Akitsu Shouga slowly opened the book.

  The first page was completely blank.

  “…Are you sure this is the book we’re looking for??” Akitsu Shouga asked, narrowing his eyes.

  “Yes, it is,” Seraphine Orion replied confidently. “The first page is always blank. Turn to the next page!!”

  He did.

  The second page was written in ink so faded it barely existed—like a shadow pressed into the paper rather than words written upon it. As Akitsu leaned closer, the letters sharpened, darkening as though reacting to his presence.

  Legends of the First Age

  A chill crept up his spine.

  Seraphine drifted closer, hovering over his shoulder. “What are those? I have never seen a book like this.”

  “ you’re the one who said this is the right book!!” Akitsu said.

  Akitsu turned the page.

  The Hero Who Bore the Dawn

  Aurelian Caelus

  The name at the top of the page was written in ink darker than the rest, bold and unyielding.

  Akitsu read aloud.

  Aurelian Caelus was the first hero born after the world nearly ended. When the sky cracked and the land burned, humanity scattered—weak and leaderless. Aurelian was not the strongest, nor the wisest—but he was the first to stand when others knelt.

  The words felt heavy, like they carried memory rather than fiction.

  The legend spoke of a blade forged not from steel, but from condensed light—Solbrand, a sword that burned without heat and cut without blood. With it, Aurelian challenged the Behemoth Kings, titanic beings that ruled the shattered lands.

  He did not defeat them.

  He endured them.

  For seven days and seven nights, he fought—not to win, but to prove that mankind would not disappear quietly. When he finally fell, the Behemoth Kings retreated, shaken by something they could not understand.

  Defiance.

  Akitsu stopped reading.

  Seraphine’s ears drooped slightly. “He died,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

  “He didn’t fail,” Akitsu replied softly.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “No,” she agreed. “He changed the rules.”

  The ink at the bottom of the page shimmered faintly before fading away, as if the book itself acknowledged the truth.

  Akitsu turned the page.

  The Queen Beneath the Still Sea

  The script here was elegant, slanted, almost mournful.

  It told of Thalassa Nyx, a queen who ruled a kingdom swallowed by the ocean after the world’s collapse. While the surface descended into chaos, her people fled beneath the waves, building cities of coral and glass in the silent depths.

  Thalassa made a pact with an ancient sea spirit—trading her heartbeat for eternity. She became ageless and unmoving, watching over her submerged realm while centuries passed above.

  The legend claimed that on nights when the sea was perfectly calm, her reflection could be seen upon the water’s surface—eyes open, waiting.

  “For what?” Akitsu asked quietly.

  Seraphine’s tails stilled. “For someone to remember her name?”

  Akitsu closed his eyes for a moment before turning the page.

  The Wanderer of Broken Time

  This page was different.

  The ink was sharp.

  Recent.

  Too recent.

  It spoke of Kairo Venn, a nameless wanderer cursed—or blessed—to walk through fractured timelines. Every time he died, the world shifted, and he awakened in another version of reality, carrying only fragments of memory from before.

  Some versions painted him as a villain who destroyed cities to escape fate.

  Others called him a savior who died a thousand deaths to protect futures that would never know him.

  The final line pressed heavily against Akitsu’s chest.

  He is still walking.

  The lamp flickered violently.

  Seraphine recoiled, fur bristling. “That legend isn’t finished.”

  Akitsu slowly closed the book.

  The room felt heavier now, as if unseen eyes lingered in the corners and the walls themselves were listening.

  “These aren’t just stories,” Akitsu said quietly.

  “No,” Seraphine replied, floating closer, her voice low and certain. “They’re shadows left behind. And if this book is here… it means the age of legends isn’t over yet.”

  Akitsu rested his hand atop the coverless pages, feeling a faint warmth pulse beneath his palm.

  “This isn’t the book we’re looking for…” Akitsu Shouga said. “…But it’s pretty interesting.”

  The book—silent, ancient, patient—waited to be opened again.

  “Yeah,” Seraphine Orion admitted. “I guess my intuition was wrong. Should we keep on searching??”

  “No,” Akitsu said quietly. “Let’s do it another time.”

  At that moment—

  “Akitsu-kun, what are you doing here this late at night??”

  Akitsu nearly fell out of his chair.

  He spun around to see Liora standing behind him, hands folded neatly, her presence far too sudden.

  “Huh?! Oh—” Akitsu stammered before recovering. “I’m just searching for a storybook. Reading helps me relax.”

  The lie slipped out effortlessly.

  Liora’s gaze fell to the old book on the table. “What is that book, Akitsu-kun?”

  “Oh, this… it’s a book about some old stories.” He stood up quickly. “Anyways, I’ll see you later. Good night, Liora-san!”

  Before she could ask anything else, he grabbed the book and hurried out of the library.

  The mansion halls were dark as he headed upstairs.

  “That was a close call,” Akitsu muttered. “Why didn’t you tell me she was there?”

  “How would I know if she was there?” Seraphine replied, floating beside his head. “And since when did you lie so casually like it’s no big deal??”

  “I don’t know,” Akitsu admitted. “I don’t remember anything of my past. Maybe my past self lied a lot… maybe he figured out a way to mask it.”

  “…Alright,” Seraphine said slowly. “We’re heading out tonight, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah,” Akitsu replied. “There’s something off about that random dark alleyway. I could tell at a glance.”

  “Your survival instincts are really sharp, you know that, right?”

  “That’s rare,” Akitsu said dryly. “You complimenting me is something I find quite disturbing.”

  “What?! Just be happy that I complimented you!”

  “Says the one who almost tried to kill me this morning.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that by now,” she chuckled.

  Akitsu entered his room and changed his clothes. As he tightened his sleeve, his eyes fell on the pink charm bracelet Kaoru had given him.

  He clenched his fist once.

  Then, without hesitation, he climbed onto the windowsill and jumped into the night.