Hey guys! Long time no see? I would like to apologize for my absence. Some things came up with work and I got a little depressed which made it very difficult for me to write for a while. So, sorry again for vanishing off the face of the earth! I'm not going to promise a chapter a day like I did before because I'm still trying to get through a few things but I will be updating still! I didn't abandon the story. So, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes in advance. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

"Levy, wake up,"

Levy groaned, bunching the covers around her chin. She didn't remember being quite so chilled when she had fallen asleep. Reluctantly she opened her eyes to meet Pantherlily's gaze, his eyes creased in worry.

"Mmm?"

"Where's Gajeel?"

"He's right…" she looked behind her and then jumped up, looking around the room as if she'd find him there, "B-but… he was right here…"

"I thought you said you'd make sure he wouldn't leave," Lily growled at her, "What happened?"

"Well… nothing," she blushed, the memory of the night before bringing heat back to her body. Pantherlily narrowed his eyes at her before letting out a loud huff.

"Here," he tossed a large book onto the bed. Its cover was made of genuine leather and its pages yellowed with time. Her eyes widened as she took in the look of it. A single locked buckle held the large thing together. Her eyes flashed back to him, but he'd already turned to leave, "I'll go track him down. Hopefully he hasn't killed anybody yet."

Levy flinched at the coolness of his tone, "W-what is this?" she asked, running her fingers over the cover. It was cool to the touch and she felt something tugging at her insides, as if it were calling to her.

"I dunno," he sighed, looking at her over his shoulder, "I was hoping you could figure it out,"

With that, he left, leaving her with the giant tome sitting beside her.

It was strange to say, but she felt as if the thing were alive. The notion sent a chill across her skin. She pulled it into her lap, the leather feeling clammy against her skin. She tugged at the lock but found it wouldn't budge. She even tried to cut the strap that held it together but it wouldn't so much as tear. She turned the book over, looking for maybe an inscription that could be etched onto its surface. There was nothing, only timeworn stains that turned the tan leather darker shades of brown.

Her brows furrowed at her predicament. Lily hadn't given her a key and hadn't made any mention of one even though there was clearly a lock. Where had he gotten the strange thing from, anyway?

There were a few enchanted books that had existed in Fiore, but most were considered cursed by dark magics and either locked behind glass cases or, to Levy's horror, burned. She knew a few simple incantations that were known to break such enchantments, but she had a sinking feeling none of them would work. She could tell by the feel of the manuscript in her arms that something dark was being concealed between its covers. Something lost to memory by hundreds of years of time.

She ran her fingers over the binding one more time, sliding them over the lock, and jumped when something sharp grabbed her finger. She sucked in a breath and bit her lip, her eyes widened as a trail of blood began to seep from the tips of her finger and droplets landed onto the leather binding. Horror gripped her and she hastily tried to wipe it off, hoping the offending substance wouldn't stain the cover.

Suddenly, the lock clicked and fell open. A groan came from the binding as the book opened by itself in her arms, its pages sighing open and sending an upsurge of dust as it did so. The smell of old paper and glue filled her lungs and she stared, wide-eyed at the book.

She let loose a scream, pushing the book off of her lap and to land onto the bed. She scooted away, horror making all of the color drain from her face. She knew what kind of book this was. Back in the time of war, a kind of writing was created to preserve one's memories within the pages of books. Some used it as a last attempt to say goodbye to their families, others tried to hide forbidden secrets or dying wishes. Most were only short letters and were quickly disposed of. Whole tomes however, required much more sacrifice on the author's part.

Bound in the author's own skin and the ink their own blood, dark magic sealed their memories and words within the pages. The author sealed the book with their last breaths and set the requirement for their reopening. Any that were found were usually never opened and disposed of as soon as their discovery. Fiore had none of these forbidden writings, their very existence an abomination. It was said that the spirit of the author still resided amongst the pages.

Levy frantically whipped her hands on her skirt, feelings of disgust and terror making bile begin to rise to her throat. Chills ran across her skin as she huddled herself on the floor, not wanting to see what was on the pages. Her heart was pounding and she felt herself shaking.

Where could Lily have found something like this? And why would he bring it to her thinking it would somehow help Gajeel?

She swallowed hard, trying to gather as much courage as she had. But even as she stood, she felt fear trying to pull her screaming out of the room.

She sat back down onto the bed, kneeling over the book. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the yellow pages. They were completely blank. She flipped through thick pages but found nothing on any of them. The book shifted again, its pages aligning back to open to the middle once again. Every time she turned the pages they'd ruffle back into place.

She glared at the book, not understanding what was going on. It was obvious that the book was one of the dark ones of legend, but why were there no words? Had Lily gone to such lengths as to find one only to get one that was never completed? She ran her fingers through her hair, chewing on her lip as she thought. What was she missing?

She looked at her pricked finger and back at the open book. Her nose scrunched at the thought of ruining its pages with even more droplets of her blood but she couldn't think of anything else. She squeezed the end of her finger, coaxing out another drop that she delicately put on the topmost corner of the page. Expectantly, she stared at the empty page.

One moment passed. Then two.

She let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. She'd read about them before, so what was she missing? From what she'd ever heard, once you opened the book you could read to your leisure. Maybe the book really was incomplete, a thought that put a pang of hurt into Levy's soul. Someone died trying to create it and their efforts were lost. How terrible.

She opened her eyes, feeling tired even though she had just woken up. What was she going to do now?

She cast one more look on the pages and a gasp came from her lips. Five words were written in blood red on the page.

My name is Mavis Vermilion.