the books of hidden worlds

chapter twenty-nine: Elias

       Is this your house?" Alden asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kent replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Would you two quit it already?" Elias interjected. "Come on, everyone, let's head inside," Shaun added, ushering them in.

As they entered, Shaun pointed to a book. "It's a history about wizards and witches from five years ago. But we still don’t know why we need to destroy it. It's written in the book, though," he explained. "Maybe it has something to do with solving a bigger problem mentioned in the book," he added thoughtfully.

In the kitchen, Alden and Kent were already preparing. "Sorry about earlier," Kent apologized, handing Alden some bread.

"It's fine," Alden replied, taking a bite. "Try this and see if it's okay."

Alden took a taste. "I think it’s alright. What's it called?"

"It's supposed to be banana bread, though it doesn’t really look like it," Kent chuckled, earning a laugh from Alden.

Kent then announced, "Food's ready, everyone!" The group gathered around, and he added, "I just reheated the lasagna from this morning." Alden passed the bread around as Kent continued to smile. "This doesn’t even look like banana bread!" Alden joked, making everyone laugh.

"So, what are we going to do about the book?" Shaun asked as they ate.

"Maybe we should read it and see if there’s anything useful written inside," Rowan suggested. Alden reached for the last piece of lasagna, chuckling as he took it. Kent couldn't help but smile, while Kian whispered, "You’re unbelievable, Al." Elias just gave a side-eye.

"Shaun's right," Elias agreed. "We should come up with a solid plan first. Once we have something reasonable, then we’ll act on it."

After the meal, Shaun started assigning sleeping arrangements. "Louis, you’ll be sleeping next to Rowan. Kent, you’re with Alden since your bed is big enough, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Kent replied.

"And Elias, you and Kian will stay in my room; there are two beds there for you."

Soon, everyone was asleep—except for Alden, who lay awake with lingering questions in his mind. "Kent, are you awake?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, though barely," Kent replied, half-asleep.

"Come with me to the library; there’s something I want to check," Alden said, getting up. Kent grabbed his hand. "Wait, let me get a flashlight first. We don't want to risk turning on the lights and waking up Shaun."

They tiptoed out of the room and walked down to the library. "How did you know we even have a library?" Kent asked.

"Your house is huge," Alden replied as he opened the door. They slipped inside, and Kent switched on the flashlight—only to have it beam right into his own face.

Alden jumped, startled. "Kent! Why are you pointing it at yourself?"

"Oops, sorry," Kent chuckled, trying to be quiet. Alden began scanning the shelves, but after a while, he came up empty.

"Did you find anything?" Kent asked.

"No. Let’s just head back," Alden sighed.

"Wait a minute, Alden—there’s somewhere else I want us to check. Follow me," Kent said, leading him further inside.

"What is this place?" Alden asked, puzzled.

"It’s a door, obviously. Come on, let’s go in," Kent replied, opening it. They stepped through, and to their amazement, they found a massive tree standing in the center of the room.