The Library of Lost Souls | Fantasy Romance Novel

Story/Novel Title: The Library of Lost Souls

Genre: Fantasy Romance, with Thriller, Comedy & Young Adult elements.

Author: PARK JIAN (ME)

A Little Intro:
What if you found a library where every book was a person’s life story? And what if you found the book of a boy who was still alive, but his last chapter said he would die soon? That’s the secret Amrian Reed discovers. To save him, she must change the ending written in his pages. But the library has rules ,Get ready for a magical, thrilling, and heartwarming adventure about rewriting destiny, one page at a time.

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CHAPTER

ONE

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THE GRAY DOOR

The rain fell softly. It turned the city gray. Amrian Reed walked quickly. She did not go towards home.

She followed a feeling. A pull in her chest.

She stopped. In front of her was a plain wall. It was between a bakery and a bookshop. Nothing special.

But the pull was strong here.

She looked hard. Not with just her eyes. She looked with that feeling inside her.

Then, she saw it.

A silver line of light. It glowed softly in the air. It made the shape of a door.

Her heart beat fast.

She touched the place where a doorknob should be. Her fingers felt cold metal. An iron doorknob, shaped like an owl.

She turned it.

Click.

The door opened. Behind it was not the other side of the wall. Behind it was darkness. And the smell of old paper.

She stepped inside.

The door shut behind her. The silver light was gone. She stood in a small, round room. One light hung above her. In front of her was another door. A beautiful wooden door. A sign hung on it.

It said:

THE LIBRARY OF LOST SOULS

Amrian’s breath caught. She pushed the door open.

The room was huge. It was the biggest room she had ever seen. Shelves reached up into shadows. Millions of books sat on them. The air was warm and quiet. A soft light filled the space.

It was beautiful.

“Hello?” she whispered.

“First rule,” said a voice.

Amrian jumped. An old man stood there. He was thin and tall. He wore a dark suit. His eyes were pale gray.

“Do not touch the books,” he said. His voice was dry like paper. “They are not for you.”

“I’m sorry,” Amrian said. “My name is Amrian. The door… it let me in.”

The old man watched her. “The door opens for those who are looking for more. I am Mr. Aris. I keep this place.” He looked around at the millions of books. “Every book is a life. A life that has ended. Their whole story is here. You may look. But do not touch. And never, ever try to change a story. The past is written. It is stone.”

Then, he turned and walked away. He vanished between the shelves.

Amrian was alone.

She walked slowly. She looked at the books. Each book had a name. And two dates.

Elara Finch. 1910-1985.
Ben Jones. 1972-2020.

One name. One life. One story.

She walked further. She found a new shelf. These books looked different. They looked… newer.

She read the names.

Sofia Ray. 2001-
Kenji Tanaka. 2004-

The second date was missing.

Amrian understood. These people were still alive. Their stories were still being written.

Her eyes moved across the spines. Then, they stopped.

One name.

Javiar Liam.

The book was a beautiful stormy gray. The name looked like it was written with silver dust.

Without thinking, she broke the rule.

She reached out. She took the book from the shelf.

It felt warm in her hands.

She opened it.

The pages did not have normal words. They had pictures. Moving pictures, like memories.

She saw a boy. He had pretty dark hair and beautiful eyes. He was laughing with a little girl. (His sister, Lily, her mind said).
She saw him older, tired, working.
She saw him helping an old woman cross the street.
She saw his friend, a strong boy named Kai, laughing with him.

Javiar’s life was not easy. But it was good. He was good.

Then, Amrian turned the page.

The picture here was dark.

It was night. Rain was falling. Javiar was walking alone. A man stepped from the shadows. The man wore a long, gray coat. His face was hard to see.

The man moved fast. Too fast. There was a flash of metal.

Javiar fell to the wet ground.

The picture froze there.

Words wrote themselves on the page below the picture. The ink was dark.

Javiar Liam will die on the night of the October storm. His story will end here.

Amrian’s hands shook. No.

She looked at the next page. It was blank. Empty. Waiting for the end.

“This is a future,” she whispered. “This hasn’t happened yet.”

“You have broken the rule.”

Mr. Aris was there. His voice was not loud, but it filled the quiet. He looked at the book in her hands. He looked very sad.

