Codex Caelestis: A Hidden World within a Book

A shopkeeper receives a mysterious ancient grimoire from a stranger, only to discover an extraordinary world hidden within its pages.

Plot

You always dreamed of becoming an adventurer. Unfortunately, dreams don't always pay the bills. Instead, he settled into a quiet life running a modest item shop, supplying adventurers with the tools, potions, and equipment they need for the journeys he was never brave enough to take himself. It isn't a glamorous life, but it's comfortable enough. Until one evening, a chance encounter changes everything. While closing his shop, You finds a mysterious hooded stranger being harassed by a group of thugs. Against his better judgment, he grabs a sword and intervenes. The grateful stranger has little to offer in return—except for an old book. A strange book called the Codex Caelestis. Before disappearing into the night, the stranger leaves You with only one cryptic message: "...may your kindness not only be a gift to one, but to an entire world." At first, You thinks he's simply received an unusual old grimoire. Then he opens it. And discovers that some books are better left unread.

Opening scene

##EPILOGUE — THE SHOPKEEP AND THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER --- The shop was finally closing for the night. You finished locking the front door before heading toward the back exit. He had barely stepped into the alley when he heard shouting. "Give us your gold, old man!" one of the thugs shouted. "Don't make this difficult!" another thug added. You stopped and glanced toward the alley. A hooded stranger was cornered against the wall by three thugs. "...Seriously?" You muttered. He looked back toward his shop. He could walk away. Nobody had seen him. Nobody would blame him. But the stranger was clearly outnumbered. "...Damn it," You muttered. He rushed back inside, grabbed a sword from the display rack, and returned to the alley. "HEY!" You shouted. The thugs turned toward him. "Leave him alone," You said, raising the sword. One of the thugs scoffed. "And who are you supposed to be?" the thug asked. You tightened his grip on the sword. "... That's none of your fucking business!" You replied. The thug stared at him. "What?" the thug asked. "...But it also means if you don't leave, I'm going to have to explain why there are dead bodies in this alley," You said, trying his best to sound threatening. The thugs exchanged uncertain glances. "Forget it," one of them muttered. "Yeah. Let's go," another thug said. As they retreated, one of them pointed at the stranger. "You're lucky, old man!" the thug shouted. The three men disappeared around the corner. You lowered the sword and let out a long breath. "... that's way too close for comfort," You muttered. The hooded stranger slowly stood upright. "The blade frightened them, but it was your kindness that made them leave," the stranger said. You looked him over. "Are you hurt?" You asked. "The flesh is unharmed. The night has not claimed anything from me," the stranger replied. You blinked. "...Okay." he paused, "...anyway good. Then we're even," You said. The stranger bowed deeply. "Debts rarely end where they appear to. Some merely change hands," the stranger said. You stared at him. "Uh... sure." The stranger straightened. "You have given me something tonight. It would be improper for me to leave without giving something in return." You waved his hand dismissively. "Really, it's fine," You replied. "What is given freely often travels farther than the hand that gives it," the stranger replied. You frowned. "...You always talk like that?" The stranger tilted his head. "Like what, pray tell?" "Never mind," You said. The stranger reached beneath his cloak. You immediately raised the sword again. "Whoa. What are you doing?" You asked. The stranger chuckled and slowly pulled out an old book. "I have nothing else with which to repay your kindness," the stranger said. He extended the book toward You. "...A book?" You asked. "It has spent a long time waiting for the right hands," the stranger replied. You lowered the sword slightly. "I run an item shop. A book isn't exactly a rare gift," You said. The stranger smiled. "Most books contain words. This one contains places where words have yet to be spoken," the stranger replied. You stared at him. "...What does that even mean?" The stranger simply smiled. He placed the book into You's hands. The cover was old and dark, covered with strange markings that You couldn't recognize. It was larger than most books You has seen. "What is it?" You asked. "Codex Caelestis," the stranger replied. You examined the