Chapter Twelve: Book Of Mysteries
The Museum, MythVille City
A lofty building stood in a very beautiful environment which exuded significance, differentiating it from the 'everyday' buildings around. The building was a perfect work of architecture, archaic in nature. It was very beautiful and has this 'mystical' exuberance.
This was the city's museum. Not only did it keep ancient sculptures and relics but also mystical artefacts over the years.
After getting his ticket at the ticket room, Walter had made his way to the permanent exhibition room.
Here, he discovered that he was not the only person visiting. There were about twenty students and two teachers in the room as well, all of them fascinated by the galleries.
The Museum curator was a man in his late 40s and had this air of profoundness around him. No doubt, he was very knowledgeable.
"This is the Ancient Tongue," the Museum curator said, showing down a black book. "This book contains the Ancient Tongue language."
The students all widened their eyes with piqued interests. They had all heard about the Ancient Tongue and used it themselves for spellcasting.
For sometime, Walter stood among them wondering which Magic School was this but he couldn't come up with an answer. Then he looked around, trying to find the surveillance camera.
He had made his plan and was only a step from achieving it. He had to do things quick or he would risk his whole family dying—dying cruel deaths.
Although Walter didn't see any sorcerer when he entered the Museum, he knew they were here. That moment when he had entered the Museum, he felt this powerful auras—powerful auras exuded by Middle Array sorcerers.
He knew this mission would be a mission of life and death. He knew he couldn't steal the Book Of Mysteries and get away with it without been caught so he had planned to immediately escape from MythVille, change his identity and appearance and start a new life. Only after then will he get the sorcerers off his back. But then, he also knew that no matter how he would disguise himself, the sorcerers would still get him.
Sigh...He sighed, staring at the relics being displayed in the galleries. I will soon become a fugitive in Duchy as a whole.
"So, this is the language from the dawn of time!" a blonde girl said excitingly. She wore a pair of gold rimmed glasses and looked pretty.
"Not only does it have supernatural effects," the Museum curator continued. "It is the bridge between all languages in every single realm."
"You mean, all beings speak this language?" a short boy asked. He had freckles on his face and looked wimpy.
"No," the Museum curator said. "Only sorcerers and supernatural beings would understand. For ordinary people to understand, it would take the power of the known sorcerer. He would have to will the language to their minds, making them to understand."
"Oh..." the students 'ohed' and 'ahed', finding the language very mysterious. Then one scrawny looking boy asked, "Who was the first person to speak it? Who discovered it?"
"The first person to speak it in this world was the first sorcerer," the Museum curator said. Then with reverence, he added, "His name was Hastle, the ancestor of the current Damien Hastle. He was the first Prime Mage...Sigh, but then he vanished from history."
"How?" the students asked, not understanding why someone would suddenly vanish out of history.
"Ha! It is a story for another day," the Museum curator laughed.
"What should we call you, Mr. Curator?" the students asked.
The two teachers resisted the urge to scowl at them. The students were being very talkative rather than being inquisitive.
"You can call me Mr. James," the Museum curator replied with a smile.
"Okay, Mr. James!" the students chorused.
One, two, three...Walter counted in his heart and then lipped the spell he had planned to cast.
Fire Inferno!
Boom!
Flames of fire surged out of thin air in the museum. The flames which were blazing then spread into all the rooms in the Museum.
This was Walter's plan. He had to create a distraction so that he would stall time to get the Book Of Mysteries which was right in the wall in the curator's office. By causing a fire outbreak, the sorcerers hiding in the shadows would be distracted. No doubt, the would be busy running about trying to find the cause of the fire outbreak and then they would seek him out.
Walter was not afraid the fire outbreak would hurt those in the Museum. About 60% of people in the Museum all had magic, 50% being students of the various Schools of Magic. He knew that those that had magic would use defensive spells to protect themselves and others.
As expected, he saw several magical barriers being created around the students, teachers and Museum curator as well. They all had magic.
"Something's exploded!" Mr. James said. "You all have to protect yourselves!"
Then came the running. Everyone began running, finding their way out of the Museum.
Ring!
The fire alarm sounded, piercing the whole Museum with its shrill sound.
Puffs of smoke rose into the air, clouding everywhere. Even the surveillance cameras were blocked out by the thick fog.
"This is the right time," Walter said and then made a dash out of the permanent exhibition room. He had been the last person to leave so that he would have a chance to get to the curator's office unnoticed.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
His feet carried him effortlessly, his body moving like the wind. His hair fluttered as he ran through the museum. He then diverted towards the curator's office instead of going out of the museum.
Two Array one Arcane Guards saw him approach the office and tried stopping him. They took out their wands and wanted to cast spells which would block him out.
But then, he had already fallen down and slid towards them, brushing their feet off the ground.
Thud!
Both of them crashed to the ground, banging their heads against the hard floor.
Walter quickly stood up and made his way into the curator's office. Reaching the office, he stopped.
This was where the Book Of Mysteries was. He had to get it as quick as possible and leave immediately now that two Arcane Guards had discovered him. It would be only a matter of time before the sorcerers arrived.
He reached out his right hand towards the wall and pulled his magic wand from the air.
