AT THE ACADEMY.
"I think it's better you go home and have some rest. The library can always wait," Hazel suggested as they sauntered out of the cafeteria.
"Uh..." Richard dragged his voice as he thought of the right words to use.
Telling her that he needed to understand the power system of the realm would sound a tad absurd, since that knowledge had been ingrained into them, even before they were enrolled into the academy. And though Chad had almost nothing to show as a Mage, he was quite conversant with the theoretical aspects. However, for some reason that Richard couldn't fathom, that part of his memory was still quite blurred.
He really had no excuse, but he couldn't think up a good alibi within that short span of a second.
Giving up on thinking too much, he shrugged as he answered, "Chancellor Althea said I need to get a deeper understanding of my Mage Path, and I agree with her. Regardless of the quantity in my Mana Reserve, if I can find specific mid-class spells that can help me through the final exam, I should be able to scale through. There's also the range of Mana input and output for every spell."
James scoffed as they walked out of the Lecture building, "It seems the Chancellor really cares about you."
"That's... Well, if it's the Chancellor's request, we can't stop you," Hazel sighed, turning her face elsewhere.
Although she didn't show it, she was actually eager to go home together with Richard. They seldom did that about twice a month in their previous years, since the Elven district was a stop before Khadar. But they've all been occupied this year, training, taking after-school jobs and all that, all in preparation for the upcoming final exam that would pave the path for the next phase of their lives.
During those times that they went home together, whether by foot or by carriage, the journey was mostly silent. Hazel couldn't summon enough courage to bring up some topics she really wanted to talk about. Which was quite ironic, considering how outspoken she was toward other people, especially James. James would be the one to bring up casual topics, giving life to the journey. The former Richard, Chad, never really cared. He was always worried about his Mana Reserve and felt no girl would like him for being so weak.
"Yeah," Richard nodded and stopped to face his friends. He raised his right hand and rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous smile, "Err... Where's the library again?"
"Seriously... " James muttered with a low tone as he and Hazel dropped their eyelids.
Hazel sighed once more and casually answered, "Well, it's not like anyone visits the library that often these days. And of course, Richard hasn't been there."
"I can't believe I was surprised by his question," James shook his head.
Richard just stared at them blankly as they talked about him like he wasn't right there with them.
After a few cheesy back and forth, Hazel pointed at the second building that Richard had been itching to enter. He smiled tersely.
"The building behind this one, if I'm not mistaken. I have only been there twice," she said.
Richard's smile dwindled when the library wasn't where he thought it would be. He nodded afterward, "Oh, alright. Thank you."
Hazel replied with a terse nod.
A short moment of silence descended between the friends. Richard and Hazel kept stealing glances at each other, different thoughts running through their heads while James was... Well, waiting for them to finish whatever they were doing.
James rolled his eyes and threw his hand over Hazel's shoulder, pulling her close, "We'll be going now. I hope you find what you're looking for. That's if you don't fall asleep in the process."
Richard couldn't help but scoff, "Heh. Sure. Till tomorrow, then."
Hazel simply waved as they went in opposite directions.
"Heavens, you're so soft whenever you're close to him," James teased as he and Hazel approached the Academy's entrance and exit.
Pulling herself away from him with a frown, she flicked his cheek with her small dominant hand, "Mind your own business."
He rubbed his cheek with a teasing smirk, "Admit it, you need my help to win him over."
"Just shut up," she strutted forward.
...
Richard made his way around the second building, seriously resisting the urge to enter and at least say hi to Maya, his sassy older sister.
He was really curious about what was going on inside, and even more curious about what Maya was doing there. Was she taking extra lessons so that she could pass and graduate? Or was she doing a part-time job as a registrar or something?
It was at that moment that he really wished all of Chad's memories would dissolve into his mind, so he could remember everything. The subtle memory drops were getting frustrating.
"Hmm?" he raised a brow as he finally stood behind the building and looked ahead.
There was nothing but a vast plain of dancing grass before him. There was no end to them.
Many metres to his left was the recreational hall, and to his right was nothing.
'Hazel said the library was behind this building, right?' he asked himself inwardly as he turned his head from side to side.
Expecting no answer, he took a few steps forward, after which he began to increase his pace and jog. Maybe, just maybe, the library was afar off. It must have been built there in seclusion because of the needed silence.
No sooner had he begun jogging when he struck his body against an invisible wall. The rebound wasn't much, since he was moving at a decent pace. He only staggered a few steps back.
"Ugh..." he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "What was that?"
He blinked a few times to adjust his sight before sizing up the invisible wall. He put his right hand forward and traced his fingers around the wall that didn't feel like a wall. It felt like it was made of hard wood.
Then a subtle buzz emanated from whatever he was touching, prompting him to retract his hand and move back.
Golden runes spawned before him in a long rectangular shape, forming the outline of a door. The empty space within the runes soon took the form of the said door, golden and ever so bright.
"A door?" Richard creased his brows.