The Legend of the Hiking Wizard

Iris, Bard, and Lulu decided to travel back to Snowbell in hopes of capturing the witch for some answers.

They had a town view up ahead, Stonevalley and as they walked closer, Iris instructed Lulu to keep an eye on Bard as she looked for a place to stay. 

Bard kept Lulu hidden in his vest as he walked through the busy streets of the market district on foot with Fern. As he was looking around, a couple of kids ran by, pushing Bard into an ally, startling Fern.

Lulu concerningly whispered to him, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was just a little fall." Bard got up as he dusted off the dirt and noticed that there was a wooden door with unlit torches on each side with a sign that read The Infinite Bookstore.

He looked around before patting Fern to stay put and cautiously opened the creaking door to go inside.

The store was cramped, with three columns of shelves that seemed to stretch to no end. It felt unsettling considering the low light from the candles around and there was a desk on the right with a golden handbell, but right when Bard was about to touch it, a man in a deep voice spoke up.

"Welcome young man."

Bard looked behind and huffed a breath in relief.

"Ah...thank you."

He was tall, wearing a navy blue cloak with a pointed hat, and had a thin pair of glasses. On his shoulder was a snowy owl hooting. The man walked up to him with a small jar that had rope tied around like a handle. 

"If you could please place your friend in the jar to avoid a tragedy I would greatly appreciate it."

As Bard takes the jar and is about to ask how he knew about Lulu, she comes out of hiding with an attitude. 

"Hey! I'm not going to be treated like some kind of lantern!" 

Her yelling made the owl shriek to attack, scaring Lulu but it stopped midair, glowing blue. 

"As the owner of the store, I ask all customers to comply with the rules or else..."

Lulu gulped as she flew inside the jar willingly that Bard had opened and the man released the owl. It regained its balance and flew next to the desk to perch on a wooden stick.

"Only people who wield magic can see and enter the bookstore. I tend to travel a lot to avoid customers though."

Isn't that counterproductive? 

"My partner Earl also has a keen sense towards magical beings."

"Um...well I'm sorta new to this magic stuff. I didn't know I was a wizard until recently."

"I see...follow me." 

The man commanded as he walked down the dark corridor with a blue orb as a light source and Bard walked right behind him.

"So...does this make you a wizard too?"

"Yes, my name is Everard. Since the burning demise of the wizard academy, my ancestors went to great lengths to restore and preserve tomes and other magic materials."

Lulu exclaimed, "Then you must know Iris!"

"I do, we've once before."

Everard went on to say that, unlike Iris, he had no interest in battling witches because it meant leaving behind the bookshop, and hadn't found an apprentice yet. He stopped right in front of the shelf of books and one in particular started to glow a soft yellow light. As Everard hands over the book to Bard, it stops glowing.

"The Entries of Magi...?"

"They say that magic items glow in the presence of their rightful owner. I wholeheartedly believe that to a certain extent."

Bard tries to open the journal but notices that it has a keyhole.

"Do you have the key?"

"No, I do not. The Entries of Magi is a journal from a mysterious young man who refused to enroll in the wizard academy despite being a promising student. He is known as the Hiking Wizard."

"The Hiking Wizard?"

"Oh, I've heard of the Hiking Wizard! According to legend, he left Idris to travel the world and secretly brought down corrupt figures who abused their townspeople!" 

"Correct. It's safe to assume that he has passed now, but left behind a bit of his knowledge. The journal has chosen you, I'm sure it will reveal its secrets soon enough."

Everard's words deeply weighted on Bard's shoulders as he looked at the journal, but thanked him nonetheless. They started to walk back to the front and Earl began to hoot again. 

"It seems like Iris is looking for the two of you now."

Bard nodded, but before reaching out the door again, Earl landed on his arm with a letter on his beak.

"Make sure she reads this and tell her I said hello."

"Will do Everard, thanks again."

As Bard closed the door behind him, the brick walls around began to extend their lines as the wood itself turned into stone and the torches disappeared along with the sign.

"They you are! Lulu, didn't I tell you to keep a better eye on him? C'mon now, I found us a great place to rest."