Chapter 2: Book

"Zoren Bullet, the prince of werewolves," Verena said, nodding to herself, still in disbelief at the sight before her. "Of course," she whispered to herself as she walked back to the counter, leaving the man behind. "Who would dress up like that just to fall asleep at the library cafe? Only an addicted roleplayer, of course."

"You know that I could hear you quite clearly, right?" The man who claimed to be Zoren said this while standing far away from her. She shrugged and smiled.

"Super hearing too, right?" she said with a forced grin on her face. "I've seen a lot of things through every job I took; this isn't as bad anymore."

"For being so talkative, you've not given me anything useful."

"Alright," she said, giving him a sigh. "If you are Zoren Bullet, the prince of werewolves, then I am the princess of vampires!"

"Vampires exist on this world?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "No, and that's exactly my point. Now, please give me your ID; I need to put it on the record."

As she said that, the man rushed over to her and almost drilled a hole in her head with his piercing blue eyes.

"Who are you, and how did you summon me out here?"

"Sir, please," she begged. "I had a long day; I can't play along with your roleplay-AHH!" She jumped as the whole counter shook, with him slamming his palms down.

"Do you not hear the words that are coming out of my mouth?" he yelled. "I am Zoren Bullet; I am the prince of werewolves, from Lunaria! And you, a mere mortal, how could you possibly summon me out of the cursed book?" As she covered her ears, she realized how the look in his eyes changed, as if something had just clicked in his mind. "You're the daughter of the moon." He whispered to himself.

"Please, just stop--" She stopped in the middle of her sentence as she realized something strange. The longer she stared at his eyes, she could see a different glow that was only revealed as the moonlight graced them. "Your eyes," she said.

"Don't stare for too long; you might end up seeing something that you'll regret," he stated. As he grinned, she saw how his teeth slowly grew, like those of a wolf. No matter how fast she blinked, nothing changed.

"Your teeth...you can't be real," Verena stammered, taking a step back.

Zoren raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I assure you, I am quite real. Flesh and blood, just like you."

Verena couldn't believe what was happening. The serious look in his eyes convinced her even more. She had always been a practical person, someone who didn't believe in fairy tales or the supernatural. And yet, here was a man standing before her who claimed to be a character from a book. It didn't make any sense, but she was able to see it with her own eyes. No human being would have the ability to grow their teeth that long; they looked sharp, like a beast's, and he was able to control them. He could look handsome with those pearly whites or like a handsome beast; he has that power.

Verena shook her head, still unable to wrap her mind around the situation. "But how? How can you be here? If you are from the book, then why are you looking at me? Why can I touch you?" she grabbed his hand and waved it right in his face. As soon as she realized how strange she was acting and the judging look on his face, she slowly let his hand down and shyly looked away.

"I am sorry, but I don't know how to understand the situation. You're a character from a book!"

Zoren smirked. "Now, do you really think I'm some sort of... what's the word? an enthusiast? Someone who's taken their love of this book a little too far and decided that they would recreate who the characters are? You were even able to hold my hand for quite some time too."

Verena felt a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... impossible, isn't it? You can't just step out of a book and become real."

"That's not just a book," he responded. "And for you to be able to get me out of there, it only means that you are able to access the portal. Just who exactly are you?"

She took a deep breath and replied, "Verena, that's my name." She then bit her lip as she avoided his glare. "I don't know how this happened, but please don't hurt me."

"No matter how much I want to, I can't." He looked at her from head to toe with a hint of confusion, as he couldn't understand what she was wearing. "No matter how strange you are, you're the only person who could help me."

"Help? My help?" Verena repeated herself, still feeling confused and disoriented.

"Yes," Zoren said firmly. "You're the only one who can help me. You're the one who brought me here, after all."

Verena shook her head, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't understand. How did I bring you here? I was just reading a book. All I did was read your name, and now I am responsible for all this? I don't know if you are high or if I am, but nothing is adding up, let me tell you that."

Zoren's eyes flickered with something that looked like pain. "You spoke my name; that might be the voice that I last heard, Verena. You called out to me, and it was like a door opened between our worlds. However, I wasn't able to choose whether to enter; it instead snatched me out of Lunaria. And now... now I'm stuck here."

