I enter my room dazed, while my top hat begins talking…

{Dear Owner, how would you like the draconic system to speak?}

“W-What are you? What is a-a draconic system?”

{Please answer the question. All else will come later.}

“P-Please treat m-me as a f-friend, I g-guess.”

{Understood. Changing tone.}

“Ahem. ‘Sup, Maxwell.”

“H-Hello, uh, what s-should I call you?”

“Well, you can give me a name.”

“Uhm, Dra-Drafold.”

“Hmm, that name. It reminds me of the name of a great dragon.”

“R-Really?”

“Well, it’s a long story, but I could tell you it if you want.”

“W-Well, I need to pack my stuff first.”

“Oh, I could do that!”

“Huh? R-Really? That’s a-amazing! Yes, please do, D-Drafold.”

Suddenly, out of my top hat came out a mana projection, similar to the horse that saved my life that day. The mana projection slowly began to take shape until it looked exactly like a small human, only that there was a tail sticking out from behind his eastern-style clothes.

“Ah, these clothes look a bit drab. How about adding a bit of shine?”

The dragon snapped, changing his clothes from a dull gray to a mixture of gold, black and green. He then began to pack my items.

“S-So what are you?”

“I am a direct link between you and the library of the mortals, a library containing the knowledge of all species, ranging from elves to humans, all except the angels and demons. Those are stored in the species’ region.”

“T-The Library of The Mortals?”

“Well, its official name is The Zmaragdos Library. It is a very dangerous library, as it contains the Forbidden knowledge of the Emeralds, knowledge which we’ve yet to decipher. We call that knowledge Zmaragdosian, hence the name.”

“I-I see. Why is it d-dangerous, though?”

“Maxwell, there was once a woman who was able to understand the language of the tablets completely. The moment she did, though, she began crying. She continued to cry and cry, and when asked why, she would reply, “All we’ve known is a lie.”. She proceeded to burn her books on the translations, all except one page, and that one page has drove the dragons to the point of advancement you see today. The most horrifying thing, Maxwell, was that she had written about only one tablet, and yet, she had written enough books to fill an entire cavern.”

“W-What happened to this woman?”

“Maxwell, she continued to cry until her tears turned to blood and continued to bleed until there wasn’t a drop of blood left. This woman we call Eve, named after the wife of Adam, as she was the first to eat from The Tree of Knowledge. Her real name, though, is engraved onto the tablet she had completely translated, but it is in the language of Zmaragdos, so unless you know how to speak Zmaragdos, nobody knows her real name. We do know one thing, though. Her husband was the very person who discovered mana and magic. They say that after her death, he began venturing into the lands of the angels and demons and disappeared completely shortly after.”

“O-Oh wow.”

“Yeah. Well, don’t be so down. You still have a bunch of other pieces of knowledge located in the Zamaragdos Library.”

“T-Thank you, but why did the E-Empress enchant you into m-my top hat?”

“Oh, that. Well, long story short, it was because she was drunk and was feeling way too creative while drunk.”

“Eh?!”

“Yeah, but know this is her best work yet. I just know it, since nobody would repay their saviour with something that they consider average.”

“Wow. I w-wish I could thank h-her.”

“Well, I’m done packing, so maybe we could visit her.”

“Really?!”

“Yep. Let’s go.”

Drafold snapped his fingers as I was sneaking out, and an instant later, a cloak had wrapped my clothes

‘Wow, this thing is pretty neat’

I thought to myself as Drafold lead me through some obscure alleys. All the while, though, I noticed the poor that were laying down on the ground. I couldn’t help but feel bad about them. I tried to ignore them, but then I found a girl lying on the ground with her bones almost visible. I couldn’t help but stop and tend to her for a bit. I took out a silver coin and looked around for a bakery. After finding one, I bought a dozen rolls of bread and gave the baker the coin. I walked outside and placed the basket in front of her. I made sure she began eating and left. I looked around and saw Drafold waiting for me around the corner. I ushered him to go ahead and so we continued the walk to the enchantress’s home. After many minutes, I arrived at shabby looking home with the smell of alcohol reeking out. I knocked at the door, and when nobody answered, I knocked again, but with more force. Perhaps to much.

“Yikes!”

“Yeah, I don’t think she’ll like that.”

I had accidentally punched through her door. And that was when I saw the enchantress staring right at me.

“H-Hello t-there.”

“...”

“S-Sorry a-about t-the d-door.”

“...”

“...”

