"That'll be 29.99 sir"
Taking out the cash I looked at my haul,
Pasta, chips, an energy drink, milk and some fruits
'Damn that's expensive'
Now you might be thinking that I am exaggerating consider the economy is tilted but when you are living as a teen adult who gets a limited amount of pocket money then you really start to think what you can and cannot buy without going broke for the month.
Now its not like my parents are not feeding me, hell they care about me a lot. My father is a proper Londoner while my mom is from India who met each other while working and then they started going out, got married, had me yada, yada, yada.
But long story short we are well off with both my parents working a respectable 9-5 while me being their 17 year old son am thankful for. What I am not thankful for is the fact that my mom doesn't let me get a part time job. She is a bit of a traditionalist and in India its not common to get a part time job while still in high school.
So anyway i paid for a stuff and headed out.
While putting on my headphones I looked at the sky
It was a cloudy day with streaks of sunlight escaping from the cracks with the usual winter chill but what was not normal are the crimson clouds which are staring down below as if ready to reign terror.
I started seeing the crimson clouds right after puberty. I told my parents about it and they looked at me with worry and took me to a psychologist. Yeah it seems only I am seeing the clouds as they are so after that i did not squeak a word about the unusual clouds and started acting normally. Keyword being 'normally' cause I started researching what is happening.
I did not freak out much because i have been reading light novels, comics, manga way too long to not know that there is some supernatural fuckery going on. So I started diving into the occult and no its not the 'praise them praise devils praise gods' no I actually started reading occult books with a newfound interest and started with small runes, rituals and stuff like that.
'Anyway did not have enough money to start sacrificing' I thought with a scoff while walking to my home with my hands in my pocket and bobbing my head to the music.
I did not let anyone find out this hobby cause occult in the modern time is a highway to losing trust and friendships if the information is not taken properly. And most of the stuff written in the books are fake but honestly I was too far gone to stop now. But i discovered that some plants have a hue of energy coming out of them which confused me even more.
I came across my frequented second had book store
"Robert's emporium of books" I mumbled while walking into the store.
The store had an earthy feel to it in contrast to the outside world. The sunlight just piercing enough to give a fuzzy feeling before reading a new book. The shelves which spanned horizontally were made of wood that looked as if freshly made from trees. Three tables with chairs were arranged to give customers a chance to browse the books and amidst all this adjacent to the door sat Robert, a grumpy old man who looks like he is pushing 70 but acts like 35, his eyes ever present on the yet to customers browsing his wares.
I went to the front of his desk and sent a casual wave
"Hey Robert, anything at the back today?"
Robert sent a gruff smile
"You're in luck kid, some used books just came in help yourself out" He replied while eating a protein bar.
"Sweet thanks big man!" I went to the storeroom in the back where books not sold and used books were kept.
By 15 I realised that mainstream occult books were just overpriced book whose core was for you to "manifest" shit into existence.
What did I do? I went book hunting. Searched for obscure old books, books which rots in the basement and even books with different language. Heck I even learned Latin for that.
I went to the back of the store where all i could see were books covered in layers of dust. Its sad really how knowledge can be discarded so casually when there is just enough to go around.
I walked into the deep end of the storeroom and there I spotted two boxes of books with little to no dust and i knew that was the new... old(?) stuff.
I crouched down and started scanning the covers.
Robert was one of the only few who knew about my obsession with magic. Turns out its very difficult to hide your reading habits if you regularly visit the same store. But strangely enough he is quite chill about it and even keeps books he thinks i might find interesting at the back.
There were a lot of romance and fantasy books which did sell too well along with a occasional famous book but not anything i was looking for.
I went to the second box and started reading the titles
"Romance, romance, horror, romance, mystery, fa- what the fuck?!" I recoiled from my sitting position as I looked to this new source of light.
Infront of me was a leather bound book strapped with a belt with no title and no presence if not for the fact that the book was glowing like a christmas tree in my vision!
"What is this?" I wondered with newfound excitement and dread.
I was about to break one of the core occult rules by touching by even going near that book cause in occult and almost all fantasy stories i have read this could either go decent or I was about to unleash a demon into my body, but honestly? I was too excited to care at this point.
You have got to understand that for almost most of my conscious life i have seen these colours on the sky, some plant gave out a aura and for the life of me i could not figure out what was happening to me. My parents thought that I needed a psychologist to check up on me and that is not a good feeling you know. The two human beings you trust and they don't believe you.
My eyes are unique, i know it and this time i finally have a clue in front of me and there is no way I am letting this slip out of my hands.
With a steady hand I reached out to the book.
The leather felt smooth under my hands. I unfastened the belt holding the book and opened the first page.
"Property of Alfius"
'Its a journal'. My mind buzzing with thoughts.
I set the book aside, cleaned the mess and went to the front desk to check out.
"Hey Robert check this one out for me please". I handed him a fantasy novel to bill me with the journal in my grocery bag.
"Didn't know you read these kid"
"Thought a change of pace was good". I gave him an artificial smile trying to hide my anxiety within.
"Suit yourself". He shrugged and billed me the book at 6 euros.
'Should had bought a cheaper book'. I chastised myself.
I sent a casual look around the store while paying him trying to burn the peaceful feeling and the scent of books but failing yet again to do so.
"See you later big man" I waved him off.
"Keep yourself out of trouble"
I started fast walking to my home. No stops, just focusing what I have inside my bag.
I eyed the cars and the people going about in their day.
'It really is a great weather today'
-----------------------------------------------
The walk home was unimaginative but it helped me temper my growing excitement just a bit.
Reaching my home, a humble duplex apartment in the heart of London, thank fuck to my ancestors for their genius investment into property. It also helped that my father is a stock broker and my mom is a software engineer.
Both of them at work right now with the house all to myself it was the perfect time to look at this new anomaly i stumbled upon. Placing the grocery bag on the dining table and taking out the energy drink and the journal I went upstairs to my room and locked the door behind and closed off the blinders cause never rule no.1 with the occult "You are never too careful while dealing with shit that can wipe you off existence if done incorrectly". I went over to my table and finally with a deep breath all the way to my balls, I started reading.