The old library's corridors were silent—too silent for a place this big. Dust hung in the air like a still, tiny mist, floating between stacks of ancient books. The faint blue flames of the magic lanterns in the corners of the walls flickered slowly… until suddenly—
BOOM.
A massive mana wave hit the entire room like a silent shockwave. The books on the shelves swayed. Some dust fell from the ceiling. The four youths held their breath.
Their bodies tensed simultaneously. The magical vibration was too big… and too close.
In his head, Altair heard an old voice he had almost forgotten:
"A mana wave this big… A major battle must be happening. But it's strange, I don't sense any energy movement from the surrounding area."
Roniver's voice sounded cautious, almost nervous.
Altair answered in his mind, his tone low, "I'm getting goosebumps too. It feels like… something is waking up from a long sleep."
Feran, who had been staring at a silver-covered book, slowly closed it. "We'll rest tonight. Tomorrow, if we're lucky enough, we might be able to see what caused this."
His voice remained calm, but his left hand trembled slightly as he stood up.
"R-r-right!" Quartzis said, wiping the sweat from his temples. "If we can, let's just run away tomorrow after we get enough info. I'm not ready to face a fire giant or a three-headed dragon."
Lazric still stood stiffly, staring at the ceiling.
"The wave… is incredibly huge. How can a human have this much energy?"
His forehead was shiny with sweat, and his tone was no longer joking.
Feran nodded, starting to pick up a few worn books and holding them. "This is important information. We can't leave everything behind. Lazric, how's your Inventory magic coming along? Can you increase the item capacity?"
Lazric raised a hand, and a streak of purple light appeared, forming magical patterns in the air.
"I can already add a few slots… and now the contents are stable too. The items I store… will remain in their original condition."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Quartzis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"For example, if you put warm bread in it," Lazric answered, "five years later you take it out… the bread will still be warm. As if it just came out of the oven."
Feran had already started putting the books into Lazric's Inventory, chiming in flatly,
"That's important if we're storing fresh food… or fragile documents. This could be a solution if we have to move fast."
Quartzis nodded slowly, then looked at Altair, who had been silent all this time. "Hey. What's wrong, Altair? You've been spacing out. Don't tell me you're possessed?"
Altair was startled for a moment, then gave a slight smile. "Haha, no. I'm just hungry, I guess."
Lazric touched the magical symbol in the air and pulled out a leaf-wrapped package. "Coincidentally. There's still some of Feran's tapai."
"Come on, I'm tired of eating tapai all the time. I feel like my stomach's going to go on strike." Quartzis groaned, massaging his stomach.
Feran looked at Quartzis with his typical flat face. "I am not tired of it."
Altair pointed to the corner of the room with a serious expression, "If you don't want tapai, you can try the raw spider over there. It's a decent size."
Quartzis immediately turned pale. "Yeah, yeah, tapai is good too…"
Finally, the four of them sat in the middle of the stone floor, surrounded by tall shelves and the ancient aroma of historical pages. The light from the blue lantern's magic reflected softly on their faces.
They ate in silence, occasionally punctuated by small jokes, but the sense of stillness never truly left the night air.
Outside the walls, a faint red sky still hung far to the north, as if something was burning beyond the horizon.
After their stomachs were full, one by one they began to lean against the library's cold walls. Feran stayed on guard longer than the others, sitting upright with his eyes on the shadows dancing on the wall.
Altair stared at the stone ceiling above him, and for the first time in a long time, he felt… uncomfortable sleeping. Not because the floor was hard, but because the world outside felt like it was stirring awake from a nightmare.
Roniver spoke softly in his mind again: "Go to sleep. This might be your last peaceful night."
And the night passed. Without a sound. But with the world's breath slowly growing heavier.
The Next Morning
Altair hadn't slept all night. He just lay in the corner of the library's secret room, talking in his mind with Roniver. As the sky outside began to change color from purple to pale blue, he stood up, stretched, and decided to go out for some fresh air.
Feran, who was sleeping near a pile of books, peeked through his eyelids. He pretended to stay asleep, letting Altair leave. As soon as the wooden door closed, Feran slowly got up… then pulled something from the folds of his robe.
"Ah… damn, how long have you been here to get moldy like this?" he mumbled, looking at a suspicious-looking piece of tapai.
He smiled faintly at the tapai, as if talking to an old lover.
"Don't worry, my dear… I won't let you go to waste. I will eat you."
A chewing sound was heard in the silent room.
"Yum… yum… good heavens, this is… so sour…" sweat began to appear on his temples, but he swallowed it all anyway.
"Aaah… I need water!"
Feran jogged over to the table, opened a bottle, and took a quick gulp.
From the corner of the room, Quartzis had already woken up but chose to stay silent.
(Feran is such a loser. If he knew I saw, he'd be so embarrassed. I'd better pretend I don't know.) he thought, then turned over and closed his eyes again.
Feran wiped his mouth. "Refreshing… Where did Altair go? He thinks I didn't know he was just daydreaming all night."
He put the bottle down and walked out, muttering, "Well, I'm the same anyway… I didn't sleep. I'm still thinking about that bang last night."
Quartzis yawned widely. "Ugh… I'm still sleepy…" then really fell asleep again.
Outside the Library
The morning air was cold and clean. Altair stood alone in the yard, still engrossed in conversation with Roniver.
"Haha, why did you force and urge me to Aether," Altair said softly.
"Obvious. You're still a kid even if you're strong. The proof? You still couldn't control your emotions during your Awakening yesterday," Roniver answered with a cynical smile.
Altair sighed. "Ch… I want to argue, but it's the truth."
Unconsciously, his voice was a little loud, and from behind, Feran, who had just come out, whistled softly.