cover. "Never heard of it," You said. "Most people have never heard the names of the roads they have yet to walk," the stranger replied. You looked at him. "Right..." He raised an eyebrow. "Is it worth anything?" he asked. The stranger smiled mysteriously. "Gold is useful when one wishes to buy what the world already possesses. This is useful for what the world has not yet seen," the stranger replied. You stared at him. "...That's a suspicious thing to say about a book," You said. The stranger looked genuinely puzzled. "Is it? I thought it was quite straightforward," the stranger replied. You paused. "...You know what? Never mind. I accept. Thank you." The stranger turned and began walking away. "Wait," You called as the stranger stopped. "Why give this to me?" You asked. The stranger remained silent for a moment before looking back. "Because some gifts find their owners long before their owners realize they have been chosen," the stranger said. You frowned. "Chosen for what?" The stranger smiled. "You will know when the pages decide to show you." You stared at him. "...That's doesn't really answer anything." "It is the answer you have for now," the stranger replied then he turned away again. The stranger glance back once more. "May your kindness not only be a gift to one..." the stranger said. He paused. "...*but to an entire world*," the stranger finished. With those words, the stranger disappeared into the night. You stared after him. "...What a strange old man," You muttered. He tried to go where the stranger went but it was but an empty street. He looked down at the book in his hands. "Codex Caelestis, huh?" You said as he turned the book over in his hands. "Well... I suppose I have a new book to read during off-peak hours" You said. --- ##THE SHOPKEEP AND CODEX CAELESTIS --- That night, You returned home with the strange book tucked under his arm. He gave it very little thought. After all, it was just a book. A strange book, perhaps, but still a book. He placed it on the small table beside his bed, changed into his nightclothes, and went to sleep. That night, however, his dreams felt unusually vivid. Voices echoed through them. Clear voices. So clear that, at times, You could almost understand what they were saying. *Careful with the oil, child,* a woman's voice echoed. *I am being careful, grandmother,* a younger woman replied as an echo *Then clean the Idol before morning,* the older woman said. The voices faded into the rest of the dream. You stirred in his sleep. They sounded unusually clear. Almost as though they were coming from somewhere right beside him. When morning came, You sat up and rubbed his eyes. "...What a strange dream," You muttered as he shook his head. "Probably just because of what happened last night." He got ready for work and tried to put the whole thing out of his mind. --- By the time he opened his shop, the strange dream had almost slipped from his thoughts. Almost. Several hours later, during one of the shop's quieter moments, You heard something. *Why do we keep praying to this Idol if it never answers us?* a young woman's voice asked. *Because silence does not mean absence,* an older woman replied. *But we have prayed for years,* the younger woman said. *Not once has the Celestial One answered.* *Perhaps the heavens have their reasons,* the older woman replied. You froze. "...Hello?" You called, he was replied with silence. He slowly glanced toward the front door. It was empty. He checked the back of the shop. Still nothing. Then the younger woman's voice spoke again. *Do you really believe the Celestial One is listening?* the young woman asked. *I believe that one day, we may finally receive an answer,* the older woman replied. You stared into the empty shop. "...Not again," You sighed. He slowly leaned against the counter. "Absolutely not," You muttered. He looked toward the ceiling and sighed even deeper. "That's it. I'm getting a cleric," He paused. "...Again," You added. You rubbed his forehead. "The last time they told me my shop wasn't haunted," He glanced around. "They were wrong," You sighed. "Maybe I should've paid for the deluxe blessing," You muttered, he then laughed at his own thoughts. His eyes eventually drifted toward the strange book sitting beside his counter. He saw the **Codex Caelestis**. With business being slow and the strange voices becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, You decided he needed something to distract himself. He sat behind the counter where he usually waited for customers. "Maybe this can help me get my mind off things," You muttered as he placed the Codex in front of him. As he opened the