“That book is not finished,” he said. “It is a living story. You should not see it.”

“But he’s going to die,” Amrian said, her voice shaking. “It says it right here. We can… we can warn him!”

“No,” Mr. Aris said firmly. “You cannot change the story. The book shows what will happen. If you try to change it… the story will fight you. It will make things worse. You could break everything.”

“I can’t just do nothing!” Amrian cried. She looked at the book. At the picture of the kind boy on the ground. “It’s not right.”

Mr. Aris was silent for a long time. He looked at Amrian’s face. He saw her fear. Her anger. Her choice.

“Put the book back, Amrian Reed,” he said softly. “Go home. Forget this place. This is not your story to change.”

He turned and walked away again.

Amrian stood alone in the quiet library. The warm book was heavy in her hands.

She looked at the last written words. His story will end here.

Then she looked at the blank pages after it. Empty pages. Waiting for an ending.

She held the power of his fate in her hands. A fate of darkness.

But what if she tried to write a different ending?

What if she tried to save him?

She closed the book. She did not put it back on the shelf.

She held it close to her heart.

She had made her choice.

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Amrian ran. Her feet slapped against the wet sidewalk. The stormy gray book was inside her coat, pressed against her ribs. It felt like a heartbeat. A stolen heartbeat.

Mr. Aris’s words chased her. You cannot change the story. It will fight you.

She didn’t care. She couldn’t un-see it. The image of Javiar falling was burned behind her eyes.

She finally stopped, breathless, under the awning of a closed flower shop. The rain was lighter now. She pulled out her phone. Her hands were still shaking.

Three missed calls from Maya.
Five messages from Leo.

She opened Leo’s messages.

Leo: AMRIAN. Maya is using her ‘I am very disappointed’ voice. It’s worse than yelling. Where are you?
Leo: Did you get lost in a book? Literally?
Leo: Okay, joke over. Text me back or I’m sending a search party. My search party is just me, and I hate the rain.

A little laugh bubbled up in her throat, mixed with panic. Leo was always like this. Even now, he made her feel a little normal.

Amrian: I’m okay. I’m coming home. Tell Maya I’m sorry. I found something… big.

Leo: Bigger than that giant history book you cried over last week?

Amrian: Way bigger. I’ll explain later. Maybe.

She put the phone away. She had to think. The book said Javiar would die on “the night of the October storm.” That could be any storm in October. October was three weeks away. She had time. But she needed to find him first.

She pulled the book out carefully. In the dim streetlight, she opened it again. She skipped the dark future page. She looked for clues about his now.

The living pictures showed snippets. A school hallway with blue lockers. A part-time job at a place called “Greenstone Cafe.” A small, tidy apartment with yellow curtains. A park with a big oak tree.

And the people. His little sister, Lily, with a bright smile but a tired look in her eyes. His friend Kai, always nearby, like a guard.

But where was this? What city?

Then she saw a clue. In a picture of him walking, a bus passed by. On its side was an advertisement. It said: “Visit the Riverwalk!” And below, in smaller letters: “Springvale’s Pride.”

Springvale. That was a city. It was about two hours away by train.

Her mind raced. She had to go there. She had to find him. To see him in real life. To… to warn him? But how? Hello, Javiar, I read your future in a magic book, and you’re going to be murdered. Nice to meet you.

He would think she was crazy.

She needed a plan. She needed help.

She started walking home, her mind full of maps and ideas and the kind, tired eyes of a boy she had never met.

“You are in so much trouble.”

Maya was waiting at the door of their small apartment. Her arms were crossed. Her eyebrows were raised. This was her “big sister is very angry” pose.

“I’m sorry,” Amrian said, slipping off her wet shoes. “I lost track of time.”

“In a library?” Maya said. “Amrian, it’s a Tuesday night. You have school tomorrow. I made dinner. It’s cold now.” She sounded more worried than mad. “You can’t just vanish. What if something happened to you?”

Amrian felt a sharp sting of guilt. Maya was only twenty-three, but she had been like a mother since their own parents had died years ago. She worked hard. She worried harder.

“Nothing happened,” Amrian said, hugging her coat to her chest, hiding the book’s shape. “I’m safe. I promise.”

