Chapter 49: The Book of Aaron
In Leo’s hand lay a black book, its cover adorned with a skull painted in dripping gold that cascaded partially across the surface. Beneath the skull, the word ’AARON’ gleamed in luminous gold lettering. Below that, ’The Book of’ was inscribed by hand in Persian script, followed by ’Distortion’ handwritten in English—Raiden’s native tongue from his previous world.
Raiden’s expression darkened instantly as he stared at the book. Something didn’t sit right with him—could any of them actually speak English? The thought gnawed at him as he sat there, lost in contemplation, until Leo’s voice cut through his reverie.
"It was hidden among the camouflage books... which made it nearly impossible to find." He said this with evident satisfaction. "But I believe this is the genuine article—written by Aaron himself."
Raiden shot to his feet and gestured for Leo to hand over the book. The moment it was in his grasp, he pointed to the word ’Distortion.’
"Can you pronounce this word?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and confusion. Speed and Leo both shook their heads.
This deepened Raiden’s confusion, his heartbeat quickening with anxiety. Unable to contain himself any longer, he forced the book open to the first page.
His eyes began to flicker, and his legs trembled. This wasn’t what he had expected—worse, it contained more than he could have ever imagined since arriving in this world. An entire page filled with English words stared back at him.
Instinctively, he turned to them once more, asking if they could read it. But again, none of them could. They stared at him in confusion, perplexed by the strange expression he wore while studying the book.
Little did they know that Raiden was consumed by a torrent of emotions as he stared at the passage before him. It read:
"My name is Milo, previously from a completely different world from this one. I was a secret agent for my country’s government until I found myself in a dire and inexplicable situation. Before I knew it, I was in this world, inhabiting a completely different body."
It continued. "I’ve been searching for a way back home, but unfortunately there’s nothing I can do. Even worse, I seem to be the only one who was transmigrated."