1. The Eternal Library (Pt. 2)

“That’s your first word?” She raised an eyebrow, staring at him with a disappointed look on her face. Jake raised his hands and shrugged. The woman, or fairy(?) sighed and her wings unfurled from behind her. They fluttered to life, lifting her body off the edge of the table so that she could stand on it.

She stood barely a foot high and was the definition of a “yellow fairy”. She had tiny, beady red eyes and she wore red lipstick to match. Her neat hair was a bright yellow, matching the aura she radiated and the color of her semi-translucent wings. She wore a very light pink one-piece dress and a pair of tiny pink heels to go with it. Her legs were covered by white stockings, but they were sheer and easy to miss. The woman adjusted a pair of glasses that were set perfectly atop a sharp and characteristically small nose and then she crossed her arms over her almost flat chest. She was curvaceous but nothing in particular stood out. Yet she radiated a very powerful, womanly aura that made her come across as a perfect fit for the role of the librarian. Even the bun her hair was styled into matched the allure of her role.

“You must be the guest I was told about,” the fairy sized him up, her eyes taking in his figure. She didn’t seem impressed. Jake didn’t blame her. There wasn’t much to him if he was being fair and honest.

“Uh, is this the ‘Eternal Library’?” While it should have been obvious, he still made the point to ask. The fairy blinked a few times but eventually nodded.

“It is.” She answered with a very matter-of-fact tone. Jake’s lips pressed together as he took another moment to look around, letting himself revel in the sight of it all once more. But, not too long of a moment. She didn’t look like the patient type.

“So, it’s real?” He said, the question falling out of his mouth before he could stop it. She raised an eyebrow again, then sighed.

“Yes. Real in the sense that everything you see is real. The books are real, we are real. The tables, the shelves, the walls, the air. It’s all real. But-” She stepped off the desk, her wings moving into action to carry her form up close and personal to the boy. She rose to be almost in his face so she could reach out and place her hand on the tip of his nose. “-you are here only in form.” She gave his nose a flick, causing him to flinch as she created some space between them.

“Quite a young one, aren’t you?” She hummed, looking him up and down again. “Most guests here are old and wrinkly, or they are blessed with long lifespans. You are Human, though…” She paused, her eyes checking over his ears and eyes before she looked down at his lower back, likely for a tail or something sticking out. Seeing nothing, she shrugged.

“Regardless, I am the Librarian. You may call me Yir.” She took an elegant curtsy, bowing deeply at the waist. Jake scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do. Did he have to bow, too?

“I uh, I’m Jake. Jake Furrow.” He spat out his name at least and dipped his head slightly. Though, not very far. Yir didn’t say anything about it and just nodded.

“Well, Jake Furrow. What brings you to the Eternal Library?” She asked politely.

Once more, he was honestly unsure of how to answer. He looked up at the Library and pressed his lips together, thinking over what he should say. Lady Ferynith had mentioned that the Library had a lot of things to learn, but he wasn’t quite sure of what he needed to learn. Adventuring was easy to say but he was well aware that it was as dangerous as it was difficult. Jake’s father was a simple swordsman. The man didn’t do anything else than swing his sword and spit out orders in the middle of the fighting. His compatriots were always the ones doing everything else- magic casting, arrow shooting, shield-carrying. While he was the leader of his party he lacked any special skills that made him stand out. That bit always made Jake wonder why those others followed such a boring man.

“I’m not really sure, but I-” Jake stopped and gave his ‘gift’ some more thought. Lady Ferynith had mentioned that she gave him something called “magical prowess”. Something about him being capable of learning a bunch of spells and elements.

“Magic. I came here to learn magic.” He spat out. His eyes settled on Yir’s as he nodded resolutely. This place was a magic cultivation building. That’s what it was. That was why Lady Ferynith had given him access to it along with his affinity for magic. If he could use whatever knowledge was stored within these walls, there was no doubt that Jake could become a capable Adventurer. He could become a strong mage and lean on that power to forge his path through the world. All he would have to do is let his gift from the Dragon God guide him.

“Well, that much is obvious since you’re here.” Yir tilted her head and crossed her arms again. “But what do you want magic for?”

“I uh-” Jake stuttered again, scratching at his head as he put his reasonings together. “I want to become an Adventurer, and magic would help with that. I guess?” He wasn’t quite sure how to answer as he didn’t know much about magic in the first place. He had seen a few glimpses of it but nothing he could use as a foundation. Yir’s blank expression told him that she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to his answer.