Verena couldn't help but tremble. "You're telling me I did this to you and I managed to pull you out," she muttered under her breath, thinking about how she had lost herself in the pages of the good book.

"That's a magical book?" She couldn't deny the pull of "Lunaria" and the mystery it held. "I mean, it's a good read, but I did not think that it would cause us this much trouble! If it was magical as you say, maybe we can find answers from that book as well!"

She picked up the book and flipped through the pages, searching for answers. But her brain couldn't comprehend what her eyes were reading. It's just all collapsing on her at the same time, making her unable to process things. "This is magical and real? But..."

"Look at me; I am a werewolf. Do you not realize how that could be impossible if this kind of sorcery wasn't real?"

She was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened, and her mind was racing with questions. Trying to keep her voice steady, she nervously asked, "How can I help you? You know, I don't understand. What could I do to help?" Her eyes flickered between his and the book, still open on the counter. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this was some kind of elaborate role-playing game or prank, but at the same time, the man in front of her seemed so real.

Verena closed her eyes, not even able to hear what the werewolf prince was saying as an answer to her question. She breathed through her nose and tried to wake herself up from the nightmare that had been nothing but pure stress. Verena's mind was in a whirl. She pinched herself hard on the arm, hoping to wake herself up, but the sharp pain only confirmed that she was, in fact, wide awake. As she tried to collect her thoughts, she noticed Zoren staring at her intently, his expression unreadable. Startled, she jumped up and scooted away from him, suddenly afraid that he might be dangerous.

"I mean you no harm, at least not yet," he said in a calm but firm voice. "But I warn you, if you are trying to harm me, you will not succeed." His tone was cold and calculating, and Verena felt a shiver run down her spine. Was this really happening?

Verena took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I won't," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "It's just that... I don't understand what's going on. You're a character from a book. How can you be here, in the flesh?"

Zoren frowned, still studying her closely. "I do not know," he admitted.

"I'm sorry, but this is all just too bizarre."

Zoren's eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. "Believe what you will, mortal," he said. "But if you know what is good for you, you will help me find a way back to my world." Otherwise, you will suffer the consequences."

Verena's hands were shaking as she reached for the Lunaria book. She had to see it again to prove to herself that she wasn't losing her mind. As the whole place became more dimly lit with the moon being blocked by the clouds, she flipped through the pages, and panic began to set in. The words that had once danced on the page were now gone, replaced by blank sheets. "No, no, no," she muttered, her heart racing. "This can't be happening. Where are the words?"

Zoren was just as surprised, his eyes wide as he tried to see the words that Verena was so frantically searching for. He reached out and snatched the book from her, flipping through the pages, but there was nothing there. His confusion quickly turned to anger as he glared at Verena.

"What did you do?" he demanded. "What sorcery have you used to do this? What happened to Lunaria? What did you do?"

"I swear, I didn't touch anything; I didn't do anything!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking with fear. Zoren looked at her with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

"Then what happened?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Verena was at a loss for words, unsure of how to explain the strange occurrence. She could feel Zoren's intense gaze on her, and it made her even more nervous. As she opened her mouth to speak, a sudden noise outside the library interrupted her. The sound of rustling leaves and twigs cracking underfoot made her jump, and she quickly turned to look out the window. It was too dark to see anything, but she had a feeling that something was out there.

"Why do you look like that?" he asked.

"Like what?"

"You look anxious."

"Well, it's getting late; it's creeping me out," she replied. "And I don't know, maybe I just found out the most bizarre thing in the world is happening to me."

"So? What do you plan to do next?"

Verena sighed. "I have to go home and sleep," she replied. "That's right, I haven't gotten a good night's sleep for a very long time. Maybe it's finally catching up to me. Oh my goodness, I am losing it because I lack sleep, of course!"

"I am afraid that's not the reason why," he stated, leaning closer to her. "What else do you need to finally be able to fully understand?"

"I have no idea," Verena whispered.

"I told you, stop staring into my eyes for that long; you might—"

"See something? Alright, I get it!"

"No," he said. "You shouldn't look into a werewolf's eye; what if I hypnotize you?"

"Can you do that?"

A cheeky grin formed on his face as he saw her red cheeks. "I think I already did, didn't I?"