“Alright, who are you kid?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“You broke my damn door! You think I wouldn’t ask who broke it?!”

“O-Oh, sorry. I-I am Maxwell M-Merlin Moriarty.”

“Well, Maxwell, what the hell are you going to do to fix my door?”

“I d-don’t know.”

“You don’t know?! You’re going to fix it!”

“Oh, o-okay.”

“Take these planks, nails, and hammer and begin working.”

She handed me three planks and six nails and a flimsy hammer. She went inside as I began hammering the door. After finishing everything, the clock became 7:30 PM. I snapped my fingers to clean myself and went inside to call for the lady, but instead of the lady, I found a long staircase leading down underground. After walking down the stairs, I found a set of two doors, with one open a bit. I peered through the crack and saw something a bit terrifying. The enchantress was communing with a demon. I opened the door and walked in quietly, making sure not to disturb the lady. The enchantress was floating in the air, cross-legged, as she was speaking with the demon in the Demonic Language. She didn’t seem to see me, and after calling out to her a couple of times, it seems she didn’t hear me either, so I decided to explore her little library. As I was looking at the books and their spines, I felt a whisper in my ear calling my name,

“Ma~xwell.”

I turned around, creeped out by the voice, but after finding no owner to the voice, I continued walking amongst the shelves. Suddenly, though, I heard rattling coming from my right. When I turned, I saw a black book between the shelves shaking vigorously. The book continued to rattle and shake until it felt in front of me. I picked up the book, surprised at what was happening before me, when I felt a searing pain in my mind. I felt the array The Professor had constructed beginning to tick, as if something woke up inside due to this black book. This burning pain, though, only intensified as that very apin began moving up to my eyes and pupils. Soon, my vision turned red as I suddenly felt the urge to read the book. I flipped open the book, scanned the page with my eyes and flipped to the next page. I kept doing this until I reached the last page, and when I did, all I did was feel disappointment.

I wanted to read more.

I then noticed that there were tears on my face. I took out a napkin and wiped them away. I turned to throw the napkin away, when I noticed the napkin was black.

I had been crying black tears!

I brought tissue closer to inspect it better, when I noticed a looming shadow over me. I turned and saw the enchantress standing over me with a scowl.

“What the hell did you do?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“The Book! That damn Book!”

“I-I d-don’t understand.”

“Ugh, boy. I don’t have time to explain, but just know this. When you come back, I better be the first person you think of visiting!”

“W-Well, sorry, b-but I must v-visit my b-brother a-and then my f-father before you.”

“Well, then, um… Vist me as soon as possible, alright? If you take too long, I’ll come retrieve you. Here, take this… Oh, wait, that top hat… It’s the one I enchanted for Mr. Rester! He gave it to you?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Well, then, good. How about this, I’ll add a couple more enchantments and a tracker, okay?”

“O-Okay.”

“Good.”

The enchantress plucked the top hat right off my head and began enchanting it.

“E-Excuse me, but why are y-you helping me?”

“Don’t have the time to explain. Once we meet again and you have time, we’ll talk.”

“O-Okay.”

Suddenly, the room turned into a weird temperature, where if you thought it was cold, it became as hot as the sun, and if you thought it was hot, you were plunged into a cold that made you feel like you didn’t even exist.

Breathing became a workout in the room.

Then the room came back to normal. The enchantress then turned around and placed the top hat back on my head.

“There you go!”

“T-Thank Y-You V-Very M-Much!”

“Well, then, off you go!”

“W-Wait, actually, h-how did y-you kno-?”

“That’s my secret. Now off you go!”

I was pushed out of the house by the enchantress/dragon lady. I grabbed the top hat off my head and looked at it. It seemed to be glowing. I let out a tiny smile and placed the top hat back onto my head. I snapped as a cloak covered my whole body and began trudging onto the manor. Little did I know how much that tiny little hat and its enchantress were going to change my life.

I arrived at the manor out of breath. I stopped for a bit and began taking deep breaths when I heard something land next to me. It was my suitcase. I looked up and saw Drafold floating in the air, also out of breath.

“W-Where were you, D-Drafold?”

“Huff, Huff, I- hah, one sec. Ahem. I was rushing to get you your suitcase so you wouldn’t have to go inside to get it.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“Your welcome. Now let’s go! James and everyone else is waiting!”

“O-Okay.”

I grabbed my suitcase as Drafold sat on my shoulder.

“W-Wait, Drafold, won’t e-everyone see you?”

“Nope. I am only visible to you and whoever you allow me to be seen by.”

