The Forgotten Paged

Chapter 6:

The Forgotten Pages

Lila awoke with a gasp.

Her body ached, her head pounded, and her lungs burned as if she had run a marathon. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she was even alive. The last thing she remembered was the blinding light, Caelan's voice, and the feeling of falling.

Now, she was lying on the wooden floor of The Whispering Pages.

Her bookstore.

She pushed herself up, wincing as her palms met the ground. The mark on her skin still pulsed faintly, a reminder that what had happened wasn't a dream. She turned her gaze toward the mirror. It stood exactly where she had last seen it, still uncovered, still waiting. But the glass was dark now, its surface empty.

Caelan was gone.

Lila staggered to her feet, her breathing uneven. She turned toward the front of the store. The storm had passed, and the streets outside were quiet, the glow of streetlights reflecting in puddles along the sidewalk. Everything looked normal.

But she wasn't.

She could still feel the energy beneath her skin, the strange warmth left by the mirror. She could still hear Varos's voice, taunting her, calling her his.

She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to steady herself. She needed answers.

And she knew exactly where to start.

The Book

Lila moved through the bookstore with purpose, her fingers trailing along the shelves. If her grandmother had known about the man in the mirror, then maybe—just maybe—she had left behind something that could help.

She made her way to the back of the store, where the oldest books were kept. Many of them had been passed down through generations, some so fragile that she barely dared to touch them.

She ran her hands along the spines, her mind racing. Think, Lila. Think.

Then she saw it.

A small, unassuming book tucked between two much larger tomes. The leather cover was cracked with age, the title faded beyond recognition.

Lila hesitated only a moment before pulling it free.

Dust stirred in the air as she opened it, her fingers carefully flipping through the brittle pages. The text was handwritten, the ink faded but still legible.

And then, on one page, she found it.

A passage about mirrors.

Her breath caught as she scanned the words:

"The Veil is thin where mirrors stand. They are not mere reflections but doors, windows to the in-between. Some open by accident. Others require a key. And some…"

Her fingers tightened on the pages.

"Some hold prisoners, bound by magic older than time itself."

Lila swallowed hard.

She read on, her pulse quickening.

"A soul trapped in glass is neither living nor dead, but bound by an oath, a curse, or a fate unseen. To free them is to claim responsibility for what follows. Beware the ones who wait behind the glass, for they are never truly alone."

Her mind reeled.

This had to be about Caelan. He was trapped. He had been waiting.

And she had touched the glass.

Her stomach twisted as she turned the page. More warnings. More stories. And then—

A name.

Her heart nearly stopped.

"Varos, Keeper of Shadows, binds those who defy the rules of the Veil. He is neither man nor beast, but a force eternal. He waits in the darkness, hunting those who try to pass between worlds. If he marks you, you are his."

Lila slammed the book shut, her breath shallow.

Marked.

She looked down at her palm, at the glowing symbol etched into her skin. It wasn't just a connection to the mirror. It was a claim.

Varos thought she belonged to him.

A wave of nausea rolled through her.

She had to find Caelan.

A Plan

Lila paced the small space of her bookstore, her mind racing. The book had given her more questions than answers. If Caelan was trapped in the mirror, why could he pull her through? And why did Varos want her?

She ran a hand through her hair, frustration bubbling beneath her skin.

There had to be a way to open the mirror again.

But the book had said some mirrors require a key.

What was the key?

Her eyes darted back to the book, flipping through its pages once more. There was no mention of a physical object. No artifact or spell.

Just a single line.

"A mirror opens for the one who knows it is more than a reflection."

Lila frowned.

That didn't make sense. She knew the mirror was more than a reflection. She had been through it.

Unless…

Her gaze drifted to the mirror again.

Knowing wasn't enough. She had to see.

Slowly, she stepped forward.

The air around the mirror felt different now—charged, waiting. She placed her palm against the glass.

This time, there was no immediate pull, no sudden shift.

She closed her eyes, focusing.

It's a doorway. Not just glass. A threshold between worlds.

The mark on her hand pulsed.

And then—

A whisper.

Her eyes snapped open.

The mirror's surface rippled, but instead of her reflection, she saw something else. A vast, darkened corridor lined with endless mirrors, their glass swirling with shifting shadows.

And at the far end—

Caelan.

He stood with his back against one of the mirrors, his coat torn, his expression grim. He met her gaze through the glass, his voice barely audible.

"Lila, you have to hurry."

Her heart pounded.

The book had warned her. Freeing a soul trapped in glass meant taking responsibility for whatever followed.

She had a choice.

Step away… and leave Caelan to whatever fate awaited him.

Or open the doorway again… and face whatever waited on the other side.

Lila took a deep breath.

And then, without hesitation—

She pushed her hand into the glass.