The morning sun cast gentle rays through Klaus's window, bathing the room in a warm, amber glow. As he stirred from his slumber, he let out a deep yawn and stretched his limbs, feeling the stiffness of the night's sleep gradually recede.
Just as he was about to sit up, a voice reverberated from the doorway. "Get up, Klaus. We have important work to do, and there's no time to waste." The sudden interruption startled him, causing him to sit upright and rub the sleep from his eyes.
"Or perhaps you'd rather stay in bed and forget about the memories you've lost?" The voice was laced with a hint of sarcasm.
Shaking off his grogginess, Klaus scanned the room in shock, realising that there was no one present. The voice he had heard seemed to have originated from within his own mind.
"Magic," he whispered, grasping the situation. Margaret's voice had echoed in his head, but she wasn't in the room. She must have used magic to communicate with him from a distance.
"Meet me upstairs. Now."
With a sense of growing excitement at the prospect of recovering his memories, Klaus swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. He was eager to solve the puzzle of his identity, to learn who he was and where he came from.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and exited the room. After climbing the stairs, he found himself in a space that took his breath away. The sheer magnitude of the books before him was staggering, dwarfing the scattered ones he had seen throughout the house.
The room was not just filled with books; it was imbued with their essence. Every shelf was meticulously organised, with each volume in its proper place.
Klaus's eyes widened in awe, quickly replaced by a look of unbridled enthusiasm. His lips curled into a delighted smile, and the eagerness to devour the knowledge within these texts was noticeable.
Unable to resist the lure any longer, he darted towards one of the nearby bookshelves.
"Patience," came a voice, halting him in his tracks.
Turning around, Klaus found himself locking eyes with Margaret.
"I understand your eagerness to know about the world before regaining your memories, but there are matters we must address first," she said, her gaze never wavering.
Though her tone was firm, she harboured no resentment towards Klaus. In fact, she found his hunger for knowledge endearing and encouraging.
Klaus scanned the shelves of books one last time before turning his attention to Margaret. She stood before him, her arms folded across her chest, and a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.
Margaret's lips curled into a warm smile before she nonchalantly tossed a chain towards Klaus. "Put this on first, and make sure you never remove it," she instructed. Before Klaus could interject, Margaret cut him off. "I am prepared to assist you with your memories, but I do have one condition," she stated firmly.
Curiously, Klaus inquired, "And what might that be?" He obediently fastened the necklace around his neck.
He suspected that he knew what the condition was, as Margaret changed differently when she found out that he could read ancient languages. Although he wasn't sure what the whole fuss was, he had a feeling it was a big deal.
Margaret took a deep breath before stating her demand. "You will help me decipher every ancient book in my collection."
Klaus fell silent, his expression unreadable. Unbeknownst to him, his enthusiasm for the prospect of exploring these texts was obscured by his quiet demeanor, leaving Margaret to misinterpret his reaction. She unfolded her arms from across her chest and sweetened the pot.
"For every ten books you decipher, I will give you a B-Rank beast core," she said. "With each core, you will recover more of your memories until you are fully restored."
She paused, searching his face for a reaction. "So, do we have a deal?"
Klaus considered her proposition before responding. "I have a question," he said slowly. "What is so special about this ancient language that you're offering so much? And how can you be sure that I'll be able to recover my memory with the beast cores?"
He recalled Keira's reaction to the beast core the previous day. She had even referred to it as a national treasure. It was clear that the cores held immense value, but why was Margaret willing to part with them simply because he could read an ancient language?
Margaret's eyes gleamed with excitement as she explained. "The ancient language you can decipher is special because it's connected to ancient magic. ancient magic is the origin of all other magical disciplines? Elemental magic, spells, alchemy, and even enchantments are derived from it. It is the source of all other magic and the strongest."
"But because this ancient magic is written in a language that has been lost to time, very few can truly understand it."
She paused, her gaze fixed on Klaus. "And you are one of them."
Her expression caused Klaus to furrow his brow, feeling as though he were being appraised like a priceless artefact.