“Oh, that’s g-great!”

I ran over to the carriage, where I saw James standing, wearing his suit and everything, with a sword on his waist and a staff on his back. When he saw me, he began to smile as he held out his hand to grab my suitcase. I handed him my suitcase and walked into the carriage, remembering the nostalgic sight of a volley of carriages on the day that I left the orphanage. I walked into a private room and locked it.

“H-Hey, Drafold.”

“Yes, Maxwell.”

“Are y-you able to b-bring up one of the E-Emerald tablets?”

“Wait, what for?”

“I’d like t-to study them!”

“Wait, what?!”

“Plea~se?”

“Maxwell, I can’t! I worry about your mind and health!”

“P-Please?”

“No.”

“Just a b-bit?”

“No, Maxwell.”

“Please?”

(This went on for a while.)

“Please?”

“Fine! Here, take this tablet.”

“H-How many t-tablets are there?”

“There are around 100 tablet.”

“Wow, t-that’s a lot!”

“Well, not really. Each one is around the size of a large paper.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Actually, did you know that these tablets used to make up a book?”

“Whoa…”

“What’s even more interesting is that the book used to be part of an even bigger book called The Ruby and Sapphire Records.”

“What’s that?”

“It is a book that contains too much knowledge, so it was split up. One third of the book went to the demons, another third went to the angels, and the final third stayed with the mortals.”

“But what w-would happen if t-the tome was p-put back t-together?”

“No creature should be able to possess the Records. It has to much wisdom and knowledge for one to keep.”

“I-I see.”

While Drafold was saying all this, I was observing the tablet/page he had handed me. After looking at it for a while, I felt a searing pain in my eye yet again, but this time, the intensity was much higher. Suddenly, I lost control of my body, as something forced me to say to Drafold,

“Drafold, b-bring up all the E-Emerald Tablets.”

Drafold looked at me for a couple of seconds with a weird look in his eyes, when he slumped his shoulders and brought up the rest of the tablets. My body began to arrange the tablets into a certain order, and once my body did that, I regained my control, but the searing pain in my earring was still there, only stronger than before. I began scanning the tablets, absorbing the symbols, images, whatever, into my head, where I felt the array in my mind suddenly activate. I felt the words being absorbed, the symbols being deciphered, the images regain meaning. I felt my mind slowly tick faster, in a way that it had never before. Once I finished scanning the tablets, I felt my mind array and the pain in my eyes stop. At that moment, I felt my body go numb as I blacked out.

“-axwell! Maxwell, wake up! We’ve arrived.”

“Uhm, ugh. James?”

“Yeah Maxwell, it’s me. Get up! The duke’s waiting for you outside.”

“Oh, o-okay. I’ll be right out.”

I got up and fixed my clothes and straightened out my top hat. I was walking outside, when I saw James holding out to me a long object wrapped in cloth.

“Mr. Rester said he forgot to give you this.”

“Oh, I’ll thank him for it w-when I get back.”

I picked up the object and took off the cloth. What was revealed was a beautiful long cane made of a crimson colored wood with a black jewel the size of my palm at one end. I placed the bottom of the cane on the ground and walked out of the carriage. The moment I stepped out, I was greeted by the grandest estate, several times larger than any estate I’d ever seen. It was like a castle straight out of a fantasy, surrounded by a moat, which reflected the moonlight back onto the castle. In front of it was the draw bridge, where, in front of the bridge, stood the giant and muscular duke, wearing a simple suit, standing as straight as statue. I walked forward humbly, wherein the duke stretched out his hand and smiled.

“Hello, Maxwell. Welcome to my manor.”

His deep voice shook the air, causing the stones and pebbles nearby to jump of the ground into the air. I walked forward and grabbed his huge hand and smiled,

“H-Hello, your grace.”

“Well, now, don’t wait too long. Come inside. I’ll show you around.”

“Actually, your grace, I’d prefer to b-begin the operation now.”

“You don’t want to see the manor? I was going to show you the treasury and let you pick whatever gift you’d like. Trust me, this duke doesn’t skimp when it comes to gifts.”

“No thank you, your g-grace. I’d rather like to complete the operation now and in c-complete secrecy.”

“Ah, I see. Well, then, come in. Let me show you the patient.”

“Thank you, y-your grace.”

James and I followed the duke into the castle, after which I heard the enormous bridge begin to draw back up and the heavy steel doors slam shut, shaking the entire castle. The most important operation of my life had just begun.

(To Be Continued . . .)