Maya’s eyes softened. “Just… tell me next time, okay? Or answer your phone. My heart can’t take it.” She turned towards the kitchen. “I’ll heat up the pasta.”

Amrian hurried to her small bedroom. She closed the door and leaned against it. She took the book out and stared at it.

Javiar Liam.

Who was he? Really?

She opened the book again. She looked at a happy memory. Javiar and Lily were baking cookies. Flour was everywhere. They were laughing. He was trying to put frosting on her nose.

Amrian smiled. It was a real smile. Her first calm feeling since finding the library.

Then, the book did something new.

As she watched the happy memory, a new, small picture appeared in the corner of the page. It was like a reflection. It was her. Amrian, in her room, smiling at the book.

She gasped and snapped the book shut.

The book knew she was reading it. It was aware of her.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Leo.

Leo: Okay, I distracted Maya with my terrible impression of her. You’re welcome. Now, what’s the ‘big thing’? Spill.

Amrian bit her lip. She couldn’t tell Maya. Maya would call a doctor. But Leo… Leo believed in weird things. He read comic books about secret worlds.

She typed fast.

Amrian: I found a hidden library. A magic one. The books are people’s lives.

There was a long pause. Then Leo typed.

Leo: …Okay. That’s a new one. What’s the WiFi password there?

Amrian: Leo, I’m serious.

Leo: I know you are. That’s why I’m not laughing. Tell me more.

So she did. She told him about the silver door, Mr. Aris, the books with dates, and the book with no ending. She told him about Javiar.

Leo: So… you stole a magic book about a living, soon-to-be-dead guy?

Amrian: I didn’t steal it! I’m… borrowing it. To save him.

Leo: Right, right. Of course. Totally normal. And how do we save him?

Amrian paused. We. He said we.

Amrian: First, I need to find him. He lives in Springvale. I need to go there.

Leo: Road trip! I’ll drive. My car makes a funny noise, but it goes. When?

Amrian: Saturday?

Leo: It’s a date. A weird, possibly dangerous, magical date. I’m in.

Amrian felt a huge wave of relief. She wasn’t alone.

Saturday morning was bright and clear. Leo’s small, noisy car pulled up outside. Amrian told Maya she was going to Springvale with Leo to visit a “rare book fair.”

“A book fair. Of course,” Maya said, shaking her head but smiling. “Be back before dark. And Leo?” She leaned into the car window. “You bring her back in one piece, or I will use you as firewood.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Leo said, giving a salute. He had spiky hair and a grin that was always there. “One piece. Promise.”

The drive was full of Leo’s jokes and bad singing. Comedy. It made Amrian forget the fear for a while. But the book in her backpack was a heavy weight.

When they reached Springvale, they used the pictures from the book as a map. The park with the big oak tree. The street with the blue-painted mailboxes.

“This is it,” Amrian said, her voice a whisper. Her heart was pounding. Thriller. They were parked across the street from the Greenstone Cafe. “He works here on Saturdays. The book showed it.”

They waited. An hour passed. Leo bought them disgusting gas station coffee.

“What’s the plan when you see him?” Leo asked. “Walk up and say, ‘Hey, destiny’s calling, and it says you need a bodyguard’?”

“I don’t know,” Amrian admitted. “I just need to see him. To know he’s real.”

And then, the cafe door opened.

A boy walked out, carrying a bag of trash to the bin behind the building. He wore a simple green apron over a t-shirt. He had dark hair, just like in the book. He had a thoughtful, slightly tired face.

It was him.

Javiar Liam. In real life.

Amrian’s breath caught. He was taller than she imagined. He moved easily, but she could see the tiredness in his shoulders. He looked… real. More real than any picture.

Seeing him felt different from seeing his book. This was a person. A living, breathing person who had no idea she knew his deepest secret.

He went back inside.

“Okay,” Leo said softly. “He’s real. Check. Now what?”

Before Amrian could answer, the cafe door opened again. Javiar came out, but he wasn’t alone. The little girl from the pictures, Lily, was with him. She held his hand. She looked small and pale, but she was smiling up at him.

And with them was another boy. He was bigger, with broad shoulders and a watchful look. He put a protective hand on Lily’s shoulder. Kai.

