After walking for far too long, Jake finally admitted that he needed to rest. His body ached and walking was becoming far more difficult the further they went. His right leg was growing numb and his left could hardly hold his weight anymore. Yae had swapped for Tul, who was the strongest out of the trio, which helped for a short time, but Tul wasn’t as good as a healthy leg. Jake’s eyes were also becoming near impossible to keep open. The weight tugging on his shoulders, his consciousness, and his heart were all making staying awake and alert fairly difficult. He needed to sleep.

Now, his stomach was even growling. The lunch he had prepared before leaving and the meals stored in small jars were lost during the battle with the Maedra. Leaving him with nothing but a dry mouth and an empty gut. What was supposed to be a simple and quick excursion had turned into something close to the worst possible scenario. All he could hope for now was to just not die.

Tul helped Jake to the wall and the boy slowly inched his way down against it. He winced, gritting his teeth as pain shot down his right leg. The trio looked over him with worrying eyes but there was little they could do. He sat as comfortably as he could on the cold rock and leaned back against it. While everything was cold, his body felt hot. The faint wet touch of the rock wall to his body was the closest thing to bliss he could ask for. He was just about to warn the others that he was going to rest for a bit but his mouth moved in a lazy mumble as his eyes eased shut.

Exhaustion dominated his mind and Jake succumbed to its inviting arms.

“Oh…? A guest?”

The heavy, dusty air of the cavern gave way to something far more crisp and clear. There wasn’t much more light than before but the room Jake found himself now in was significantly wider. Taller, too. So tall, Jake couldn’t see the ceiling from where he lay. Eight pillars stretched skyward, supporting the distant top of the room with their wide arms.

“And you even have the strength to form a body… Interesting.” The sound of a book snapping shut echoed loudly through the air. Jake groaned and struggled against gravity as he slowly sat up. In a brief moment of clarity, Jake found that he was either laying down, falling over, or getting knocked out a lot since he’d entered the world of magic. It was getting annoying.

To his surprise, Jake found himself sitting in sand. Compact sand which was almost smooth to the touch. An odd detail but he wasn’t in a desert. The space he was in was fully enclosed. The room around him had three levels to it, a complex space for something with no doorway. The sandy pit where he sat was surrounded by a tall wall, atop which stood the pillars supporting the ceiling. There were no stairs out of the pit and the walls were smooth and slick. At each corner of the pit, a cauldron full of fire burned to light the room just a bit.

At the far edge of the room straight in front of Jake was another raised platform, reached by the only stairs in the entire room. A throne was built at its peak and a figure sat within its cushions. A heavy, thick fog blinded Jake from being able to pick out any features of the individual but Jake could see at least their glowing green eyes. A candle was lit beside them. Said candle should have exposed what they looked like and it should have dispersed the black cloud but the disruption of Jake’s vision wasn’t localized to just the throne.

Beyond the edge of the pit, nothing was clear to see. That black fog lingered like a haze over everything. Even the cauldrons were blurred and dimmed by its thick grip. That was likely the reason Jake couldn’t see the ceiling- the fog blinded him from everything aside from the space around him. Likely on purpose.

Jake tried to open his mouth to speak. His jaw, though, didn’t budge. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his skull and his lips remained sealed. Confused, Jake at least tried to eke out some kind of noise.

Nothing. Not a peep emerged from his throat no matter how hard he struggled or wiggled. He couldn’t even lift his hands from the sand to try and feel his face. Something was keeping him bound in place.

“That must be your limit, then? Ah, a pity.” The voice from the throne was heavy and exerted pressure Jake found hard to listen to. Each word was like a clap of thunder against his skull. His ears hurt from just listening.

“And you were so close. Well, I think I can applaud you for even making it here.” The individual rose from their throne and lowered down onto the stairs. Their feet clicked with each step as they descended to the edge of the pit. They were tall, thin, and didn’t look too frightening. However, those green eyes were overwhelmingly dangerous. Jake felt his stomach tighten as he stared at them- instinctual fear. Much like when Jake first saw Chul.

“Oh! Now that I get a good look at you, you must be an Apostle of Hers. It makes sense now. The spell sending you to Her Library must have been disrupted somehow… Or it fired without intention. Hm…” The individual crossed their arms and stared down at Jake, for a long while.

“Either way, the fact you are here tells me that it’s nearly time. A shame. And you are still oh so young, innocent! Pure!” The individual began to laugh and raised their arms toward Jake. The two hands stretching towards him both began to glow- thumps and index fingertips both were tilted to form a triangle. A small purple flame ignited in the center of the shape. The fire burned brightly, and then a large sigil emerged within the flame.

