The Ember of Beginning I

Silora lifted the lid of the strange wooden box, anticipation and curiosity clearly visible on her face. 'What will it be?' Despite her curiosity, she didn't raise her expectations too high, for reasons she didn't understand. If anything, she expected disappointment more than hope. But she didn't let these incomprehensible thoughts affect her judgment. 'After all, this is a gift from my Mom.'

The simple interior of the box appeared before her crimson eyes. It wasn't much different in its simplicity from the exterior, something Silora expected for reasons she also didn't understand. Her focus didn't last long there; it shifted to the intricately designed red book resting comfortably in the middle of the box.

"W_wow," Silora thought in amazement. The book had a bright red color, its hard cover adorned with intricate and beautiful designs. The four corners of the cover were decorated with black metal pieces with symmetrical ornaments. In the middle of it, seven simple flames formed a circle. Each flame had its own unique color when seen collectively, but each also had the known color of fire when seen individually. 'weird.'

Above the circle, the book's title "Language of Thoughts" was written in large, dark letters. Silora extended her small hands to pick up the book, and to her surprise, it had some weight to it. Nevertheless, she held it in her hands and brought it closer to her beautiful face for a better look at the intricate designs covering its surface. After a period of observation, Silora took a deep breath and turned the book over when she didn't understand much.

The back of the book was similar to the front. A red cover adorned with intricate designs, black metal pieces on the four corners, and the same circle formed by seven flames. That was it; nothing more to it.

So far, Silora was optimistic about the book in general. It seemed to have its own value. 'Where did my dear mother get this from?' she asked herself, knowing that her mother's mystery wouldn't be easily solved.

Silora took a deep breath, preparing herself for what really mattered. 'Let's take a look at the content.' She placed the book on the bed and carefully lifted the front cover. The first page was dark gray, unlike anything she had seen before. In the middle of the page, the same title of the book was written in dark red.

Silora didn't think much of it; some books do this. But what bothered her was the lack of any mention of the author. She turned this page, anticipation and curiosity boiling inside her. But she maintained some emotional distance. She didn't know why, but it seemed like a wise choice.

The page before her eyes was identical in specifications to the previous page, but the content was different. Silora adjusted her sitting position and began reading the content in a low voice.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Chapter One: The Language of Patience

To the soul that ignites,

To the other that burns

To the world that watches

The flame is abandonment, the flame is emotion, the flame is language

Create your own words

Silora's held a confused look; she understood the words, but she didn't understand the meaning or the direction. She reread the page several times, but her understanding didn't change. She suspected that the content of this page might be a fire spell. 'I hope I'm wrong; that would be disappointing.'

Mastering spells depends on the individual's ability, understanding, and comprehension. Spells cannot be cast from nothing; one must always access a source—nature or an artificial external source. To use a fire spell, the user must have a source to produce the flame. But the flame cannot be considered a raw element produced by nature sustainably, so its power will run out with the depletion of the source. For this reason, fire spells are considered one of the weakest anywhere.

Silora refocused on the book on her bed. She didn't feel frustrated by her lack of understanding, but she didn't feel happy either. Not wanting to waste much time on one page, especially when she didn't know what to understand, she turned to the next one, curious about what she might learn.

To her surprise, it didn't seem like she would learn anything. The gray page before her was empty. No—empty doesn't do it justice. It just seemed devoid of any written comprehensible content.

At the top of the page, there was a strange drawing of a hand with a burning eye in the middle of it's palm. It was surrounded by all these small strange symbols and lines. There were also some numbers, but they didn't really connect logically—it looked like someone was jotting down random thoughts. A small shiver ran through Silora's body from the strangeness of the thought.

The bottom of the page was even more confusing. There was a large star shape inside two circles, with lines connected to small letters and numbers around it. There were more words here too, words Silora didn't understand. But they seemed like instructions or something of the sort. All of this was mysterious and confusing for her to comprehend.

But this confirmed to her that this book was indeed a spellbook. She wasn't sure yet if it was fire spells, which would be disappointing. 'Who would waste their precious time creating truly effective fire spells?' She pushed the amusing thought from her mind and turned the page again.

To her surprise, the next page and the one after it, till the end of the book, were all blank. Just smooth, soft gray pages. 'I probably need to understand the content of the first chapter to see the remaining content?... I guess.' She didn't quite believe this idea herself. But she trusted her mother, so she decided she would seriously try to solve the mystery of this book. 'But first, I need to eat something.' She placed her hand on her stomach, which had been growling in protest since the start of the day.

Silora closed the book and prepared to return it to the box, but before that,and for some reason, she carefully examined the inside of the box. There was nothing, of course. She didn't know what she hoped to find, but it left her with a feeling of strangeness, like something was out of place. She forcefully controlled her emotions and returned the book to the box before closing it. She wrapped it again in the usual cloth and got up from her bed lightly.

Silora picked up her clothes scattered carelessly on the floor and put them on. She hid the silver dagger between the folds of her clothes and reorganized the room as it was before she left, carrying the box under her arm. She locked the room with the wooden key and descended the long spiral stairs towards the restaurant and tavern below.