Now Ray and Rose moved to the streets.
They were standing in front of a coffee shop. The sign board was lightened by the lamps. The signa boards was showing the name of coffee shop, 'Retro coffee shop'.
Ray looked at the sign, his lips twitching slightly. "I'm literally in a retro world," he thought dryly, "how more retro do they want me to go?"
Rose looked at Ray. "Let's go," she said while stepping forward.
She pushed the door open, the bell above it gave a faint ding as they entered. The place was dimly lit and the warm yellow lamps were giving the café an oddly comforting glow. The fragrance of coffee and cinnamon lingered in the air.
Before Ray could take a better look, a voice called out from behind the counter. The voice was causal and bored.
"The shop's already closed, buddy."
A figure stepped out from the shadows of the back room.
He was a young man, probably around twenty, with a relaxed expression and a tired but friendly face. His dark brown hair was mid-length, falling slightly over his eyes in messy strands. He wore a cream-colored shirt with rolled sleeves, a dark waistcoat over it, and fitted black trousers tucked into scuffed brown leather shoes. A thin chain hung loosely from his pocket.
He leaned lazily against the counter like a panda. His eyebrows rose slightly as she looked at them.
Then Rose crossed said flatly, "It's us, moron."
That boy was Sunny. He worked here at Retro Space. The place was technically owned by Rose, but because of Ray's request, she had given Sunny a job here.
"So, You have come" sunny said quietly.
Rose glanced around once before answering, her tone was flat but firm. "Let's uncover that book.
Sunny's casual posture changed immediately. His half-lidded eyes sharpened just a little, and the faint trace of a smirk faded like he saw something diabolical .
"Yeah," he said lowly, "but before that…" He pushed himself off the counter and walked toward the windows. The old wooden floor creaked softly beneath his steps. "Wait a couple of seconds…" he murmured.
He began pulling down the curtains, one by one. The soft thud of fabric filled cafè.
While pulling the second one, Sunny asked without looking back, "Rose, what about your family? How are you still outside this late?"
Rose exhaled sharply through her nose, her voice carrying that same tired edge. "They must be thinking that I'm sleeping in my room." Ray had completely no idea what was going on, at that point he became a cow.
Sunny didn't reply back. He just nodded slightly and went on closing the rest of the windows. When the last curtain fell, the café was left in dim yellow light.
"Alright," Sunny said finally.
He turned toward the counter, went behind it, and crouched down. For a few seconds, there was a faint sound of shifting boxes and wood. Then he stood back up holding something carefully in both hands.
It was a book, wrapped tightly in a white cloth.
He stepped out from behind the counter, walked toward the nearest table, and set the book down with quiet reverence.
Then he looked straight at Ray and said with a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Here's it, bro."
Ray's eyes fixed on the book. "So this is it…" he thought, his pulse quickening. "This is the book… Ray's sister killed him because of this book… everything's connected with this damn thing."
A thin line of sweat trickled down the side of his temple, not out of fear, but out of suspense. His chest felt tight.
He stepped closer to the table. The wooden chair creaked as he pulled it back and sat down, his movements were slow.
Rose walked around and quietly took a seat beside him, her eyes were fixed on the wrapped book. Her posture was calm, but there was something wary in her eyes, like she was ready to react if something went wrong.
Ray looked up at Sunny. Their eyes met for a moment. Sunny was calm and Ray gave him a small, firm nod.
Sunny didn't say a word.
Ray reached forward. His hands hovered above the book for a second before he finally gripped the white cloth.
Slowly, he began unwrapping it and finally the last fold slipped away.
Its cover was deep, and at its center, was drawn an unmistakable figure of a jester in crimson red colour.
Ray didn't wait. Without looking at anyone, he placed a trembling hand on the cover and opened it.
The very first page was completely blank. Not even a single mark or word, just pure blackness . It looked old, yet strangely preserved. It was smooth beneath his fingertips. It didn't feel like ordinary paper at all.
Ray's brows furrowed slightly, and he turned the page.
This time, there were words. Faded but still legible. Lines of ink stretched across the page in looping, elegant handwriting, and in between them; small, intricate sketches were drawn. Rose leaned closer.
Sunny moved in too, his expression was unreadable.
For a long moment, none of them spoke. They just stared at the open pages.
Then, slowly, their eyes met, each of them silently asking the same unspoken question.
What's the truth behind this book.