“Right,” she cleared her throat and planted her hands on her hips. “Well, then you certainly will be able to learn magic here. There are books to cover every subject and every element. There are thousands of spells and just as many texts on these shelves to help you learn them. You just need to know what to look for. As long as you have the mind, patience, and determination to learn, you will be successful with the right reference to help guide you along.” Yir turned and waved for him to follow. Jake nodded and did so, the two of them moving through the ground floor. They passed by the rows of tables as she guided him to a staircase.

“You are welcome to use any book from the shelves so long as you return it to where you found it. If you have trouble looking for a specific text or if you need help finding books on a topic, feel free to ask me or one of the assistant fairies floating around.” Yir waved her hand again, motioning for Jake to look off to her right. There, in between some bookshelves, another tiny fairy fluttered around the books. The fairy had a small stack of books floating beside them and they were neatly returning the texts to the shelves they belonged to. Whether those were misplaced or new editions, Jake wasn’t sure.

“Understand that while you can learn how to perform various spells here, I ask that you do not practice them here,” Yir looked at him sternly over her shoulder. “Your body here still maintains its connection to your body in the Overworld via mana, which means you are still capable of casting within these walls. If you damage any books, the damage is real and I will not be happy.”

“U-Understood.” Jake could feel the pressure of her words and took them to heart. No Casting in the Library. She smiled and continued to lead him along. They reached the second floor and Yir curled around an elegantly carved banister. The stone railing was formed into the shape of a very detailed Dragon head, one that looked vaguely similar to the Dragon God herself. While it might have been made in her likeness, it lacked the unique jewel that was lodged in the crest of her skull.

Yir led him a little ways off from the top of the staircase, passed a seating area with chairs and tables, and then she hooked right towards a small archway. The path was lined by bookshelves on the left and smaller half-sized bookshelves on the right. Truly, Jake was surrounded by knowledge in this place. Beyond the archway, sadly, another boring room like the foyer awaited him. It was a small, empty white room with nothing but a raised pedestal in its center with a separate slab of stone sitting on top of it.

“This is our Assessment Room,” Yir said aloud, her voice echoing a bit in the space. Jake hummed lightly to himself to sound amused by what he saw. He was not. “Step up here,” she ordered. The fairy floated off to the side of the pedestal and directed Jake to where to stand next. The boy followed orders and moved up the steps to stand directly in front of the pedestal itself. The slab set on top of it looked clear but it was very, very thick.

Yir waited until he was standing where he had been told before she lowered herself down to the slab. She placed a hand on it and closed her eyes. Her hand glowed brightly as she began to mumble words he couldn’t understand- a foreign language of some kind. The slab reacted, its clear inside turning clouded and opaque as a white cloud spread through it. Yir’s hand pulled away as the cloud filled the stone and she waited until whatever she’d done finished.

“Now,” she raised a hand and looked up at him. “Place your hand on the center of the slab and take in a few deep breaths. You might feel a strange sensation but don’t fight it. Just relax.”

Jake nodded and once more did as told. He raised his left hand and placed it down firmly onto the center of the slab. He steadied his breathing and shut his eyes. He let himself relax, easing into his mind as he cleared it of stray thoughts.

“Now, remember how it felt when you triggered the sigil to get here. Think of that moment you felt the spell trigger.” Yir whispered. Jake focused on that moment, the moment the sigil appeared in his mind. At that moment he felt light but he remembered a sensation of warmth had spread over his body just before he fell. He focused on that, tried to remember it, and found it came more easily to the front of his mind.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed beyond his eyelids and he felt that heat again. This time, it started in his hand that was touching the slab. Jake took in another breath and embraced that heat. As it grew in intensity, he found that it was malleable. He grasped the fire and drew it out, pulling it up from the slab and into his hand. Once there was more and he had a firmer hold, the boy was able to pull it up into his arm until it finally surged through his chest and into the rest of his body. Like a flame, the feeling burned and expelled the chill he had felt ever since he’d come to the library. He felt the heat of the sun, the warmth from the sands, brush over the hairs of his skin. He felt at home again, comfortable in the heat. However just as he had grown warm, the burning was splashed away. A powerful torrent of wetness snuffed out the fire, dousing him from head to toe as though he had dove into the oasis. In a moment, his body was soaked through with the feeling of moisture.

A powerful gale blew him dry and lulled him into a sort of dream-like state as it whisked the water away. Electricity shocked him back to life. Then a feeling of being dry and heavy weighed on his shoulders. That pressure weakened, trading for the feeling of weightlessness. Jake felt cleanliness spread through his body and his mind similarly felt light as the dangerous worries and thoughts he had were pushed away. But, that brief sense of calm and peace lasted far too briefly. Faint whispers, cackling and laughter, and a dreadful sense of uneasiness and filth weaseled their way into his body. Sickness twisted in his stomach as pain seared through his very bones. He gagged. A vile stench filled his nostrils and a putrid taste gurgled out from his throat onto his tongue.