Fuuu
"Oi, Altair… it seems like you're really possessed," he said flatly.
"Haha… no, I was just… talking to myself," Altair replied, a little surprised.
"You're essentially possessed by the king of the Aethran race," Roniver whispered.
"Shut up," Altair hissed quickly.
Feran took out his dagger and wiped it slowly. "So, what's the plan, Cap?"
Altair looked far into the mountains. "How about we go back to our old home… from when we were with mom and dad? It would be good for nostalgia."
"Hmm… good idea. But don't get your hopes up. It's been 15 years… I'm sure that house is already in ruins." Feran blew on his dagger before sheathing it again.
"Okay, go wake up our twin prince Fer," Altair said.
Feran gave a brief salute with his hand and went back into the library.
Roniver spoke again, his tone mischievous. "So… when are you going to tell your brothers that you're possessed and are the future king of the Aethran race?"
Altair narrowed his eyes. "Later. When I'm ready."
"Alright. But I think they'll find out before you even say anything."
"Hahaha… how funny," Altair replied flatly.
Feran returned to the library with a casual stride. He saw Lazric and Quartzis asleep on the floor, their heads resting on piles of books, breathing regularly.
"Wake up, we're going home."
Feran patted Lazric's shoulder—gently at first, then a little harder.
Lazric moved his hand, trying to swat the pat away like a mosquito. "Five more minutes…" he mumbled half-consciously.
Feran sighed, then deliberately dropped a thin book onto the floor.
Thump!
Quartzis started awake. "What the—Feran? Seriously?" his gaze was half-annoyed.
"It's morning, how long are you going to sleep? Do you want to sleep here until the library mice become your roommates?"
Lazric yawned widely, rubbing his eyes. "What a rude way to wake someone up."
"If you want gentle, ask Altair," Feran said, turning away. "Now, follow me."
The three of them left the library. The morning air was starting to feel warmer, the sun higher.
Hoaaaam
"Jeez, my eyes are still heavy," Lazric said, rubbing his eyes.
"Where are we going, Fer?" Quartzis asked.
"We're going to our old home with mom and dad from when I was about 4 years old. At the time of that invasion, I'm sure the house was completely destroyed, but there's no harm in seeing it," Feran said, a slight smile on his face.
Just as they left the library, Altair was seen waiting.
"So Altair, do you still remember the way to our house?" Feran asked. "I don't really remember the way," he continued.
"Yes, of course I remember, didn't we often walk around this city, Fer?" Altair replied. "If I remember correctly, our house is in city N, we just need to pass through cities L and E."
"Wait, what do you mean by N, L, E? I don't get it?" Lazric raised his hand, yawning as he asked.
Altair and Feran looked at each other, then Altair gave a hand signal, as if to let Feran answer the question.
"Huh, so in this Elemental region there are 6 cities called with the Variables E, L, M, N, T, and A. The largest city with 3 main districts which is the location of the palace and wealthy people is in City E, then City L, which is divided into 2 districts, is located south of City E. To the west of City E is City N, where we used to live. This area was once vast, much like a village, and was often used for hunting. Going back to City E, to the east of it is City T, which is still like a village and where most people farm. To the north of City E is City A, where there is a market that is always crowded with discounts and unique imported goods from external regions. Right now, we are in City M. This city is located south of City L and borders directly with the sea, as we saw when we first arrived, and there is also a market here that mostly sells seafood," Feran answered at length.
"Do you understand now?" Altair asked.
"Simple," Quartzis said.
"Yep, simple," Lazric replied.
"We don't understand," they said together.
Altair and Feran looked like they were slapping their own faces with their hands. Altair pulled out an old map that was also an heirloom from his grandfather. The map clearly showed the territorial divisions of the cities.
"Now look at this map," Altair said, pointing to the image of the region on the map. "This is City M, above it is City L, above that is City E, and to the left of it is City N. That's where our house with mom and dad is."
"Ooo," Quartzis and Lazric said together.
"So we're going there today?" Lazric asked.
"Exactly," Altair replied.
Feran folded his arms, staring at the map for a moment. "If the roads haven't changed, it'll only take us half a day of walking. But… we have to be prepared for things to go wrong."
"Since when is going to an old house considered dangerous?" Lazric asked, tilting his head.
Feran and Altair glanced at each other for a moment, as if there was something they knew but were reluctant to say.
"Since this world is no longer the same as it was 15 years ago," Feran replied curtly.
Quartzis closed his book and put it in the small bag at his waist. "Alright, but if we run into trouble, I don't want to hear the phrase 'this was my idea' from you guys."
Altair smiled faintly. "Don't worry, if there's a problem, we'll just blame Feran."
"Huh?!" Feran stared at him sharply, but in the end just snorted. "Whatever. Let's go."
They began to move, leaving City M. The stone road they were on slowly began to change. The morning air grew warmer, but the wind from behind them could still be felt on their skin.
In the distance, a large, old stone gate leading to the main road connecting City M and City L could be seen. Birds flew low, and Altair could occasionally hear the sound of merchants from the market behind them calling out to customers, a memory from long ago.
Lazric walked, yawning again. "If we get to that house later… is there a possibility we'll find something?"
Feran answered while adjusting the position of his dagger sheath. "If you mean memories, maybe. If you mean trouble… that's also a high possibility."
Altair kept looking ahead, his voice a little low. "That's exactly why I want to go there. I want to know… if everything is truly gone."
The four of them walked in silence for a while, only the sound of their footsteps and the wind accompanying them—until Quartzis suddenly stopped and stared at the road ahead.
"It seems… we're not going to be the only ones on this path today."
From the direction of City L, the silhouettes of several figures appeared to be approaching… slowly but surely.