CHAPTER 5:The Scientist Who Didn't Believe In Magic

Dr. Elias Vance did not believe in fate. Or destiny. Or the universe "calling" to people.

He believed in science—cold, hard, provable facts. He trusted equations, data, the beautiful precision of numbers. If something couldn't be measured, tested, or replicated, it simply wasn't real.

Which is why he was having a very bad week.

The Glitch in Reality

It started small. A number on his research board—3.141592653—had rearranged itself overnight into something nonsensical: C O M E.

Elias had frowned, erased it, and moved on. A glitch. Probably a tired mistake on his part.

Then, his lab equipment started acting up. His computer, despite being disconnected from the internet, typed the same message on its screen:COME.

Still, he refused to acknowledge it as anything other than some highly annoying software error.

Then, the real problem arrived.

Dreams He Couldn't Explain

For years, Elias barely slept. Scientists didn't have time for dreams when there were experiments to run and papers to publish. But now, every time he closed his eyes, he saw mountains shrouded in mist. A temple, ancient and waiting. And a voice—not loud, not commanding, just... there.

"You are needed."

He woke up in a cold sweat every time.But still—dreams meant nothing. They were just neurons misfiring, subconscious nonsense. That's what he told himself.

Until his phone—completely powered off—lit up one night with a single notification.

"Elias, stop ignoring us."

Elias nearly dropped it. His hands shook as he took the battery out and threw the phone across the room.It buzzed anyway.

He didn't sleep after that.

A Life Built on Logic

Elias had worked too hard for this. He had escaped a childhood full of superstition, where his grandmother spoke of "energies" and "old spirits." Where his family prayed over tea leaves and bones while he had secretly read physics textbooks under the table.

He had fought for his education, clawed his way up from nothing to become one of the most respected scientists in his field.He was not going to throw that away because of some bizarre hallucinations.

And yet…

When Science Fails

Elias tried everything to explain the strange occurrences. He ran diagnostics on his lab's systems. He checked his own brain scans for anomalies. He even, reluctantly, tested the electrical fields in his apartment for interference.

Nothing.No rational cause. No glitch to fix.

Just the unshakable, maddening, scientifically impossible feeling that something was waiting for him.

And the worst part?

He couldn't ignore it anymore.

Because when he looked in the mirror that morning, his reflection whispered:

"You know where to go."

Elias grabbed his coat."Fine," he muttered. "But if this is some elaborate prank by the universe, I'm suing somebody."

And with that, the scientist who didn't believe in magic set out toward the greatest mystery of his life.