“It would be a shame if I tampered with that purity, just a bit… Forgive me, boy, or thank me. The world is far too fragile for me to let things go along all according to their plan. It’s just not my thing.” The flame fluttered forward towards Jake. He watched it slowly fly across the sand until it was inches from his face. The sigil inside of the flame was complex, multi-layered, and formed out of a black fire within the purple. His eyes opened wide as he realized what kind of magic it was and he began to struggle against that which held him.

“Ah-ah! No struggling!” The individual wagged a finger as Jake began fighting to get away from the purple flame. It flared up brightly in his face and then plunged into his chest. Heat washed through his body as the sigil buried itself into his body. Pain seared through him. A loud. A muffled scream echoed from behind Jake’s sealed lips as he writhed in agony. As the sigil nestled inside of him and the pain continued, Jake collapsed into the sand.

All he could do was lay still. His lips trembled and his fingers dug into the sand. No tears came to his eyes, no matter how much he wanted to cry. The burning simply tore through his chest and he could feel it grip at his lungs.

“Perfect. Now, go be a menace for me. Would you? My sister may have seen greatness in you but I live for the day when that perfect face of hers twists with pain. Serves her right for locking me in this cell.” The individual began to laugh and cackle, the sound of pure chaotic joy ringing through the air as Jake’s eyes forcibly closed. The pain in his chest remained, but the laughter faded. When it was completely gone, Jake was left with only the burning pain.

The discomfort continued and Jake could do nothing but suffer as he waited to awaken in the cavern.

After agonizing in the dark for a long time, Jake’s eyes finally opened to a small surprise- there were more single-eyed individuals around him. Tul, Xul, and Yae were next to him, closer than Jake would have liked. A few paces away, five much larger individuals sat in a circle. They carried far larger stone weapons and even small shields crafted from what looked to be slabs of metal ore. There was little to no craftwork done to them but there was a sense that they understood the ore had stronger properties than standard rock.

A thundering headache split Jake’s skull again. He winced and groaned from the discomfort. Though, there was no pain in his chest. Whatever he had dreamt hadn’t followed him into the Overworld, so he left it at that. As a dream. Trying to comprehend all the things in the world was becoming far more than he cared to deal with. Ever since he met with the Gods, it was one thing after another with this place. The boring old days of running around in the sand and eating paias were looking a lot more alluring now that he was going through all this pain.

“Now what…?” He grumbled as he tried to assess the situation around him, all while cradling his head and wishing for the headache to go away. Xul and Tul looked to be vigilant of the new group but there was no violence so far. The other group was speaking to one another in their own tongue, and judging by how the other group was more heavily armed- Jake assumed they were higher in whatever hierarchy their kind belonged to.

“Jake.” Yae noticed Jake coming around and she turned her attention to him immediately. Her hand replaced his as she cast a warm healing spell on his head, helping relieve the headache for the moment. He thanked her and then slowly eased himself up to his feet. Tul and Xul jumped to their feet to help him.

“Careful,” Yae muttered, and Jake nodded as he steadied himself against the wall. He likely hadn’t been asleep for very long as fatigue still ripped at his muscles. His eyes didn’t feel any lighter, either. His empty stomach didn’t help. Yet, he wouldn’t let himself sleep any longer. He wanted to make some more progress now that he had some wind beneath him.

“Who are they?” Jake nodded towards the other group of five. Noticing that Jake had awoken, the one in the front grinned wide. He was missing a few teeth and the remaining ones were rotting out. The creature likely wasn’t one of the most desirable ones to be around.

“He Zara. They Warriors. Beast Fighters.” Yae spoke softly, whispering into Jake’s ear as if saying who they were too loudly might get her in trouble. Jake scoffed at the words and then reevaluated the group of five.

Beast Fighters, huh? Were these the types of individuals who would be sent out to fight the Maedra? Jake didn’t find them reassuring. If Jake had to rely on them in a fight, he doubted he would feel comfortable with his safety. Their gear looked rough, their weapons dull, and individually they didn’t look all that strong. Sure, their bodies were larger than Xul and Tul but it was mostly fat. They were nothing compared to the few Adventurers he had seen pass through the village. Even the worst of the Adventurers at least knew to take care of their gear.

