Linh had always loved books. Old ones, new ones, even those with missing pages. There was something magical about the way stories could whisper secrets only to those who truly listened.
But even she never expected to find a library that shouldn't exist.
It started on a rainy afternoon. The kind where the sky was a dull shade of gray, and the scent of wet earth clung to the air. Linh had been wandering through the old part of town, an area full of forgotten shops and buildings that looked abandoned yet somehow alive.
That was when she saw it.
A narrow alley, tucked between two crumbling bookstores.
And at the very end—an old wooden door with a brass handle. No sign. No windows. Just the door.
She had walked past this street a hundred times before, yet she had never seen it.
A strange feeling curled in her chest, a mixture of curiosity and unease. The door seemed to hum with quiet energy, as if it were waiting for her.
She hesitated. Then, unable to resist, she reached out and turned the handle.
The door swung open with a soft creak.
Inside was a library.
Not just any library. This one was enormous—shelves stretched high into the darkness, lined with books of every size and color. The air smelled of aged paper and something else… something unfamiliar.
A single candle flickered on the front desk. And behind it stood an old man.
He wore a long coat that brushed the floor, and his silver hair was neatly tied back. His eyes—sharp and knowing—locked onto hers the moment she stepped inside.
"You're late," he said simply.
Linh's heart pounded. "Late for what?"
The man smiled, though there was something unreadable in his expression. "For your first day as the Librarian of Lost Books."
Linh took a step back. "I think you've got the wrong person—"
But the door behind her was gone.
The library stretched endlessly in every direction, and the only way forward… was deeper inside.