I blink at the words before taking a glance around. I don’t see anything else change at the moment so, looking down at the page I ask “Are you talking to me?” In response, the scratching sound begins again as more words appear on the page.
“Of course, no one else would have the key to unlock me except you, young master”
My eyes widened, a spark of wonder pushing back the fear and apprehension that had a hold on me. “Are you a magic book?”
“I was created with magic so in that sense I am a magic book, but I am not a book about magic.”
“Well, what kind of book are you?”
Before his response comes, a rumbling echoes throughout the house and I have to hold on to the desk to keep myself from falling off the chair. I look back as the scratching sound comes back, quicker and more intense.
“I will answer all of your questions at a later time young master, now you must prepare the manor’s defenses.”
“D-Defend from what?” The wonder I had felt quickly being doused.
“There is not enough time to answer those questions, here” The pages of the book quickly begin to flip past before settling once more. However, unlike before these pages are not blank. There are a bunch of squares and rectangles stuck together. The scratching comes back as words appear in the margins near the bottom where there is space.
“This is the floor plan of the manor’s first floor, please select where to place the specters before the shades arrive.”
“Uh, um, h-how many specters are there?” Questions begin racing in my mind as a symbol of an orb on fire forms with a x10 next to it. I guess that many. I look over the floor plan, my eyes swimming. “What are these shades trying to do?”
“Their goal is to reach this study where you are, and I will emphasize that is NOT something you want to happen young master.”
I swallow, trying to keep down the fear slowly clawing its way back up. I notice a large square on the border of the floor plan. It has two rectangles on the sides that have lines inside them. I point at it,”Where is this?”
“That would be the front entrance. It has the shortest distance from the outside to this study.”
I recall the room and the two large staircases, that must be what the rectangles with lines in them are. I look around the rest of the floor plan but don’t see any other rectangles with lines on them. “Is the front entrance the only place with stairs coming up to this floor?”
“That is correct as of this time, it is where the shades will enter the second floor from.”
If that whatever these Shades are all going to be heading there, it would make sense to put these Specters here to stop them. Obviously putting them next to the stairs would be best. I point at the bottom of one of the rectangles, “Can you place 4 specters here, uh, please?” The cover of the book glows brighter for a moment and fades, four orbs on fire appear on the floor plan where my finger is. I repeat the same for the opposite side and place one Specter on each staircase further back just in case. As the last Specter appears on the floor plan, the house shifts slightly, the wood groaning all around me, the lights dim, and the air seems to grow thick. The scratching returns, my eyes darting to the margins, hoping for some reassurance.
“The Shades are approaching, I hope that your defenses are up to the task young master.”
That doesn’t make me feel better at all! Ugh, but the book isn’t wrong, all I can do now is hope that was the right place to put them. The creak of metal comes, muffled, from behind me. That was the front gate I came in from earlier, I remember it being closed the last time I saw it. Do the Shades have a key or did they break the gate’s lock? I strain my ears trying to hear the sounds of footsteps only to be met with silence which now gives me confusion along with its usual anxiety. The next sound comes much clearer, the creak of a door, long and drawn out echoes forth before a thud ends it. That was the front door, now I have to be able to hear th-
A chorus of wails cuts me off, rising in volume like a tidal wave, it continues on as I cover my ears to try and block out the sound. Even putting my hands over my ears, it still comes through although at least it doesn’t hurt now. After a few more moments the wailing stops, I slowly pull my hands away from my ears but before I can speak the house shifts once more. This time it appears to be the reverse of before as the lights seem to brighten and the air clears. The book turns to the next page, completely blank, “The Shades have been defeated, congratulations for a successful defense young master.”
“Oh, uh thank you”, I scratch my cheek, “Is there time now for you to answer my questions?”
“Of course, it is my purpose to assist you so please ask anything.”
“What do you mean by your ‘purpose’?”
“Your grandfather created me to assist you with management of this manse and any other affairs you fancy involving yourself in.”
The next question I had catches in my throat, I read the sentence again to make sure my eyes weren’t wrong. Darker feelings start to roil in my gut, I shake my head to try and ignore it for a moment. “I .. I don’t know if you already know but -”, the scratching causes me to glance over as new words form.
“I am aware of the previous master’s passing, I appreciate you making sure I was aware nonetheless.”
“Alright, well , um …” I fiddle with my fingers trying to refocus, “Oh, um, what are these Shades exactly?”
There is a long pause. Did they not hear me? It’s hard to tell since it doesn’t have ears or a face.
“The simplest way to describe Shades would be raw magic made manifest.”
“In areas rich with mana, it will usually accumulate within preexisting objects, such as minerals or plants.”
“However if the ambient mana is particularly dense or has no suitable vessel, it will coalesce to form its own vessel.”
“So basically, the Shades appeared because there was a lot of mana nearby?”
“Correct.”
“But then what about the forest?” I don’t know exactly how much mana you need to make a shade, but with how large the trees I saw were, the mana should have been absorbed easily.
“Normally the mana would be absorbed by the forest but, there are many reasons in regards to the manse why that is not the case.”
“Manse?”
