Ruined Book Novels & Stories

Elara glanced around nervously before pushing it open. The air inside was thick with the scent of old paper and dust. Books were piled haphazardly on every surface, their spines cracked and worn. The walls were lined with shelves, but even those overflowed, forcing books into precarious stacks on the floor and tables. The dim light from a single chandelier barely illuminated the chaos. Ariana stepped inside, her initial awe quickly replaced by unease. This wasn’t the grand, ornate library she’d imagined. It was a graveyard of knowledge, the spoils of war hoarded by Cirian’s pack.

Her plush slippers were gone from the entryway, and the blanket she used to curl up with on the sofa had been folded into a perfect square, as if it had never been used. A deep frown creased Vittorio’s forehead. He hurried up the stairs and threw open the bedroom door, only to be met with a devastating emptiness. The wardrobe was entirely bare. Her skincare products had vanished from the vanity, and even the dog-eared book she used to read frequently was missing from the nightstand. The entire room was spotless as if she had never existed here at all. Following closely behind, the assistant asked cautiously, “Mr. Vittorio…where is Sylvia?”

Although he had been distant lately, he and his mom had always shared a relatively close relationship. “Liam, I’m not in the mood,” Josephine said softly as she turned and walked into the bathroom, leaving him alone in the room. “Gosh, what’s wrong with these folks?” he muttered. “To think they just celebrated their anniversary...” As he spoke, his hand accidentally knocked over a book from the shelf nearby. “Shit,” he mumbled, bending down to pick it up. His hand brushed against the book and a paper that had fallen out of it.

What if the solution to our problems wasn't buried in these pages at all? As I scanned through the pile, hoping to find something, anything, my eyes widened as I spotted a book that seemed out of place. It was old and weathered, bound in dark leather with strange symbols etched on its cover. Intrigued and yet wary, I picked it up and began flipping through its pages. The forbidden text inscribed within revealed itself slowly but surely; ancient runes etched in blood-red ink that seemed to pulsate with dark energy.

After a beat, he frowned and said, "Never mind. Just get the medicine." The ward next door remained empty. No one else had taken the room yet. Sean approached the bedside table and picked up a small lion sculpture. There were cracks on it; it had been glued back after it had been broken. It looked ugly. Suddenly, he coughed violently, and the lion slipped out of his hand. He subconsciously threw himself onto the floor to catch it before it could hit the ground. As he did so, he ended up knocking his head on the foot of the bed, and blood trickled down his face.

She pushed it open gently. Bookshelves rose like towers, floor to ceiling, all dark wood and soft golden lighting. A skylight let in faint sun, illuminating the rich leather chairs, dark carpet, and an antique globe in one corner. The scent of paper, old wood, and Chase’s cologne clung to the air.

Dee’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “That book is a myth,” Linette said. “It doesn’t exist.” “It does,” I replied. “Covered in spikes, bloody writing, and glittering with gold and black.” Linette’s lashes fluttered. “No… that book was destroyed,” she whispered. “What is it? Some kind of forbidden text or magic?” I asked. “It’s the Book of Fate,” Linette breathed. “Said to have been destroyed centuries ago. How did you touch it?” “It… appeared in my room,” I confessed, my voice shaking.

The more she remembered, the more unstable everything felt, not because it was confusing, but because it was too important to be incomplete. She stood up slowly, her legs slightly unsteady, and walked toward the small table in the room. She placed her hand on it, leaning forward slightly, grounding herself through something physical because her thoughts felt too wide to contain. The room around her remained quiet, but her mind was anything but quiet. It was filled with fragments. Reuben. Louis. The stolen blueprints. The unknown Alpha. The pack that felt powerful enough to shake her even in memory. She looked down at her hands for a moment, noticing that they were still slightly trembling.

After collecting them, I found one last room in the building. The books were completely destroyed, pages burnt to the point where the words are unreadable, and the leather-bound titles melted into unrecognisable words. One book, however, I found hidden away in a cubby within a desk. Untouched by the fire that turned the rest to ash, I run my fingertips across the words on the cover. "The Great Demise: The Fall of the Moon Goddess"

“It’s not.” There was a beat. Then another. When she didn’t continue, I scowled. “What are you not telling me?” Nora bit the inside of her cheek, like she was measuring how much she could get away with sharing with me. Then she dug around in her satchel before pulling out an old, leather-bound book. The binding was worn and cracking, and the cover was faded with the crest of House Aurelian. She opened it carefully and turned the pages with a brittle whisper before pausing.