Outside, heavy rain drummed against the earth, creating a steady rhythm that split the night apart. Kaivan stood beneath it, soaked to the bone but indifferent. His mind churned with anger and confusion. In his hand, the Omnicent Tome pulsed faintly, as if alive, as if breathing with him.
The Tome's voice echoed in his mind, calm yet firm. "Kaivan, steady your emotions. Focus on the main plan: disrupting Vella's business."
Kaivan clenched his fists. "Just disrupt it? I want to kill her."
"Listen." The Tome's words appeared gently, patient. "Your brain capacity is only at twenty percent. Your body isn't combat-ready. Attacking now is the same as suicide."
Kaivan let out a heavy breath. "You're too pessimistic. We can do something bigger."
"Not pessimistic, realistic. We need foundations: strength, strategy, resources. Look."
The pages glowed, revealing the silhouette of a shadowy entity.
"Omnihorror has awakened. We are nowhere near ready to face it."
A cold dread tightened Kaivan's chest. "Then… what should I do?"
"A long-term plan. First step: return to the workshop. Retrieve the scanner. We need data."
The rain softened. Kaivan returned to the workshop, packed the monitor and scanning tools into his old backpack, then started walking toward his grandmother's house, the origin of the Omnicent Tome.
But halfway there, he hesitated. "I should stop home first," he muttered. He started his motorcycle and sped across the wet streets.
When he arrived, his chest tightened. Police tape still hung across the entrance. Dried blood and dark stains on the floor stirred old grief. Each step felt heavy, echoing the weight of an unspoken loss.
In his room, Kaivan retrieved his journal, where he kept his thoughts and dreams. As he descended the stairs, his eyes fell upon a blackened bloodstain on the floor. He froze, feeling once again the moment his mother's life slipped away.
"Kaivan."
The Tome's voice broke the silence.
Kaivan inhaled deeply. "You increased my brain capacity once, didn't you? Can you raise it again?"
The Tome paused before answering.
"A human can be enhanced up to thirty percent at most. Beyond that, your brain won't withstand it. It could suffer permanent damage… or break entirely."
Kaivan stared at the words, sorrow flickering in his eyes. "Then make it one hundred percent."
"No. That would kill you. Every shred of information would rush into your mind at once, tearing your consciousness apart. Even if you survived, you'd lose your sanity. You are human, Kaivan."
A bitter smile touched his lips. "You keep repeating this life over and over, right? How many times have you met me, failed, then reset everything hoping to change the future?"
The Tome fell silent.
"…I never told you that. How do you know?"
"Maybe because my mind is at twenty percent. I can feel a little of your synchronization. Some faint memories slip into my head. It's been 214,144 times, hasn't it? Instead of making small changes… why not try something big? Will you gamble on me?"
The Tome remained quiet for a long moment.
Then, slowly, words formed.
"If I make a major change, the risk is immense… Very well. I will increase your capacity as far as possible. But if you reach the limit, I will stop. Last time, you fell into a coma for days… and I was left paralyzed."
Kaivan nodded faintly. "I can endure the pain. Watching my mother die… that alone made me strong enough to survive anything."
A cold night wind drifted through, carrying the remnants of rain. The silent darkness became witness to a decision shared by two beings bound together, one an ordinary human, the other a mystical entity far beyond human reason. Beneath a moon hidden behind storm clouds, Kaivan and the Omnicent Tome prepared to challenge a fate that had repeated countless times, hoping for a breakthrough that had never been reached.
The night sky loomed dark. Thick clouds swallowed the moon whole. Rain had ceased, leaving the scent of wet soil and puddles reflecting streaks of faraway lightning. In the quiet house, Kaivan stood still, gaze hollow. His hand gripped the Tome tightly, as if the book was the only thing holding him together. Dried blood on the floor remained as a silent witness to the tragedy that tore his family apart.
Kaivan looked down at the Tome. On its open page, glowing letters emerged, delivering a message that startled him:
"Remember this, Kaivan. Until now, I've only increased your brain capacity up to thirty percent. Beyond that, the human body can't withstand the flood of incoming information. You will break."
Kaivan let out a crooked smile, one carved from hatred and despair. "Break? Why would I care?" he muttered, voice trembling. "I've been broken for a long time… Ever since Vella killed my mother, my life has been nothing but ruins."
He lifted his gaze to the dark ceiling, then lowered it again. His breath came out rough, burning with a rage he had buried for far too long. "Raise it. Raise my brain capacity. I need to see everything… I want to feel that pain again and again!" he shouted, voice cracking.
Tome Omnicent lay open before him, as if weighing his plea. Words flickered across its pages, swaying like flames caught in a storm.