The next day Kenta and Ryuji went to Olaf. On their way, they met with Eleanor and asked her about Hayato and Sol, but she has not seen those two since yesterday. Then they continued walking towards the library where Olaf was.

*Step*

*Step*

(Kenta) - Good morning!

(Librarian) - Greetings!

(Kenta) - Where is Olaf?

(Librarian) - He just left earlier.

(Kenta) - Did he mention where?

(Librarian) - Said something about an important message.

*Thinking*

(Kenta) - He must have gone to his house to send word to the Wanderer.

(Kenta) - Thank you!

*Step*

(Ryuji) - Where are we going?

(Kenta) - You will find out soon.

*Ryuji sighs*

(Ryuji) - Is it far?

(Kenta) - Why?

(Ryuji) - I am still tired from yesterday, I got sore all over the place.

(Kenta) - Fine, let's take a horse.

And they went to the stables, got a horse, and went to Olaf's house.

*Horse neighing*

*Stops*

(Kenta) - He should be around here.

(Ryuji) - Is Olaf living here?

(Kenta) - Used to.

(Ryuji) - What does that mean?

(Kenta) - He got a place in the capital, he comes here only if it's something important.

(Ryuji) - What is so important that he came here? The tomes?

(Kenta) - The Wanderer. Olaf came here to send word for him.

(Ryuji) - But how?

(Kenta) - You might have heard in stories that people used owls to send messages far away.

(Ryuji) - Yes, I heard that.

(Kenta) - Olaf still uses his owl for important messages.

*Surprised*

(Ryuji) - I want an owl too.

(Kenta) - Even if in stories a lot of people had owls, in reality, those owls are hard to find. They find you, not the other way around.

*Sigh*

(Ryuji) - And I could have used an owl to send a message to my parents back in the village. To tell them that I am fine.

(Kenta) - You can ask a trader in the capital that is heading there, there are plenty of them, and with the crest, they will not refuse you.

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*Step*

*Door opens*

(Olaf) - What are you two doing here?

(Kenta) - We wanted to talk with you.

(Olaf) - Eleanor already told me about the events at the arena.

(Kenta) - She did not tell you everything.

(Olaf) - You can come inside.

*Step*

*Step*

*Door closes*

(Olaf) - I was just finishing my message to the Wanderer and heard you both talking outside.

(Kenta) - I was telling Ryuji about your owl.

*Wings flapping*

(Olaf) - There he is.

(Ryuji) - Woah!

The owl had red eyes and black feathers.

(Ryuji) - I never imagined owls like this one.

(Olaf) - This one is indeed a rare breed.

(Kenta) - Did Eleanor tell you about the tome?

(Oalf) - Yes, she did. Zeka called them cursed tomes.

(Kenta) - Well, the thing she might have not told you is that the one from the wizard from the arena is missing.

(Olaf) - What do you mean missing?

(Kenta) - No one managed to find it at the arena.

(Ryuji) - Someone might have taken it, but Zeka said he can still feel its presence.

(Olaf) - Can he tell you exactly where?

*Whisper*

(Zeka) - Not exactly where, but I can sense it if it's nearby.

(Ryuji) - He said he can tell if it was nearby.

(Kenta) - It will be good enough because we could search the area.

(Olaf) - Let me finish the message and we can go. Until then, feel at home.

Ryuji was looking at the owl the whole time Olaf was writing the letter. After he was done, he tied the message to the owl's leg and whispered the Wanderer's name in the owl's ear. Then the owl started flying.

(Olaf) - We are done here. Let's not waste any more time and find that tome.

*Step*

*Step*

*Horse neighing*

They rushed back to the capital, but they had no idea where to start looking.

(Kenta) - Should we start from the arena?

(Ryuji) - That is a good idea, maybe it is still nearby.

They went to the arena but Zeka felt only a faint presence of the tome. They continued searching and nothing.

*Whisper*

(Zeka) - I feel it going away.

(Ryuji) - What do you mean by going away?

(Olaf) - Leaving the capital perhaps.

(Kenta) - Does he know in what direction?

*Whisper*

(Zeka) - South.

They quickly went to the South gate and asked the guards if they saw anyone suspicious leaving today. The guards looked at each other and both agreed that they saw no one suspicious or anyone carrying an item to what could describe a tome. One of them recognized Olaf and told him that two of his companions left earlier today, and they were in a hurry. The companions they mentioned were Sol and Hayato.

(Olaf) - Are you sure it's them?

(Kenta) - They have not come back to the inn after they helped at the arena.

(Olaf) - They might have the book.

(Ryuji) - What if the book is doing the same to them as they did with the wizard?

(Olaf) - In that case, we must hurry.

While Ryuji, Olaf, and Kenta were chasing them, the tome could feel Ryuji's presence as well.

(Tome) - We must hurry!

(Sol) - Can you move faster?

(Hayato) - You still did not tell me where we are going.

(Sol) - Trust me.

(Tome) - He is slowing us down! Get rid of him.

(Sol) - No!

(Hayato) - What?

(Sol) - Nothing, nothing. Keep moving.

(Tome) - We are almost there!

The tome was talking to Sol and was taking him and Hayato somewhere where the tome could unleash its true powers. It was a hidden sacrificial burial ground, that got overgrown by nature. The tome intended to sacrifice one of them and possess the other. And after what happened at the arena, the tome knew that Ryuji could stop that from happening.

(Tome) - Faster, faster!

(Sol) - I can't faster.

(Hayato) - Me neither, let's take a break, we can continue after we catch our breath.

(Tome) - Weak humans!

(Tome) - Kill him!

(Sol) - I can't.

Then the tome threw a lightning bolt at Hayato. Hayato fell to the ground.

*Shocked*

(Sol) - What are you doing?

(Tome) - Keep moving!

(Sol) - Yes master.

The tome took over Sol's thoughts and made him a puppet.

Not after too long, Ryuji and the others caught up to them and saw Hayato down.

(Olaf) - What happened?

*Grunts*

(Hayato) - The book. . .

(Olaf) - What about it?

(Hayato) - Sol. . . possessed. . .

And then Hayato fell unconscious.

(Ryuji) - We need to hurry!

(Kenta) - I will remain with him. Go after Sol.

(Olaf) - Let's hope we are not too late.

*Step*

*Step*

Sol reached the place where the tome guided him. He put the tome down, the tome opened itself and told Sol to write that spell on the ground. Sol was still under the control of the tome and he quickly followed its orders. Before he finished writing the spell, Ryuji and Olaf arrived at the place. Olaf jumped on Sol stopping him from finishing the spell and Ryuji closed the book. What they didn't know, it was too late. The spell was already in motion.