Jin was in his room, lost in contemplation. Tomorrow marked the beginning of the school term, but he was distressed and annoyed by the events of the previous day.
Jin could no longer understand his own power, how he had acquired it in the first place, and why he couldn't control his body when he used it. From the incident, he had deduced three things.
First, whatever this thing was that took over his body, it was responsible for killing three members of the royal family.
But what frustrated Jin the most was that he hadn't given it permission to control his body as it did yesterday in his fight against Saruman. This thing had taken over without his consent, making him realize the second point: he had become like a slave.
Jin was troubled by the notion that he had become a slave to something he couldn't even see. Regardless of the power, it seemed beyond his control at the moment.
This led him to the third realization: he needed to achieve awakening first before he dared to use this strange power again.
Jin was apprehensive and fearful that this thing might take over his body once more. He didn't know when or how it might happen.
However, he devised some solutions to avoid falling under the control of his power.
The first was to stay away from any kind of danger, no matter the situation, to avoid putting himself in a predicament where this power could take control.
The second was to avoid dealing with the guardian of Amon for the time being, which meant he wouldn't enter Amon's tomb for a while.
This decision made Jin uncomfortable, as he had been visiting the tomb frequently lately because it provided him with a great sense of peace due to his solitary nature.
Jin sighed as he thought, "I need to apologize to Saruman. I almost killed him by mistake." Jin was upset because he could see Saruman while the thing controlled his body.
The expressions he saw on Saruman's face were anything but satisfied.
Jin thought, "But how can I apologize to him? Should I tell him about my power and expose myself?"
"No, no. If I tell him, I'll be suspected of killing the three and face execution."
Jin scratched his head. "Maybe I'll apologize later."
He got out of bed, put on his academy clothes, and headed to the library. "I'll distract myself a little and maybe find a book with information about this power I possess."
Jin headed to the library, which he was entering for the first time since joining the academy. Despite his dissatisfaction with his current situation, his love for books made him eager to visit the library.
He entered the grand library, and what a breathtaking sight it was!
The library's exterior walls were painted in a calm brown color and adorned with numerous intricate carvings and runic letters whose meanings Jin did not understand, but they appeared majestic from the outside.
Inside, the library's floor was decorated with luxurious tiles featuring various beautiful designs.
The inner walls were painted a soothing green and had many arched windows made of stained glass, allowing sunlight to filter through in different colors, giving the library a lovely sense of warmth and comfort.
The library was so vast that it contained three floors, all filled with books neatly arranged on shelves.
The place smelled wonderfully, like flowers and paper, with many green plants hanging from the ceiling of each floor in the library.
The place was very quiet, with only a few people inside.
At the entrance of the library on the right, there was a librarian asleep in his chair. At the end of each floor were clusters of comfortable couches and old wooden tables where visitors could sit and enjoy reading.
Between the bookshelves, there were small statues of prominent figures Jin knew nothing about, but these statues added a cultural and historical dimension to the library.
At the end of each floor, one could ascend via spiral staircases connecting the floors, made of sturdy wood and adorned with ornate ironwork, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to the place.
Jin smiled, "What a magnificent and beautiful library." Then he approached the librarian to ask about the books.
"Hey, hello there, librarian." Jin called out to the sleeping librarian, but it seemed he was deeply asleep.
"Hey, librarian!" Jin raised his voice forcefully.
The librarian woke up suddenly, startled, and looked at Jin. "Oh, oh, hello, sir. How can I help you?"
Jin sighed. "You should work diligently; you can't leave visitors like this, librarian."
"Anyway, where can I find books containing information about Amon?"
The librarian replied, embarrassed, "Haha, sorry about that. We don't get many visitors these days. Anyway, sir, who is Amon? I haven't heard of that book before."
"Aren't there any books related to the name Amon?"
The librarian answered, "Oh, sorry, but I don't think there are any books by that name."
Jin scratched his head, then asked, "Well, are there any books about awakening powers?"
The librarian smiled. "Oh, of course, we have many such books on the third floor."
"Thank you, I'll head there now."
"Peace be with you," the librarian answered with a calm smile.
Jin ascended to the third floor, looking around to find nearly twenty shelves filled with books, all related to Awakening.
