Chapter 58: Lillian's Forbidden Scholar's Rebirth
The Grand Library of the Forsaken Vanguard
The grand library of the Forsaken Vanguard was an ancient fortress of forgotten knowledge, locked within its labyrinthine halls. The towering bookshelves rose up to the heavens, golden spines aglow under the soft light of lanterns enchanted by magic. Between the rows of bookshelves, scrolls in ethereal bindings floated, telling lost truths to those who could hear them.
She stood in the middle of it all, her fingers trailing along the rough leather of forbidden books, feeling the weight of their untold wisdom. The air smelled of old parchment and ink, a comfort smell to her, yet now it carried an omen of sorts.
She was hungry for knowledge. Whereas other warriors drew strength from their fists, she found power in wisdom. Even she had her limits-boundaries that should never be crossed, knowledge even the greatest scholars dared not pursue. And yet, she was here.
Here to claim what others feared.
Here to rewrite the fate that had been chanced upon her.
The elders had warned her: this path was fraught with danger. To seek the truth beyond mortal understanding would have its cost.
But the world moved forward, and she couldn't be left behind.
Her judgment day had finally begun.
---
The Trial of the Forbidden Scholar
Silence filled the halls of the great library until the faint echo of an ancient voice rang out across endless halls.
"Lillian of the Eternal Dao Sect… you stand before the Gate of the Forbidden. Will you enter, knowing the cost?"
A chill ran down Lillian's spine. The voice wasn't from any elder or guardian; it was a sound issuing from the very essence of the library itself, as if over the centuries the knowledge stored within it had come alive.
The huge stone doors in front of her were unlike anything she had ever seen: carved with languages from lost civilizations, pulsating between enlightenment and darkness with shafts of gold and obsidian light. Smothering was the weight of its presence, as if absolute devotion was the price one paid for daring to approach.
She faltered.
Not out of fear-never fear.
But because she knew what this signified.
There would be no going back.
She tightened her hold on the book in her hand, the final read before doing this. That had told a story of men of wisdom and sages foreboding their minds with a view to forbidden truth, blinded by them all.
And still…
She squared her shoulders. Her voice held even.
> "I shall."
The doors groaned open.
As a gale of energy launched itself forward and sucked her over into the gorge.
---
The Domain of the Forgotten Wisdom
Lillian entered a dimension out of the grasp of Time.
Books floated, swimming in a sea of nothing, their pages turning of their own accord, the words upon them in shining gold. Beneath her feet, runes pulsed and changed with every step she took, rewriting reality.
The weight of knowledge accumulated over eons surrounded her. It was heady. Suffocating.
And then, the whispers came.
> "To know all is to carry the weight of eternity."
> "Wisdom demands sacrifice."
> "Will you be prepared for the truth?
Memories not her own flooded her mind: visions of ancient empires rising and falling, of long-forgotten techniques that had defied the laws of nature, of celestial beings whispering secrets that would unravel existence itself.
Her head pounded. Her body shook.
But she did not falter.
The visions intensified. She saw warriors clash in forgotten battles, alchemists concocting elixirs that bent time, scholars unraveling the mysteries of the universe-only to be consumed by them.
And then… she saw herself.
A version of herself standing afar, clad in a robe of pure knowledge, her golden eyes devoid of warmth, her expression unreadable.
"You have sought knowledge always," the other Lillian said, her voice silky and cold. "But knowledge is a burden."
Lillian's eyes narrowed. "And yet, you stand before me, proof that I will bear it."
The reflection smirked. "Will you? Or will you fall like the others?"
Dark tendrils of ink burst forth from the floating books and wrapped around her arms, neck, and legs, pulling her into the heart of knowledge to drown her with its truths.
She saw everything.
The actuality of heavens, the existence of realms beyond mortal comprehension-the cycle of fate, and those who had dared defy it.
And the weight of understanding leaned upon her soul, threatening to shatter it.
But she persevered.
She was done being underestimated.
She was done with being fragile just because she chose wisdom over brute force.
She released her mortal shackles.
And the world obeyed.
A blinding golden light exploded around her as the runes merged into her soul. The ancient texts that once had weighed her down now felt like parts of herself.
Her body changed.
The delicate frame now writhed in an otherworldly glow; the robes turned into flowing scholar's robes, embroidered with holy inscriptions. The features turned sharp to proportion her command. Those bright, shining eyes now shone with an otherworldly golden brilliance-the seal of the Forbidden Scholar's Rebirth Physique.
She had awoken.
---
A Hidden Truth—And Her Feelings for Raymond
The moment Lillian stepped out of the trial chamber, the elders bowed before her. Their voices murmured praises, their awe evident.
But she barely registered them.
She was still processing something else.
One vision from the trial had burned into her mind—a vision of Raymond.
Raymond, that alchemical genius, always there, sharing late-night theories debating the philosophies others found insipid; he was a kindred soul, the one person who did understand her mind.
She admired him: how his mind grasped concepts few could, with his control, with his spirit, unchanging, like one of his completed creations.
Still, admiration is one thing.
She had seen him standing before her, his usually composed demeanor shaken. He was regarding her-not as a scholar, not as a peer, but as more than that.
>"You always hide behind your books," he had said so unusually softly. "But I see you, Lillian."
She could feel her heart pounding even now.
Had she misread him all this while?
She had always assumed he saw her as nothing more than an intellectual equal. That his focus was purely on alchemy, on perfecting his craft.
But what if she had been wrong?
As the golden glow around her faded, she clenched her fists.
She had changed. She was no longer just a scholar-she was a force of knowledge itself.
And she would no longer hesitate.
The next time she saw Raymond, she would know the truth.
Her story was no longer at the mercy of what other people thought about her.
She was ready to rewrite it.
---
End of Chapter 58.
---