“Why are they here? What do they want?” Now that he knew who they were he was curious to learn why they were here. Jake hadn’t asked the other three why they were wandering around yet but they were at least helpful so he didn’t mind them. These new faces didn’t look as friendly.

“You.” Tul spat out, and with quite a bit of grit through his teeth. For a second Jake didn’t understand. Then it dawned on him- he wasn’t from down in this place and while to Xul, Tul, and Yae, Jake might seem like a change in their lives. The other group might just see him as fresh meat. A gourmet meal was being presented to them from the surface.

“To eat?” Jake asked, trying to find specifics. If they wanted meat to eat, then it would make sense. But Jake wanted to be sure before making a decision.

“Slave,” Xul mumbled and shook his head. He lightly grabbed onto his spear and made a stroking motion with it.

Slave. Sex Slave.

Jake’s eyes narrowed and he instantly created a fireball in his right hand. It flared a bright blue color and he primed the spell to fire. Seeing the cast, the five Warriors took battle stances. Tul’s eyes shot open and Xul quickly moved out of the way. Yae, however, placed a hand on his shoulder and stood in front of him.

“No. Violence bad. Warriors important.” Yae pleaded and tried to calm Jake but the boy hissed and glared at the five Warriors.

“Yea? I’m not about to become a slave. I’ll roast ‘em just like I did the Maedra.” Jake sought the strongest out of the five and looked for the one he should strike first. He wasn’t about to waste time fighting a bunch of throwaways, so he figured killing their leader would end the squabble on the spot. However, Yae didn’t move from her spot. Instead, she backed away and put herself in the middle of the two sides, arms raised to make as big of an obstacle as she could.

The best part? She kept her pleading eyes focused on Jake- not the Warriors. That seemed to irritate them. Zara, their leader, growled and spoke in their tongue. Tul suddenly laughed and then pointed in the direction they had come. Jake heard the word ‘Makaesh’ and then saw the five Warriors stiffen. Tul grinned at their reaction and then bowed his head as he moved out of the way.

“No. No fight.” Even as Jake looked for a way to sling his fireball around Yae, she was determined to stay in the way. He doubted she’d stay still if he threw it. From how serious her face was, she would likely try to swat at the fireball or even jump in front of it to ensure the Warriors behind her didn’t get hurt. While Jake didn’t particularly have any attachment to any of them- killing an innocent bystander didn’t sit well with him.

And he was far too weak to deal with the mental aftermath.

Jake squelched the fire and sighed, shaking his head as he turned away. Yae smiled and then turned to face the five Warriors. She wagged an angry finger at them, likely scolding them. Zara scoffed, his eyes glaring at Jake as he lowered his weapon and shield. Xul let out a huff and Tul laughed again, only to shut his mouth when Zara shot him an angry look.

“I have to keep moving.” Jake checked his legs and found walking to be a bit easier now. His leg didn’t hurt as much and he could put more weight down on it. While it was still sore and ached, he figured he could at least trudge along at a quicker pace now. Any quickness in his steps was welcomed, as Chul likely was in a far worse position. If anything, Chul likely had handled the Maudrake and the Maedra that might have come down from the tunnel. If he had enough mana, Jake hoped the Arachkin had put up a barrier and was waiting or looking for Jake.

“No. Rest more.” Yae tried to grab at him but Jake held up a firm hand as he started walking. He didn’t argue with her nor did he care to. He hobbled along and this time, walked on his own. Yae rushed up next to him and offered her shoulder again only for him to ignore her. She was getting too comfortable with him and Jake wasn’t liking it.

He didn’t know these people. He didn’t understand their language and he didn’t understand why they were kind to him. They had saved him and spared him from drowning to death but that was the extent of their relationship. Jake was hoping to keep it that way. Ever since he’d woken up all they'd done was cling to him. If it was because they were scared of the dark or because of the Maedra, then they had no excuse now- their Warriors were here. If it was out of worry for him then such a worry was unfounded. He would be fine on his own. He could manage the pain now and he could walk. Jake was more confident fighting the Maedra since he’d done it once and he doubted they would be any use in a fight anyways. They should just leave.

And yet she remained at his hip. Tul and Xul stayed a few paces behind, following close enough to catch him if he fell. The others trailed like predators waiting for their prey to bleed out.

“Why are you bothering me?” Jake asked in a huff. He didn’t look at Yae when he asked, not wanting to see her face or her expression.

“Help.” She answered bluntly and then she lightly grabbed his arm. Jake tore it away and glared at her.

