2:17a.m.
The city was silent.No traffic,No voices,Only the distant barking of a dong and the soft breath of wind brushing empty streets.
That was the night Ehan saw the door for the first time.
An old iron door.
It wasn't attached to any building.
It simply stood in the middle of the road --- as if it had been misplaced into reality.
ON a small metal plaque were engraved the words;
"Library of the Dead --- Members Only"
Ehan almost laughed.
"Who sets up a prank like this at 2 a.m.?
But when he pushed the door open___
Light spilled out.
Inside
The moment he stepped in,he understood this was no ordinary place.
Endless shelves stretched in every direction.
No visible ceiling.
No walls.
Just books.
Thousands.Millions.
But something felt wrong.
Every book had a human name printed on its spine.
Not celebrities.
Not historical figures.
Ordinary people.
Children.
Strangers.
Each book was a life.
A voice echoed behind him.
"You're late."
Ehan turned.
An old man stood there.His eyes were completely white --- no pupils,no color.
"Who are you?"Ehan asked.
Calmly,the old man replied,
"I am the keepar.And this is the place wher the dead become books".
The Rule
The keeper explained:
When a person dies,their entire life is written info a single book and stored here.
Every memory.
Every thought.
Every lie.
Every regret.
But there is one rule.
No living person may read their own book.
Ehan let out a nervous laugh.
"Well,mine shouldn't be here. I'm alive."
The keeper slowly raised a hand and pointed toward a shelf.
Ehan's chest tightened.
A black -- covered book rested there.
On it's spine:
"Ehan Rahman --- Final Chapter Unfinished."
His fingers trembled.
"Why is that here?" he whispered.
The keeper's expression did not change.
"Because you have already died once."
The Forgotten Death
Ehan's mind went blank.
But then___
Rain.
A wet road.
Blinding headlights.
The screech of breaks.
Darkness.
"I.... I was in an accident?"
The keeper nodded.
"You are clinically dead for four minutes.In that time, your book was written."
"Then why am i alive?"
"Because your final chapter refused to close."
The Forbidden book
Ehan's eyes drifted to another volume nearby.
Its cover was gray ___ almost breathing.
The title read:
"The Seven Minutes After Death."
"What is that?"Ehan asked.
For the first time, the keeper voice hardened.
"That book cannot be opened"
"Why not?"
"Because whoever reads it will understand what truly happens after death."
The air grew heavier.
The shelves seemed closer.
The silence deeper.
Ending of Part One
Somewhere in the distance, a clock began ticking.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The keeper spoke again.
"Your time is over."
"What do you mean?"
"You are returning to the living world. But remember ____"
"What?"
"If you find this door again, it means your final chapter has begun."
The lights went out.
______
Ehan was standing in the middle of the street.
Morning sunlight.
Cars passing.
People walking.
Everything normal.
Expect____
In his hand, something remained.
A small library card.
It read:
Member No: 000113
Status: Temporary Alive.