Chapter 3: The Book in the Moonlight
The mystery surrounding the book and the glowing cube had only deepened. Luck, Lisa, and Kevin sat together in stunned silence in the park after their college visit, trying to piece together what any of it could possibly mean. The cube hummed faintly in Luck's backpack, and the book remained closed — its strange, ancient-looking cover giving away nothing.
"What do you think it is?" Lisa asked, her voice uncertain.
"No idea," Kevin replied. "But this doesn't look like something normal. Maybe... maybe your dad was working on something secret, Luck."
Luck could only nod, but he didn't say much. His mind was already somewhere else.
Later that evening, long after Kevin and Lisa had gone home, Luck sat quietly by his bedroom window. He watched the moon rise slowly in the sky, casting a pale glow over the rooftops. His thoughts were messy — torn between the memories of his father and the strange objects that had turned his quiet life upside down.
A voice broke the silence.
"Luck, dinner is ready!" his mother called from downstairs.
He stood up, lost in thought, and walked away from the window. As he did, the book that had been resting on the edge of his bed slipped and fell to the floor with a soft thud. He glanced at it but didn't bother picking it up. The mystery could wait — his heart was heavier than his curiosity tonight.
As he reached the dining table, his mother noticed his silence.
"What's wrong, beta? You seem quiet today. How was your day?"
Luck hesitated, then shrugged. "It was okay."
But something inside pushed him to ask. Something that had been buried for years, slowly clawing its way to the surface.
"Mom… what was Dad really like?"
Christa looked up from her plate, startled.
"Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?"
"I don't know… I just… I miss him," Luck said softly. "I never really knew him. It's like he was never really part of my life. Just… stories, a photo frame, and silence."
His mother stared at him. Her expression softened with both pain and surprise.
(Luck had lived his whole life without a father. As a boy, he often stood in the background, watching other children laugh, play, and ride on their fathers' shoulders. Every time, it stung. Like every child, he too had fantasized that maybe his dad was a superhero or someone important. But in reality, he didn't even have his shadow — just a faded photo and a house full of unanswered questions. That emptiness shaped him more than anyone realized.)
Christa took a deep breath and set her spoon down. The silence in the room grew heavy.
"Your father wasn't just a teacher, Luck," she said slowly. "He was also a scientist. A very curious, very brilliant one. Before we moved to this town, he had a secret lab… somewhere near our old house. I don't remember the address — it's been so long."
She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
"After we moved here, he started acting… different. Quiet. Distant. He wouldn't tell me much, but I knew he was working on something big. One evening, he came home and said, 'I've done it. I've found them.'"
"Found who?" Luck asked, eyes wide.
"That's just it. I didn't know. I asked him, but he brushed it off. Just said things were going to change. He smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was… tired. Secretive.
"The next morning, he packed a few things and told me he was going on a short trip. 'Just a few days,' he said. I believed him. But he didn't come back for months. When he did, he looked... broken. Pale. Afraid.
"He gave me a key and said, 'When the time is right, you'll understand.' I wanted to ask questions, but I didn't push him. We had you to raise. Life returned to normal — or so I thought."
Christa wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Then one day, he just disappeared. No warning. No note. Nothing. People said it was an accident, but my heart told me otherwise. I don't believe he died. I believe he left... or was taken."
Luck's throat tightened. So much of his life had been built around missing pieces. And now, one by one, those pieces were surfacing.
He reached for his mother's hand. "Thank you for telling me. I won't let this end without knowing the truth."
She nodded through her tears. "Just promise me one thing — whatever you find, don't lose yourself in it. Come back. Come back to your mother."
"I will."
Later that night, as the moon rose higher, Luck returned to his room. The soft night breeze had pushed open the window. He stepped in and froze.
The book, which had fallen to the floor earlier, was now glowing faintly in the moonlight.
Luck knelt and picked it up.
Strange, glowing words appeared across its pages — shimmering letters in a language he could somehow read. Under normal light, the pages looked empty. But under moonlight… the book came to life.
He grabbed his phone and messaged his friends.
"Guys. The book reacts to moonlight. It's glowing."
Kevin responded instantly.
"Bro, what?? Are you serious?"
Lisa chimed in.
"Send a photo! This is unreal."
"You need to see it for yourself," Luck replied. "Come over tomorrow night."
The next evening, Kevin and Lisa sat in Luck's room, the glowing book open in front of them. They stared in disbelief.
The first few pages listed strange names:
King Aureus. Mr. Bolton. Mrs. Sarina. General Teron. Dr. Yurei.
"Who are these people?" Lisa whispered.
"Maybe from that parallel world?" Kevin guessed.
They turned the page.
Luck read aloud:
"I have unlocked access to a parallel world. I found the coordinates. I found a way in."
Below the message was a hand-drawn diagram: two cubes — a blue one and a red one — being aligned side by side. Arrows and runes pointed to what appeared to be a swirling doorway. A portal.
They leaned closer.
"There's a portal?" Lisa whispered. "Your dad was building a way to another world."
"We have the blue cube," Kevin said. "But where's the red one?"
"I don't know," Luck said. "But it must be somewhere. He wouldn't mention it otherwise."
The next few pages revealed more.
"The parallel world is governed by five elemental powers: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Thunder. Each person is born with one elemental affinity, inherited from their bloodline. But one who unlocks the power of all five shall become the King — the true ruler of both worlds."
The words sent chills down their spines.
"So… your father found this world. And maybe… he went there?" Lisa said softly.
Kevin added, "Maybe he didn't die, Luck. Maybe he just… never came back."
They flipped through more pages. Many were blank, but near the end, they found a passage that seemed to be written directly to someone.
Luck read aloud again:
"Some do not belong to this world. Some are born to protect it. Time and destiny wait for them. But only the right person at the right moment will be able to open the door."
He stared at the page, stunned. His fingers trembled.
"It's… like he wrote this for me."
They sat in silence. The air was thick with revelation. The cube. The book. The powers. A parallel world. And a father who vanished chasing something beyond imagination.
"We need to find the red cube," Kevin said. "That's the only way to open the portal."
Lisa nodded. "And if your dad had a lab, maybe that's where it is."
Luck stood up, eyes burning with determination.
"Then we go there."
He looked out the window toward the night sky.
Wherever his father had gone… whatever world he'd discovered…