Evelyn couldn't believe her eyes.
But the longer she stared at the page, the clearer it became.
There was no mistake.
The drawing was of her.
A cold sweat ran down her back as her fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the book.
The same girl.
The same silver eyes.
The same figure standing at the edge of the crowd.
It was her.
"What on earth is this book...?" she whispered.
Her voice was barely audible in the silent room.
"What is it...?"
A feeling of fear slowly settled inside her chest.
What had that old man given her?
And why?
She had only met him once, yet somehow he had handed her something that showed a scene no ordinary person should have been able to know.
Evelyn knew that the world they lived in was not completely without mysteries.
There were people who possessed extraordinary abilities.
Some called them gifted.
Others called them cursed.
Stories about them existed throughout the kingdom—stories about people who could do things beyond normal humans.
But those things had always felt distant from her.
They belonged to another world.
Not to her small village.
Not to her simple life.
She had never met anyone like that.
Until now.
And whatever this book was...
It was not ordinary.
Slowly, Evelyn began to wonder if the book could show the future.
Or perhaps events that had already happened.
Either way, the thought terrified her.
She didn't want any of this.
She didn't want mysteries, powers, or anything connected to a world she didn't understand.
All she wanted was a peaceful life with Gabriel, Lily, and Aster.
A normal life.
A quiet life.
After that, Evelyn found that she no longer had the desire to continue reading the history book.
Her excitement from earlier had completely disappeared.
She carefully closed the strange book and placed it on her small wooden desk.
Then she moved toward her bed.
But sleep was nowhere to be found.
Her eyes remained wide open in the darkness as the image from the page continued replaying in her mind.
The boy.
The swords.
The crowd.
And herself standing there.
She thought that when morning came, she would throw the book away.
She didn't want to see it again.
After what felt like hours, exhaustion finally began to overcome her.
Slowly, Evelyn closed her eyes.
But just before sleep took her—
The pages of the book fluttered.
Her eyes remained closed.
She didn't notice.
On the next page, beside the drawing of the boy, something began appearing.
Slowly.
Line by line.
As if an invisible hand was drawing across the empty page.
---
The next morning arrived.
Sunlight entered through the small window of the room, pulling Evelyn awake.
For a moment, she believed everything from last night had only been a nightmare.
A strange dream caused by her imagination.
But then—
her eyes turned toward the small wooden desk.
The book was still there.
Waiting.
Staring at her.
The memory returned instantly.
Evelyn sat up slowly.
"No..."
She didn't want to open it.
She didn't want to know what appeared on the pages.
But curiosity and fear fought inside her.
Finally, she reached toward the desk and took both books.
One was the history book she wanted to read.
The other...
The strange book she wanted to throw away forever.
She placed them inside her bag.
Her decision was made.
She would return the history book with her interest still intact.
But the other one...
She would get rid of it.
Turning around, Evelyn looked toward the other side of the tiny room.
The other bed.
Lily's bed.
Only then did she realize something.
The room was too quiet.
She had been so trapped in her thoughts about the books that she hadn't noticed.
Lily wasn't there.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Where did Lily go...?"
Evelyn knew that Lily would never wake this early.
Even on the busiest days, Lily was usually the last one to leave her bed, always complaining that the morning came too quickly. And last night, Evelyn had not even noticed her returning to the room. Her own mind had been occupied with too many things—the strange book, the drawing, and the impossible thought that something beyond her understanding had entered her simple life.
Maybe she is already outside... perhaps she went to the field.
Evelyn tried to convince herself of that possibility as she placed her work materials together and carefully left the room.
The moment she stepped outside, the familiar sounds of morning welcomed her. The cold air of dawn still lingered around the village, and the smell of fresh earth filled the surroundings.
Near the entrance of their small house stood Gabriel and Aster, already preparing themselves for work.
Aster was adjusting the straps of his bag while Gabriel checked the tools they would take with them.
"Good morning," Evelyn greeted them.
Both turned toward her.
"Morning, Eve," Aster replied with a small smile. "You're awake early."
Gabriel looked at her carefully before nodding.
"Did you sleep well?"
For a moment, Evelyn hesitated.
"Yes... I did."
It was not completely a lie.
She had slept.
Just not peacefully.
Soon after, Evelyn entered the small kitchen to prepare breakfast. The room was simple, with only the necessary things they needed, but it had always felt warm because of the people inside it.
As she prepared the food, Gabriel suddenly glanced toward the doorway.
"Hasn't Lily woken up yet?"
Evelyn paused slightly.
"No... I thought perhaps she woke earlier and went outside."
Gabriel looked toward the hallway with a slight frown.
"That is unusual for her."
Aster immediately laughed.
"Maybe she finally decided to become responsible."