“Why? What am I to you? A stranger! There’s no reason for you to be here! No reason for you to follow me! What do you want?!” Jake snapped and turned to face Yae. Tul and Xul looked at one another. The five warriors chuckled amongst each other, watching with greedy eyes. Jake quickly generated a pair of fireballs at his waists and glared at Yae as he demanded an answer.

She flinched and stepped back.

Lacking the same fear, as if knowing Jake meant only to intimidate, Tul stepped forward. “Smell like us.” Tul placed himself between Yae and Jake. He tapped his spear on Yae’s back and then pointed at her hands. The two exchanged a few words before Yae finally raised her hands. In her palms, a tiny ball of green mana formed together. It looked like Dragon’s Blood from its color. “Yae Sensed it in You.”

Yae struggled, her eyebrows knitting together and her lips trembling as her body shook. Tul gave her a light tap and she finally relaxed. The mana vanished, fizzling out. It was a weak and meager showing but it did the job. She was a mage.

“You can sense mana?” Jake asked. Yae nodded.

“Am Thuma. Can smell mana. You smell same.” She mumbled, folding her hands together as she looked away.

So, that was it then. Jake had assumed it was the case since Yae was able to use some kind of healing magic if that was what it could be called. Her magic was managing to help him with his recovery. However, her spells seemed to either only have a time limit to them or they only suppressed pain. He wasn’t exactly sure of what she was doing to him. His headache was gone, for now. How long it would stay that way likely depended on how long it would be until he ate or drank.

“What’s a Thuma?” Jake was making a lot of assumptions right now but he wanted to be sure.

“You, Thuma.” Tul pointed at him and Jake had his answer. A Thuma was a mage, and Yae was able to detect mana in other beings. If they lived down here then they had likely adapted to survive alongside the Dragon Vein. Much like Chul, that adaptation likely allowed them to use Dragon’s Blood. Now that Jake could use it too, he must have given off the same mana as their kind did. Yae must have perceived that as him being friendly.

Quite the luck of the draw with that guess. If Jake had been more violent, they might have all been killed. He’d keep that one to himself, though.

“I see. Now that you know I’m not one of you, why are you still following me?” While the initial meeting now made sense- what didn’t was their attachment. Now that Zara and his little bandits had shown up, Jake guessed those five had been sent out to find these three, or to be back-up if something happened. Or maybe they were even sent to deal with that group of Maedra. A suicidal choice seeing as Jake himself nearly died to that small horde. Zara’s group would’ve just been fodder.

“Curious.” Tul shrugged.

“You, hurt,” Yae said.

“Bored,” Xul said bluntly.

They answered at the same time and Jake only felt more tired. The only one that made sense was Yae’s answer and even then he didn’t like it. Xul’s passive answer and honest lack of care for the entire situation made him come off as more aloof than Jake originally found him to be. It was as though he was here just for the momentary change in his life. Tul at least was looking for something to do and he wanted to get something out of this. Dealing with them was going to be tiring if he got too involved.

“Fine, fine! Do whatever you want.” Jake waved them off, his mind too scrambled to put together any kind of counterargument. The three of them were all over the place and didn’t make much sense to him. He had expected something more courageous or worthwhile for a response. All he got were the childish answers he might have given to his Auntie just to get out of trouble.

The group was now a solid nine strong, and Jake led the way with his shaky footing and heavy steps. Those behind him were a lot quieter. There was the faint slapping of feet against rock but there was no heavy clinging, rowdy breathing, or unnecessary banter. They were quiet and alert, well aware of the threat in the tunnel. Their steps likely would be passed off as the sound of the flowing essence to those not attuned to the noise. It made Jake’s steps sound much louder than they probably were. It was a bit painful on his ears, especially knowing there could be Maedra anywhere nearby.

The further they walked, his ears only became more focused on the shuffling and grunting coming from his problematic stride. Even though much of the path was lit by Sprites and there were no signs of Maedra, he wasn’t a fan of attracting attention again. He doubted he could survive another fight, nor would he be able to sleep afterward. The Five Warriors would snatch him up in his weakened state.

“Close,” Tul said softly, and Jake nodded. The first good news in a while. Though, that good news was spoiled by the stench of rotten flesh again. This time, there was no sound of crunching or howling. Just the lingering smell in his nose. Along with the scent, he felt a faint breeze on his cheeks.

