The pages are indeed black, but the words are a shiny grey, almost like it was written in a silver-metallic ink. You are surprised to see the contents are in English letters, although a bit disappointed too. I mean, shouldn't a real magic tome be written in runes, or a foreign language, or something else exotic?
However, even though it is written in English, the font looks like handwriting, albeit script that is so neat you might think it printed. Also, the wording appears to be archaic, definitely not modern phrasing. You begin to wonder if this is some D&D prop or a collectible for fantasy lovers. It seems too fancy to be a normal book, but too pristine to be a real "magic" book. Still, you have it for the night, you might as well glance through it for kicks.
While there is no title on the cover, there is a title page:
"THE STYGIAN SCRIPTURE"
Well, that sounds ominous. "Stygian," that refers to the River Styx, right? Something to do with the underworld and the dead and all that? And why "Scripture?" Wasn't this a magic book? You pause for a bit. After all, curiosity killed the cat, right? What if there was more to this than that kitschy store suggested? Shaking your head, you dismiss your concerns. After all, it was just a hole-in-the-wall in a normal shopping mall, nothing to indicate a connection with the great unknown.
Gathering up your nerve, you turn to the next page, which seems to be a table of contents of sorts. You skim over the categories there and your brow begins to furrow. Is this for real? It has topics like...