Evelyn shook her head softly.
"That doesn't sound like Lily."
Gabriel smiled faintly at their words.
"She probably just stayed awake late again. Let her sleep a little longer."
Evelyn thought the same.
Lily was probably only tired.
Perhaps she had woken up later and gone somewhere without telling them.
She pushed the strange feeling aside and continued preparing breakfast.
Not long after, they all sat together at the table.
The small room filled with the quiet sounds of spoons touching bowls and occasional conversations about their work.
For a little while, Evelyn managed to forget about the book.
After finishing their meal, Gabriel and Aster prepared to leave.
"Take care," Evelyn said.
"We will," Gabriel answered warmly.
Aster lifted his hand while walking away.
"Don't work too hard, Eve."
Evelyn watched them leave before turning toward the path leading to Mr. Radolf's house.
The old farmer's home stood to the left of their own, closer to the fields. It was an old wooden house with faded walls and a small garden surrounding it. Although it was not large, it always carried a peaceful feeling that made Evelyn comfortable.
She walked up to the door and knocked.
"Mr. Radolf?"
After a moment, the door opened.
An elderly man appeared, his face carrying the signs of many years spent working under the sun.
"Evelyn," he greeted with a smile. "Come in, child."
She stepped inside and handed him the money they had earned from selling the vegetables.
"This is from yesterday's market."
Mr. Radolf counted it carefully before nodding.
"You girls worked hard."
"We only did what we could," Evelyn answered.
The old man smiled.
"You sound just like Gabriel."
Evelyn smiled faintly at that.
Then, remembering something, she looked at him.
"Mr. Radolf... has Lily come here today?"
The old man's expression changed slightly as he thought.
"Yes, she did come early this morning."
Evelyn's eyes widened a little.
"She did?"
"Yes," he answered. "But she left after a while."
"Where did she go?"
Mr. Radolf shook his head.
"I don't know. I thought she was heading back home."
A small worry began forming inside Evelyn's chest.
But she quickly pushed it away.
Maybe Lily only had something to do.
Maybe she went somewhere nearby and would return soon.
There was no reason to panic.
After all, Lily was Lily.
Evelyn thanked Mr. Radolf and headed toward the fields.
But as she walked, her hand unconsciously touched the bag she carried.
The book.
She stopped.
For a moment, she considered throwing it away.
Perhaps into the forest nearby.
Or maybe burning it so no one would ever find it again.
But then she hesitated.
What if someone else found it?
What if it caused trouble for another person?
With a sigh, Evelyn entered the edge of the forest and pulled the book from her bag.
She placed it carefully on the ground.
That was enough.
She would leave it here and never think about it again.
Turning around, she began to walk away.
Then—
A sound stopped her.
The fluttering of pages.
Evelyn froze.
She told herself not to turn around.
She told herself that whatever appeared inside the book was no longer her concern.
But something deep inside her whispered otherwise.
Something was wrong.
Something terrible was coming.
Slowly, Evelyn turned back.
And what she saw made her blood run cold.
The book was open.
The pages moved gently despite there being no wind.
And on the paper a drawing.
A drawing she hadn't known of.
A carriage.
A dark cage inside it, resembling a prison.
The carriage moved through a crowded street.
And inside people crying , desperately clinging to the cell.
And in between, in the center of the drawing was a girl.
A girl with light blond hair braided to the side. reaching her hand desperately toward someone in the crowd.
Toward her.
Evelyn's breath caught.
The girl with the blond hair.
Wearing the same clothes Lily wore.
Her sister.
No.
Not Lily.
It couldn't be.
But Evelyn knew that face.
She knew those clothes.
She knew the fear in that drawing.
Her hands trembled as the image became clearer.
Lily was in danger.
Without thinking, Evelyn rushed forward.
The moment she touched the page, the drawing shifted.
The market.
The same market from before.
The book had shown her where Lily was.
The market.
The same market she had visited only yesterday.
The same crowded streets where she had watched the boy being caught.
The book had shown her where Lily was.
She couldn't stand there anymore.
She couldn't waste another second wondering what the drawing meant.
If something was going to happen to Lily, she had to stop it.
Without thinking twice, Evelyn turned and ran.
She ran through the forest, branches brushing against her clothes and the cold air cutting against her face. Every step carried only one thought in her mind.
Lily.
She couldn't lose her.
Not the first person who had accepted her as family.
Not the sister who had stood beside her for all these years.
Behind her, hidden among the trees, the strange book remained where she had left it.
For a moment, the pages fluttered softly in the empty forest.
Then slowly, the cover began to darken.
The edges of the pages crumbled into ash.
The book that had revealed impossible things faded away, carried by the wind until nothing remained.
As if it had never existed at all.