Secrets Hidden in Ink and Dust
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Elara's POV
After the lecture, I slipped away to the academy's library—the largest room I'd ever seen, walls towering with books that seemed to pulse with quiet energy.
The air smelled of old paper and magic.
Rows of shelves stretched endlessly, like a maze of stories waiting to be told—or erased.
A faint glow led me to a secluded corner where an ancient book lay open on a pedestal.
The pages shimmered with shifting ink—words forming and fading like living thoughts.
I reached out, fingers brushing the text.
Suddenly, the room darkened.
A shadow flickered in the corner of my eye.
I turned quickly, but no one was there.
The ink on the book rippled.
A voice whispered—soft and cold.
"Do you seek the truth, Inkbearer?"
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My heart pounded.
I nodded, though no one could see.
The book's pages flipped themselves faster and faster.
Scenes appeared—memories that weren't mine.
A battle between ink-wielders and shadow beasts.
A council of three rulers controlling the system.
And… a fourth figure—the Inkshaded One—lurking in the background, always watching, always waiting.
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The whisper came again,
"Beware the rewrite that changes everything."
Suddenly, the book snapped shut.
The glow vanished.
I was alone.
But the words stayed with me, etched in my mind.
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I realized:
The villain wasn't just outside the system.
He was inside the story itself—waiting for the right moment to break free.
And I was the key.
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End of Chapter 23