The Hidden Library
895 Words
Lina couldn’t stop shaking.
Even after he vanished, her heart hammered as though it wanted to claw free from her chest. She gripped the counter until her knuckles whitened.
One moment, he had been there. His eyes, his voice, his impossible aura.
The next, he was gone.
Not out the door. Not past her. Not anywhere.
Gone.
And that—that—was the moment Lina stopped pretending she was imagining things.
Whatever Kael was, whatever he carried, it was real.
---
The rest of her shift blurred by. She fumbled drinks, ignored Marie’s concerned looks, avoided questions from coworkers. When her replacement finally clocked in, she rushed out into the street, clutching her bag like a lifeline.
But she didn’t go home.
Her legs carried her elsewhere—almost on instinct. Past the familiar blocks, past the bus stop, deeper into the city. The streets grew older here, narrower, their cobblestones uneven.
She wasn’t sure what she was looking for.
She only knew she couldn’t go home. Not when the walls would close in on her, not when her thoughts would spiral back to Kael’s voice whispering, You can see it.
She needed answers.
---
It was nearly dusk when she stopped.
A narrow archway stood between two abandoned shops, half-hidden by ivy. A sign swung above it, weathered and cracked.
“The Enochian Library.”
Her breath hitched. She’d never seen this place before. Never heard of it. And yet, as she stood in front of the arch, a strange pull tugged at her chest, as though invisible threads were urging her inside.
Her pulse quickened. Every warning voice in her head screamed turn back.
But her feet carried her forward.
---
The library was dim, smelling faintly of dust and candle wax. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with books that looked too old, too fragile to still exist. Symbols etched into the wood glimmered faintly when she passed them, making her shiver.
She wasn’t alone.
An elderly man sat at a desk, spectacles perched low on his nose, scribbling into a leather-bound ledger. His eyes flicked up as she entered, and for a moment, Lina swore they glowed faintly silver.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said softly. His voice wasn’t harsh. It was heavy, weighted with knowledge.
Lina swallowed hard. “I—I just…”
“You were drawn,” he murmured, setting his pen down. His gaze pierced her, as though reading her thoughts. “By something—or someone.”
Her heart stuttered. Kael’s face flickered through her mind.
The old man nodded slowly, as though confirming her unspoken thought. “Yes. Him.”
---
Lina stepped closer. “Do you know what he is?”
The man’s lips curved into the faintest smile. “Dangerous. Bound. Shadowed. But not beyond saving.”
Her chest tightened. “Bound to what?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached behind him and pulled out a book so worn it looked ready to fall apart. Its cover bore the same glimmering sigils as the shelves.
He slid it across the desk toward her.
The Book of Veils.
Her hand hovered above it. The air around the book hummed faintly, tingling against her skin.
She drew in a shaky breath. “What is this?”
“A record,” the man said. “Of things unseen. Of bloodlines that were never meant to meet.”
The phrase sent chills down her spine. Bloodlines. Meeting. Her? Him?
Before she could press further, the candles around the room flickered violently. The old man’s eyes snapped toward the door.
“He’s here,” he whispered.
---
Lina spun.
Kael stood in the archway, his presence filling the library like a storm cloud. His aura wasn’t faint this time—it burned, shadows licking the edges of the shelves, making the books tremble in their places.
His gaze locked on Lina, sharp, furious, almost pained.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was low, dangerous.
Lina’s throat went dry. “I—I needed to know. I needed—”
“You don’t need to know anything.” His steps were slow but predatory, the shadows following him like loyal hounds. “This place is forbidden to you.”
The old man’s voice cut in, calm but firm. “She was drawn. That cannot be undone.”
Kael’s jaw clenched. His aura flared hotter, darker, until the sigils in the wood began to glow in protest.
Lina’s pulse hammered. She could barely breathe under the weight of his power.
But even through the fear, she couldn’t look away from him. Couldn’t ignore the way his fury wasn’t aimed at her, not truly—it was aimed at himself.
At the bond tethering them.
---
Kael reached her, his hand brushing the Book of Veils. The instant his skin touched it, the air cracked like lightning.
Lina gasped, stumbling back as a flare of energy rippled through the library, scattering loose pages, extinguishing candles.
The old man shielded his face. “It’s too soon,” he warned. “The bond isn’t ready.”
Kael’s expression darkened. He grabbed Lina’s wrist—not cruelly, but with desperate urgency—and yanked her away from the desk.
“Stay away from this,” he growled, voice rough, eyes blazing. “Before it destroys you.”
- Writer
