A Grimoire Gale --- Episode 01

    The nimble woman descended the cave-in despite the warnings of her crew.  The lead engineer and geologist that accompanied her shouted down the mouth of the excavation site, pleading with her not to descend, but her mind was made and she needed to see the fruit of her 6 months labor.  She was diligent enough to equip a lamp on her hard-hat, but the rest of her clothing was hardly appropriate for the excited spelunking she underwent.  The rocks were sharp and wet, quickly putting holes and tears into her attire as she made her way deeper into the cave.  Soon, the grade started to level and she was no longer tripping down a steep incline.  The rocks and stalactites started to soften and remain close to the walls of the cavern through which she stepped.  It seemed a dark and dank tunnel, but a glimmer of something caught her eye.
    Down the distance of the tunnel, she could see a faint light.  She had assumed that she was nearly 400 meters underground, but yet there seemed to shine a distant glow.  She hardly noticed that a path had been carved into the stone of the Earth which led to such an illumination.  No longer was the floor of the cave jagged and dangerous, but it was now inviting.  As she neared the source of the incandescence, she would notice that the cave grew eerily silent.  Where once she could hear the soft falling of condensation, where once she could hear the echo of her footsteps, where once she could hear the reverberation of her own labored breath, there was nothing but the sound of her heartbeat.  Still, she was forced to draw nearer.
    She came to a small opening, almost too small for her frame to fit without added effort.  The opening looked like several boulders had blocked the path eons ago, falling into what must have been a doorway that was carved into place much like the path on which she walked.  She could see the glimmering of something from beyond the jagged barrier, so she pressed herself through the narrow opening before tripping and falling on the other side.
    What awaited her was hardly anything that she would have imagined.  A pedestal with no characteristics of any civilization that she studied, nothing making it remarkable in any way besides its near perfectly square appearance basked in a light which had no source.  She stared at the object before coming to her feet with a light cough and approached it to inspect what was upon it.  A book?  She thought.  She inspected the object before touching it, noting that it was of impeccable make and larger than any book she had ever seen, even ancient tomes that were hidden away beneath museums and government buildings for safe keeping.  It was white, almost luminescent in itself.  Enticing.  She reached for it carefully, touching the cover to see the first page.
    "Hello, child."  She heard, a soft and gentle voice with an Arabic accent, but it did not come from anywhere.  No, it came from within her own mind, and she could sense that there was nothing but herself in the cavern she occupied.  "Are you here to claim the power of Einxckla-Jagheim?"
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    Rowan ignores all the new holes in her clothes and made sure to plant her boots surely into the ground before she unhooked the latch to the safety rope helping her down. It had been weeks of long hot days, digging into the soil and muck, just to get her down here, in promise of something good she can bring up to her colleges. She had yet to disappoint an refuses to go home without finding something to show for the hours and hours of research she had done before hand. Flipping on her headlamp she starts to walk carefully forward, the tunnel going deeper than any of them had previously thought. A light? Now that's interesting.. She thinks to herself, as her body begins to gravitate towards it, like she has no control to the magical pull. She had come across an archway type opening, the light growing stronger the closer she got. She squeezes herself through the opening and nearly falls before catching herself and dusting off her clothes, looking up to see a book. A glowing book? On a pedestal? Like the things she's seen in movies.
    Her eyes scan the luminescent books with an excited and childlike wonder, her fingertips just about to brush against the cover before the unfamiliar voice rang in her head. She takes a step back and looks around the cavern, before shaking her head with a smirk.
    "Ha ha, very funny guys, where did you put the speaker. You know I can't resist things like this." She lets out a hearty laugh, walking to take a look behind the pillar, wondering when they had the time to even set up such an elaborate prank. "And who did you get to fit through this passageway...?" She says a bit softer, not finding any other trace or clue that another being has been in here. I mean, it was the only logical explanation. That or sleep depravation, and dehydration had finally gotten the better of her and this is her untimely demise.
    She walks back to her original spot on the somehow lit aisle to the ancient yet somehow spotless book and eyes it over carefully. Her small hands reach forward and she touches the intricate details of the cover, before picking it up with such gentleness, like one would hold  newborn or fine china.
    "Einxcla-Jagheim?" She mutters under her breath, flipping over the cover, the book proving to be much heavier than it looks.
    "What is your name, child of the depths?"  She hears once more.  Again she hears the disembodied voice that spoke to her moments prior, but this time a wave of warmth and alertness percolated from the back of her head and down her spine.
    The tingles that run through her body, kind of freak her out but she remains where she stands and her voice waivers. "R-Rowan..." She says aloud, feeling a bit ridiculous and somewhat afraid of the voice she's hearing. Dear God, am I losing my mind? She thinks and waits to hear a response.
    "You are not losing your mind, Rowan.  I ask again: are you here to claim the power of Einxckla-Jagheim?"  The voice states.
    "I..I don't know who that is. What powers are you speaking of? Who even are you? And who is Einxckla Jagheim? Show yourself!" She demands, after her bounty of questions to the ominous voice inside her head. How the fuck did this thing just read my mind?!?!
    "I see."  The voice states.  "I am before you.  My name is Grimoire Beyaz, and I am of Einxckla-Jagheim, the embodiment of existence and creation.  There is much that you can learn, Rowan.  There is much that I can teach you, but before I can do that, we must sign a contract."  His voice is soothing and gentle as it echos from within the young woman's skull, a stark contrast of the cold and harsh cave in which she found herself.
    "Grimoire..?" She says the words aloud and then looks down at the hefty piece of reading material in her hands. "You're the book? Or are you in the book?" She ponders and she just shakes her head in disbelief. "Do you know how many cultures have Gods who embody 'Existence and creation?' Damn near every one of them. So forgive me, magic talking book, if I have a hard time believing any of this fever dream." She replies exasperated.  "What can you teach me, and why would  have to sign a contract? This all seems a little fast and kinda sketchy Grimoire Beyaz."
    "In time, I could aid in teaching you all things."  He states, his voice rising ever so slightly as a retaliation to her tone.  "As for Einxckla-Jagheim, it is the ruler of the domain you know as the physical world.  It is not your god, nor any others that have been fabricated on this planet, but it is existence itself."  He coos.  "The contract binds us together and grants you the abilities of Einxckla-Jagheim; it allows us to communicate with one another regardless of distance, and manifests a control over a power both terrifying and absolute."