“I can’t believe we almost lost the book because of our foolishness,” Logan muttered, rubbing his head as he sat up, still groggy from the impact. His voice was a mix of frustration and disbelief, and it mirrored the turmoil churning inside me.
I let out a shaky breath, still trying to process everything that had just happened. My fingers were cold, trembling slightly as they rested on the now-closed book. The room was still, save for the quiet hum of energy lingering in the air, a reminder of the power we had just unleashed-and narrowly contained.
“I can’t believe your father was right.”
“I can’t believe your father was right,” I said softly, the weight of the realization settling in. “He warned us, and we didn’t listen.”
Logan let out a frustrated growl, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, if Miranda had gotten her hands on this book, we’d be in serious trouble. We’re lucky she didn’t.”
I nodded, feeling the tension still coiled tightly in my chest. “If she had unlocked the full power… we’d be facing something far worse than anything we’ve imagined.”
Logan stood up, his eyes flickering with frustration. “Thank God she wasn’t able to get the book, or else we would’ve been in big trouble, especially from my dad.” He shook his head, pacing the room. “He would’ve never forgiven us. He warned me about this, about Miranda, and I didn’t take him seriously.”
I stood as well, my legs still shaky from everything that had happened. “We were desperate, Logan. We did what we thought was right and besides we got open the book.”
“And besides, we did open the book,” I added, my voice trembling with the weight of it all. “That’s got to count for something, right?”
Logan stopped pacing, turning to face me. His expression softened slightly, but there was still a storm of emotions flickering behind his eyes. “Yeah, we opened it.”
The next morning, a faint light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. I sat at the edge of my bed, staring at the Eternity Book resting on my desk. The tension from the night before still clung to me, and I couldn’t shake the weight of what we’d done-or what we still had to face.
Logan knocked lightly on the door before stepping in. His usual cocky smile was missing, replaced by a serious expression. “You didn’t sleep much, did you?” he asked, his voice low.
I shook my head. “Not really. I’ve been thinking… about the book, about Miranda, about what happens next.”
He nodded, leaning against the wall. “Same here. We need to figure out what the book means, but we can’t rush into anything like before. We were lucky this time, but next time…”
“There might not be a next time if we don’t get it right,” I finished, my fingers tracing the edge of the book. “We have to be careful.”
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of Logan’s gaze on me. My fingers hesitated for a moment, hovering over the worn leather cover of the Eternity Book. There was a deep sense of dread creeping into my chest, but I couldn’t stop myself. We had to try again.
“I’m going to open it,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Logan moved closer, standing at my side, watching me intently. “Be careful,” he murmured, his usual bravado gone.
With a slow, deliberate motion, I unlatched the clasp and flipped the cover open. The familiar smell of old parchment filled the air, but when I turned to the first page, my heart sank.
It was blank.
I quickly turned to the next page. Nothing. The next-still blank. My fingers sped up, flipping through the book with increasing panic. Every page, every single one, was empty. My chest tightened as dread clawed at me.
“It’s… it’s blank,” I stammered, my eyes wide as I looked up at Logan. “All the pages are blank.”
Logan frowned, leaning over to look for himself. “How is that possible? We saw the writing before. We unlocked it.”
“I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice cracking with frustration. “But it’s like the book has sealed itself again, or-” My breath hitched as a new thought struck me. “What if it only reveals its secrets once, and we’ve lost our chance?”
Logan straightened, his expression hardening. “That can’t be. There has to be a way to make it show us again.” He crossed his arms, pacing the room. “Maybe the book responds to something… something we’re missing.”
“Something missing like what? I fucking hate all this test!!!”I let out a frustrated breath, my hands trembling as I slammed the book shut. “I can’t believe we put ourselves in danger just to end up with a blank book. This is pointless!”
“Probably when it sucked Miranda everything wiped out.” Logan said.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my frustration. “Maybe we need to ask your father about this. He might know something we don’t.”
Logan’s expression darkened. “You know he’s going to be furious. ”
“I know,” I replied, running a hand through my hair. “But if anyone has answers, it’s him. We can’t just sit here and let the book remain blank. We need to figure out how to unlock it again.”