Throughout history, the Awakened had recorded their powers, how they worked, their types, and other details that might benefit future generations.
Thus, Awakening powers were passed down through generations randomly; it was the power itself that chose its bearer by its will.
No one knew how or where these Awakening powers originated, but it was said that they appeared even before Darko came into the world, which meant that these powers had an ancient and profound history.
Hundreds of these books were scattered across the shelves, leaving Jin unsure of where to start.
"Such an overwhelming number of books; how the hell am I supposed to find something about my power?"
Jin continued to move between the shelves, picking up various books to skim through quickly before moving to the next one, hoping to find something related to his power.
He searched for nearly two hours but found nothing. "Damn, there really are a lot of books," Jin was amazed .
Finally, Jin settled on a book related to ancient eras, thinking that he might find something about Amon from ancient times due to the appearance of Amon's tomb, which suggested it was extremely old.
Jin gently carried the book and sat in one of the seats near the large glass window overlooking the outside.
The transparent glass reflected the images of people moving below, while a dense forest with vibrant colors extended on the horizon, adding a serene and calming ambiance for Jin's eyes.
Jin immersed himself deeply in the book, losing all sense of his surroundings and the passage of time. He was captivated by every word, as if the book was drawing him into its own world.
His serene smile never left his face as he turned the pages, exploring ancient eras full of fascinating information he had never known.
Each page of the book opened a new window into realms of knowledge, making the reading experience both astonishing and thrilling.
His journey through the details of those eras was like traveling to a distant world, exploring the depths of history as if sailing through another time, far from the present he lived in.
After several hours, sunset had arrived, and Jin finished the book, feeling elated.
He sighed with satisfaction, took a deep breath, and stretched his stiff arms from holding the book, gazing at the ceiling and saying, "Ah, what a wonderful book, how amazing it is!"
Then he thought about the emptiness of the library and said aloud, somewhat carelessly, "What a real shame! These rich, ignorant fools don't understand the beauty of books."
He said this a little loudly, not caring because he thought there was no one in the library anyway, but he was mistaken.
When he looked down, he wished the earth would swallow him up, as there was someone sitting in front of him, looking at him while holding a book.
It was the most beautiful girl Jin had ever seen in his life. Sunlight fell on her white, silky hair cascading over her shoulder, and her fair, smooth skin made her look like an angel.
The girl sitting in front of him, looking at him, was Yumi Arteflia herself!
Jin felt intense embarrassment as he looked at Yumi and whispered, "Oh shit."
Yumi chuckled gently at Jin's reaction and then spoke to him, "It seems you really love books."
Jin tried to hide his embarrassment and looked away. "Ah, yes, books are wonderful."
Yumi smiled and then asked, "What book were you reading?"
"Ah, it's a book about ancient eras. The book talked about cities, continents, and such things, hehe."
Yumi gently placed her hand on her chin, rested her arm on the table, and then looked at him and said, "Hmm interesting book!"
Jin was slightly surprised by her way of talking to him, as he had thought she would either ignore him or mock him for being from the common class.
Jin asked her shyly "Ah, yes, it's a good book. By the way, what are you reading?"
Yumi replied, "I was reading a book about the Savnax style of swordsmanship."
Jin asked curiously, "What is the Savnax style?"
Yumi answered, looking out the window, "It's a fighting style mastered by an ancient Awakened named Savnax. I'm still reading about his style, so I don't know much about it."
Jin replied, embarrassed, scratching his head, "Ah, it seems I interrupted your reading. Sorry about that."
Yumi, standing up from her chair, said, "No problem. I was going to leave anyway; it's getting late, and I've been here for several hours."
Jin asked, surprised, "Several hours?"
Yumi laughed lightly, "It seems you didn't notice me at all. I've been reading here for about five hours."
Jin felt foolish, "Ah, it seems I got completely absorbed in the book."
"I'll go now. See you later, Jin," and then she left.
He replied, "Goodbye."
Then Jin stared ahead, feeling a bit silly, thinking, "Wait, I never told her my name before."
Jin stood up, startled, "How the hell does Yumi know my name?"
"Wait, does she remember it from the entrance ceremony? Damn, what kind of memory does she have!"