Contradictory to the smell, more Sprites in the area caused the pathway ahead to be almost entirely lit up and Jake could see no Maedra in sight. The further they walked, the more aware he became of the smell. It was bothering him quite a bit that there was no enemy to see. His anxiety began to spike as he worried over whether the Maedra were capable of an ambush. After a long bend, the tunnel came to an end with still no Maedra in sight. Jake advanced cautiously, exiting the tunnel and into the next space.

The anxiety Jake felt dropped a bit as he recognized where he was. The room beyond was wide, open, and familiar. It was the cavern with the Dragon’s Vein in it. The problem?

Jake was on the opposite side and while he could see the Dragon’s Vein- he couldn’t see past it. He was far enough away that the Dragon’s Vein was in the distance. The essence pool stretched out towards the Vein and then curved around to the right, likely to where Chul and Jake had originally come down into the area. From what he could surmise, Jake had floated the entire distance of the pool and a long distance down that essence river. The amount of time that must have taken… Jake’s free hand curled into a fist.

In addition to being super far away and entirely separated, Jake spotted the sources of the smell. There were Maedra on a few small islands dotting the top of the essence pool and a few were even attached to the ceiling. Not only would he have to somehow cross the pool, but he also needed to deal with them at the same time. A setback he hadn’t prepared for.

“Chul,” Jake mumbled and gripped the wall. His fingers were too weak to dig into the tough stone so all that happened was the flexing of muscle, but it helped with his frustration. If he wanted to get across the essence pool, he either needed to climb, dig or swim.

And he couldn’t do any of the three. Yet.

“I need to cultivate.” Jake retreated into the tunnel. He moved a short distance away from the cavern and sat down against the wall. Tul and Xul looked at him oddly, confused at what he meant. Yae, on the other hand, wasted no time plopping down next to him. The Five Warriors talked among themselves before Zara finally stepped up. Jake was wondering when they’d take their chance.

“No. You fight. Me Hungry and Horny.” Zara grinned and chuckled. Yae shot the Warrior an annoyed glance.

“I don’t care about either.” Jake assumed his relaxed position and placed his hands neatly on top of his knees. He heard footsteps approach and opened his eyes to see Zara stopping in front of him.

“Hungry, and Horny,” Zara repeated, making sure to enunciate his intention, eliciting a laugh from his companions. Zara himself chuckled and pulled open the cloth wrapped around his waist. Doing so exposed his loins. The thick meat which dangled between the Warrior’s thighs dangled mere inches from Jake’s face. The boy, though disturbed and grossed out by the stench that defiled his nose, was far more focused on his friend to care.

“I help.” Yae suddenly spat out and stood up. Jake grabbed her wrist and shook his head. He held her firmly in place as he carefully got to his feet again.

“No.” With another light pull, Jake coaxed her back and had her stand beside him, out of the way. In the new space, Jake cast Wind Wall in front of himself and Yae. The air between him and Zara split open from the heavy gale. The air howled.

Zara stepped away to avoid being harmed and quickly readied his weapon. More prepared for the follow-up and not having to deal with a similar barrier, Jake calmly fired off a Wind Ball. It crashed loudly into Zara’s shield, tearing into the ore and cutting up the attached arm. The Warrior staggered backward a few paces from the force of the impact, closer to the river. He regained his footing but the next spell came too quickly. Jake had waited for the Warrior to regain his balance before hitting him again. The second impact shoved him over the edge and his large body splashed into the waiting flow of essence.

“Zara!” The remaining warriors shouted in surprise and fright as they all hurried to the edge of the river. Zara emerged a short way down and he was able to drag himself out of the essence. His four lackeys rushed to him to help, only to be met with an angry swing of his spear as Zara roared up onto his feet. Unwilling to accept defeat, he leveled his shield and rushed toward Jake for a second round.

Jake happily obliged. He summoned several Wind Balls at once and threw them all at the Warrior, spacing them out to at least give him a chance. The Warrior swatted two out of the way and blocked a few with his shield. After holding his ground against a couple, the Warrior grew confident and advanced on Jake with his shield up. Jake’s spells were unrelenting as the boy let the Warrior close in. He aimed for the Warrior’s face, forcing the creature to keep the ore-like shield in view.

Once Zara was close enough, Jake shot three Wind Balls simultaneously. One struck the shield, another struck Zara’s weapon arm, and the third crashed into the Warrior’s leg just below the knee. Surprised and unprepared, Zara’s eye shot open. The impact caused Zara to lose his weapon and his leg folded from beneath him. A fourth ball hit the off-balance warrior from the side as he stumbled and finished the job. At speed, Zara slammed into the wall headfirst. Concussed and with no more fight, his body slumped to the floor.

