It wasn't just a book to him; it was the final piece of a puzzle. Elizabeth Knight’s series had become his escape during a long, lonely winter, and he had heard that the latest installment contained a hidden "Easter egg"—a set of coordinates woven into the prose that supposedly led to a real-world prize left by the author.

The glowing cursor blinked on Leo's screen, taunting him. He had been scouring every digital corner of the web for a specific file:

The coordinates weren't just in the book; the book was the invitation. Elizabeth Knight wasn't just a writer; she was a recruiter. And Leo had just passed the first test.

Leo opened the file. But as the pages loaded, his breath hitched. The text didn't start with Chapter One. Instead, it was a single sentence in bold, black ink: