The next day as I wandered through the village, my eyes caught sight of a grand building that stood apart from the others. A massive sign hung above its marble entrance, etched in gold: Library of Alexandria. My breath caught at the sight of it. The structure was awe-inspiring, with towering marble pillars that gleamed in the sunlight. Intricate carvings ran along the edges of the building, depicting ancient stories of gods, warriors, and scholars. The marble steps leading to the entrance were smooth, worn from countless feet over what must have been centuries.
I pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the scent of old paper and leather hitting me as soon as I stepped inside. The interior was breathtaking. Rows upon rows of towering shelves stretched far into the distance, filled with books, scrolls, and tablets of all shapes and sizes. The air felt thick with knowledge, the weight of history pressing down on me. Above, the vaulted ceiling was supported by more marble columns, and the faint light filtering through the high windows gave the room a sacred, almost ethereal atmosphere.
I walked slowly, my fingers brushing against the spines of books as I passed. Some were worn and cracked with age, others bound in materials I couldn't recognize. Shelves overflowed with grimoires, ancient tomes, and weathered scrolls held together by fraying ribbons. Yet, as I pulled a book from the shelf and opened it, my excitement quickly waned. The text was written in that script—Velian.
Damn, I thought. Every book I picked up was the same, written in a language I couldn't read.
Frustrated, I placed the book back on the shelf, when I noticed someone watching me. A tall wolf-man stood nearby, he was dressed in these scholarly robes. His piercing eyes held curiosity as he approached.
"Hello, do you perhapes need help?" he asked, his lips curling into a grin that exposed sharp teeth.
I hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, I can't really read a word in these books. Everything's written in Velian. Do you have anything in maybe English?"
The beastman chuckled softly, reaching into his pocket. "We don't get many requests like that here, so most of our collection is in the language of the Goddess. But I think I can help." He pulled out a pair of glasses, the lenses clear with faint etchings on the rim. "These should do the trick."
I raised an eyebrow. "Glasses?"
"Not just any glasses," he replied, handing them to me as he pointed to some runes etched into the glass. "These runes allow the glass to translate written language into a more understandable language. They were created by Falor Hephestus when he was an academy student. You can buy one at the market, but you can have this pair."
"Whats with this Hephestus guy? It's like he maked everything here." I muttered as I took the glasses, slipping them on. Immediately, the writing on the spines of the books shifted, the letters rearranging themselves until I could read them.
I scanned the shelves again, now able to understand the titles. "The Art of War" caught my eye, as did "Of Fire and Steel: The Blacksmith's Art" and "The Pendragon Legacy: Histories of the Crown" I even saw a thick grimoire titled "The Eternal Cycle: Ravanna's Golden Order" which sent a shiver down my spine.
"These are incredible," I said, glancing at the wolfman. "Thank you."
I scanned the spine of a thick tome, "The Study of Runes" the letters now legible through the enchanted glasses. Curious, I pulled it from the shelf and opened it, reading aloud to myself.
There are four primary runes that align with the foundational elements of creation: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. These runes are accessible to anyone with the dedication to learn. Two Runes stand apart from the elemental quartet due to their exclusivity and divine origins. The Rune of Light and the Rune of Darkness
Rune of Light: Belonging to the goddess Ravanna, this rune grants the chosen wielder the ability to harness the pure, illuminating power of light. The holy rune bestowed by Ravanna to her chosen hero that will bring upon a new age.
Rune of Darkness: A creation of the evil god Khaleus, this rune bestows its wielder with the power to control shadows and the dark. Not much is known about this rune, but it is said that the one who bears this rune is the embodiment of evil and will bring the destruction of the world
I closed the book, sighing as I couldn't help but curse Kalus. "Can't believe that I ended up with that rune. Now my question is how he managed to get it and give it to me."
Now it did say that anyone could learn the primary main runes, so I could try and find one of these other runes and use that one instead of my darkness rune. I needed to read more on it. Sitting down at one of the many tables I continued to read.
"Since I am here, might as well learn all I can about this place."
☉☉☉
"Hey you good?" I groggily looked over to see that wolfman from earlier.
"Uh... yeah. Sorry I must have dozed off. How long have I been here?"
"Kid, you have been here for five days straight, you should go home and rest."
I nodded and groggily got up as I made my way out the Library yawning, still exhausted from how long I had spent studying. Making my way back to the Inn to shower and change.
I spent the following morning with Ariston, helping him around the Inn. While helping cook breakfast he asked about getting my citizenship, I revealed I didn't know what I was supposed to do so he said that he will help me get it, and it was quite an easy progress. First I had to file a document with my information and take a test that I managed to score 85% on.
After that I had to go to the Apollion Mountain Care, a hospital quite famous because it was built by Apollo, Asclepius, Dian Cecht, and Babalú-Ayé. Anyways, the doctor took my blood test and told me to meet with the Lord of Cresthaven. I guess he was like a Mayor or something so his job was to register new citizen's that came to Ogyiga and settled in his village.
It was about a week later, Ariston took me to where I needed to go, explaining on the way what I should do and how to act. Since he had to rush back to the Inn to help his wife, when we got close enough to the manor he told me good luck and headed back.
Looking at the ivory gate where a guard was standing at attention, I couldn't help but be alittle nervous. The guard looked almost similar to the British Guards for the Queen, though he was wearing an all white and gold uniform.
Walking to the guard, I caught his attention, as he pulled out a book.
"Name?" the guard asked, looking quite bored as he checked the book. Flipping through the pages.
"Adrian Evans."
"Ah, here you are," He muttered. "This way please."
He led me through the gate and inside a manor that really looked like the White House. I saw many knights standing at attention, and I couldn't help but stare in amazement.
Each knight was encased in gleaming white armor trimmed with gold, their armor was a marvel—medieval in its imposing form, the armor looked as if an ancient greek armor and a full plate knight armor had a child.
They had a golden crest on their right shoulder, The crest was a shield emblem with a golden serpentine dragon with a wreath wrapped around the shield.
Each held a white spear made of what looked like ivory and gold and a longsword was strapped to their side.
"Who are those knights?" I asked. They must be one of the Royal Knights.
"They are the Emperials," the guard exclaimed. "They elite of the Royal Knights, the strongest soldiers that exist, they answer only to the Empress herself. To even become a member of the Emperials you will have to be selected by her magesty herself."
The guard knocked on the grand-door and a 'come in' was heard as he opened the door and motioned me inside.
As I stepped into the grand hall, my gaze was immediately drawn to the tall man leaning against his desk looking at some papers.
He was a towering figure with a mane of silver hair cascading down his broad shoulders. His eyes, a piercing silver that seemed to hold the very essence of a storm itself, that sparkled with intelligence and authority. His chiseled jawline and strong, angular features exuded confidence and command, while a faint smile played upon his lips.
He must be Cedric Ashford, Lord of Cresthaven.
As I walked towards him, Lord Ashford looked up towards me and gave a smile that would have made any girl's knees buckle.
"Lord Ashford."
"Welcome, Adrian. Why don't we get started?."