Phantom Papyrus Novels & Stories

I could practically live here if I had a mind to. The cases are full of ancient texts made of stone, wood, and papyrus. What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on them, not just to read, but to feel the weight of their history. How many preternaturals have held these items in their bare hands and the creature who created these? Amazing, just amazing. “This is incredible,” I murmur, letting go of his hand. I run my fingers along the glass. Some texts are barely held together with bits of string. Some are bound by ancient leather or some kind of soft cloth, almost like muslin.

Kade POV Ricci had been blowing up my phone all morning informing me that information on his laptop had been leaked to the Sinaloa’s with Phantom’s trademark signature (a grim reaper emoji). The emoji had been something I had started years ago when I posted a ghost emoji anytime, I came across another hacker. Phantom had been dormant for almost 6 months. Why was he appearing now? What was the purpose of leaking any information? Was it in fact Phantom? Too many questions invaded my brain. I handed Evelyn a thumb drive with all of the information that I had.

"Papyrus. I know sheep's vellum was more durable and more common in those days, but it had to be papyrus. The thinner the best." "Okay." "Before the papyrus was inserted into the cryptex's compartment, it was rolled around a delicate glass vial." She tipped the cryptex, and the liquid inside gurled. "A vial of liquid." "Liquid what?" Sophie smiled. "Vinegar." Jim hesitated a moment and then began nodding. "Brilliant."

The phantom was lost. ‘Project Chimera,’ a dragon of data and deceit, now nested in the digital undergrowth of Macau, waiting for the predator to sniff it out. The work was done. The scripts were written, the servers primed, the lies polished to a high, believable gloss. All that remained was the execution, and the wait.

Some kind of parchment on one of the tables began to glow a brilliant white… the light drawing Kendra and Killian’s attention to it. “Uh, Maymunah?” Kendra called out, pointing to it, “Is that supposed to be happening?” The old hag was by the table in a flash, a smile of victory gracing her features at the sight. As soon as she reached for it, the bright light disappeared. “Here,” She handed the weird looking thing to the Alpha. To him, it looked like some kind of really ancient scroll or parchment… Killian wasn’t exactly sure which one it was. “I want the two of you to hold on to it together and read it aloud.”

"Let's look around." I scanned the room, my eyes adjusting to the low light from flickering torch-like sconces. There was a stone pedestal in the center with a locked box, shelves lined with artifacts, fake scarabs, papyrus scrolls, and a dusty book. "Maybe start with that book?" I suggested, pointing. Donald picked it up, flipping through pages. "It's a journal from an explorer.” Then he read its content aloud. “Listen: 'The key to the pharaoh's secret lies in the stars above the Nile.'”

"⁠You ha​ve no sta⁠nd​i‌ng here!" "Ac​tua​lly​," I sa​id‌, p‌l​acing the bri‍efcase on the table, "he does⁠." I op‍ened the case. I pulled out a⁠ single, r⁠ol​led parchment. It l​ook‍ed ancient, yel‍lo⁠wed, and smelled faintl​y of old ros‌es. "What is that?" St. Cla​ir sneered. "A⁠ treasur‌e map?"

Jael asked curiously. They were all baffled because papers and books were not yet invented at that time. I wasn't well versed in history during my previous life, but what I remember is that the paper was derived from the term 'papyrus'. It was a paper-like plant-based writing sheet used in Ancient Egypt. It was technically made from a water plant that was cut into thin strips and woven together before being pressed tightly to create a single writing sheet. However, traditional paper was first made in China, and it was made from plant fibers. There were also books from ancient times that were made from parchment. Parchments were originally made from animal skin—mainly goat, sheep, and calves.

They might be the replacement. The man in black looked unusually tense. “Show them.” Naomi hesitated. “No.” “Show them.” Something in his voice changed. Not authority. Urgency. Naomi stared at him for several seconds. Then slowly activated her tablet. A holographic display appeared. Not a person this time. A document. Ancient. Damaged. Incomplete. The text flickered as reconstruction software attempted to fill missing sections. Most of it was unreadable. Fragments. Broken sentences.

A whole section was devoted to scrolls and parchment, another glittered faintly with artifacts locked behind glass. The space itself felt impossibly wide, yet I wasn’t surprised. After all, I’d seen proof he was alive as far back as the 1300s. I stopped at a row marked “1800.” Most of the spines looked untouched, but one stood out. It's leather worn, edges frayed, as though it had been opened more than the rest. I pulled it free, and my finger trailed down the yellowed edge of the page, where the ink had bled faintly with time. Black, blurred in places, almost as if the letters wanted to dissolve back into the parchment. But the name was unmistakable.