Ronan stepped inside the room. The room was not very large. A bulb emitting pale yellow light and was flickering every few moments was hanging from the ceiling.

A metallic shelf was strapped against the wall on his left side. It was filled with books.

A table, made of a material similar to fibre or plastic, was placed directly in front of him. On the table was a box-like device. The computer which Elicia had referred to. Behind the table was a chair made of the same material.

A layer of dust had formed on the floor, on the table and even on the books. The room was obviously not in regular use just as Elicia had mentioned.

Ronan arrived near the shelf and pulled out the thickest book that he spotted. He gave it a flip. The pages of the book were different. It was not the usual texture or feel that he was used to.

And Ronan felt that he should not have been surprised. The world, at least what he had seen, lacked wood. Paper could not be made of wood. And if it was not made of wood, it was surely going to be different from the paper in his home world.

The paper of the book in his hands was surely not made of wood. The pages felt silky and smooth. Maybe it was for this particular book or in general, but the pages felt a bit thicker too. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

And unlike the pages of his own world, he could not tear them with little use of force. They seemed a lot more durable. Taking a feel of the book, Ronan’s eyes moved towards the title of the book.

The history of Acrolius.

Acrolius? Was this the name of the country he was in? Or was this name of the world he was in?

He flipped to the first page of the book.

Introduction.

The history of Acrolius can be divided into two broad categories. The first is pre-cataclysm. And the second part is the cataclysm era.

The world before the cataclysm occurred was very different. Life was different in pre pre-cataclysm era. People were different. Nature and atmosphere were different. There was plenty of food to eat. At least, for the majority of the people. There were green trees and green grass all around us. There was uncontaminated water to drink. People could travel from one place to another without the fear of getting attacked by an abomination.

There was peace. Yes, there was constant strife among countries of the pre cataclysm era. But the world was largely at peace. The number of deaths due to violence and war was less than the number of deaths due to accidents. The number of people who died of starvation was less than those who died of suicide.

And then cataclysm struck and everything changed. Life became chaotic and unpredictable. A large part of the population perished in the initial few days of cataclysm. Those who survived were forced behind massive walls. There was no water to drink. Or better to say, there was water but contaminated water. The land became a barren wasteland. Trees and vegetation almost became extinct from our world. Travelling from one city to another became hard. The attack from an abomination horde is always on the cards if you are travelling long distances.

The peace was shattered. Humans not only had to fight the abominations to survive but had to fight against other humans for resources. Though things have improved a lot after we got used to the cataclysm era, the horror that one man unleashed upon one another in the initial months of cataclysm cannot be forgotten. Weapons which were a rarity had to be made available in the hands of every man, woman or even child. War and conflict became the new norm.

Ronan perched himself on the chair behind the table and continued reading and lost himself in time. It was an interesting tale of the world of Acrolius and he was caught in it.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his concentration. It was pushed open and Elicia entered the room.

"Ronan," she said. "I have been able to contact a man. He should be here in ten to fifteen minutes."

"He is a broker of sorts," Elicia continued. "He is someone who dabbles in a bit of everything. You know, sort of, jack of all trades. He sells information, he can get you tasks if you are a mercenary. If there is something that you want to sell in the black market, he can get it done."

"I have had a few more individuals in my mind," she explained. "And to be honest, they might have offered a bigger price. But I chose him because he is reliable and trustworthy. He has a reputation of doing business honestly. I too have worked with him many times and can say that these things are true."

Ronan nodded.

"As I said," he responded. "I will trust your judgement this time."

"But there is something that I need to tell you before the man arrives," he said. "I do not want this misunderstanding to continue and create problems later."

"What is it?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am not from The Sanctuary," he said, shocking Elicia. "Neither are these goods coming from The Sanctuary."

Elicia was stunned. Her eyes widened in shock. An expression of pure disbelief formed on her face and her mouth was gaping.

"You lied to me," she mumbled, pointing her fingers towards him. "You betrayed me."

"I do not think I did anything like this," he responded calmly.

"Did not do anything like this," she snapped.

"Yes," he shrugged his shoulders. "I never admitted that I was from The Sanctuary. You assumed it yourself. I just never bothered to correct you."

Whatever words were to erupt from mouth, struck in her throat. She mentally rewinded all the conversation that she had with Ronan. And to her great shock, he was telling the truth. Every time she had brought up The Sanctuary, he remained quiet. It was her foolishness to assume things. It was her naivety to think that Ronan was keeping quiet to keep the secrecy to himself.

"If not The Sanctuary, where are you from?" She questioned. "And where are these goods coming from?"

.

.

.

[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Tell me your opinion about the book. Leave a comment. Give the story an honest rating and a review.]