Such a feeling was there for longer than he wished, but like all of the other strange occurrences, it lasted only briefly before vanishing with a heavy exhale. Without the gross thoughts or taste of death spewing out of his mouth, his body felt rejuvenated. His muscles relaxed and his mind calmed. His tastebuds reset and his nose was cleared. Only then, did the light beyond his eyes fade. It had only taken a few moments but it had felt like quite a long time. Instinct told him to open his eyes again. When he did, Jake was surprised to see that the slab in front of him was no longer cloudy nor clear. Instead, it was now a swirl of various colors, and Yir stood off to the side with a perplexed expression.

“Interesting,” she mused as her lips curled into a smile. “It seems you have quite a lot of work ahead of you, young one.” She let out a giggle as she peered up at him.

“What was that?” Jake asked, curious about the sensations he felt and also the reason for the change in the slab. Yir’s smile widened as she slapped the slab a couple of times.

“This, my boy, is what we call an Assessor, and it does just that. It assesses your compatibility with the various magical elements within the Overworld. In other words, it tests what types of magic you can use based on the type of mana you have within you. Each person has a different natural affinity with different elements, and the Assessors tugs on your mana to see which elements it reacts to. When it finds you to be compatible with an element, it changes to that color to show it.” Yir then looked at the slab and her little finger swirled over it once.

“You, my dear boy, are compatible with all of the elements. Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Rock, Light, and Dark.” She paused and hopped up slightly before her wings carried her up into the air. “Usually the slab only shows one or two colors but yours has a little bit of everything.” She hovered over the top of the slab, her finger pointing out the various visible shades within it. Red, blue, yellow, black, white, brown, and even a light green- one color to represent each of the different elements. Jake stared at the slab for a moment and felt a bit of pride in himself for such a feat.

“So does this mean I can use whatever I want?” If it were true that he could utilize every element available, then Jake would likely be able to become someone really strong. Right?

“Sort of.” Yir’s smile faded as one of her feet dropped down to tap the slab. Her toes shimmered and then the slab began to glow a faint yellow around its edges. Suddenly, it shrank down into the size of a tiny pebble. Yir waited for it to finish shrinking before she tapped it with her left hand. The pebble reacted with a shiver before lifting off the ground and following behind Yir as she floated towards the door. “Even though you have an affinity for various kinds of magic, it doesn’t mean you can use all of it.” She waved at him to follow.

“Why? If I have the affinity, I should be able to use it all! That makes no sense!” Jake was frustrated by that knowledge. If he was capable of using everything and had the opportunity to become powerful, then why couldn’t he? That didn’t make any sense at all. It just didn’t seem fair.

“In a perfect world, you would have no problem using all of the magic your mana can handle. However, to use the magic, you have to understand how it works. You have to mold your mana to the element you are casting and utilize that mana to support the foundations for the specific spell. If you cannot create the proper foundations, or if you do not understand what you are actually doing, then the magic won’t work. Or, if it does work, it’ll be ineffective.” Yir led Jake out of the assessment room and once more into the library. As she explained the workings of magic to him, she led him to the fourth floor and into a small study room. One similar to that of the assessment room except there was a table and a chair instead of a lone pedestal.

“Consider healing magic, a subclass within the Light Element. You might think that you can just hold your hand out, rattle off an incantation, and expect the injury to be cured. But that is wrong.” Yir set the pebble down on the table and then landed beside it. “If you want to heal a broken bone, or repair a stab wound, you need to understand the body. You need to be familiar with the bone structure, the flow of blood, and with the various organs inside a person's body. You need to know how the body functions or your magic might do nothing except stop bleeding or work as a painkiller.” Yir stepped away from the pebble and then fluttered up to the wall where a lone bookshelf housed a small number of books. From it, she plucked an excessively thick book labeled ‘Magical Foundations - Volume I’.

“Yes, you are correct in thinking that you can use all sorts of magic. You have the compatible mana to cast any spell you can understand. But that is the handicap of magic and that is also why magicians are so few or why they always seem so weak.” The book was placed on the table, and Yir directed Jake to have a seat.

“You must understand how Magic works, first. Once you learn how it works, how to control your mana, and how to mold it, then you can use it.” Yir huffed and kicked open the cover of the book, flipping it to the first page beyond the table of contents.

“I warn you, though. Most mages specialize. Based on their Assessment, they tend to focus only on one or two types of magic their entire lives. Even then, very few become powerful enough to use it as anything more than a tool to benefit themselves. It is rare to see it used efficiently in combat, as incantations take time. And you will never have enough time in combat where trained soldiers will prioritize lopping off your head.”

