When the Tome Spoke His Name

“What kind of secret are you hiding?” he murmured to himself before tucking it away once more. With heavy steps, he walked away from the house, unaware that his life had already shifted forever.

The farther he went, the more he felt something strange. The bag that carried the book seemed to emit an unseen presence, an energy that called to him from within the darkness. He stopped, frowning at it. His heart pounded harder, as if answering something he could not yet comprehend.

The night wind grew stronger. The once quiet street felt unfamiliar now. Kaivan tried to distract himself, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the money. “Huh, she gave me extra. Maybe I’ll buy something to eat.”

When he finally arrived home, Kaivan opened the door, careful not to make a sound, a bag of fried tofu sumedang in his hand. The faint aroma of a simple dinner still lingered, wrapping the house in a sense of warmth that clashed with the emptiness inside him. His mother, a woman whose smile was always gentle, sat on the sofa, absorbed in the glow of the television.

“You’re late today. Where have you been? Go on, eat first,” her soft voice drifted through the room, like music soothing his restless heart. Her gaze was full of affection, yet she asked for nothing in return.

Kaivan paused by the doorway, slipping off his shoes with his head slightly lowered. “Just out for a walk, Mom. Nowhere special… I already ate, I bought some tahu sumedang,” he answered curtly, forcing a faint smile.

His mother simply nodded, choosing not to press him further. Without another word, Kaivan headed for the stairs, his bag hanging from his shoulder like an invisible weight dragging him down. At the top of the steps, he halted, drew in a long breath, and finally pushed himself toward his room.

“Tome Omnicent…” he whispered, eyes fixed on the cover of the book. His fingers brushed over its rough surface, a chill running through him that felt far too unnatural. Carefully, he opened to the first page. Strange symbols shifted across the paper, flowing like water, alive, calling to him, whispering his name from the depths of darkness. Goosebumps rose on his skin, his heart pounding louder with each beat.

The world around him blurred away. When his vision cleared, Kaivan stood in an unfamiliar wasteland, a world drowning in ruin. The sky above was no longer blue but a suffocating black, like spilled ink that devoured every trace of starlight. Clouds the color of dried blood churned and rolled, sending tremors that rattled his bones. The air itself pressed in on him, heavy with dread, Kaivan nearly forgot how to breathe.

The ground beneath him was fractured like shattered glass. From the cracks, crimson light seeped through, accompanied by a thunderous rumble, like the earth itself groaning in agony. Kaivan stood frozen in the chaos, his body both weightless and unbearably heavy, as though gravity itself had been rewritten. Something immense lingered in that desolation, a presence so overwhelming it made him feel smaller than dust.

Then came the blast. A deafening explosion ripped through the air, shaking his eardrums violently. From the horizon, colossal silhouettes emerged, towering giants, and creatures hovering ominously in the sky above the battlefield without end. Their bodies were vast, crowned with wings, yet their heads were disturbingly small, grotesquely disproportionate. Burning red eyes glared at Kaivan, glowing like embers as if to judge his very existence.

Gunfire cracked through the air. Human screams mingled with endless detonations. Kaivan’s gaze caught a man and woman sprinting hand-in-hand toward a glowing white portal, leaving behind a dazzling trail of light. He turned again, spotting a band of humans, pitifully small compared to the titans, fighting with everything they had. Tanks roared, firing round after round. Fighter jets streaked low across the sky, unleashing missiles into the fray. The scene unfolded like a nightmare that refused to end.

Kaivan realized with horror that he was standing at the very center of this battlefield. His knees trembled, yet his body refused to move. All he could do was watch as humanity, fragile yet unyielding, continued to resist, even when victory was nowhere in sight. The monsters’ guttural roars drew closer with every step, each tremor rattling the ground like the end of the world.

He tried to scream, but his voice vanished into the cacophony.

When the Tome Spoke His Name

Suddenly, nine figures vaulted past him. Humans, clad in specialized armor, weapons gleaming, every movement sharp and practiced. Their formation spoke of countless battles fought together. One of them signaled, rallying the others to strike.

From above, the winged monstrosity unfurled its wings wide. A blazing sphere of red energy bloomed in its grasp, burning so brightly Kaivan had to shield his eyes. Yet even with his eyelids clenched shut, he still felt its searing heat, a deadly radiance that threatened to consume everything.

And then, darkness. Absolute silence swallowed the war.

When Kaivan opened his eyes again, he found himself alone, standing amid the same desolation. But something had changed. A voice resonated in his skull, one he did not know, yet it carried an eerie familiarity. The vibration of it filled every corner of his mind.

“Are you the Omniruler?” it hissed, mocking.

“No matter how many times… you still fail.” The voice was firm, dismissive, each word laced with scorn. Kaivan felt as though it was not merely speaking to him, but piercing into his very soul.

Kaivan awoke with ragged breaths, as though he had just sprinted for miles. Cold sweat drenched his body, and his chest tightened with every inhale. But more than that, the dream had left something far deeper, an undeniable sense that what he had seen wasn’t merely an illusion. There was something real about that world, and Kaivan felt he had no choice but to face it.

Even with fear clawing at him, the book seemed to call to him once more. With hesitant steps, he approached the desk and opened the tome for the second time. This time, the page before him had changed. The cryptic symbols had shifted into words, clear sentences that froze his body in place. The moment his eyes traced them, he felt as if the letters themselves were a command he could not refuse.

“My bearer, Kaivan Badrika Alijaya.”

Kaivan swallowed hard, fear and awe twisting together inside him. What did this book truly want from him? Why him, of all people, to shoulder a destiny that felt far too immense for any one person to bear? He knew then that his life could never return to what it once was.

“W-what… what does this mean?” he whispered, his voice trembling. It was as if he stood on the edge of a vast abyss, unsure of what lay beneath. And yet, in the depths of his heart, he already knew, his life had irrevocably changed. This book was no mere object. It was something far greater, far stronger, and far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

His body felt heavy, not from physical exhaustion but from the sheer presence of the Tome Omnicent resting in his hands. Even with its weathered wooden cover, the book felt alive, as though it were staring back at him. The silence around him grew suffocating, as if the entire world had stopped spinning, leaving him alone with this mysterious entity.

With trembling lips, Kaivan finally forced the words out.

“What does this mean? Are you… speaking to me?” His voice was small, nearly drowned in the stillness of the room. Yet in his mind, the question reverberated, shaking the very core of his soul.