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MidReal Story
The Lost Scrolls of Elyon
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Grandfather
supportive, and witty. He shares stories of his academic adventures with Alex, encouraging him to follow his passion for research. The grandfather's practical advice and humorous anecdotes about job interviews provide Alex with valuable life insights and encouragement to pursue his dreams.
Alex
seeking advice from his grandfather. He is ambitious, introspective, and curious. Alex contemplates whether to take a stable job or pursue a career in academia, inspired by his grandfather's experiences. The conversations with his grandfather are pivotal as Alex seeks guidance and inspiration for his future.
Young Graduate
The book was old; its leather cover creaked as I opened it.
The pages were yellowed with age, the ink faded.
It was written in Latin.
I had taken four years of Latin in school and was able to translate the first line.
"Quaecumque Deus fecit praestantiora sunt hominis."
"Whatever God has made is better than a man."
I flipped through the pages, looking for illustrations.
There were several, all in black ink.
One showed a group of people standing around something.
The illustration was intricate, with many details.
I wondered what it was supposed to represent.
Another illustration depicted a battle scene.
There were armies on either side, and a castle in the middle.
The last illustration showed a group of people kneeling in a circle, with something in the middle.
It looked like an altar, but I wasn't sure.
I closed the book and looked at the cover again.
There was no title, no author.
I wondered what it was about, and who had written it.
I decided that I would have to ask someone about it, and find out who the book belonged to.
I gathered my things and headed out of the office.
I walked down the dimly lit corridor, the fluorescent lights flickering above.
The archive room was at the end of the hallway, and I pushed the heavy wooden door open.
Inside, rows of metal filing cabinets stretched up to the ceiling, with shelves along the walls stacked with dusty records.
The air was thick with the musty smell of old paper.
I made my way through the rows, searching for the acquisition records from the 1950s.
Finally, I found it: a thick leather-bound ledger.
I pulled it out and set it on a nearby table.
My fingers traced down the yellowed pages, searching for any mention of this untitled Latin text.
The fluorescent light above flickered, casting shadows across my face.
There, in faded ink, was a single entry: "Acquired from estate sale, no further details."
I sat at the desk, staring at the book.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the archive room.
I looked up to see a man approaching me.
He was dressed in a suit and tie, and he had a briefcase in his hand.
He looked like he belonged in an office, not in a dusty old archive room.
As he got closer, I saw that he was looking at the book on my desk.
He seemed genuinely interested, so I decided to ask him about it.
"Excuse me," I said, standing up.
"Can you tell me anything about this book?"
The man stopped in front of my desk and looked down at the book.
He picked it up and flipped through the pages, stopping occasionally to look more closely at an illustration.
Finally, he set it back down on my desk and turned to face me.
"I'm Dr. Marcus Chen," he said, extending his hand.
"I'm a visiting scholar here. I specialize in medieval literature."
I shook his hand and introduced myself.
"I'm just a graduate student," I said.
"I found this book in the stacks. It doesn't have a title or author, and there's no record of where it came from. I was hoping you might be able to tell me something about it."
Dr. Chen nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, I can certainly help you with that," he said.
He picked up the book again and flipped through the pages, stopping occasionally to study an illustration more closely. "The illustrations are quite intricate," he said.
"They're done in a style that was popular in the 12th century. The ink composition is also consistent with what would have been used during that time period."
He paused for a moment, studying an illustration of a battle scene.
"This one is particularly interesting," he said.
"It looks like it's depicting a battle between good and evil. The armor is ornate and detailed, and the faces of the soldiers are expressive."
Dr. Chen closed the book and set it back down on my desk.
"I'd be happy to help you translate it," he said.
"But first, can you tell me more about where you found it?"
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to share my discovery with anyone else just yet.
But Dr. Chen seemed like he knew what he was talking about, so I decided to trust him.
"It was on one of the shelves in the stacks," I said.
Dr. Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"That's unusual," he said slowly. "Books like this are typically locked away in special collections, not left out for anyone to find."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Have you considered that someone might have wanted you to find it?"
I shrugged, unsure of what to say.
It was possible that someone had left the book out for me to find, but why would they do that?
Dr. Chen stood up and began to walk away.
"Thank you for showing me the book," he said over his shoulder.
"I'll be in touch soon."
I watched him leave, wondering what he had meant by his comment.
I sat back down at my desk, staring at the book.
As I flipped through the pages, I noticed something tucked between the last two.
It was a small key.
It was made of brass and was ornate, with intricate patterns carved into it.
The key looked old, like it had been around for centuries.
I wondered what it unlocked.
I stood up and gathered my things.
As I walked out of the archive room, I glanced back over my shoulder at the book on the desk.
I couldn't shake the feeling that Dr. Chen had been trying to tell me something more than he had said.
I walked down the hallway, heading back to my office.
The library was nearly empty, with only a few students scattered about.
One student was dozing off at a table near the back of the room, and another was typing away on her laptop. The evening custodian made his rounds, pushing his cart past me as I walked.
The sound of his cart's wheels echoed through the quiet library.
I reached my office and set my things down on my desk.
The book seemed to be calling to me, so I decided to take it back to my office with me.
As I walked out of the archive room, I glanced back over my shoulder again, feeling a sense of unease wash over me.
I felt like someone was watching me, but every time I turned around there was no one there.
I walked back to my office and sat down at my desk.
The book sat next to me, its leather cover creaking softly as I opened it again.
I flipped through the pages slowly, studying each illustration carefully.
As I got closer to the end of the book, I noticed something strange. A small key had been tucked between two of the pages.
It was brass and ornate, with intricate patterns carved into it.
The key looked old, like it had been around for centuries.
I wondered what it unlocked as I picked it up and examined it closely in my hand.
The metal felt cool against my palm as I turned it over in my fingers, studying every detail carefully.