after the author’s death, Celina Kapel, a Polish writer who uses the pen name Hannah. She was born in 1934 and died at 35, in 1969. Her son, Aleksander Kapel prior to its publication, translated it from Polish to English, and it was first published here in New York in 1999—”

Liam gives me a puzzled look. “So? What’s your point?”

I let out a harsh breath. “Let me finish, okay? This book was published as a work of fiction. What if— what if it’s not? What if her son thought it was fiction and published it as fiction? What if it’s not meant to be published at all?”

Liam’s brows shoot up. “Hold on… I—I’m lost between 1969 and 1999. Your premise doesn’t line up. Can you say that again? A bit more clearly, please?”

I inhale deeply, composing myself. “Okay… I’ll get straight to the point. I think… the author wrote it as a true story. Or based on a story that’s been passed on to her. But since the story’s got characters and creatures that are believed to be unreal— naturally, it’ll be passed on as a work of fiction. Does that make sense?”

“Are you saying you believe this story actually happened?” Liam asks, his face appearing serious.

“Does it matter if a reader believes it to be true or not? Does the truth become a lie just because no one believes it?”

“A lie can become an accepted truth when the majority believes it. Modern society largely believes in something when presented with incontrovertible evidence. Evidence verified by facts. Science rules—”

“Science barely scratched the surface of the earth. How can they claim dragons never existed just because there are no fossils or any trace found to prove it? Have they dug deep enough?”

“Fair point… but still—”

“What about Atlantis? Did Plato just made that up?”

“Experts say he only used the Atlantis story as an allegory—”

“Fine… what about the story of creation in the Book of Genesis? Was Adam a real person created from clay, and Eve created from Adam’s rib? And because of some forbidden fruit and a serpent, they were banished from Eden? Where’s the proof that actually happened? But millions of people believe in that story and would kill if someone tries to debunk it. Why?”

Liam laughs. “You make a good argument, Liv. But I don’t think that would fit into a 300-word essay for Professor O’Leary.”

A sharp sigh escapes my lips. “I’m not thinking about that essay anymore... I can easily get an A-plus for something less profound. But I’m not backing out of my theory. My gut tells me I should find this Aleksander Kapel, and squeeze the truth out of him...”

“Seriously?” Liam asks, his eyes wide.

“I’m dead serious,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t know why… but I won’t rest until I find out if I’m right about—”

“Wait— wait— wait, Liv… are you willing to go out of your way just to prove this book is not a work of fiction?”

“Exactly… and Aleksander Kapel will give me that proof.”

“And what proof are you hoping to get?”

“I don’t know— perhaps if he could give me a bit more background about his mother, or— some information I could work on—” I bite my lip, realizing I’m babbling nonsense. “No… maybe… I just wanna get to know more about the author… Celina Kapel or Hannah. I want to know her character as a person… what made her write that story as if she witnessed the whole thing first hand.”

“And then what? Prove to the world that there’s a ton of truth hidden in these myths about fantastic creatures?”

“Not exactly— the rest of the world can keep their views. I just need that proof for myself. Damn! I think I’m obsessed with it.”

Liam chuckles. He leans back in his chair and stretches his legs beneath the table, and props his hands behind his head, as if what I had just said made him relax.

“Then that makes two of us. Because that’s exactly the obsession I have for dragons…”

“So, are you gonna help me with this?”

“Now that I know you’re exactly into it, and not just for that essay… why not? We can track down Aleksander Kapel and interview him as fans of the book—”

“Wait—” I cut in. This is it. I think I just found the perfect timing to ask him what I’ve been itching to know. “Liam, answer me honestly now— what’s your deal with dragons?”

His face abruptly shifts. “You really wanna know?” A nervous chuckle escapes his lips.

I nod. “Very much. And I wish you’d stop avoiding the question and give me a straight answer this time.”

He clears his throat. “Will you promise to keep this between us?”

I nod, raising a palm up. “Cross my heart.”

“Okay… I’m obsessed with dragons because I think I’m turning into one…”