Still seated on the hard library chair, my eyes scanned the texts before me. The ancient books, digitized in my virtual lab, provided enough information to begin understanding the foundations of the magical world I was in. "Now I have a basic foundation," I thought to myself as I carefully closed the last book, avoiding making noise.
I stood up and adjusted my coat, my eyes fixed on the library exit. The librarian, wearing a stern expression, glanced over his glasses and sighed, shaking his head as if questioning my intentions. Ignoring him, I walked past and began heading back to my room.
The corridor was busier than usual. Acolytes whispered among themselves, exchanging nervous glances, but I ignored them all. My focus was the door to my room, but something made me stop. An unusual concentration of people surrounded the door opposite mine—Mary's door. I frowned in confusion.
