"You can't enter the State Library," the librarian said flatly.
Raine blinked in disbelief. "I'm sorry?"
"You don't have a membership pass."
While they obviously didn't have the aforementioned pass, it was strange that the librarian had assumed so.
"Do you know where I can get one?" Raine inquired, eyebrows furrowed.
"You need magic to do that," the librarian snidely replied. "The machine doesn't work for... people like you."
"Oh."
Their lack of magic was becoming an increasingly annoying problem in Kosira.
"Although, it's not as if you could understand any of it," her lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "Most of the books are academic and revolve around magic research. You'd be better off asking the local storyteller for some cheap entertainment."
What a fucking bitch, Nikolay griped in their mind. Just because she's a librarian here, it hardly justifies being this goddamn stuck up.
In contrast, Raine attempted a weak laugh to deflect the librarian's scathing remark.
"Sorry," Raine bowed his head. "I must've missed a sign somewhere about the membership passes. Sorry for wasting your time."
They backed away from the counter and retreated into the corner. The lobby was far from crowded, so it was extremely obvious that they were still lurking around awkwardly.
I think we should just burst in regardless.
Rude comments aside, we wouldn't have been able to get in without a pass anyway.
It was at that moment when another traveller walked up to the librarian. From their differently styled clothing, to the several bags attached to their body, Raine assumed with decent confidence that they were also travelling from somewhere else.
They could overhear some of the conversation between the traveller and the librarian.
"Oh, I don't have a pass. Is that alright? I just need to access the map. I won't be long."
"Yes, of course!" the librarian's voice was suddenly sickly sweet, all traces of snobbiness gone. "Go right in. The maps are on your right, up the stairs. I hope you find what you need!"
Nikorai's eye twitched slightly at the sudden switch in the librarian's tone. If she knew that they were watching her, the librarian obviously didn't care about their opinion.
"Thank you, madam," the traveller bowed their head. "Apologies for not having a membership pass."
"No problem!" the librarian waved cheerfully as they walked further into the library.
Meanwhile, Nikolay was positively fuming.
Step away from the vessel for a second.
This sounds like you have a really, really bad idea.
Raine's trust for Nikolay eventually won over his doubts, and he retreated momentarily.
Once in control of the vessel, Nikolay stalked his way over to the entrance again.
A firm hand on their shoulder stopped them.
"Sir, you can't enter. I just told you, you don't have a-"
Nikolay whipped his head around, eyes flashing in anger. "Did the other traveller have a pass? You still let them into the library. Fuck off."
The affronted librarian stumbled backwards. "You have no right to be acting so disrespectfully against a staff member."
"Rights?" Nikolay scoffed as he turned back towards the library. "I'm afraid I don't recall you respecting basic human rights, either. Feel free to explain your shitty behaviour if you wish to get others involved."
The threat seemed to work, because they strolled into the library's main hall without further interruption. Nikolay stepped aside to pass the vessel back to Raine, who paused in the centre of the wide room.
Don't you think that was... a bit unnecessarily rude? Raine worried.
That was hardly enough force, Nikolay replied. She deserved more, but we're short on time. Why are you so solicitous about her ego, anyway? You should've stood up for yourself earlier.
The corners of Raine's lips threatened to turn downwards. If you keep quiet, people are less likely to provoke you and make fun of you. They eventually get bored if you don't give them the reaction they want.
That's not tr-
Nikolay stopped himself when he noticed their shaking hands.
...Apologies.
In an instant, Raine's sly smile dispelled the sombre mood.
But you know, I can just be myself around you. Maybe it's because you're actually a huge softie.
Be quiet, Nikolay huffed. We don't have time to banter right now.
Quite obviously, their next step was to scour the ancient magic history section. A large hanging sign directed them to the furthest right wing.
On either side, huge looming bookshelves completely covered the stone walls behind them. An equally absurd amount of books settled within these wooden enclosures. Despite the overall neutral tone of the library itself, each book sported a variety of designs and colours.
Raine couldn't help but feel seriously out of his league when staring at the sheer number of choices in front of him.
Where do we even begin? I'm pretty sure I won't even be able to understand half of these books.
Pick the one in front of you. Better to read a single book, rather than read none.
Cliché much? Raine sighed, but obliged anyway.
