Blood

[Your world is but a fiction novel.]

.

.

.

[It's a fantasy.]

The handwriting was strangely precise, the ink dark and smooth against the unblemished folds of the paper.

A chill ran down my spine. I stood silently there, waiting, demanding...hoping for an answer.

No matter how hard I tried, my brain refused to form a thought. I just could not believe what was written in this book.

"H-Howw is t-this po-possible?!" I almost screamed. 

My mind reeled for answers, I needed to know what nonsense this book was blabbering about.

Could this book really mean what it was saying? That everything—my world, my life—was nothing but a fabricated story?

For all the fear gnawing at the edges of my thoughts, I couldn't stop the last shred of hope that flickered deep within me.

If this book held the truth… if it could really tell me how to grow stronger… 

Nothing else mattered.

My hands, still scraped and bloodied from earlier, trembled as they clutched the book. The faint metallic tang of dried blood hung in the air, mingling with the damp scent of the room. 

Even though I knew that the chances were dim, I could not stop my body from trembling.

I was excited—more than I'd been in years. Was it possible?

Could this stupid, frustrating, unyielding book really hold the answers to curing my empty constitution? Anything?

I felt an ember of hope appear in my heart, small but bright, warming the cold corners of my mind.

The thought of making my grandma happy and taking my rightful place made everything else useless.

My black eyes gleamed, wide and filled with a weary wonder.

I felt my eyebrows practically shoot to the top of my head as I stared at the page, my lips trembling slightly.

My hands—my bloody, bruised hands—gripped the book tighter, and I had to force myself to loosen my hold for fear of damaging it.

Maybe I was going crazy.

I couldn't look away.

The words seemed to pulse faintly, almost as if they were alive, whispering secrets I wasn't ready to hear.

The air around me thickened, wrapping around me like an unseen fog.

Was this real?

A deep breath. Another. My chest rose and fell, but my breathing was shaky.

My fingers, still unsteady, hovered over the edge of the page.

I hesitated.

A small part of me screamed to stop. To put the book down, leave it alone, and walk away before something went horribly wrong.

But I couldn't.

Not now.

I exhaled slowly, my hand trembling as I pressed it to the corner of the page.

"Alright... Let's see what you've got," I muttered, my voice cracked slightly, betraying my nerves.

The page felt rough beneath my fingertips, almost gritty. My heart raced faster as I began to turn it.

Each millimetre felt like an eternity, the air growing heavier with every second.

My shaky fingers gripped the fragile paper tightly, terrified it might tear, terrified of what I'd find.

The curiosity clawed at my chest as my trembling fingers continued their delicate task.

But just as I tried to turn the page—just as I was about to uncover whatever lay beyond—

I realised something.

The page wouldn't turn.

"…."

My eye twitched.

You fatherless—

You fuc—

You mindless piece of—

Ughh

I groaned out of habit, throwing my head back in frustration.

This was crazy.

My fists clenched and my body tensed with the sheer audacity of this stupid, STUPID book.

"Calm down, Noah. Calm down." I took a deep breath, then another. My voice shook slightly as I muttered,

"No, no, it's bad manners to curse at a holy book. Especially one that could be my salvation."

I repeated the words again and again, more to convince myself than anything else.

My gaze darted nervously to the book, half expecting it to glare back or unleash some otherworldly punishment.

Was it sentient? Could it hear me? The thought alone sent a shiver down my spine.

"Right, let's do this the smart way," I said, setting the book down gently on the wooden table. 

I've always prided myself on my relatively calm behaviour. I wasn't exactly the type to snap or hurl objects across the room.

At least, that's what I told myself.

But this book—this God Forsaken Book—was half the reason my patience had worn so thin. If someone told me it was cursed,

I'd believe it in a heartbeat.

I was sure this thing was some divine joke. A cosmic prank at my expense.

I mean, how else could I explain this fantasy novel bullshit? 

"This book," I hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at the polished black leather cover, "is literally the root of all my anger issues."

I leaned back, clutching my hair tight with both hands.

I had tried a hundred ways to open this book over the past two years, but nothing had worked.

So why was it glowing now? What had changed?

Then it hit me.

The blood.

I froze, my eyes darting to the faint red smears staining the title. Slowly, my hand crept toward the book again.

The realization sent a chill racing down my spine.

"No way…" I whispered, disbelief laced in my tone. "It can't be that simple."

I swallowed hard, dragging my bloodied palm across the title.

The iron tang filled my nose as I smeared the remnants of my earlier fight over the golden letters.

The moment my blood covered the last letter, the book began to glow again.

This time, instead of the blinding black that had covered my sight, only the book glowed with a faint shine.

I stumbled back, realising that I had found the key to the puzzle I couldn't solve for the last 2 years. 

The next page instantly flipped over, but before I could glance at it, my hands forced the book shut. 

Right then, a sharp voice pierced the silence, shattering the moment.

"Noah! Are you awake, boy? What was that loud noise?!"

I jumped, my pulse spiking as Grandma Sylvie's voice echoed from downstairs.

My eyes darted to the door, then back to the now-glowing book. Panic surged through me.

"Noah, I'm coming!"

"...Fuck!!"

***

A/N: With this, we have reached the end of the short mass release before I apply for the feared Contract!

Wish me luck everybody!

Also, due to the support of you readers, I hace decided to increase the criteria for Bonus Chapters.

50 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter

Regards,

Bearateme_