Library Discovery
1501 Words
Morning came, but it didn’t feel like morning.
It felt like something unfinished.
Aria Vale sat upright in her bed long before the first bell rang, her eyes fixed on nothing as the events of the night replayed over and over in her mind.
The corridor.
The symbols.
The voice.
Her fingers curled slightly against the blanket as her chest tightened again—not from fear this time, but from something deeper.
Recognition.
That was what unsettled her the most.
It hadn’t felt like she was discovering something new.
It had felt like she was remembering.
Aria exhaled slowly, dragging a hand across her face.
“No… that doesn’t make sense,” she muttered.
But nothing about this place made sense anymore.
She swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. The chill grounded her slightly, pulling her back into reality.
Her room looked the same.
Quiet.
Still.
Safe.
But she didn’t feel safe.
Not after that dream.
Her hand moved unconsciously to her chest.
The ache was still there.
Faint.
But real.
Aria froze.
Her fingers pressed slightly against the spot.
“…Okay,” she whispered, her voice tight. “That’s not normal.”
Dreams weren’t supposed to leave pain behind.
Her heart began to beat faster.
Everything from last night—every detail—felt too sharp, too vivid to ignore.
The structure.
The glowing symbols.
The way they had reacted to her.
Aria stood abruptly.
“I need answers.”
The words came out more firmly than she expected.
And for the first time since arriving at the academy…
She meant it.
---
The library was quieter than the rest of the school.
Almost unnaturally so.
Aria stepped inside slowly, her eyes scanning the space.
It was larger than she expected—far larger.
Tall shelves stretched endlessly in every direction, packed tightly with books that looked older than anything she had ever seen. Dust clung faintly to the edges of some, while others looked worn from years—decades—of use.
Soft light filtered through high windows, casting long shadows across the wooden floors.
The air smelled like paper.
And time.
Aria stepped further inside, her footsteps echoing faintly.
No one stopped her.
No one questioned her presence.
It was as if the library simply… allowed her in.
Her gaze moved across the shelves.
History.
Bloodlines.
Combat theory.
Ancient texts.
There was too much.
Far too much.
She exhaled slowly.
“Okay… think,” she murmured.
The dream.
What did she actually see?
Symbols.
Ancient markings.
Something powerful.
Something hidden.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Bloodlines.
That word lingered.
If what she saw was real—or even based on something real—then it had to be connected to the history of wolves.
To something older than the academy itself.
Aria turned and moved deeper into the library, her fingers brushing lightly against the spines of books as she passed.
Her movements slowed as the shelves grew taller.
Darker.
Less touched.
The lighting dimmed slightly.
Fewer signs of use.
Her instincts sharpened.
This section felt… different.
More hidden.
Like it wasn’t meant to be easily found.
She stopped in front of a shelf tucked slightly behind another, almost out of view.
Her heart began to beat a little faster.
“…This looks promising,” she whispered.
Her eyes scanned the titles.
Most of them were faded.
Some unreadable.
But one stood out.
Old.
Worn.
Its cover darker than the rest.
The edges frayed.
As if time itself had tried to erase it.
Aria reached for it slowly.
Her fingers hesitated for just a moment—
Then closed around the spine.
The moment she touched it—
A faint chill ran through her.
She frowned.
“That’s… weird.”
Still, she pulled it free.
Dust lifted slightly into the air.
The book was heavier than she expected.
Important.
She could feel it.
Aria glanced around briefly before moving to a nearby table.
She sat down.
Placed the book in front of her.
And opened it.
The pages were aged.
Yellowed.
The ink slightly faded—but still readable.
The title page read:
Extinct Bloodlines
Aria’s breath caught.
“…Extinct?”
Her pulse quickened.
She turned the page.
The text inside was dense.
Detailed.
Structured like a record.
Not a story.
Not a myth.
History.
Her eyes moved quickly across the words.
Descriptions of different bloodlines.
Their traits.
Their strengths.
Their downfalls.
Some were powerful.
Some rare.
Some feared.
Her fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the page.
Then—
She saw it.
A section marked differently from the rest.
The ink darker.