Jake sat back down and Yae sighed at his side. The four other warriors kept their distance, frozen in place either out of fear or awe. Xul walked over to check on Zara and gave him a nudge with the butt of his spear. Zara remained motionless. Xul knelt to do a deeper investigation and then raised a thumb. Zara was still breathing apparently. The four warriors sighed in relief and rushed over to their leader while Xul backed away, returning to Tul.

“Alive.” Xul declared before sitting down next to Yae. Yae seemed torn between whether or not she should help Zara, her eye moving between Jake and Zara. Jake wasn’t about to tell her what to do. He simply sent his attention inwards and plunged his focus into his mana flow. He triggered the Library sigil and let his consciousness slip from the tunnel.

The smell of vast wisdom and knowledge filled Jake’s nose as he emerged from the Library. The familiar white walls welcomed him, as did the peaceful silence of isolation. No other strange creatures, no Maedra, no oppressive weight of the Vein. Only rows upon rows of books. Jake had taken this place for granted.

“First time I’m here for something other than just casual practice,” he muttered. Jake stepped off the magic sigil and walked into the center of the main room. His eyes drifted up, peering towards the distant skylight- one that radiated pure white light but showed nothing beyond the glass. The sight in front of him seemed a bit different this time. It had a different feel to it.

“Is this what Ferynith built the Library for…?” He stared at the glass. For some reason, thinking that way made him feel so sad. All, or most, of the knowledge in the Overworld, was collected in one place. It held many answers to questions he didn’t even know to ask. It covered topics so broad and diverse he didn’t even know where he might start.

Not a speck of dust gathered here. The books never withered and the pages never creased. A Library stuck in time, frozen in place. Thousands upon thousands of words were permanently etched into the pages here. So many of those pages would never, ever, be read. Unless Jake found he needed to pluck a book off the shelf, he never would. How many unanswered questions lingered in this place? Answers to things no one thought to ask.

“It would take far too long to read all of it…” Jake sighed and stepped up to the closest bookshelf. On one shelf alone, over a hundred books sat on the thick wood. Their spines had a variety of colors and languages, thicknesses, and heights. Each book held its knowledge and had a tale to tell. To read just one shelf, he couldn’t even think of how long it would take him to read everything. Not only that- he would also have to understand, comprehend, and be able to absorb what the book held. If it needed to be translated, then it would take even longer. If he didn’t know the language, then just reading was out of the question. A waste of knowledge.

“If only I could understand every language…” He muttered, his fingers running over the spine of a book with a foreign, unreadable name to it. The letters were nothing but symbols. They were very pretty, however. Jake wondered if the language reflected that beauty.

“That would take quite a bit of time.”

Jake didn’t jump at the sound of the new voice but his head did snap towards it. A woman dressed in a pale blue dress stood at the end of the shelf, holding a short stack of books just beneath her chest. A brown cloak covered most of her body. The hood was down, exposing her elven ears, golden hair, light green eyes, and a wide smile. Pretty in a different way.

“Who are you?” Jake found himself asking that question a lot today. So many new faces. Would he be able to remember all of them?

“I’m Seria. It’s been quite a while since I’ve bumped into another visitor to the Library, and you’re quite young. That’s certainly a treat.” Seria placed the small collection of books she was holding down onto a nearby table with another stack that was already there. Jake stole a look at their spines and found three different languages in the stack. Could she read them all? If she couldn’t, why did she have them?

She turned around after organizing a few of the books, her smile lingering. “And your name?”

“Uh, I’m Jake.” He choked for a moment. “Can you read all of those books?” He pointed at her stack, the book stack, and she nodded.

“I can! I know this many languages!” Eager to show off, her hands shot up in front of her. Seven fingers unfurled from her fists. After doing his count, Jake’s eyes widened as he stared at her. Jake was jealous. She could read seven languages, which broadened the amount of knowledge she had access to. Unlike Jake, Seria could take even more advantage of this Library.

“Miss Seria is a special case!” A fairy appeared from around the corner. The fairy was green in color and her hair was coiled into a bun. A thick pair of glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, with a pair of green eyes shining behind them. She wore a leafy green dress and wore no shoes.

“You always say that, Ril!” Seria huffed and planted her hands on her hips, puffing out her ample chest. “Anyone can become as verbose as I! Through dedication and reading lots of books!” Seria seemed to radiate energy for a moment and Jake was unsure of how to take that.

“Uh, what?” The boy glanced up at the fairy, hoping she would help. Ril held up her arms in the shape of an X.