The chosen book was thicker and heavier than most of the rocks that they'd seen on their adventures outside of Marque and Veritas. Its cover was a faded blue, the fabric wearing away at the edges of the book. The title was barely visible, but enough ink was left to discern the words 'Origins of the Triad: Spirit, Mind, Body'.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Raine took a weary breath and flicked to the first page.
"It is well-known that magic originates from the spirit of each sorcerer. However, many people ask about the other two components of the triad: the mind and the body. What is their purpose? And how did they come to be? This provides an introduction to traditional folklore that attempts to explain the origins of the triad."
I'm falling asleep already, Raine thought. I'm gonna skip past the first few pages.
"When the gods created humans, they used a portion of themselves to animate vessels. This portion of the gods is the 'spirit', and the vessels are our 'body'."
"Over time, humans created societies and connections with one another, giving rise to the 'mind'. However, from the birth of the 'mind', the humans' link with the Gods was weakened by their focus on the concrete world in front of them."
Raine rubbed his eyes tiredly. ...What?
Maybe Raine was still reeling from their conversation with the librarian, but the words just swam around in his head without sinking in.
Just read the conclusion. It'll have everything summarised.
Good life hack, Raine noted. Wish I knew that during my university days.
In accordance with Nikolay's advice, Raine flipped to the back of the book and found the summary.
"Therefore, our spirit maintains our connection to the gods. The spirit opposes the mind, which developed after humans separated themselves from the gods. The mind's tendency to focus on the concrete world is in direct contrast to the spirit's divine link to the heavens."
This is still way too verbose. Skip.
"And thus, a human is always composed of the three core elements: the physical body, the divine spirit, and the creative mind. Sorcerers have a more pronounced spirit — which allows magic use — while average humans have a mind which overpowers their spirit."
Raine frowned at the crinkling book in his hands. Interesting, but don't you think that it sort of... puts down people who aren't sorcerers? The theory suggests that normal people are less 'connected' with the gods. Like they're less divine, or something.
And yet you call yourselves 'normal people', Nikolay drilled out in a flat tone. It's merely stating the truth. As far as I'm aware, few non-sorcerers believe in the gods.
Of all the possible responses, Raine was not expecting Nikolay to react negatively towards his statement.
But aren't you a 'non-sorcerer' too? I mean, you-
I'M NOT! Nikolay shouted. I have a divine contract with the gods. The whole reason why I am here is because of my gift for magic.
Reflexively, Raine stumbled backwards from the sheer force of Nikolay's voice. His back caught on the railing behind him, stabilising his body.
Instead of being scared or angry at Nikolay's response, however, he merely sent a gentle pulse of understanding.
If you dislike non-sorcerers as much as you claim, then why did you defend me against the librarian? Raine asked quietly.
Silence enveloped their mind. The lack of a response hung in the dead still air. A few weeks ago, Raine might have taken it as a sign of reluctance. But by now, Raine knew that Nikolay was simply mulling over an acceptable response.
...I hate shitty people.
Raine nodded, an imperceptible tip of the chin. After all, it was a more than understandable answer.
To distance themselves from the previous conversation, Raine put the book back in its original place and moved on.
There's nothing about the three types of magic that you said before, Raine noted. I'll try another book.
Nikolay made a half-hearted hum of acceptance, while Raine had already scoured the next bookshelf.
Oh, this one's titled 'Famous Ancient Prophecies'. This should have something semi-related to our prophecy.
Raine flipped through the contents page and skimmed straight to the 'Origins' section.
"The Prophet, once called an Oracle, delivers a prophecy to the gods when the time comes. Details of this process are wholly unknown. However, some theories have been presented to explain portions of why prophecies."
"One such theory is based on the legend of the Three Great Descendants: the Sorcerers of Time, Light, and Space. This trio, once descended from gods, was the first non-deity beings to walk on Earth. Presumably, the Prophet is a wielder of the magic used by the Sorcerer of Time. Prophecies are essentially visions of the future, which align with the proposed functions of Time magic."
"It strikes me strange, however, that the omnipotent gods would require prophecies. Do they also not have Time magic? Then, it is..."
Raine snapped the heavy tome shut with a resounding clap.