The three of them started walking down the street, talking and laughing. A normal Saturday.

“We should follow them,” Amrian said suddenly.

“Stalking? Already? This romance is moving fast,” Leo joked, but he started the car and drove slowly, far behind them.

They watched the trio go into a small pharmacy. A few minutes later, they came out. Javiar was carrying a small pharmacy bag. His face was serious now. The smile was gone. He looked at the bag, then at Lily, with deep worry.

Lily’s medicine, Amrian realized. The book had shown Lily often looking tired. She was sick.

Javiar paid for everything. He worked at the cafe for his sister.

Amrian’s heart ached. He was so young, carrying so much.

As they walked, a group of older, rough-looking boys came around the corner. One of them bumped hard into Javiar’s shoulder.

“Watch it,” the boy snarled.

Javiar stepped in front of Lily immediately. “Sorry,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “No problem here.”

Kai stepped up right beside Javiar, his face hard. “Keep walking,” Kai said to the boys. His voice was low and dangerous.

The boys looked at Kai’s size, muttered something, and walked away.

Javiar didn’t look tough like Kai. But he was brave. He protected his sister without a second thought.

Amrian watched it all from the car. She saw his kindness. His burden. His quiet bravery.

And she felt something new, deep in her chest. It wasn’t just about saving a name in a book anymore.

It was about saving him.

“We need to get closer,” Amrian said. “I need to… to talk to him.”

“How?” Leo asked. “Walk up and ask for the time?”

Amrian’s eyes fell on a small bookstore across the street from where Javiar, Lily, and Kai had stopped to sit on a park bench.

“I have an idea,” she said.

She got out of the car. Her legs felt weak. She crossed the street and walked straight into the bookstore. She went to the window, pretending to look at books. She could see the park bench clearly.

Javiar was sitting, reading a pamphlet from the pharmacy to Lily. Kai was throwing bits of bread to pigeons.

Amrian’s mind went blank. What was her idea? She was just staring.

Then, fate helped her. Or the story fought back.

Lily’s small ball, the one she had been holding, slipped from her hands. It bounced across the path and rolled… right to Amrian’s feet, just outside the bookstore door.

Amrian stared at it. Then she looked up.

Javiar was already walking over to get it. He looked up, and for the first time, his eyes met hers.

His eyes were a warm, dark brown. Kinder than the pictures showed. They looked surprised to see her standing there.

“Oh, thanks,” he said, a small, polite smile on his face. He bent to pick up the ball.

This was it. Her moment.

Her mouth was dry. All her plans vanished.

“Hi,” she blurted out. “I’m… I’m new here.”

He straightened up, holding the ball. “Yeah? Welcome to Springvale.” His smile was nice. It made her stomach feel funny. A slow, warm, scary feeling.

“I’m Javiar,” he said.
“Amrian,” she whispered.
“Nice to meet you, Amrian,” he said. He gave her one last smile, then turned to go back to Lily and Kai.

He was walking away. The connection was breaking.

Panic shot through her.

“Wait!” she called out.

He turned back, eyebrows raised.

“I… I was wondering if you know a good place to eat?” she said quickly. “I don’t know anyone here.”

He looked at her for a second. Then he nodded towards the Greenstone Cafe. “That place I work at is pretty good. I’m there most days.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

Then he did walk away. He joined his sister and his friend. He didn’t look back.

Amrian stood there, her heart pounding. It was a start. A tiny, fragile start.

She had met him. She had spoken to him.

And when he smiled, the future in the book, the dark, wet pavement, felt like a horrible lie.

Back in the car, Leo was grinning. “Smooth. ‘I’m new here.’ Classic.”

“Shut up,” Amrian said, but she was smiling too. She felt dizzy.

“So, you’ve made contact,” Leo said, driving away. “What’s step two of ‘Operation Save the Cute Boy’?”

Amrian looked out the window. The sun was starting to set.

Step two was figuring out who the Man in the Grey Coat was. And step three was stopping him.

But for a moment, she just replayed his voice in her head. Nice to meet you, Amrian.

It was the best sound she’d ever heard.

A small question for you, reader:
If you had to meet someone you knew everything about, but they knew nothing about you, what would your first words be?

CHAPTER TWO