n

n

nI carefully grabbed the floating books so I could place them on the table in front of me and was feeling rather wistful because that would mean the magical dust would soon disappear afterward. It's so pretty that my eyes just want to stare at it for hours long, admiring it to an unhealthy degree. But then again, I was reminded that I'm here for a different purpose, and surely not to get distracted by pretty lights and sparkly magic.

n

"Here, let me help you,

" Nathan offered.

nHe then started picking the books floating about and would then stack them all together on the table. I was doing the same but he mostly did all the work so it finished faster than when I'm alone.

nAs soon as we placed everything on the table, the magic dust did disappear, much to my disappointment. I was so sure I'm about to cry from the feeling of loss… just kidding.

n

"I will leave you here to read and explore the place so that I won't disturb you. Call me if you need anything,

" said Nathan.

nMy mouth twisted upward from his thoughtfulness.

n

"How would I call out to you, though? Yell your name to get your attention? Is it even okay to make loud noises here?

" I remarked.

nAfter all, this is a library. Or that's what it looks like. Plus the fact that this is not just an ordinary place, to begin with. One should mind their behavior more importantly and uphold the tower's rules.

nBut what are the rules? Except for Z's reminder to not touch any magic artifacts you see, what are the rest? My brother is not telling me anything so I'm assuming that there are not. Or he could have forgotten. I mean, he did say his last visit was five years ago...

nWell, I could just follow the normal rules of any library and avoid unnecessary trouble due to ignorance. Yep.

nNathan's brows furrowed,

"I don't know, probably? There's only three of us here…

"

nI pursed my lips at his answer.

nSo it's true that he doesn't know some rules…

n

"Nevermind that, I will be busy anyway,

" I then shrugged my shoulders, brushing the issue away.

"In the first place, it's not like I'm going to do anything rigorous that needs your help. I'm only going to read stuff and nothing else.

"

n

"If you say so,

" Nathan responds,

"Then I'll leave you be.

"

nAfter saying that, Nathan left me in the reading area to explore the place as he said.

nAlone now, I settled on one of the softest couches I have ever sat on-- Holy cow!-- which was just a few feet away from the humongous directory.

n

"Damn, this couch is amazing…

" I breathed in utter amazement.

nIt was literally melting underneath me. Just like I am sitting atop the clouds. Or probably a marshmallow so soft that it is not even a marshmallow anymore… It's a different kind of marshmallow now...

nYeah, you get it, right? I know you got me!

nThis couch almost made me forget that I'm here to read books and not bask in the awesomeness of an upholstery.

nSo anyway, after I'm done gushing over the seat that probably came from and made by the Gods themselves, I looked at the pile of books in front of me. Humming, my hands busied themselves by sifting through the book titles and choosing where I should start first. They are all about the history of magic but the thing is, there is more than one author in the pile.

nAll of the names are unfamiliar to me so I still couldn't decide which to pick. Because of that, my simple-minded self based it instead on the book appearance. Which one looks legit even though being in here is already enough proof that it is authentic as it gets.

nMy eyes then caught sight of something familiar on one of the books and immediately grabbed it to check. And I was right! It is familiar! I traced the logo with my fingers excitedly, feeling more positive now.

nIt was a black raven sitting atop a crescent moon and yeah! It's the mark of my favorite novelist.

n

"Why is this here? They write about history too?

" I whispered.

nI looked through the pile again and saw two more books with the same logo on them and grinned. The one in my hands was titled Historia Magicae sunt in Terra, while the other two respectively were titled Magia Regibus and Est Magicae.

n

"This just made things easier for me, fufufufu~

"

nI then decided to read all of the novelist's works first and started on what I was holding because I am biased that way.

nLeaning back on the couch, I began my research.

n---**

n

"Oh wow… So that was what really happened…

"

nI have no idea how many hours had passed but I was already halfway through the first book and I already learned a lot. More than I did from the few books about magic I have read before. It had perfectly narrated, I'm assuming, the whole picture from the past and the reason why the magic disappeared.

nAccording to the book in my hand, Terra is one in millions and millions of worlds that exists. So that means this world is not fictional and it's certainly not a novel world. I was surprised to know that. Well, I did have a slight inkling about it before but now it just confirmed it.

nBut then again, what was that novel I read back on Earth? I was still confused about that but I brushed it off for now because that was not my purpose for today. I made sure to take note of it though so I could research about that in the future.

n

"... Terra is blessed with rich magic that made the people living there prosper. But because of constant wars that snuffed many innocent lives, Terra was dubbed as one of the most dangerous places to live in...

"

nThis part right here was already mentioned before. I already know this, but I have no idea that the wars were so bad the world is literally blacklisted. Just how bloodthirsty the ancient people were?

nArrogance truly is devastating in so many ways…

n

"I really rather have what is normal right now than revert to the olden times…

"

nAnd I meant it. It's more preferable that magic is taken away because it's more peaceful that way. I could never begin to imagine living in a world where there are a lot of conflicts going on and everyone is just killing everyone else's...

nI feel bad for those who died because they can't defend themselves, especially those who don't have magic affinity…

n

"One race, the Noble Vampyres, was even annihilated because of human greed… What? Wow…

"

nIs this the same race of vampires Lost had told me before? The ones who don't necessarily suck blood? So they are gone now?

n

"That's too unfortunate...

" I grumbled.

nApparently, they were once under the protection of the Noble Vampyres, known to be the guardians of humans. Then for some reason, the humans claimed that their God has given them a command to eradicate them from the world. Because they are dangerous to humans, they said.

nTalk about biting the hands that feed them…

nMay I repeat that they were their guardians? How nasty of them…

nThere were once more than three great forces that ruled Terra, and most of them were humans. These same humans were all fighting for power and leverage. They are basically trying to outdone each other because they all want to rule the world or something.

nThere were already wars between countries and as time went by, the powerful forces dwindled to three that became empires, which is now the current triumvirate. And then the first great war happened, involving the three biggest empires.

nBlood shed resulting in countless deaths. Those who were devastated the most were the small kingdoms who were caught in the turmoil. Terra was literally a wasteland. A hostile world in which the possibility of dying is 90 percent. Those were the dark ages until Solomon appeared.

n

"... A figure in white robes emerged from the sky, floating above everyone else like a deity… a crown of golden light decorated his head and a long golden staff on his right hand… in his body, divine energy could be felt radiating off of him… He looked down to the people below and made them stop moving with just a stare…

"

nI was in the section where Solomon was being introduced and for the first time, his appearance was neatly described in detail. My back straightened immediately as my face began to get serious. I didn't even notice that I did it unconsciously but I was really about to bury my head in the book now.

nThat's how interested I am in the topic at hand.

nI mean, this is the juiciest part of the world's history, you know. And I really want to know who this Solomon is.

n