The writing sharper.
Almost… intentional.
Aria leaned closer.
Her heart pounded.
This bloodline was described as—
Unknown.
Untraceable.
Unpredictable.
Her breathing slowed.
The details continued.
No scent.
Her body went still.
Abilities that manifest without training.
Her chest tightened.
Connection to ancient forces.
Aria’s fingers trembled slightly.
“That’s…” she whispered.
Her voice faded.
Her eyes scanned faster.
Feared by all.
Erased from existence.
Declared extinct.
Aria slammed the book shut.
Her breath came faster now.
“No,” she whispered.
“No, that’s not possible.”
Her heart raced violently.
Her thoughts spiraled.
No scent.
Unusual abilities.
Connection to something ancient.
Everything pointed to—
Her.
She shook her head quickly.
“No. No, that doesn’t make sense.”
But it did.
That was the problem.
It explained too much.
Too easily.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
“If this is real…” she murmured.
Her gaze dropped slowly back to the book.
“…then what am I?”
The question hung heavily in the air.
Unanswered.
Unsettling.
Aria hesitated.
Then opened the book again.
More carefully this time.
More deliberately.
She flipped further into the section.
Her eyes scanning every word.
Looking for something—anything—that could prove this wrong.
But instead—
She found something else.
A symbol.
Her breath caught instantly.
Her body went completely still.
“No way…”
It was the same.
The exact same symbol she had seen in her dream.
Carved into the walls.
Glowing.
Alive.
Her hand lifted slowly, hovering over the page.
Her fingers trembled.
“That’s not a coincidence…”
Her heart pounded louder.
Faster.
This wasn’t just similar.
It was identical.
Her dream—
It wasn’t random.
It wasn’t imagination.
It was connected.
To this.
To whatever this bloodline was.
To whatever she was.
A sound broke the silence.
Footsteps.
Aria froze.
Her head snapped up.
Someone was coming.
Her pulse spiked.
Instinct kicked in.
She quickly closed the book, sliding it slightly away from the center of the table.
Her posture straightened.
Her breathing steadied—barely.
The footsteps grew closer.
Slow.
Measured.
Familiar.
Aria’s chest tightened.
She didn’t need to look.
But she did.
And there he was.
Kael Draven.
Standing a few steps away.
Watching her.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Observant.
Suspicious.
“You’re in the wrong section,” he said.
His voice was low.
Controlled.
Aria’s grip tightened slightly against the edge of the table.
“I didn’t see any signs,” she replied.
His gaze flicked briefly to the book.
Then back to her.
“That’s because you’re not supposed to be here.”
Her heart skipped.
“So?” she said, trying to sound unaffected.
“So,” he stepped closer, “you should leave.”
Aria held his gaze.
There it was again.
That tension.
That pull.
Stronger now.
More complicated.
“I was just reading,” she said.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Reading what?”
Aria didn’t answer.
She couldn’t.
Not without exposing everything.
The silence stretched between them.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
He stepped even closer.
Close enough that she could feel the shift in the air.
Close enough that her heart betrayed her again.
Faster.
Louder.
His gaze didn’t leave hers.
“You’re hiding something,” he said quietly.
Aria swallowed.
“I’m not.”
He didn’t look convinced.
But he didn’t push further.
Not this time.
Instead—
He straightened slightly.
His expression returning to that familiar cold distance.
“Stay out of places you don’t understand,” he said.
The words were sharp.
But something beneath them felt… different.
Not just warning.
Something else.
Aria frowned.
“And if I don’t?”
His eyes met hers again.
For a brief moment—
Something flickered there.
Conflict.
Then it disappeared.
“Then you’ll regret it.”
He turned.
And walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving her alone.
Again.
Aria exhaled slowly.
Her body relaxing slightly—but her mind racing even faster.
Her gaze dropped back to the book.
To the hidden truth sitting right in front of her.
To the symbol that matched her dream.
To the words that described her without ever naming her.
Her fingers curled slightly against the cover.
“If this bloodline is extinct…” she whispered.
Her voice barely audible.
“…then how am I still here?” 🌑🐺
- Writer
