The Main Character of the 992nd Story

Whenever a new chapter would open, the Book summoned chroniclers through their familiars. However, chapters open randomly. They did not follow a specific schedule. Rarely would a new chapter open as soon as the previous one closed. Sometimes, it would take days, months, years, even decades. One time, Lief had to wait for 90 years for a new chapter.

It had been three weeks since Lief’s 991st chapter closed. And he was once again spending his days in his study, staring blankly at books sprinkled all over the room, with his head resting on his palm.

There was a sound of something rolling on the floor. Lief looked down at a familiar wooden paintbrush spinning. It was the 120-year-old paintbrush that he got from a then-struggling, but now posthumously famous artist.

Cheddar, his golden brown cat familiar, came running from a corner, leapt, and kicked the paintbrush. The paintbrush flew to the opposite corner, and Cheddar rushed to chase it, stomping on a handful of the scattered books on his way, his claws tearing some pages. Cheddar jumped and caught the paintbrush with his paws.

Lief huffed, watching Cheddar use his entire fluffy body to wrestle with the paintbrush like his entire supply of snacks depended on it. It must be nice to be able to enjoy such menial things.

Cheddar released the paintbrush, then kicked it again. It rolled on the floor, evading the books, circling under the table, and halted as it bumped Lief’s shoes. Lief merely looked at the paintbrush.

“Hey, Human,” Cheddar said in his shrill voice. “Come on, kick the brush. Can’t you see I’m playing here?”

Lief sighed and softly kicked the paintbrush toward Cheddar, who quickly dived to grab it.

Lief buried his face on the table, thinking about how long he had to spend his days like this again. There was a time when he would spend his idle days having fun traveling to various places. He’d discover new things and even mingle—though only briefly—with people. Even now he could do that. Thanks to spending almost a hundred years learning about the trade of precious gems—and using a profuse amount of hearts to acquire the gems—he had saved quite a substantial amount of money. He could pack his bags and go anywhere any time. Lief didn’t know when exactly it started, but the allure of traveling and even ‘having fun’ itself just seemed to have vanished. Now, Lief simply waited for chapters to open. Stuck in his castle, with an overbearing menace of a cat.

“Meow…” The sound of the rolling paint brush stopped, followed by Cheddar’s continuous meows.

“Go get your own treats,” Lief grumbled.

Cheddar meowed again. And again.

“I said—” Lief turned to Cheddar, who was standing on his hind paws.

“Meow…” The cat’s orange eyes had turned blood red. “Human, we have a new chapter.”

Yes, finally. Lief clapped his hands. The Book appeared and fell on the table, covering the other smaller books. The Book opened, and the pages began to flip. The pages stopped at the newly produced blank page.

Lief pressed his hand on the page. Red hearts fluttered as Lief felt the familiar rush of a warm sensation, spreading throughout his body. The red light coming from the book enveloped Lief.

***

Lief opened his eyes to the smell of a crisp spring morning. His eyes scanned the surroundings. All around him were various types of flowers. Above was a high glass ceiling. At a corner was a marble fountain, and at the center of the place, near a long row of rose bushes, was an empty table and a pair of chairs.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

Lief quickly crouched, hiding behind the nearby pots of lilies.

Then, the door opened, and a young woman walked in, dressed in a very long beige dress that reached to the ground, her long black hair bouncing as she walked—or rather, stomped—her way, and her eyes…Lief carefully moved to take a closer look at her. Her eyes were bright green, deep-set, like one of those rare gems Lief kept in his stands.

Her gaze shifted left and right, seemingly taking in every bit of her surroundings. Lief studied her as she moved closer and closer to where he was hiding.

“Miss Aine,” spoke the maid who was behind her.

Aine, the name resounded in Lief’s head. What a weird name.