Marcus/Rocco
The book almost opened. Almost.
I stared at the Chronicle resting on my desk while
Noah hovered nearby, looking far too interested for someone who had nearly
broken his neck tripping over it five minutes ago.
The dark leather cover looked older up close. Almost
like it had existed for far longer than it should have.
I placed my hand against the cover. Nothing happened.
There was no magical reaction or glow. So I pushed.
The book cracked open. For a brief moment, pages
flashed before my eyes. Symbols, diagrams, a drawing of the bracelet.
And then a name. a single name.
Valen Caelum.
The book immediately slammed shut with enough force to
nearly cut my fingers. I jerked my hand back. "Ow."
Noah blinked. Did the book just attack you?"
"I think so."
"This is crazy." I rubbed my fingers and glared at the
chronicle. The thing had actually opened. Not enough to prove there was
something inside.
Long enough to prove the answers existed. Just out of
reach. I hated when that happened.
Noah dropped onto the edge of the bed. "You know
what's concerning?"
I looked at him. "There are a lot of possible answers
to that."
"The fact that no ones would even be surprised your
family owns cursed books."
I snorted. "That's fair."
"Thank you."
"Normal people don't have books that punch back."
We both laugh at that. I looked around the room one
last time.
Letting the memories take me back to years ago. Every
single memory spent in this room and house.
Up until that awful night that ruined everything. I
needed to talk to my father again.
"Marcus?" I blinked. Noah was looking at me.
Concern replacing his usual teasing one. "The second
time you've zoned out."
"I'm fine." He gave me the look that said he knew I
was lying but won't press knowing I'd eventually tell him.
Instead he stood. "Well, whatever weird rich family
secret you're dealing with," he gestured toward the door. "I'm gonna go see if
Darren has hacked the government yet."
"Darren's not that crazy." Noah stared at me.
"You don't believe that."
"Not even a little."
"Exactly." He sighed. "You know where to find us,
dude." With that he disappeared into the hallway. Leaving me alone.
My eyes drifted toward the bracelet. Then at the
chronicle. There was only one place I could think to find answers.
I closed my eyes. Reached for the familiar connection
and let myself fall.
The bracelet realm welcomed me with silence. Silver
stretched endlessly in every direction.
The strange landscape shimmered beneath a pale sky
that wasn't really a sky.
I hadn't been here in weeks. The realization felt
strange.
I started walking. The silver ground reflected faint
images beneath my feet. Fragments of memories. Moments. Pieces of a life.
They faded before I could focus on them. "Father?" my
voice echoed across the endless expanse. Nothing answered.
I continued forward. I wondered if he was gone. If
Valen's arrival had somehow erased him. The thought unsettled me more than I
wanted to admit.
Then a familiar voice broke the silence. "You've
become impatient." I froze.
My chest tightened slightly. Standing a short distance
away was a man I knew better than I knew myself.
Alessandro Azzurro. My father. Exactly as I remembered
him.
The same composed presence that had always made
everything feel manageable.
For a moment I couldn't move. Seeing him after coming
back to the house hit differently.
I was suddenly young again. Standing in his study
while he pretended not to notice me stealing biscuits from his desk.
I knew this wasn't exactly him but it felt the same. I
crossed the distance between us.
"Where have you been?" the question came out rougher
than intended. Dad seemed mildly surprised then amused.
"Hello to you too."
I felt ridiculous. A little, not enough to stop being
annoyed.
His smile softened. "It's good to see you, Marcus."
"You disappeared." This time my voice sounded less
accusing.
Dad sighed. "I never disappeared."
"You stopped showing up."
"That's different."
"Dad."
"Son." I groaned.
"Why does everyone around me answer questions like
that?" a laugh escaped him. Warm and familiar. Hearing it eased some of the
tension from my shoulder.
"Valen says the same thing." My eyes narrowed.
"You know him?" the amusement faded from his face.
"Oh yes." The answer sent a chill down my spine. There
was history there. A lot of it. I could tell.
"Then who exactly is he?"
Dad was quiet for a while. When he finally spoke, his
voice was gentler than before. "There are some answers you must find yourself."
I groaned again. "You're impossible, dad."
"That trait may be hereditary." I hated that he had a
point. He stepped closer. His gaze settled on the bracelet around my wrist.
"You've grown, Rocco." The words sounded simple but
there was pride behind them. "You don't need me the way you once did."
That landed harder than expected. A part of me
understood and the other part hated it. Dad seemed to recognize the conflict.
"You've spent years searching for who you were." His
expression softened. "Now you're learning who you've become."
He glanced toward the horizon. Toward something I
couldn't see. Then he nodded toward the chronicle I had left behind in the real
world.
"You came because of the book." I followed his gaze.
"Yes, the chronicle had opened briefly." His eyebrows
lifted slightly.
"Then it recognizes you." I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"The chronicle is not merely a book." His voice became
more serious. "It is a record."
The silver landscape around us seemed to shimmer. "A
living archive passed from one Keeper to the next."
I listened carefully. "Every generation adds to it."
He paused. "Every keeper leaves behind knowledge, memories, warnings."
My pulse quickened. "So, when I open it…"
"You won't simply be reading history." His eyes met
mine. "You'll be reading the voices of those who came before you."
The weight settled heavily on my shoulders.
The Azzurros
Generations of them. All preserved inside a single
book. Waiting.
Dad touched the bracelet. A pulse of silver light
spread through the realm. "The bracelet, the chronicle… The seal and you." he
paused, his expression became solemn. "Were never separate things."
I stared. "What?"
"They are pieces of the same duty."
I finally knew the answers were within reach. I opened
my mouth to ask another question. To ask about Valen, about Aldo, about the
seal.
But dad spoke first and the look on his face made me
nervous. "As for Valen Caelum…"
The silver world trembled. A deafening alarm erupted
through the realm. The sound was so violent it felt like reality itself had
cracked.
Dad's expression changed again. Real concern. The kind
I'd never seen before.
"Go."
"What?"
"Now, Rocco." The command echoed across the realm. The
silver landscape shattered around me. And the world disappeared.
I snapped back into my room. Breathing hard. The
chronicle still sat on my desk. The bracelet glowed faintly. And standing in
the doorstep was Noah.
Pale, panicked and completely serious. Which told me
this was very serious.
"Marcus." My stomach dropped.
"What happened?" Noah swallowed.
"The manor apparently has alarms and it just went
off."
I was already heading for the door. "Where?" Noah's expression tightened. I knew the
answer wouldn't be good.
"Darren says its spreading around the estate outside."
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
Well, fuck.