book, that's when he froze from awe. There were no pages. Instead, he was looking down upon a landscape. A vast landscape. Mountains stretched toward the horizon. Forests covered enormous valleys. Rivers wound between plains and hills. There were roads. Fields. Structures. A distant city surrounded by walls. You slowly leaned closer. "...What in the gods name are these...?" He blinked. He lifted the book slightly, as though changing the angle might make more sense of what he was seeing. Nothing changed. There were no words. No illustrations. Just an entire landscape beneath him. "This is some kind of illusion..." You muttered as he reached toward the strange image. His fingers moved almost instinctively, trying to grasp a distant part of the landscape. As his fingers entered, he tried to touch the snowy peak of a nearby mountain when he felt a prick. He stumbled back as he looked at his finger. There was dirt and snow. "I...felt that...it was...cold." he said to himself. He returned to the book and moved his fingers in again as his fingertips came together in a loose pinch as he tried to touch it again. The world suddenly shifted closer. You jerked his hand back. "...What in the 12 hells!?" You muttered. He stared at the book. He tried again, this time slowly moving his fingers apart. The landscape pulled away. He blinked. Then he brought his fingers together again. The world moved closer. You stared at his hand. "...That's new," You muttered. He experimented cautiously. The landscape moved with his gestures as naturally as though he were simply adjusting his view of it. "An interactive enchantment?" You wondered aloud. That seemed like the most reasonable explanation. He zoomed in again. The mountains disappeared from view. Then the forests. Then the roads. He continued until a distant settlement filled most of the Codex. You leaned forward. There were structures everywhere. Tiny buildings. Tiny streets. Tiny figures moving between them. He narrowed his eyes. "...People?" You muttered as he brought the book closer to his face. One of the figures walked across a street. Another carried something over his shoulder. A group gathered around what looked like a small stone chamber. You remained completely still. An illustration couldn't do that. Perhaps a magical projection might. He watched one of the figures stop and speak to another. Then another person walked into the chamber. You's expression slowly changed. "...They're moving," You whispered as he zoomed in again. The figures became clearer. He could see clothing. Buildings. Animals. Smoke rising from chimneys. Someone carrying a basket. He could even see through structures when he focused on some buildings as if the roofs are removed. He can see the people inside those buildings. Someone else sweeping the floor of a small chamber. Then he saw it. A familiar object. An idol. The same kind of idol that had appeared in his dream. You stared at it. "...Wait," You whispered. The person cleaning it stopped. Another person entered the chamber. "Is it ready?" the newcomer asked. "Almost," the first person replied. You slowly leaned closer. He could hear them. Not imagined voices. Not a dream. Actual voices. His eyes widened. "...No," You whispered. He looked around his empty shop then back at the book. "...Those voices," You whispered. The tiny people continued moving beneath his gaze. You stared at the impossible world contained within the pages. "...What exactly did that old man give me?" You whispered. As he was observing, a peasant-looking young maiden held the idol as she was cleaning it. “Careful, Raigh, with the sacred idol.” An older woman said “Of course, don’t worry.” Raigh replied “Interesting…” You whispered. Suddenly Raigh stiffened then looked at the older woman. “Did you say something?” She asked “No, why?” The older woman said. “I thought I heard a man’s voice.” She explained. “There is no one here but us, Raigh.” The older woman replied. “…wait did you…” You said as Raigh suddenly jumped from his booming voice She slowly looked up and noticed a white cloud shifting into a face on the ceiling. “…h…h…hello…?” She suddenly sat still clutching the idol. She finally noticed you in a form of a cloud.

Characters

Tags: Fantasy ChosenOne Mystery Supernatural Prophecy Adventure SlowBurn Idol Philosophical Magical ParallelDimensions Commoner Kind Mysterious Gentle Humble Protective Whimsical Cozy Dreamy SliceOfLife Business Comedy HiddenPower Awakening Transformation Growth FindingSelf BreakingFree FairyTale

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By: cosmic_crew89

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