“Nope!” She denied the aid and floated backward.

“Read!” Seria sighed. “Just… read more books. You can learn anything if you just open a book and read it.”

Jake looked at the large stack of books. At least her love of books answered the question as to why she had so many. “I feel like there’s more to learning a new language than just reading books on it,” he said.

Seria raised an eyebrow and stared down at him. “Obviously. You need to understand the words, sentence structure, grammar, particles, and context. There’s a lot to a language. Of course, just reading won’t be enough, but it’s a start.”

Seria turned to her stack of books. Her eyes glazed over the few stacks as she searched for one in particular. When she found it, she pulled it free from the tower it was buried within and then held it out towards Jake. “Take Seraphym for example.” Jake noticed that the lettering was the same pretty lettering he had seen before.

“Seraphym is an unspoken language and is thought to be the language of the Gods themselves. It’s very complicated and there aren’t a lot of books on it, so while you may be able to learn how to read Seraphym, it will take a lot more than just books to become fluent in the language.”

Jake took the book she had offered to him and stared at the cover; A Step Towards Godhood- The Language of the God Realm.

“Quite the pretentious title,” Jake spat. He offered to return the book but she pushed it back towards him with a smirk.

“The Seraphym were thought to be very full of themselves. Something about being the best Wizards and Mages in the universe or something, but I think it’s just a bunch of nonsense.” Seria walked up to Ril and gathered the books that the fairy had brought. Ril bowed her head and then excused herself, quick to leave before being given another task.

“How so? Who were the Seraphym?” Jake flipped through the book, looking for a drawing of some kind. There wasn’t one.

“Oh, have you not learned about the history of the Overworld?” Seria stared at Jake again. Seeing his blank expression, she smiled and fished out another book. “Here’s another one. It’s not quite a history book but it tells the tale of the world and the civil war between the Seraphym and the Myr.”

Jake’s mind reeled as she handed him another thick book, this one titled The Fall of the Angels. She might have loved books but Jake wasn’t fond of them. He read them to learn and become a better mage. He didn’t do it for leisure.

“I don’t think I could stomach reading this much,” he muttered. He felt bored just looking at how many pages there were. Seria laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You are a Mage, aren’t you?” She flashed him another smile, her ears twitching. Jake swallowed a lump in his throat, then nodded. “Knowledge for a Mage is strength. Knowing spells, knowing sigils, runes. Knowing our enemy. The history of the Overworld and the birth of Magic is an essential bit of knowledge that all mages must know, lest we make the mistakes of our ancestors.” Seria moved to the table and placed her hand on one of the tall stacks of books.

“Reading what they did, how magic came to be what it is today, learning the why- it is all there to provide us in the present with how to move forward. Both good and bad things are written in these texts. It is our duty as mages of the present to carry that knowledge forward and to teach the next generation.” Seria seemed proud of her little rant, as she smiled throughout. Jake, still wary of having to read, didn’t feel inspired.

“I understand that we read to become better, but why is history so important?” Jake plucked the history book up and held it up. “Why do I need to learn about the Seraphym or whatever they’re called?”

Seria’s brow furrowed as she stared at him. “Do you know why the Seraphym and the Myr went to battle, you innocent child?”

“N-No?” Jake blinked as her tone grew serious. Seria stared at him, then glanced around to see if there were any fairies nearby. Satisfied, she grabbed another book from the table and carried it to Jake. It had a darker tone to its cover.

“I’ll give you a headstart. The civil war of the Gods started when a faction of Seraphym became curious about the Overworld. Originally, the Seraphym lived on the God’s Plane much like how the lower class and nobles live. The Gods watched over the Seraphym, allowing the Seraphym to cultivate their magic unhindered. Far below the God’s Plane, the Overworld developed separately and in a much less desirable environment.” Seria plucked the history book from Jake’s hand and then sat the dark tome on top of the language book. She opened the history book to a drawing of the three realms and then sat it down on Jake’s stack as she spoke, giving him a visual.

“In time, some Seraphym grew curious of the Overworld and split off to learn of the magic down here. I’ll skip some details but eventually, a war broke out. The faction down here was labeled Myr. The Myr, having lost the protection of the Gods, couldn’t defeat the Seraphym in a straight fight. So, they developed a new kind of magic.” Seria paused, slapping the book closed and stepping away. Figuring it had to do with the dark tome she had given him, Jake rotated the books until it was on the top of his stack.