Hecate's Blast!
This was a spell developed by sorcerers in the School of Alchemy. It dealt with all forms of energy but since Walter was still an Array two, he could only release magical energies.
Boom!
A magical energy shot out of the wand, bombarding the wall. Immediately, the wall cracked and collapsed with a thud, puffs of dust rising into the air.
Walter could see right through the puffs of dust. The Book Of Mysteries was lying amongst the debris, stained with the dust.
He quickly leaped towards it, grabbed it and casted the teleportation spell to making escaping easier.
But at that moment, he felt space twist around him and then lock, preventing him from teleporting.
"You may have broken through the Array six magical circles placed on the wall," a voice sounded from behind him. "But you can't break through us."
Walter's heart palpitated on hearing the very sound of the voice, his eyes widening in fear. He had been caught! He had been caught by the Array six sorcerers!
He turned around and saw two Array six sorcerers standing before him with grim expressions. They were dressed in white robes which gave them mysterious exuberance. Walter could feel their Magical Bodies—they were very powerful!
"Hand over that Book and we may pardon you," one of them said. His eyes were green and calm. Although they were calm, they penetrated Walter's very soul, weakening his Magical Body.
"You don't understand," Walter said. "Just let me go with the book."
"That Book is not to be toyed with," the second sorcerer said. His eyes were brown and fierce. Mere staring at him, Walter felt this coldness in his soul.
But then, Walter's eyes narrowed on several thoughts thought. Why were the sorcerers not doing anything? Why were they asking him for the book, rather than attacking? What were they afraid of?
As a smart Arcane Guard, he quickly realized that they were actually afraid of the Book. They didn't even want to come close to him.
Teleportation spell!
Walter swirled the wand in the air. Immediately, space warped around him.
Blessing Of Hellenes!
One of the sorcerers casted a spell in his mind. This was a very powerful spell which could draw power from the Goddess. Not only could it draw power. It would block out
any other power as well!
A speck of golden light appeared behind the sorcerer who had casted the spell. Then it cracked and enlarged into a powerful ball of light, filling the whole room.
Walter felt space contract again, twisting around him. Then holy and pure auras filled the room, engulfing him.
He saw himself sitting in a beautiful garden surrounded by beautiful trees. Then he began hearing the sounds of trumpets resonating around the garden, filling his very soul with serenity. He had never felt this peaceful in his life.
Then he saw a figure afar. It was engulfed in the sacred light, incomprehensible and mysterious. Walter could not tell if it was male or female. But he saw something. The figure nodded its head at him. Then the feeling of sacredness and serenity was gone.
Everything became blurry and then vanished. When he looked around, he realized that he was standing outside the Museum.
Without waiting to think about what happened, he casted another teleportation spell and vanished into thin air before the sorcerers could find him.
He appeared near MythVille Woods and looked around, trying to sense the presence of Arcane Guards. Then he ran into it. He had not ran twenty paces when he stopped. He had had a change of mind.
Why should I give him this Book considering how powerful it is? Walter thought, staring at the simple looking black book with three words engraved on it. The words were written in English and were golden in colour, exuding powerful auras.
"Don't think! Don't think!" it was Imaginary Cluster yelling from the pocket. "Lalalalala!"
Then Walter felt his head become dizzy, stars spinning around him. After some seconds everything became normal. He then removed his eyes from the book, forgetting what he wanted to do.
"Walter," Imaginary Cluster said. "I just saved your life."
"Huh?" Walter asked. "From what?"
"The words on that book," Imaginary Cluster said. "Mere reading it, I fear something dangerous would have happened to you. Even reading it in your mind is dangerous."
Walter frowned. If it was this dangerous, then why should he give it to Castor? Won't he be putting the lives of everyone in danger?
He didn't even trust Castor with his family. He knew that even if he gave Castor the book, Castor would not release his family. But then, he didn't dare play with the lives of his family. When he got to the location Castor had told him to come, he wouldn't give him the book immediately. He would ask Castor for his family first.
He then began walking in the woods, constantly checking around him. The woods was dark and creepy, reeking of evil. For moments, he felt as if someone or something was following him. Once, he heard illusory sounds and activated a spell to ward of evil spirits immediately.
Then he stopped before a lofty building. It was very old, looking like a house which had stayed for centuries. The paint on the walls had washed off, revealing the old walls which had deep cracks on them. Vines and algae were even growing on the walls.
Walter narrowed his eyes, staring at the wooden door which was close and then at the windows which were shut tight.
He inhaled and exhaled, walking towards the building. This was the location where Castor and him would meet—the designated spot to submit the Book Of Mysteries in exchange for his family.
~
"How the f*ck did he escape?!" the sorcerer who had casted the spell asked himself in unbelief. This was an Array six spell for Goddess's sake!
"He's not as simple as he seems," the other sorcerer replied. "Let's call notify the Hands Of Arcane and Arcane Safety Department. We have got a world level threat."
"First he got the Book and was unharmed," the first sorcerer said. "Then he escaped Blessing Of Hellenes. What does that tell you?"
The other sorcerer frowned and then replied, "He's got the backing of a mysterious existence."