The old man without eyes brought a rather large book impatiently, carefully placing it on Adam's desk. He looked at the young hero with anticipation and said in a mysterious tone:

—Good luck on your first magical adventure, but be careful, young hero. This book can be quite stubborn and proud if treated poorly!

—Thanks for the advice...— Adam mumbled, eyeing the thick book cautiously. The last book of this size he read was torture, so he hoped this reading wouldn't be as bad as his previous experience with thick books.

The book's cover was made of rotten wood, with tiny blue mushrooms and moss growing on it, which caught Adam's attention as it matched the decorations of the eyeless old man.

The title of the book seemed to be roughly carved with a knife, reading 'Old Tree' Beneath the title, someone had written a short phrase:

> 'In bitter times, you were the refuge I had lost. Thanks for everything. We shall meet again at the origin of time.'

As Adam was about to place his hand to interact with the book, he noticed a part of it blinking, due to the effect of searching for clues in his glasses. He focused his attention on that part but couldn't find anything unusual about the book.

It seemed like something was staining the book where it flickered. Adam placed his hand on the flickering part and noticed it was a hint of dust on the book's cover. Immediately, he realized that this magical book was one of the hidden books in the eyeless old man's storeroom. Suspicious, Adam asked:

—Why do you hide this book in the warehouse? Is it cursed, and some inquisitor is trying to burn it?

—You could ask the book. Now you're a wizard, Adam...—The old man without eyes complained with some annoyance—To speed things up, I'll tell you that only the heroes from my cave can read this book, and it was my first magical book.

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—How did you obtain it?—Adam inquired, seeking more clues about it—If you created it, shouldn't you know its challenges?

—I cannot create magical books; I can only safeguard them—The old man without eyes replied with bitterness—This book was gifted to me by one of the heroes I helped in the past. That hero was the best investment of my life, until I learned the effect of the black book.

—How are magical books produced?—Adam asked, always thinking they were made in bookshelves. In fact, he was sure that general knowledge books were produced by bookshelves.

—There are countless ways...—The old man without eyes answered, fading into the wall of his cave, seemingly unwilling to answer that question.

As the old man without eyes left, Adam resumed searching for clues in the book, but found nothing else. Therefore, he decided to place his hand on the book and thought:

'Can you hear me?'

To his surprise, the book responded in his mind:

'Of course, I can also see you, young hero...'

The book's voice seemed to be the same as Adam's, making him wonder if he was deceiving himself. With some doubt, Adam asked:

'If I read you, will something bad happen?'

The book replied:

'My power is a well-guarded secret, young hero.'

Adam heard those words and paused for a moment. It seemed he could only trust what the old man without eyes said, as the book would never reveal the effect of reading it. With caution, Adam asked:

'Your challenge: do you think I can pass it, or is it not the right time yet?'

The book pondered for a while before saying:

'Even waiting your whole life, you'd never manage to pass my challenge unless you're traveling through infinity. Nevertheless, your ancestors would complete the challenge for you: they still protect you. Nevertheless, it's uncertain whether you'll succeed or die trying. Nevertheless, I wish you luck.'

Adam smiled upon hearing in his mind that it might be true, that he only had to close his mouth to pass this challenge. The young man continued asking, but unfortunately, the book was not willing to reveal more useful information.

Consequently, with everything prepared, Adam headed to the lake, immersing himself in its magical waters. He opened the book to read it, containing many pages, suggesting it would be quite a long story. As an introduction, the first page only held the following paragraph:

> —If you want to change your future, you must abandon your past and live in the present. I lived my whole life following this phrase, but at this stage of my life, I realized it was just a big lie. Today, the king wants me dead, but he won't succeed because I will exploit my past and live in my future to avoid my death in the present.