Origin of Black Magic- the Blood of the Myr.

“Black magic…?” He muttered. Seria nodded.

“Dark magic, as it is known now. It’s the direct opposite of Light magic. Curses, blights, necromancy. The typical dark, spooky kind of stuff people tell nightmares and scary stories about. It’s very powerful and very scary stuff. I don’t ever recommend learning it or trying to use it, as the cost of it is very high. But!” Seria raised a finger. “Knowing what it is and learning how to protect yourself against it is very important.”

Jake scratched at his head, again unsure of what to do with that. He didn’t know if he would ever have to deal with Dark magic nor for what reason he would need to learn those kinds of spells. It was an element he had an affinity for, of course, but it was one he had never really thought about learning or figuring out. Now that he had a slight handle on what it could do, he felt even less inclined to study it.

Then again… Seria wasn’t lying. Knowledge was power. Maybe there was something in there he might be able to use in the future. For now, though, he returned to the other matter at hand.

“So if the Seraphym don’t like to interact with the Overworld, that means they aren’t here, right?” The Seraphym lived on the God’s Plane, which placed them outside of the normal order of life. Except for reading texts about the history of the Overworld, Jake didn’t see the benefit of learning their language.

“Incorrect!” Seria grinned and giggled. “The Seraphym have Temples located high up in the very seclusive White Mountains. They keep to themselves and have erected barriers to keep most races out. Only High Elves and the purest of Humans can approach their Temples. Everyone else just bumps into an invisible wall.”

Seria held up a finger to pause the conversation as she once more dug out yet another book. This time, she just held it up. It was on Light magic. “Learning Seraphym means learning Light magic, and Light magic is one of the stronger elements. It’s very useful for erecting barriers, recovery, and healing, can be used against Creatures of the Dark, and several physical enhancement spells are way, way powerful.”

Well, that answered part of his question. “Okay, then is there any other reason other than Light magic?”

“Of course! Because I want to.” She grinned wide and giggled again. She stared down at the book, her fingers brushing over its aged cover. “Languages only survive because people use them. Since the Seraphym usually don’t ever leave their Temples, translators are highly sought after because of how few they are. Many texts from the Old Age have been found and a handful of them are in Seraphym. If I can learn their language, then I can read those texts!”

“Why not just bring them to the Seraphym to be translated?” Jake found it odd that someone would learn a language to translate it when the people who spoke it were still around. Though, Seria found the question funny for some reason. She laughed, loudly.

“Oh, you fool! What if one of those texts just so happens to be the secret behind their barriers?” Her laughing subsided after a bit. Jake felt his face get hot out of embarrassment, but he at least thought he was correct somewhat.

“It’s okay. We may not always like the answer, but questions are important to ask. Like it or not, you’ve learned something, haven’t you?”

Jake rolled his eyes and she giggled again.

“If you ever have any questions about languages or if you need help reading something, don’t be afraid to seek me out. Ril, the fairy from earlier, has a gem that will notify me. I might be busy but I’ll be sure to stop in and see what I can help with.”

“A gem?” Jake raised his eyebrow. Seria nodded.

“Yup! I got tired of missing people because of how odd the time is here, so I created a communication trinket. It’s just a small gem with a sigil embedded in it. When you apply a bit of mana, it’ll trigger the gem on the other end. You can’t send words or anything, but it’ll tell me the person on the other end is looking for me. Pretty nifty, don’t you think?” Seria held out the gem she carried and Jake moved forward to observe it. It looked similar to Thaedraun's Finder Gem because of the sigil inside of it. The sigil was much different, though, as its purpose was different. Maybe the technique was more common than Jake originally thought.

“Thank you, Miss Seria. I’ll be sure to reach out if I need help.” Jake stepped back and bowed his head. Seria jumped a bit.

“Oh!” She bowed a bit awkwardly and smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t know your culture did that.”

“Ah, it’s fine.” Jake waved it off and smiled. “Take care.”

“You too! It was nice meeting you!”

Seria waved for a bit while Jake walked away and the boy returned the gesture. He left for the study room and dropped the three books down on the table inside.

The boy had come to the Library this time to learn rock magic or some kind of magic that would help him cross the essence flow. Bumping into Seria was an unforeseen event but it was a good one to have. Otherwise, Jake would have been at a loss when it came to language in the future. Learning Seraphym would become a necessity at some point and Seria had at least pointed him in the right direction of where to start when that time came.

For now, he needed to remain focused on getting to Chul. Light and Dark magic would come later.