“Fine but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I nodded, steeling myself for what was to come. “Alright, let’s just go talk to him. We need to be honest, and we have to explain everything.”
Logan let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Okay. But remember, we’re going to have to tread carefully. He’s not going to be in the best mood when he hears about our little adventure.”
“Got it,” I said, trying to suppress the nerves bubbling in my stomach. “But we can’t hide this. It’s too important.”
Logan led the way down the hallway, the atmosphere thick with tension. I followed closely, my heart racing. As we approached his father’s study, I could hear the muffled sounds of a phone conversation. Logan paused outside the door, glancing back at me.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded, my determination solidifying. “Let’s do this.”
He pushed the door open, revealing his father behind the desk, a stack of papers scattered around him. He looked up, his expression shifting from surprise to concern as he took in the sight of us.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice steady but laced with curiosity. “You both look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Dad, we need to talk,” Logan said, his tone serious as he stepped inside.
I followed, closing the door behind me. “It’s about the Eternity Book.”
His father’s brow furrowed, and he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “What about it?”
Logan glanced at me before continuing, “We opened it last night, but… it’s blank now. We need to know what happened.”
His father’s expression shifted to one of alarm, his gaze sharpening. “You opened it? How?””
“Well…. We might have had a little trip to Miranda’s place,” I stammered.
His father’s eyes flared with fury, his face darkening as if a storm cloud had settled over him. “You went to Miranda’s?” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. “Do you have any idea how reckless that is?”
Logan stepped forward, attempting to defend us. “Dad, we didn’t have a choice. We had to protect the book-”
“Protect it?” his father interrupted, standing abruptly from his chair. “You nearly handed it over to Miranda! Do you understand what kind of power that woman wields? You could have put us all in grave danger!”
“I know, but we thought we could contain her,” Logan replied, his voice steadying despite the rising tension. “We thought we were strong enough to handle it.”
His father slammed a hand on the desk, making the papers scatter. “You’re not strong enough! You’re both still learning, and this is not a game! You can’t just waltz into situations like this without fully understanding the consequences!”
I felt a knot tightening in my stomach, my heart racing as I glanced between the two of them. “We realize that now,” I said quietly, trying to calm the situation. “But it’s done. We need your help. The book is blank, and we don’t know how to restore it.”
His father took a deep breath, his anger simmering just below the surface. “You think this is just about the book? This is about your lives! Miranda is a threat, and you both just gave her an opportunity to strike. You have no idea how serious this is.”
Logan clenched his fists, frustration etched on his face. “We get it, Dad! But we need to know what we can do to fix this and besides the book erased Miranda.”
His father’s expression shifted, a mix of anger and concern battling within him. He took a moment to compose himself, breathing deeply as he paced the room, clearly trying to rein in his emotions.
“Okay,” he said finally, turning to face us, his voice steadier but still tinged with frustration. “Let’s assume for a moment that you’re right about Miranda being erased from the equation. That doesn’t change the fact that the book is blank now. It means something has changed, and not for the better.”
Logan exchanged a glance with me, the weight of our predicament hanging heavy in the air. “What do you mean?” I asked cautiously. “Is there a way to bring it back?”
His father’s gaze hardened, and he shook his head slowly. “The Eternity Book isn’t just any book. It has a will of its own, and if it’s sealed itself away, it may be because it perceives a threat-perhaps even from you two.”
I felt my stomach drop at the thought. “But we only wanted to protect it. We thought we could handle Miranda.”
“Thinking you can handle her and actually handling her are two very different things,” he snapped. “You have to understand that power, especially the kind found within that book, demands respect and caution. You’ve shown neither.”
Logan stepped forward, his jaw set in defiance. “We’re not kids anymore, Dad! We can handle ourselves.”
His father’s expression hardened, a mix of disappointment and anger flashing across his face. “You want to prove that you can handle yourselves? Then stop acting like reckless children!”
Before I could react, he moved forward and slapped Logan across the face, the sound echoing in the tense silence of the room. Logan stumbled back, shock and disbelief etched across his features, his hand instinctively rising to his cheek.