LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 3: The Roman Awakening
Leo's heart beat against the ribcage, absorbing the surrounding commotion. Rome's streets were buzzing with the noise of voices of merchants hawking wares, the commanding voices of soldiers, children darting between legs laughing. Scents of spiced bread roasted meats and damp sweat of summer filled in the air.
A small, golden light pulsed from the book in his hand. The once-worn and dull cover of the tome shimmered with light. Golden light blazed bright, and a wave of panic hit him. It was no relic; it was some kind of key, and he did not know how to keep it closed. The vibrations ran through his fingertips, like some presence looming.
A voice shouted from afar: "Traveler! Art thou lost, or comest thou with a purpose?"
Leo had only lifted his head, and it was clear that he was staring at a tall man in a flowing white toga, weathered, sharp with the cut of authority. Difficult to say with the fervor whether it was curiosity or suspicion. Since the man had spoken first before Leo could get anything out, the book in Leo's hands began to pound so powerfully that it shot through him, and he staggered backward.
"I… I don't belong here," Leo mumbled, his voice was shaking The man raised an eyebrow and stepped forward.
"No, you really don't. And that"—he nodded at the book, which now glowed with a golden hue— "is no ordinary tome. Come with me, before the Praetorian Guard notices your intrusion."
Leo's survival instincts kicked in, and he moved forward. He knew he was in deep. His heart racing, he continued after the man through narrow alleys smelling of smoke and salt. The city hummed around him, full of life but teetering on the edge of chaos. Every glance Leo caught seemed to bore into him as if the Romans sensed the anomaly he represented.
"Who are you?" Leo asked, his voice tight.
No words replied this silent man; instead, he led Leo toward the more back small, dim building to the side of the cacophonous markets. There, the air had some slight cooling effects, with undertones of aged parchment and even incense burning. Among his stuff, scrolls and old antiquities, he had a secretive form of a library.
"My name is Gaius," the man said, looking at Leo with an intent gaze. "I am a scholar and seer. And you, stranger, are either our salvation or our ruin."
Leo's chest tightened, words falling into him like lead. "I am just Leo. I do not know what is happening. I was in my dorm room, and then—
Then, if I remember, you swung open a door, Gaius concluded, finishing his words. "You've brought more than yourself into this world, Leo. That book is an artifact of powers long lost in time. And now, the fates are shifting." Leo blinked. The reality hit him like the sun rising over the Tiber. As one, he had to rely on Gaius at least for now. The golden glow of the book pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Its silent promise to him was that this journey had been just an inception.
"What do you mean, powers long forgotten?" Leo took one careful step forward. Gaius broke into a smile, his eyes shooting forth with an unnerving mix of anticipation and fear. "It simply means you're not alone in this reception. And the ones who can know of your coming will come, to take it and those looking to destroy it." Leo began to feel his heart racing. He knew one thing for sure: leaving for home was not going to be smooth.