Chapter 116: Caleb’s Research
Caleb POV
When I picked up the old book, it blew up in my hands, sending pages flying through the secret library like angry birds. Just seconds before, I was standing there when words written in silver ink started to glow and burn the air. I jumped backwards.
"What the hell?" I gasped as I saw a warning written in a language I had never seen before in floating letters.
As I picked up the scattered pages, my hands were shaking. The third book today that didn’t let me read about Null Bearers without getting angry. It’s possible that something or someone didn’t want this information to get out.
Still, I had to keep going. Everyone else was fighting or making deals, but I was researching, which is what I did best. And what I found scared me more than any claw or sword.
The burned pages crumbled in my fingers, but I could still make out fragments of writing. "...born between worlds..." and "...neither fully connected nor completely separate..." and most importantly, "...the key to crossing all boundaries..."
My phone buzzed with a text from Aiden: "Emergency meeting canceled. Strange magical interference in the caves. Where are you?"
I typed back quickly: "Library. Found something important. Stay safe."
What I didn’t tell him was that I’d been trapped in this hidden part of the pack’s archive room for the past three hours. The door had sealed itself when I’d spoken the words "Null Bearer" out loud while reading. Magic doors were tricky that way.
I grabbed another book from the restricted shelf, this one bound in what looked like human skin. Gross, but if it had answers about what was happening to Lily, I’d read anything.
The moment I opened it, pain shot through my head like someone was driving nails into my brain. Images flashed behind my eyes - not my memories, but someone else’s.