The next day, Volt and Andre are both eating breakfast together. It's the first time that they both ate a meal together after seeing William. "I heard that you got kicked out of the library yesterday. Are you alright? Volt asked. Andre did not utter a single word ever since he woke up and Volt is greatly worried for him.
"Hey, Andre."
"I'm fine. There's just a punk that got me kicked out of the library." Andre replied blankly. His voice is devoid of emotions, even the slight hint of anger in his voice disappeared. "What in the world happened to him inside that period of time?" Volt wondered.
"I'm done eating. I'll head out first." Andre left in a hurry and returned his plates after eating. Curious about what he is up to now that he is not allowed to enter the library for a while, Volt returned his plate without finishing his meal. "I need to know what he plans on doing. Fuck, when did I become this guy's guardian?"
Because of Andre's behavior, Volt's elderly brother's side kicked in without him knowing. He saw Andre walk out of their room after getting something and went downstairs where Volt is shocked to see that he is meeting up with a girl. "That bastard, so it was a girl?! No wonder he was silent the entire time. Was he thinking of how to talk to her? Well, I guess a girl making him go silent makes sense. He can be awkward sometimes." Volt figured but as he thinks about that, Andre and the girl already left.
"Damn, did that fantasy distract me that much?" he looked around but he cannot find them anywhere. "I just hope that he doesn't get into trouble again." He said to himself.
Unbeknownst to him, Andre and the girl just hid inside the corridor after Andre spots Volt staring at empty space. "That bastard, was he following me?" he asked himself. "Why do we have to hide? Is this a secret relationship or something?" she asked and Andre just looks at her blankly. It was not something that he wanted to hear and he is a bit annoyed by it.
She stared back at him, it was a staring contest but after only a few seconds, her face flustered, "Don't look at me intensely like that. It makes me think that you like me." She said shyly. "This bitch, she really wants to die, right?" at this point, Andre is holding himself a hundred times back from hurting her.
"Please stop with this and just lead me to that place you are talking about. I really want to learn now." Countless veins popped up on Andre's forehead, Clara felt his anger surging to new heights and stopped her act before he gets burst into anger just like before. "I don't want to anger this hot-headed idiot since I get the feeling that it will not end up like last time. But I kind of want to see it~" she said to herself and starts blushing once again.
"If you really want to go there then follow me. Just make sure that you don't get lost." She warned as she leads him outside the tower. They are headed to the marketplace where all sorts of stuff are being marketed. All kinds of magic books of spells the theories that revolve around magic written by well-known mages of the world can be found. These are the most famous materials sought after by people that are interested in magic.
And Andre is seeing that place for the first time. "There was a place like this here?" he mumbled in amazement. He spent his entire time after joining the tower in training, he had not had the luxury to look around like the other mages that don't consider training to improve themselves as essential. After his encounter with William, he made it a goal to be as strong as him.
As ironic as it is, Andre is inspired by a Void Mage to aspire to be strong and most of the other mages that witnessed history that day.
"You must have not gone here because of your thirst to become strong but sometimes, resting is also a part of training. Overstraining yourself just because you want to be strong instantly is not the answer. I heard that William guy trained his entire life. He is the manifestation of the saying 'A good sword is not made in a day." Clara reminded him.
Andre wants to refute her words but he cannot argue with her, as much as he hates William, she spoke the truth. Andre used to be one of those people that considers training even though they are relatively strong than most mages as wasteful, but when he faced William, his opinions changed drastically and sees the world differently.
"Damn it. She's right. I also heard rumors about it as well. I may be gifted by different natures of mana compared to that guy, but the threat that he made me experience that day is something that I cannot deny. He is dangerous for a Void Mage." He acknowledges. "For that, I need to be stronger than him. I will not rest unlike I do so."
Clara can see the determination on his face and sparked a smile. "Looks like his spirit is not broken by my words. He indeed has some space to grow even if it's late."
They stopped in front of a run-down store, Andre felt a bit concerned that she brought him to a place like that when there are more fancy places a thousand times better than that store. "For a second there I felt a bit grateful for bringing me to this place but now I think you just want to get me salvaged. You don't plan to get rid of me, are you?" Andre asked nonchalantly.
The latter could not help but sigh at his words. "You think you'll find what you are looking for in those fancy stores? Are you seriously that dumb? If you want something rare and of importance, this is the place you want to go to. The stuff being sold here is top class." She then tells him about the things that he needs to know before entering the store.
Andre did not want to listen to everything that she has to say but he was obliged to listen. "If you think you are the most dangerous person then you have not clearly met the owner of this store. This is me looking out for you so be grateful." She added.
The moment they entered the store, Andre felt the bloodlust in the air and shivers run down his spine as cold air surrounded him. "What in the world is this place? Why is it so eerie?" he asked himself and looked at Clara to see if she had the same feeling, and to his surprise, she is perfectly fine. "How is she fine after entering this place?!"
"I'm glad that you visited me again, Clara." A voice echoed throughout the store, it was husky and eerie. Clara felt that Andre is about to do something and stops him immediately. "Don't do something stupid, you stupid." She whispered. "How can I not do anything stupid when you just brought me to hell-!"
"I see that you have brought an acquaintance. He looks a bit troubled."
The store is like a large library, some of them are dusty that only show how long they have been sitting on the shelves. And in the middle of all of the shelves is a table and a chair where a silhouette of a person sitting there appears in a shadow's guise.
"Welcome to my store, new customer." His eyes glow with red color in the darkness of the store, making them look more menacing in Andre's eyes. "Seriously, where is this place?!" Andre felt fear after a long time and it makes him want to run away while he can but when he turned back, the entrance, the door was gone. "Mommy!"