The Book of the Forgotten

*Monday Morning*

The moment Daniel woke, he felt the weight pressing against his chest. Not fear. Not exhaustion. Something physical.

His fingers curled around it instinctively, brushing against worn leather. Slowly, he pulled the object into view.

A book.

His breath caught.

It wasn't from his room. It wasn't from the waking world at all.

The memory surged back—the crumbling city, the flickering neon, the figure in the black coat. The library filled with records of forgotten things. And in the final moments, just before the collapse… the book had been in his hands.

And now, it was here.

His mind reeled.

The coin had been one thing. A small anomaly. But a book, an entire object, intact, with knowledge inside—was something else entirely. It meant there were cracks in the boundary between his dreams and reality.

He sat up too quickly, his sheets pooling around him.

The clock read 7:42 AM.

His mother's voice drifted from the kitchen, calling for him to get ready. The familiar scent of butter and toast filled the air.

For a moment, the contrast between this world and the one he had left behind made his stomach churn.

Normalcy.

Routine.

Like nothing had changed.

But everything had changed.

Carefully, he flipped open the book.

The pages were blank at first, crisp and yellowed, carrying the faint scent of old parchment. He turned one, then another. Nothing.

Until—

A single word surfaced. Not appearing but forming as if written by an invisible hand.

Daniel.

His pulse spiked.

The ink shimmered slightly before settling into the page, as if the book were alive.

Daniel's fingers tightened around the spine.

This was a message.

And someone or something, was sending it to him.

"Daniel!" His mom's voice cut through his focus.

He snapped the book shut.

"Coming!" he called back, voice strained.

Forcing his limbs to move, he slid the book into his backpack, zipped it up tight, and got dressed.

Downstairs, Emily sat at the kitchen table, swinging her legs back and forth as she scrolled through her phone. His mom flipped an egg onto a plate, barely glancing up.

"Finally," Emily muttered. "Thought you died in there."

Daniel huffed, grabbing a piece of toast. His hands still felt shaky.

His mom passed him a plate. "You're pale," she noted. "Bad dream again?"

He hesitated. "Yeah. Something like that."

Her brows furrowed, but she didn't press.

Daniel forced himself to eat, even though the food tasted like nothing. Every bite felt mechanical. The moment he stepped out of the house, his mind was already shifting back to the book.

*****

*School*

The weight of his backpack felt heavier than usual. Not physically and mentally. Like it carried something it shouldn't.

Walking through the halls, he felt detached. Conversations buzzed around him, laughter, lockers slamming shut, ordinary things. Things he should be paying attention to.

But his mind was trapped elsewhere.

Kaia found him before he could find her.

She slid into the seat beside him at lunch, barely touching her tray. "You have that look."

Daniel didn't ask what look.

Instead, he glanced at Marcus, who was dramatically inhaling a slice of pizza across from them.

"Are we about to discuss something weird again?" Marcus mumbled through his food. "Because, guys, I love you both, but I'm starting to think you're part of some underground cult."

Daniel exhaled. He reached into his backpack, stopping short.

Not here.

Not in public.

He had already learned that not everyone could see the things following him.

Marcus had been blind to the Watcher. What if he was blind to this too?

Instead, Daniel met Kaia's gaze. "Can you meet me after school?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"

"I found something," he said carefully. "From the last dream."

Kaia stiffened. Her fingers curled around her water bottle, knuckles tight.

That was answer enough.

She had brought something back too.

*****

*Library*

After school, the three of them slipped into the library. It was mostly empty—just a few students tucked into corners, lost in books.

Marcus leaned against a bookshelf, arms crossed. "Okay, nerds. Show and tell time. Who's first?"

Daniel unzipped his backpack and pulled out the book.

Kaia's breath hitched.

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled something out.

A key.

Small. Brass. The kind that belonged to an old-fashioned lock.

Kaia had taken something too.

Marcus looked between them. "Okay, what the hell? When did you guys start looting your dreams like some interdimensional thieves?"

Kaia ignored him. "Where did yours come from?"

"The City of Echoes," Daniel said. "It just… showed up with me when I woke up."

Kaia nodded. "The key was in my pocket when I woke up. No idea what it unlocks."

Daniel opened the book to the first page.

Marcus squinted. "Okay. It's blank. Very creepy haunted diary of you, but—"

Before he could finish, another word inked itself into existence.

Right in front of them.

"You are not alone."

Silence.

Marcus's eyes went wide.

"Okay. Nope." He turned, walking toward the door. "Absolutely not. I draw the line at possessed notebooks."

Kaia grabbed his sleeve before he could escape.

"Marcus," she said, voice tight. "You saw that, right?"

Marcus groaned. "I wish I didn't, but yeah."

Daniel swallowed hard. "That means… you can see this."

Marcus frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

Daniel hesitated.

Marcus hadn't seen the Watcher.

But he could see the book.

Was this different?

Or was Marcus just further into the Cycle than they realized?

The book shifted again.

More words appeared.

"If you can read this, it is too late."

A chill ran through Daniel's bones.

Too late for what?

Kaia met his gaze. "This book is a message."

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. But from who?"

The answer didn't come from the book.

It came from the sudden flicker of the library lights.

The hum of electricity stretching into something wrong.

And then—

From the farthest row of shelves—

A shadow moved.

Daniel's blood turned to ice.

Kaia's breath hitched.

The Watcher was here.

It stood motionless at the edge of the bookshelves, wrapped in flowing layers of black, its face a void.

Watching.

Kaia's hand tightened around the key.

Marcus, this time, saw it.

His face went pale.

"Guys," he said, voice thin. "I—uh—I see it. I see it."

Daniel's heartbeat slammed against his ribs.

Why could Marcus see it now?

Why now?

The Watcher didn't move. Didn't approach.

But for the first time—

It raised a hand.

Not toward Daniel. Not toward Kaia.

Toward Marcus.

Marcus flinched, stepping back. "Oh, hell no—"

The moment he moved, the lights cut out.

Total darkness.

A whisper slipped through the air.

"One of you does not belong."

Daniel grabbed for Marcus's arm—

And felt nothing.

"Marcus?" His voice was swallowed by the black.

No answer.

The library was gone.

Everything was gone.

And then—

A single word burned across the pages of the book.

"RUN."

The Collapse

The world lurched.

Like a dream shifting into a nightmare.

Daniel's vision flickered.

For a moment, he wasn't in the library.

He was back in the City of Echoes.

Buildings collapsing. Shadows stretching.

And in the distance—

Marcus.

Standing alone in the empty street.

Looking at his own hands.

Like he wasn't supposed to be there.

Daniel screamed in horror "Marcus!"

Then—

The streetlamp flickered.

Daniel stumbled back into the library.