I flipped through the pages of the book I had been reading. Thinking to myself.

“Another one done”

If you couldn’t tell, I'm a little bit of a bookworm, 20 years old, and got passed down this bookstore from my great grandpa. I know this store like the back of my hand. You could say I’ve read almost everything in this store. 

*Ding*

Hearing the bell at the entrance door, I glanced over to see a dark cloaked woman strides into the store. The bell rings one last time as her heels clip-clap through the store and the door comes to a close. 

“Hello. Welcome in!” I say with enthusiasm, “Is there anything I can help you look for?”. 

She stays quiet, ignoring my question. This wasn’t uncommon for customers to ignore a greeting, but something felt a little off about her. I quickly decided to let her go on her own. Watching as she makes her way through the shelves of books as she hovers her finger over each one. She soon makes her way upstairs where the history and mystery novels lay in wait.

Curious at the lack of clacking, I start tracing her steps and see the books she had been looking at. Nothing interesting to say the least, just a few cooking and craft books for beginners, intermediate, and experts. All of a sudden I heard a loud thump upstairs, I shook in shock when I heard the sound. 

“Ma’am are you ok” I yell from downstairs. 

Rushing to the sound, my heavy feet sink into the steps on the staircase causing an echo throughout the store as I hurry up the stairs. Even a deaf person could hear me coming. I search each row starting on the left side and ending on the right. But no one was there. 

Weird, I thought, don't think I heard the bell ring or anything. As I continue down the last row my foot gently bumps into a book lying on the floor. The bright amethyst colored book catches my eyes, it's as if the book had a luring attraction to its prey. I pick it up dusting off the cover. I’ve never seen this book before. Could that strange woman have left it here? Maybe? I’ll hold on to it in case she ever returns. 

Hours go by as customer after customer enters my store but no sign of the lady coming by to retrieve what they left behind. It’s soon apparent she must’ve forgotten or didn’t care to bother as dawn comes upon the store. 

“Hah~ It's finally time to close up shop.” 

I make sure everything is cleaned and put properly in their place. I yawn as I reach for my keys, the amethyst colored book reveals itself from underneath. I trace the title with my fingers. 

“...“  

I stare at the book from all angles. I don’t understand it at all. There seems to be no description on the back or in the first couple pages of the book. I hope it’s not her diary. What am I kidding, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I took a look at it. She left it here anyway. 

Curiosity burned into me. I couldn’t go home until I finished this book. As I opened up the book I realized there was a divet where a page corner should be, one of the page’s corners is bent down! Skipping ahead to where the original owner had probably left off. The title on the page read ‘Ritual of Kako’. The ritual was said to bring a beautiful goddess who would expand your life and reincarnate you to another world. I began laughing hard. This is just a stupid light novel! I wipe away the tears from laughing. 

“Dang that lady had some weird choices in books” 

I read more hoping the rest would make me laugh some more. Apparently the ritual had come from a world called “Lyre“ where commoners and the poor of poor would try to reincarnate themselves into a better life. 

To perform the ritual all lights must be off and the ritual can only be performed at night. You must chant the spell in the book. Then lastly smear your blood on a piece of paper with the goddess’ name on it ‘Kako’. 

“Heck why not? It’s not like anything is going to happen anyways. I could use a better life.” 

I quickly turn off the lights, chant the words and smear my blood on the paper. Just as I thought, nothing happened. I chuckled to myself. I hear the bell ring. I thought I had closed the door? 

“Hey sorry we're closed, we will be open tomorrow...” 

No answer, but I hear a faint whisper.

“Those who are ungrateful for the life they’ve been given must be punished.”. My eyes become blurred as the room begins to shake, books falling and flying from the shelves. I try to steady myself on one of the shelves. When suddenly one of the shelves started falling over me!