A man was heading straight for the entrance of the Museum Conservation Institute. As soon as he arrived at the gates, he showed his identification to the guard. The guard observed the man-he is tall, with messy black hair, wearing an oversized lab coat that made him look like a mad scientist. The guard confirmed his identification and allowed him to pass.

As the man walked through the familiar halls of the museum and climbed the stairs to the second floor, where their lab was located, he wondered what this was all about. A few hours ago, his phone had rung. He quickly pulled it out from his coat and checked the caller ID. As soon as he did, a smile crossed his face without him thinking, and he answered the call.

He heard a female voice—one that was impossible to mistake.

"Victor, you have to come here right now," the voice said, sounding excited.

For a moment, Victor was lost in his thoughts. The woman knew he should be attending to a client. Why was she calling him back to the museum? After a few seconds, he finally asked, "Why is there an emergency?"

"No... one of the excavation team returned something for us to check, but it’s... peculiar."

"Peculiar?" Victor thought. All the items left in their care were peculiar. They were conservation scientists, after all. Their items ranged from bones and pottery shards to gold amulets, silver talismans, old artworks, and sculptures—things lost to time. These items were preserved in the hope of preserving history, or maybe rediscovering it. How could this item be any different?

"Just come here, okay? It’s hard to explain," the voice said, her tone final.

Victor knew better than to defy her, and so he came.

As he walked towards the laboratory, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was all about. Despite the excitement in the woman’s voice, he thought to himself that whatever it was, it probably wouldn’t be that important.

He was wrong.

When he finally reached the laboratory, he stared blankly at the familiar door before slowly reaching for the doorknob. It felt cold.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He opened the door and found a woman sitting at her desk, typing something on her computer. When she heard the door open, she quickly looked around and smiled. The woman was beautiful, with long black wavy hair and eyes that seemed to glow, framed by her fair complexion. She stood suddenly and hugged Victor.

"Finally, you got to see this! Also, what took you so long"

The woman crossed her arms while looking at victor.

"Traffic? Also, I wasn't supposed to be here right what did they find?" Victor asked curiously

She motioned to the table where they examined the items assigned to them.

On the table sat a large leather-bound book, nearly five inches thick and about fifteen inches tall. Its cover was adorned with intricate symbols that didn’t make sense.

A book? Victor thought. They had many books at the museum, even rare manuscripts that are not fully released to the public. How could this book be peculiar? The woman seemed to sense Victor’s thoughts and took his hand, pulling him towards the table.

As he got closer, he realized that the book was indeed peculiar. At the center of the book there was a yellow crystal that looked almost magical as if glowing a dim light.

The cover was filled with symbols he couldn’t recognize—symbols he wasn’t even sure he had seen before. At the lower part of the book have what seemed to be a label or perhaps a title, but he couldn’t read it. It wasn’t a language he had ever encountered. It wasn’t Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit.

As Victor stared dumbfoundedly at the book, the woman, sensing his confusion, spoke with a hint of pride in her voice. "I’ve been searching for whatever language this is. I’ve even looked up the symbols, but I can’t find anything that matches—nothing even remotely similar."

Victor's eyes widened 

Nothing? What on earth is this book?

He thought as he once again stares at the book

"Have you checked what’s inside?" Victor asked.

"That’s the thing," the woman replied, looking anxious. "It won’t open."

"It won’t open?" Victor’s confusion deepened.

"Have you tried forcing it?"

The woman crossed her arms and said "Of course not! Why do you think we’re called conservation scientists? What if I damaged it in the process?" , her voice incredulous.

It was absurd forcing to open the book after all it is an item left in their care, Victor thought. But not as absurd as a book that wouldn’t open without any sort of locking mechanism.

Confused, Victor took a pair of gloves and put them on. He looked at the woman, and she nodded. Slowly, he touched the cover of the leather-bound book. He felt a slight tingle when his fingers came into contact with it.

Looking at the book face to face, he realized that he had indeed never saw the symbols before. Slowly, he attempted to lift the cover. Sure enough, it was heavy, as if the book was resisting. On his second attempt, he felt a warmth spread through his fingers, as if his hands were placed in the hearth. He tried again to lift the cover. This time, it felt lighter, and slowly, he opened the book.

He didn’t know it back then, but that was the moment a new era had begun.