The library was a quiet haven in the heart of the academy, but it buzzed with whispered excitement as students watched Riku. His mind was racing, a storm of thoughts colliding as he scanned multiple books at once. His intense focus captivated everyone around him.
"He's reading so many books at once... How does he do it?" a student murmured in awe.
Riku didn't hear them. His eyes darted from one page to the next, a wide grin spreading across his face as he absorbed the content with a voracious hunger. "This is so awesome..." he muttered under his breath. The knowledge about mana, the academy, the history of Aethrion—it was like a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.
Despite his newfound ability, Riku didn't skip over the reading experience. Every page he turned felt like a small discovery, a piece of a much larger puzzle. It was like a secret had been unlocked, but he still had to be patient and work for it.
As he searched for his next book, a soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you looking for something in particular?"
Riku turned to find a young girl with stark white hair and faintly dark eyes standing beside him. She had a quiet, ethereal presence, as though she belonged to the very air of the library.
He blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, yeah. I'm looking for anything about powers or blessings that come from the goddess."
The girl's eyes widened, and she looked around the library, her gaze settling on a distant corner. "You might find something over there," she said, pointing in the direction of a shadowed section filled with ancient tomes.
"Thanks!" Riku said, though he hesitated to ask her name. By the time he glanced back, she was gone. His curiosity grew, but there was no time to dwell on it. He followed her direction, feeling the pull of mystery in his chest.
The corner was quiet, isolated. Riku's heart raced with anticipation. His fingers brushed along the spines of the books until one particular volume caught his eye. Its cover glowed faintly, etched with runes that pulsed with an ancient energy. As he pulled the book from the shelf, a sense of wonder filled him. "This has to be it," he whispered, already flipping through the pages.
The moment he opened it, a wave of energy washed over him. His left eye began to throb, growing increasingly heavy. He stumbled back, his hand clutching his forehead as an overwhelming surge of power flooded his senses. The pages of the book blurred before his eyes, the words twisting into vivid images.
In the blink of an eye, Riku was no longer in the library. Instead, he stood in the midst of a vast kingdom, its streets glowing with light. A legendary figure stood before him, his presence commanding the air around him. This warrior wielded a power so strong that peace reigned for over a century. But then, a dark figure appeared—its presence like a shadow consuming all light. Without a word, the two figures clashed in a violent battle, their mana shaking the earth.
The dark figure fell, but the legendary warrior paid a heavy price, losing his powers in the final strike. As he lay dying, he asked the king to create the academy and guild to prepare future generations for the battles that would surely come.
Riku snapped back to reality, his breath quickening. He closed the book in a daze, his hands trembling. The vision had felt so real—he could still feel the tremors of the battle echoing in his chest.
He glanced up and saw the book in his hands. A strange pulse of energy surged through his left eye, and in an instant, a flood of information filled his mind—every detail about the book, its origin, the materials it was made from. It wasn't just knowledge—it was a direct, unfiltered experience of the book's existence. It was as if the book was alive.
But it didn't stop with the book.
Riku's eyes met those of a student across the room, and suddenly, his mind was flooded with a deluge of thoughts and memories. The student's name, his strengths and weaknesses, even his fears—it all rushed into Riku's consciousness. He quickly turned away, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of knowledge pouring into him.
His hand instinctively reached for his left eye, the pain in his temple growing unbearable. This wasn't just a gift—it was a force. A force that could consume him if he wasn't careful.
Riku stared down at the book again. "I have to be careful with this power," he whispered to himself. The rush of information had been exhilarating, but there was a growing sense of unease. Absolute Knowledge was a gift—and a curse.