"I've spent countless hours poring over the books in my collection," Margaret continued, her voice tinged with frustration. "And for all my efforts, I've only managed to decipher a single sentence."
She took a deep breath and uttered the incantation. "Phaesphoros, kruentum, exaltus!"
Klaus recognised the words immediately. They were the same ones she had asked him to read from the book just the day before.
Margaret's eyes were fixed on Klaus as she spoke, her voice laced with awe and admiration. "It took me years to learn that sentence," she said, "and all it took for you was a glance, and you read it like you were born to read it."
Klaus smiled modestly, his eyes flicking down to the books around him.
"I need you to decipher the books," Margaret continued. "If I'm able to understand exactly what it's saying, then I can use ancient spells, enchantments, and even understand ancient alchemy."
Margaret observed as Klaus seemed to grasp the importance of ancient magic. With an air of certainty, she began to explain her plan. "As for why I'm certain that a beast core would help recover your memory, the answer is simple: your body craves mana."
She continued, "While you're unable to absorb mana in the air, your body can absorb it through other means. When you absorbed my mana, you regained a part of your memory, though only your surname. That small success made me realise how I could help you. Rather than draining humans of their mana, however, I'd suggest using beast cores."
Margaret painted a vivid picture for Klaus. "Imagine an empty tank with your complete memory at the top, waiting to be filled. Every bit of mana you absorb brings you closer to the top, and as you fill it, you'll gradually recollect more details about yourself."
Klaus furrowed his brow, doubt written all over his face. "And what if it doesn't work?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Margaret.
"It will," she replied with conviction. As Klaus still appeared sceptical, Margaret held out her palm, revealing a glowing green beast's core. She beckoned him closer, and as he approached, she gently took his hand and placed it on the core. "Close your eyes," she whispered softly.
"Focus on the beast core, and leave the rest to me." Margaret's voice was a soothing murmur as she began transferring the mana from the core to Klaus.
As the mana entered his body, Klaus felt a jolt, electrifying yet blissful. The energy coursed through his veins, intertwining with his very essence. It was an indescribable sensation that left him craving more.
After a few moments, Margaret's eyes flew open, staring at the now-dimmed beast core in her palm. Shock registered in her widened eyes. Klaus's body seemed to be a bottomless pit, greedily absorbing all the mana from the core until it was completely depleted.
"That's enough, Klaus," Margaret said, her voice firm yet gentle.
Klaus opened his eyes, his gaze drifting to the lifeless core. Sensing its lack of mana, he murmured, "I want more."
Margaret shook her head. "Later. For now, tell me what you are." But before she could complete her words, her body suddenly trembled as she felt her own mana being drained away.
Her gaze turned towards Klaus, whose eyes were closed, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Klaus, stop it," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The force of the absorption was so rapid that before Margaret could even make a move or cast a spell to separate herself from Klaus, she no longer had the strength to do so. Dizziness washed over her, and just as she seemed to fall into unconsciousness, the door opened and Keira entered the room.
Keira's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Klaus and Margaret. After what had transpired the last time, she couldn't fathom why Margaret would allow Klaus to absorb her mana. But now was not the time to think of that.
"I will take care of him," Thorne declared, and before Keira could even respond, he thrust his palm forward.
"Flame Spear!" As he spoke, a spell circle materialised before his palm, and a spear wreathed in roaring flames shot forth.
The spear charged at Klaus without hesitation.
"Are you insane, Thorne?" Keira exclaimed, preparing to cast a spell to disrupt the spear's trajectory. But to her astonishment, something extraordinary occurred.
Klaus raised his hand calmly and uttered a single word: "Break!"
In an instant, the flaming spear shattered into fragments, and the spell circle behind it crumbled as well. Expressions of shock and disbelief surfaced on the faces of Keira, Thorne, and even Klaus himself, who stared at his hand in awe.
'How did I do that?' Klaus wondered inwardly, dumbfounded.
His moment of astonishment was cut short as Thorne's fist connected with the back of his head, knocking him out cold. The room fell silent, the weight of what had just occurred settling heavily upon them.