As the lecture rolled on, Jake took a seat and stared at the book in front of him. The words on the pages seemed a bit confusing and very difficult to understand, however, they also seemed… familiar.

“Is there a way to cast magic without incantations, then?” He asked, curious and eager to find an alternate way to use his magic. At his question, Yir only smiled and puffed out her chest.

“Of course! Once you fully understand how to control your mana and you can perfect how to cultivate it then the incantations will become more of a hindrance to you. Such advanced familiarity will take time, patience, and a lot of practice. It is easy to use certain magic over others. Battle magic is far more complex because you have more variables to your casting, while Transformation Magic, Healing Magic, and other magic dealing with stationary objects or fewer factors are a bit easier to either shorten the incantations of or remove them entirely. That capability varies from one mage to another, so don’t feel frustrated if you can’t do it when someone else can. It just means you haven’t practiced enough yet or their compatibility is higher.”

“I think I get it,” Jake nodded and clenched his teeth.

“Do you?” Yir hummed, and Jake nodded again.

“Yes. I may not know it perfectly, but I do understand. Kind of…” Jake grimaced as his eyes continued to glaze over the paper. His head hurt already from just the little bit of information but if he wanted to become a mage, and if he wanted to become strong enough to help his Auntie worry less, then he would need to put a lot of time into studying. Something he did not like the sound of. The village had a meager education system but it was mainly to keep the children occupied for a few hours each day. Nothing was more advanced than the teachings of basic essential life tasks and minor arithmetic.

“Good. I will be around if you ever have any questions, and this room is yours to study in. But again, no practicing! I don’t want to have to clean up the messes in here and I will not have you destroy any books.” Yir huffed and sighed as if remembering something she didn’t want to. “Now, barring any questions, I’ll leave you to it.” With that, Yir fluttered towards the door. She didn’t make it out before he looked up towards her back.

“Oh! Uh, Miss Yir!” Jake called, remembering a key detail to the Library that had troubled him in the first place. The fairy paused and turned about nimbly in the air, still floating back towards the door. She must have really wanted out.

“Yes?”

“I know how to get here, to the Library I mean. But how do I go back?” Jake reached up and lightly rubbed the back of his head as he grinned. The only reason had made it to the Library in the first place was more from casual curiosity. He hadn’t thought about the chance that he might end up stuck here.

“Oh, it seems she did not tell you.” Yir stopped floating away and sighed again. “To go back to your body in the Overworld, return to the center of the tower on the bottom floor and then back into the foyer. Stand on the sigil there. Close your eyes and all you have to do is put a little mana into the floor and you will be returned.”

“Understood, thank you Miss Yir.” Jake hopped out of his chair and jogged out of the room, a wide grin crossing his face.

“Hey! No running!” Yir yipped as he passed her. Jake flinched from her voice and slowed to a quick walk. He chuckled at the scolding but was happy to hear that she was more than just a lecturing librarian. Maybe, if he was nice enough and lucky enough, she might help him with his studying. She seemed to be very knowledgeable about magic. If he could get her to give him some pointers or maybe help with a spell or two, he might be able to get a headstart when it came to his training. The sooner he learned magic and could produce results, the sooner he could go back to Auntie and try to gain some trust.

Returning to the foyer, Jake stepped up onto the raised platform in the center of the room and positioned himself in the middle of the sigil there. He looked down at the sigil, his eyes taking in the intricate work of the lines. The sigil matched the one he had seen in his mind, but with a few minute differences.

Before he triggered the sigil, he turned around and saw Yir standing atop the table she had been on when he first arrived. He flashed her a smile and waved, thankful for her assistance. The Fairy returned his smile and bowed at the waist again before fluttering away and off into the library. Taking that as his sign to head out, Jake closed his eyes and sought out the warmth of his mana. He found it, barely, and pushed it down to his feet. It was barely anything more than a brief tickle of heat down his legs, but it seemed to be enough. The next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes inside of the Marker’s open room. The comfort of the cushions was now all over his body. During his time in the library, his body must have slumped down and sunk into the pile.

The boy looked around for a moment, then sat up and blinked. He checked to see if there was anyone else in the room. Seeing no one, he then looked at the pile of cushions.

“Chul,” Jake called out to his friend. The cushions shifted a little as the Arachkin emerged, poking his head out from the cover of the soft objects. He let out a hum, his fangs chittering as he gave the boy his attention.

“I’ve decided,” he said aloud. “I’m going to be a mage.”

Chul stared up at him, his eyes blinking a few times as he tried to register what the boy had just said to him. As for the child, Jake’s lips curled into a huge grin.