1 Prologue : 'Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.'

"I have no special talent. I'm only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein.***

I was a nobody. I had no special talents.

Hello everyone. I'm Sasaki Kenji.

Currently unemployed. Without a love life.

I closed the book after finishing the first volume of the manga, 'Komi can't communicate', that my friend had recommended to me.

Yes. My hobbies were reading manga and watching anime. I occasionally read books.

"Damn, that was really good!" I said while munching on the potato chips I'd bought from the convenience store.

I decided to buy all the volumes of the manga.

-The Next Day-

I was walking down the street leading to the bookstore after coming from an interview I had with the manager of a small business firm.

"Sasaki! You're here again! Welcome!" The bookstore keeper greeted me. I smiled at her and greeted her back as I walked towards the manga shelf.

I picked up the second volume.

"Where's the third volume?" As I was taking out the books lined up in the front to search for the manga, I noticed something unusual. There was a beautiful, blue colored book with a mysterious symbol of a lock on it's cover. It looked like a novel.

"It's unusual for a novel to be here in this rack. Maybe someone kept it here by mistake."

The title said, "True Reincarnations and Shape-shifting Monsters." I read out loudly.

"Pffft," I giggled. As if I believed in magic.

I pretty much didn't believe in fictional creations. I didn't have a thing for fantasy novels. I was not a huge fan of delusions and make-believe things.

I took the book to the keeper along with the ones I was buying.

"I haven't seen this book here before." She said to me.

"Should I leave it here? Maybe someone left it here mistakenly." I asked her.

"You like reading, don't you? Take it with you."

And so I ended up taking the book with me.

I bought some oranges from the nearby fruit shop while I was headed for home. I reached home and got the bath ready as I went inside the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Oranges with tea are the best in autumns!"

After having and bath and eating dinner, I watched the news and then prepared the bed.

As I got ready to sleep, I looked at the book lying on my table.

"Looks intriguing. Maybe I'll give it a try after all."

I opened it.

"Do you believe in magic?" was written on the front page.

I shook my head at the book. "Of course not", I replied.

I turned the page. A text faded in to fill the blank page.

"How's that possible?"

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

I turned the pages. The lock symbol similar to the one on the cover was drawn on every other page of the book.

"I can't believe it!"

I had subconsciously let in myself to believe in the supernatural, as the text of the second page slowly faded out to unveil the true content of the book.

"I unlocked the next chapter." I whispered, still bewildered at the sight.

"Chapter 1 : Existence of Beasts"

I started reading it, forgetting everything else.