The Book That Waited

The evacuation tent was quiet tonight. Not crowded, but far from comfortable. My body curled under a borrowed blanket, eyes shut but my thoughts never truly still.

From a distance, faintly, the sound of a news broadcast played from a radio hanging on a metal pole.

"...after more than twenty hours of relentless effort, the unidentified creature that emerged in downtown Shionra was finally subdued... around three a.m. local time."

No cheers. No celebration. Everyone had either fallen asleep from exhaustion or was trapped in a silence too deep to break.

I… just stayed still. Not relieved. Not crying. Not even thankful. Only weight—guilt, heavy and molten like lead in my chest.

The next morning, I stood frozen before the ruins of my home. The echoes of explosions, fire, and that monstrous roar still clung to my memory.

I climbed over the pile of rubble. My hands started lifting smaller pieces of debris, not knowing why. I wasn't even sure I still hoped to find it.

Some shards of glass, bits of tile, and a twisted window frame—I set them aside. My breath was heavy, my body sticky with dust. As I began to climb down the heap, my foot slipped on a slanted concrete slab.

"Shit…"

I crashed into a pile of wood and bricks. Pain. I groaned, clutching my bruised elbow.

"Ugh... damn it…"

That's when I saw it.

The corner of a book… wedged beneath a piece of broken roof. Dirty, pressed down, but still intact.

My heart pounded. The pain vanished.

I pulled the rubble away, grabbed the book, and hugged it tightly to my chest.

"Wow… is this… really… real?"

Dark Room, Dominatus Headquarters.

Smoke once again danced through the air. Four figures sat around the glass table. A large map of the eight regions filled the screen. The Behemoth's path cut across cities—marking three territories, leaving one untouched.

"Zepharia's beginning to loosen."

"Ignisora is holding, barely."

"Thalmera… won't last much longer."

A robed figure leaned forward.

"But the land—Gaelvorn—still hasn't cracked."

Another crossed their arms.

"Always the most stubborn. They think they can resist the tide of the world just because they stand on old rock."

"Then let's give them a quake they can't ignore."

"The Behemoth is calming. We can steer it, slowly. If we release it at the western border… let's see how long Gaelvorn can resist 'nature' itself."

A low chuckle echoed from the dark corner.

"In the end… they'll beg for intervention. And when that happens, we'll offer our hand."

"For a price."

"For power."

One of them pressed a small button on the table. The map zoomed in on Gaelvorn, highlighting underground nodes.

"As long as their Titan still stands… the earth-wielders will keep believing they're untouchable."

A voice curled through the room, full of imperial hunger:

"A clash of titans… after thousands of years. The world will fall silent watching it."

"And we'll redraw the borders… over their ruins."

Four heads nodded slowly.

Smiles hidden beneath masks.

"Then let's bring that Titan down."

Footsteps crunched softly over the sandy ground. A line of people stretched neatly under the harsh midday sun. No one spoke. Only the shuffle of sandals and weary breaths filled the air.

I stood in the middle of the queue, holding an empty tray. My hand gripped the handle tighter than it needed to. Sunlight filtered through the white tent above, casting faint shadows of waiting bodies.

When it was my turn, an old man ladled warm potato soup into my bowl. I gave a small nod, murmured, "Thank you," and left in silence.

My tent was at the farthest corner. I entered, sat in the corner, and placed the bowl on a shaky foldable table. The book... was still there. I had kept it by my pillow, and now moved it to my side. Its worn cover seemed to pulse—tempting me to open it.

But I didn't.

I stared at it quietly. There was fear, hesitation, something that held my fingers back. I knew... whatever I read next, it would come true. Just like before.

And I wasn't ready.

I leaned my head against the tent pole. Took a deep breath. Tried to accept it all—that I, somehow, had a role in this. That silence was no longer an option. But I didn't want to run, either.

Better to wait, to think, to steady my heart.

Days passed. The sky changed colors. Winds shifted seasons. The moon gave way to new years. And now… it's the third year since the tragedy.

Shionra stands again. Not as strong, not as beautiful. But it stands.

So do I.

I lowered my gaze, eyes fixed on the book.

I took a breath. Then, with steady voice, I whispered:

"It's time."

---

I stood atop a low hill, letting the wind slowly sweep through my hair. The air in Gaelvorn felt unfamiliar—not because I didn't know it, but because it was too clean to believe. No smoke. No engines. No sound demanding motion. Only silence, and a gentle breeze dancing across my weary skin after a long journey from Shionra. A journey I had followed… guided only by this book.

From this point, the world looked like a painting I never thought could still exist. Endless green meadows stretched far, dotted with lakes that shimmered under the sunlight. Long rivers trailed across the land like living silver ribbons. Mountains circled the horizon—tall, majestic—but from where I stood… they all looked small. And far, far in the distance, the ocean framed the world in a deep blue, like the edge of a dream untouched.

But one thing immediately caught my eye.

Three tall structures stood in the distance. They towered, piercing the sky. Not towers. Not mountains either. Their shapes were unclear from this far, but they were far too massive to be called hills. The one in the center—the tallest among them—even pierced through the clouds.

I squinted, trying to make sense of it.

"What is that? A hill… that tall?" I murmured.

The surrounding mountains… none were as tall as that.

Whatever it was, it became the center of everything I saw—and strangely, it baffled me. Because I knew, there was no path that could be walked. No road led to it.

A large bird flew past alone, gliding slowly above the formation, as if patrolling the sky. Then came a flock from the east—circling the tallest structure in a graceful spiral, slowly ascending as if seeking a way to its peak. On the other side, several smaller birds fluttered around the hill where I sat, flying close before shooting back upward, riding the wind, then vanishing into the clouds.

I sat gently on the soft grass, letting my body rest. My chest felt lighter, as though the weight of the past three years was slowly being lifted by the wind.

"Is this… the heart of the conflict it meant?" "Why was I brought here?" "What is the book really leading me toward?"

The wind kept blowing. The scent of pure earth filled my lungs. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to take it all in.

I opened my eyes. Then opened the book.

I knew… a new conflict was waiting. Something far bigger than anything I had imagined.

"Is it true… that two titans will meet here?" "Two creatures as massive as disasters… in a place this beautiful?"

The pages I had long postponed were now spread open on my lap. But before I could read further, my eyelids grew heavy.

"Am I really ready to read it?" "If what I read becomes reality… why do I keep going?"

The wind caressed my skin, calming me. The grass cradled my back. This world felt too quiet for catastrophe. But perhaps… that's exactly why it hid something.

My body lay down. The book remained open on my chest.

~Plok.

A single drop of drool fell onto one of the pages. I had fallen asleep.

On a quiet hill. With pages left open. With questions unanswered. And a world I didn't yet know… Waiting to be faced…

With the book that still waited.