Atticus [BL]
Chapter 36 Actually a Journal

Chapter 36: 36 Actually a Journal

Knock. Knock.

"Nolan, it’s me, are you in there?"

After a couple of seconds, the door opened ajar. Nolan then opened the door widely for his brother Nathaniel.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing curiously at him.

"Here," Nathaniel handed him the black book, the one Nolan picked from his library yesterday. "I guess you were reading this?"

"I was about to yesterday," Nolan responded as he took the book, its printed name on the cover invisible unless light reflected on it at an angle. "Where’d you get this book? I have not seen this before."

Nolan wondered, though it wasn’t as if he had actually read through his brother’s books in the library. With Nathaniel’s vast collection—well over a thousand books—Nolan often marveled at how he had managed to acquire so many and where they had all come from.

"Mother gave it to me. I haven’t read it yet, but I wouldn’t mind lending it to you for now."

Nolan examined the book in his hand, tilting it slightly as he waited for the purple glimmer on its cover to appear again, but nothing happened.

"What are you doing?" Nathaniel asked, watching Nolan carefully examine the book.

"Is this book..." Nolan paused. He was already embarrassed enough about earlier regarding the ’bride’ question. If he asked again if the book was imbued with some magic, his brother might lose it again. Glancing back at his brother, "Nothing. Would you like to come in?"

"No, I have a job to do. I have been ignoring it for weeks now, I need to get it done, the deadline is tomorrow."

As always, he had been procrastinating instead of working, Nolan thought. If their older brother, Nikolas, was present, Nathaniel would surely get reprimanded about it.

"Alright," Nolan acknowledged, waiting for him to leave.

However, Nathaniel didn’t move from where he stood. He remained just outside Nolan’s room, watching him with a calm expression—but Nolan could tell something was on his mind.

"Speak, what is it that you want to tell me." Nolan finally asked.

Nathaniel then trailed down his eyes at Nolan’s disheveled clothes but didn’t comment on it.

"How long are you going to stay here?"

Upon hearing his own question, Nolan couldn’t help but feel both regret and disappointment at not getting a plausible answer from his brother about his butler.

With doubts steadily growing in his heart about Atticus and Atticus’s possible connection to the man with Deacon Frantz, Nolan decided to do his research on his own.

"I’m not sure. Let me use your library while I stay here," Nolan replied after some thought.

"Suit yourself. I’ll be in my office if you need me."

Nathaniel did not linger further and finally went on his way to his office, leaving his little brother alone.

Just as Nolan closed the door, the black book in his hand suddenly glowed. Confusion filled his mind as he walked toward his bed. Without opening it, he placed the book down, staring intently at the glowing purple letters embedded on its dark cover.

At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder if his brother was truly unaware of what he was seeing. The book had stopped glowing yesterday when Elwin appeared, and just as Nathaniel left, the purple light had returned, illuminating each letter etched into the book’s thick cover.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Nolan rang the bell to the servants’ chamber before lying down next to the book.

The title was still glowing. Less than five minutes later, a knock echoed at his door. As he watched, the purple hue continued to shimmer.

"Young Master Nolan, how may I assist you? Do you need us to bring your meal up here instead?"

It was Arnold’s voice that was heard outside.

"Come in," Nolan simply requested, and Arnold obeyed politely as he opened the door.

When the door opened and Arnold’s figured appeared, the purple glow from the book’s cover instantly disappeared. Thebook turned to normal, plain black with its title shadowed on the cover.

"I want this out of my room," Nolan commanded as he tilted his head at the plates, cups, and other utensils from his breakfast earlier.

Arnold was surprised. No one had consulted him about bringing Nolan food into his room. His own master, Nathaniel, had specifically instructed him that he was to personally cater Nolan in his stay in his estate.

Did Nolan bring the food himself? That was impossible, everything that was happening in the estate should, at any cost, be under his supervision, that was his main job.

"Is something wrong?" Nolan asked when he noticed that the elderly butler hadn’t moved for a moment.

Arnold snapped back to his senses and shook his head, clearing his throat to gather himself.

"No, Young Master Nolan. Is there anything you need assistance?" Arnold asked as he walked to the side table, gathering the plates, cups, and other utensils Nolan had used earlier. However, he left the book Nolan had been reading on the side table.

"Nothing. I’ll ring the bell if I need something."

"Then I’ll be on my way now,"

As soon as Arnold left and the door was closed, the purple glow on the book cover gradually glimmer.

"What is this book? Where did Mother even get this book?" Nolan muttered to himself.

He crawled onto the bed and sat cross-legged before picking up the book. Gently, he ran his palm over the cover, tracing the letters etched into it. Though they shimmered with a purple glow, he felt nothing—no hint of magical energy beneath his fingertips.

Flipping open the cover, he reread the first paragraph on the page, the same one he had seen before, along with the two initials at the bottom right corner.

V.L.,

"V.L., is he an author who is part of the orthodox church?" He muttered to himself, "No, that can’t be. The church would certainly not allow this kind of book."

He fell into a deep thought, but quickly snapped out of it. Overthinking was not his thing, if he couldn’t figure it out right now, there’s no reason to overthink the matter. He could simply ask his brother about it later. Nathaniel loved reading, certainly, he knew a thing or two about authors, too.

Excitement rushed through him as he eagerly flipped to the next page, instantly forgetting about the book’s strange purple glow.

It was one of his traits—he cared little for things that didn’t captivate him, focusing only on what thrilled and intrigued him most. Though the book’s glowing cover had briefly caught his attention, it wasn’t enough to distract him from the real excitement—the mystery of its contents.

Just by its title, it was enough to make Nolan filled with thrill.

Day 1.

Today, I finally decided to embark on the dark side. It was a real struggle to escape the church’s daily patrols, but I managed to escape from them.

Strange and scary things have been happening lately, and I know the church is aware of it. So I decided to make my own investigation out of curiosity. I will begin to detail the strange happenings I have heard through rumors.

Nolan paused, flipped the book close, and read the title in his head again. The book was more of a journal than what he had expected.

He flipped the book open back to where he was reading and continued.

I gathered a story that sent chills down my spine. I can’t stop thinking about it.

A grave was found dug open—its coffin ripped apart, the lid tossed aside as if discarded in a hurry. Inside, the bones were gone, hauled away, leaving behind only scraps of torn clothing, dirt, and a few strands of hair. The whole town whispered about it in horror.

The church wasted no time in tracking down the culprit. It was a man, and when they caught him, he didn’t even try to deny it. He admitted everything. He had learned, somehow, that it was possible to bring the dead back to life. The thought alone grips me with unbearable curiosity. How could such a thing even be real?

Of course, the church was furious. They called it a crime, a sin beyond forgiveness. As punishment for his transgression—for daring to defy the laws of life and death—the man was sentenced to a slow, excruciating execution. They locked him inside a metal frame shaped like a human body and left him under the scorching sun, where rats were released to gnaw away at his flesh.

Was the man mad? Desperate? Or did he truly know something forbidden? Something lost to time? And if so... what else might be possible?

Nolan couldn’t help but shudder in repulsion at the punishment cast on the man.

For someone who had seen worse and had done more than just summon lowly creatures from the underworld, he was certain that being gnawed by rats alive was not enough punishment for him.