He rubbed his temples with a sigh. How are these books saying nothing? I thought that there would be something interesting to read, at least. Now we've got the worst of both sides: a headache from a boring journal article, and zero additional information about our prophecy.
Perhaps we're looking in the wrong place, Nikolay nudged in a not-so-subtle manner.
After all, he had been apprehensive about visiting the State Library since the beginning. Unfortunately for him, Raine took his hint the wrong way.
You're right. I shouldn't have walked over to the dustiest section first.
He was met with an exasperated sigh from Nikolay.
This is the last one, I promise. I'm not too excited about doing academic research either.
Raine wandered over to the Modern History section. It was a far stretch, but maybe the prophecy was referencing something in the near past. It did say 'artifacts of old', but the entire prophecy seemed vague enough to discredit the surface meaning.
What the hell was half of that prophecy, anyway? It looked like flavour text — tasteless, at that — and meaningless dramatic fodder. But in all honesty, that worried Raine even more than a straightforward to-do list. Usually, prophecies only made sense once it was too late.
Nikolay's growing discomfort pulled Raine back into the present.
I doubt we'll find anything here. There are two mentions of the distant past: 'artifacts of old', and 'strengthened by the past'. We should go somewhere else.
His explanation still didn't address the odd nagging sensation coming from Nikolay, but Raine chalked it up to their mutual weariness after combing through the world's most tedious books.
A colourful textbook drew Raine's attention. It had 'A Brief History of Magic' printed on the spine and looked relatively thinner than most of the other surrounding books. Hopefully, this was much more succinct than the previous books.
Raine flicked past the acknowledgements page and skimmed through the brief introduction.
"A large portion of Kosiran residents, particularly in rural areas, have never met somebody who lacks magic. Because of globalisation and ease of transport, this statistic is rapidly changing. The resulting cultural clash has spurred many books — including this one — to educate Kosirans on non-sorcerers and our obscured history."
Obscured history?
Nikolay grimly replied, I'm not surprised that this happened. As Kosira is completely severed from the outside world, it would be a simple task to conceal information. Not to mention, the humans were also keen to forget a certain chapter in our history.
Raine frowned, but didn't comment further. He flicked to the first chapter.
"Several centuries ago, non-sorcerers and sorcerers lived together with no separation. Due to their unique connection with the gods, sorcerers were revered and often occupied positions of power. With their magic, they would grant the wishes of the non-sorcerer peasants below them."
"However, some non-sorcerers disliked this imbalance in power. They were tired of being dismissed as lesser beings. Thus, this evoked an uprising called the Revolt, sparking a war between non-sorcerers and sorcerers. Despite the divine gifts bestowed on the sorcerers, the ingenuity of the non-sorcerers eventually won the war. The positions of the non-sorcerers and sorcerers were reversed, and there was rampant discrimination on both sides."
That explained a lot. It was no wonder the librarian had acted so hostile towards them. Even in Marque, Lysandra had immediately pointed out their lack of magic — though it was in a much more friendly manner.
"Following the conclusion of the Revolt, a prophecy led most sorcerers to Kosira, a previously uninhabited land. Some unlucky sorcerers were captured or simply unable to survive the voyage and thus stayed on the mainland."
"While the main conflict was over, the sorcerers stranded on the mainland did not surrender. A few decades after the Revolt, a sorcerer-led uprising was founded to attempt an anti-Revolt situation. This movement, spearheaded by a group named the 'Crown Guild', essentially fought for the return of sorcerers to their seats of power. However, this group became too extremist in their views and methods of protest, ultimately strengthening the already biased stereotype against sorcerers. Following the assassination of the unknown leader, appropriately dubbed the King of the Damned, the Crown Guild collapsed after nearly two decades of terrorising innocent citizens."
Raine couldn't help but be curious about this movement. It seemed like an important part of history, yet he found no other mentions of the Crown Guild in the rest of the book. While it was understandable, given that the situation didn't involve Kosira, the brief paragraph dedicated to the group left many questions.
Perhaps Nikolay would know something about it? After all, he must've witnessed the effects of the Crown Guild on the mainland.
The section on the Crown Guild is pretty short. Do you know much else about it?
A disgruntled grumble from Nikolay gave enough warning against prying further.
On that sour note, Raine decided that it was time to leave the State Library. The small amount of information that they had obtained was not worth the harm that it caused.