the books of hidden worlds

chapter one : Elias

       "Mother!" I cried out, sprinting towards her, but with each step, it felt as though the distance between us grew. No matter how fast or hard I ran, the same scene kept replaying—over and over again. I was running, endlessly, but the destination remained unreachable.    
   
     "Mom!"  I screamed once more, my voice echoing with desperation, hoping this time she would hear me. Yet, I was wrong. In an instant, she vanished from my sight, leaving me surrounded by a blinding light. Then, in the next moment, I was abruptly pulled back to reality—startled awake by a sharp slap from my brother, Alden.

        "Why did you hit me?" I demanded, anger lacing my words.

        "why wouldn’t I?" he shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm, clearly enjoying his little game of teasing.

       I looked around the room, confusion in deepening as I asked.

       "why are you even here? I thought... I thought you were dead."

       I checked to see if you were still breathing, half-expecting the worst.

       then, with a soft sigh, I added, papa told me to wake you up.

        Breakfast is ready. "Alright," you said. I'll be there in a minute.

                    ever since mom passed away, I’ve been dreaming of her every night. nightmares haunt me constantly, and I don’t even know why. But despite it all, I can’t help but think that if she were still alive, we’d all be happy now.

          I slowly made my way downstairs to the kitchen, and to my surprise, I saw a feast laid out. before I could say anything.

Papa spoke up, “happy birthday, son”. I was stunned—I had forgotten it was my birthday.

happy birthday, las !  my younger brother Kian chimed in, beaming at me. you didn’t have to cook, really,” I said softly.

I know you don’t like surprises, but it’s your birthday, son. we can’t let the day pass without celebrating, can we? If your mom were still here, she would’ve made even more food than I did, right? I’m sure I’m right about that, son .

just let me do this for you,
    Papa said, handing me a small box. “here, I have a gift for you.
         I took the box but didn’t open it right away. “I’ll open this later in my room, Papa.”
      He smiled at me and said, “Alright, it’s up to you.”

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

               The Forgotten Book Late one evening, Elias was pacing through the family’s old library, searching for a way to calm his restless mind. Kian had fallen asleep on the couch, and Rowan and Alden were huddled together, whispering about some mischief. Elias’s eyes fell on a dusty, old book tucked away on the highest shelf—a book none of them had ever seen before.

  “Oi, Rowan, Alden, ever seen this one?” Elias asked, pointing.

      Alden shot him a sly grin. “Dunno, but it looks boring. Maybe it's one of those ancient cookbooks or something."

    But as Elias reached for it, the air around them seemed to change. “Cookbook, huh?” Elias muttered, feeling a sudden chill. “I don’t think so.”
     The Prank “Let’s wake Kian up with a classic!” Alden suggested with a wicked gleam in his eye, looking over at his younger brother, who was still fast asleep.

    Elias sighed, but Rowan was already in on the joke, grabbing a book from the shelf. He hovered it just above Kian’s head and, with a sudden shout, dropped it onto the sleeping boy’s lap.
    Kian jolted up, eyes wide.

“What the—!?”

     “You’re awake!” Alden cackled. “Don’t say we never do anything fun for you.”

     Kian glared, but the tension quickly dissolved into laughter as the brothers playfully wrestled, their earlier worries forgotten—at least for the moment.

     The Book Opens Itself the laughter faded as Elias's hand brushed against the old book again. This time, the cover slowly creaked open on its own. A strange, glowing light poured from the pages, illuminating the dark library. The brothers stepped back, the earlier playfulness vanishing.

    “Okay, this is not normal,” Rowan said, his voice low.

    “No kidding,” Elias whispered, staring at the pages as strange symbols and unfamiliar words seemed to pulse and swirl.

It felt like the book was calling them.

    The Pull into the Unknown Without warning, the room began to spin.

One by one, the brothers felt themselves being pulled toward the book, as if an invisible force was dragging them inside.

They tried to resist, but it was useless. Kian reached out, trying to grab Elias, but before they knew it, the library disappeared, replaced by swirling colors and strange, otherworldly shapes.

     They landed in a dark forest, the air thick with mist. The book lay closed at their feet, as if it had transported them somewhere far beyond their understanding.

     “What just happened?!” Kian shouted, his voice echoing in the eerie silence.

    Rowan dusted himself off. “I think… we’re not in the library anymore.”
   The Mysterious Stranger As they gathered their bearings, a figure emerged from the mist, cloaked in shadows. The brothers tensed. The stranger’s face remained hidden, but their voice was clear.

    “You shouldn’t be here,” the figure said, stepping closer. “You’ve entered a world that doesn’t belong to you.”
   Alden, ever the joker, smirked. “Well, technically, we didn’t ask to be here. The book kinda sucked us in.”
    The stranger paused, clearly not amused. “This world is dangerous. If you wish to survive, you’ll need to discover who you truly are—and fast.”

     Before they could ask more questions, the figure vanished, leaving them alone in the misty wilderness.

     “Great,” Elias muttered. “A magical book, a creepy stranger, and now we’re stuck here. This is going to be fun.”