Searing coursed through Karn's entire body and mind, but for some reason, it wasn’t painful. Instead, it felt oddly comforting, like the embrace of an old friend beckoning him to join them by a warm fire, sheltered from the cold storm of the real world. In that time and space, he forgot the worries of the world he had left behind.

His eyes snapped open, and his jaw dropped in astonishment. He was lying on a vast expanse of grass that stretched as far as the eye could see, its horizon curving slightly in the distance.

The air hung calm and warm, and Karn tilted his gaze upward, his eyes widening at the sight of translucent birds gracefully riding the currents high above. Gathering his wits, he pushed himself up from the ground and began to wander the empty field, his mind clouded with a haze that made it difficult to grasp his surroundings.

"It's been a while," a voice spoke, cutting through the fog.

Karn's heart skipped a beat as he turned and caught sight of a familiar face.

Theo stood tall and clean-shaven, his short spiky grey hair contrasting with kind eyes that held a mix of sombreness and optimism. Strangely, he was adorned in chain-mail armour, with a magnificent white sash draped over it and a thick belt cinched at his waist with a full scabbard.

"You...you're alive?" Karn stammered, cautiously approaching the man.

Theo's expression remained solemn, yet a glimmer of hope danced in his eyes. He shook his head, his gaze wandering over the endless horizon, seemingly lost in thought.

"What is this place?" Karn inquired. His mind was full of questions.

Theo chuckled softly, his eyes meeting Karn's with intense concentration. After a momentary pause, he began to explain, "Karn, right now, you have entered the realm within the book," Theo revealed.

"A realm? In the book?" Karn echoed, his mind struggling to grasp the enormity of the revelation.

Theo nodded slowly. "When this book was first created, it harnessed the life magic of millions. That magic was then used to craft a spell, shaping this place and binding the very essence of the planet's magic within its pages."

He gestured toward the sky, drawing Karn's attention to the massing clouds above. Squinting, Karn gasped as he realised that these were not ordinary clouds formed of water vapor. Instead, they were vast accumulations of slumbering souls, drifting together as a collective entity.

"What...there must be millions of them!" Karn exclaimed, awe-struck by the sheer magnitude of the sight.

Theo shook his head, his expression growing graver. "No, Karn. Trillions..."

Karn's confusion deepened, his mind grappling to comprehend the scale of what he was witnessing.

"We never intended to land on Earth. The transportation method we devised was meant to send the book far away, to another continent. But we underestimated the true strength of the Book of the Known," Theo explained, his voice tinged with regret.

Stolen novel; please report.

Theo gently caressed the air before continuing, his words resonating with both wisdom and sorrow.

"The book's name, 'the Known,' signifies its insatiable hunger for knowledge. It consumes everything known, including all the souls on Earth, since our arrival."

Karn's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

Theo winced and turned away; his gaze fixated on something unseen. "The book has just claimed a few thousand more souls for its collection."

"So, if we destroy the book, will the souls be freed?" Karn asked, hope flickering within him.

"No! Don’t!" Theo shouted unexpectedly; his voice urgent. "Karn, there is an unimaginable power contained within that book. The consequences of releasing it would be catastrophic."

Karn took a step back, his earlier optimism replaced with uncertainty. "But...my father's letter."

Theo let out a weary sigh. "If you were to unleash the book's magic, the world would be unable to withstand it. Earth may lack inherent magic, but the sheer energy unleashed by billions of humans and trillions of animals..."

Karn glanced down at his feet, the grass beneath him seeming to carry a weight of its own, while the air surrounding him grew denser.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" Karn asked, his voice filled with a sense of defeat and confusion.

Theo turned his face away momentarily, as if listening to a voice that only he could hear, then nodded, his expression becoming resolute. It was as if the invisible presence he communed with held a regal authority.

"We have heard your plan to create distance between the book and our enemies, but that will only provide a temporary reprieve," Theo revealed.

Karn nodded, knowing that the plan was but a temporary measure.

Theo's expression grew graver as he spoke. "There’s a way we can assist you, but it will come at great risk."

Karn stiffened, his voice tinged with apprehension. "Let me guess, it will hurt."

Theo nodded.

"And will it work?" Karn pressed.

Theo turned his head once more and nodded, a flicker of hope shining in his eyes. "We have utilised this method to a lesser degree in the past and aided you before."

Recalling the immense power he had felt coursing through him during his encounter with the slaver and the book's cauterisation of his wounds, Karn nodded, bracing himself.

“This time, we will create a thicker bond between you and the power within the book,” Theo said.

Karn gulped. "Then what do I need to do?"

Theo knelt on the grass, plucking a tiny green blade from the ground. He approached Karn, taking hold of his free hand and swiftly slicing the blade across Karn's open palm. Instantly, the seemingly harmless blade cut deep, leaving a gaping wound that oozed crimson.

Blood spilled from Karn's hand, and drops fell to the ground, causing ripples and vibrations upon impact.

"Now what..." Karn uttered before a wave of burning engulfed him.

Far more intense than anything he’d experienced before. He tried to scream, but within this miniature world, no sound escaping his lips.

Theo's face contorted with alarm as he took a step back, his eyes widening.

"You said he would be fine!" Theo shouted, his words directed at an unseen entity.

Karn crumpled to his knees, gasping for breath, but each lungful he took pulled in more of the dense magical air around him. His mind expanded, and he could feel power resonating everywhere, sensing every blade of grass beneath him and the countless souls beyond his sight. In that moment, he became aware of distant lands within the realm, of castles, and towns within this realm of existence.

A great distance away, he sensed a battlefield within the book, where soldiers valiantly fought an invisible foe. The scale and magnitude of what was contained within the book overwhelmed him, realizing that it contained an entire universe within its pages.

"Make it stop," Karn pleaded, his hands clutching his head, as if trying to contain the overwhelming surge of sensations.

Theo scowled, his expression fraught with concern, then made a swift decision. He rushed forward, placing a hand on Karn's shoulder, and in an instant, a force yanked Karn backward, tearing him away from the ground as darkness once again enveloped him.