Chapter 27 - The Book That Should Not Exist
The footsteps stopped.
No figure appeared.
Only silence drifted down through the towering shelves.
Richard tightened his grip on the brass token.
The elderly librarian led them toward the center of the circular archive.
There, beneath a glass dome, rested a single book placed upon a stone pedestal.
Unlike the thousands of other volumes surrounding it, this one was secured behind three separate locks.
Its cover was made of dark blue leather.
No title.
No author's name.
Only the Morgan family crest embossed in silver.
Daniel leaned closer.
"What's inside?"
The librarian answered almost reverently.
"Everything."
Richard frowned.
"Everything?"
"The lives that truly happened."
She turned toward him.
"And the lives that were rewritten."
Edward slowly removed the silver ledger from Richard's bag and placed it beside the mysterious volume.
To everyone's surprise...
The two books began glowing faintly.
Lines of silver light spread across both covers before connecting in midair like threads.
The librarian nodded.
"They recognize each other."
Michael looked uneasy.
"I've never seen that before."
The first lock clicked open by itself.
Then the second.
But the third remained sealed.
An inscription slowly appeared across the metal clasp.
THREE MORGANS MUST BE PRESENT.
Richard stared at the words.
"I am here."
He looked toward the silver ledger.
"Jonathan..."
His voice faded.
Then he whispered the final name almost unwillingly.
"...Emily."
The librarian met his gaze.
"That lock has never opened."
"Not once in twenty-eight years."
Before anyone could speak again, a small indicator light beside the third lock suddenly changed from red...
...to green.
The final clasp released with a sharp metallic click.
No one had touched it.
Somewhere beyond the endless shelves, a woman's calm voice echoed softly through the Archive.
"You finally found the book, Dad."
Richard closed his eyes.
He knew that voice.
May you like
This time...
It wasn't a recording.