“The building we are currently in, It has no official name but if you so wish it could be called anything you desire young master.”
“My name is Mael, stop calling me young master.” It makes me feel weird, like when someone you don’t know says you’re friends.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Of course, my apologies master Mael.”
Hmph, I guess that works for now. I take a glance at the door leading out of the study, “You said the defense was successful, does that mean it's okay to go out now?”
“Yes it is, I would advise going to the main hall to collect your reward for defending the manse.”
“A reward?” I just did what you asked, nothing that special to earn something.
“It will be easier to explain after you collect it, if you could be so kind as to take me with you, I can explain then and there.”
Well that doesn’t seem too hard, plus I am curious about this reward. It might be something really amazing considering it probably came from this magic book. I reach out to close it before stopping myself, “Uh, do you want to stay open or is it okay if I close you.” In response, one side lifts itself and closes the book. I gingerly take the book and make my way towards the door. I’ll leave my bags here for now, it would be too much trouble trying to carry everything at once. I step out into the hallway, making my way back. I notice that everything seems slightly different, like the wood looks less aged and it doesn’t creak as much when I walk on it.
As I reach the main hall, I stop at the top of the staircase in awe. Floating in front of me is what I can only describe as a ghost. It has a rainbow sheen to it that never stays the same color for too long. It doesn’t really look like a person that much, more like a jellyfish with two long tentacles where arms would be. I take a step back from the stairs, realizing that it might not be safe to get too close. The book begins to jostle around and I open it up thinking it probably has a message for me.
“You don’t need to be concerned about the specters master Mael, they won’t harm you and will listen to your commands.”
I really hope the book isn’t wrong, I move up to the top of the stairs before clearing my throat. Every specter turns itself to face me, the only reason I know is because the arms move. “C-could all the specters on this staircase please move to the other one.” A long moment passes before the specters slowly drift over to join the others on the opposite staircase. I let out a sigh of relief before making my way down. As I step onto the ground floor, something slides out from under my foot and I have to grab onto the railing to keep myself from falling. After righting myself, I look down to find a key on the floor. It's made of metal, bronze with no fancy designs or anything unique. The book jostles again and I sit on the bottom step with the book open on my lap.
“This key is one of many you will earn for defending the manse from the Shades.”
“What is this key for, more books like you?”
“No, this key and the others you earn will be used to unlock rooms of the manse.”
“Any room?”
“That is correct, however you will need a key for each room so the order you open them in is important.”
I knit my eyebrows and run my hands over the key. It sounds like I should be really careful with these, I don’t know how long it will be until I get the next one. I should probably hold off on using this until I have a better idea on what to use it on. My stomach grumbles and I look down at it. Aw man, I didn’t eat before coming here or pack any snacks. The pages of the book rustle in what sounds like laughter, I feel my cheeks get warm. “Don’t laugh at me!”
“Please forgive me master Mael, if you would like I can direct you to the dining hall where you can sate your hunger.”
“Alright, lead the way.” I get up and look as the words vanish before being replaced by the floor plan. A dotted line forms marking a path to a certain room, I hold the book open as I walk so I can double check it as I walk. It leads to a pair of large doors similar to the front door, although these don’t have the metal rings on them. I reach for one of the door knobs and turn it, it catches and stops before opening. Sigh, there goes saving these until later. I close the book and put it under one arm so I can use the key. I crouch slightly to look under the door knob and place the key into the lock and turn it. The key grows warm in my hand, it starts to glow as I pull away and it turns into dust. The dust flows into the lock, filling it up and covering the keyhole before becoming solid like the lock was never there. I stand up and try the knob, this time it doesn’t catch and I enter the dining hall.
Opening the door, I look out into a large room. The room is mostly taken up by a long table that is covered in a dark blue table cloth. At the far end of the table, a chair is pulled out with an empty glass on the table in front of it. A row of wall lamps and candles on the table brighten the room. I quickly make my way down, sitting down in the chair. It catches me off guard when the chair moves itself forward, then nearly biting my tongue when I raise a few more inches to be level with the table. The opening of a door to the left of me grabs my attention, looking over I see another door open as a large serving cart comes out. It is silver in appearance, a plate with a cover atop it with a pitcher next to it, although the lack of any one pushing it is concerning for a split second. The cart stops next to me, the plate and pitcher float off the cart and over onto the table. The pitcher tips itself and water pours into the glass, while the cover is lifted off the plate. A sandwich reveals itself, thick slices of toasted bread cut in half to reveal the fillings. A mixture of vegetables, meat, and cheese are on full display, the sight causing my stomach to growl again.
I toss the book onto the table unceremoniously, more focused on eating. I snatch up one half and take a big bite, my eyes widen as a wave of flavor hits me. The crisp vegetables, savory meat,melty cheese, tangy sauce, and crunchy bread come together to make one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Even though she isn’t here, I’m really sorry Mom but this sandwich is way better than the ones you pack me for lunch. I don’t hesitate to scarf down the rest and reach over for the glass. I take a sip of water, surprised to taste a bit of lemon but it doesn’t make it any less refreshing. I devour the other half, washing it down with more lemon water before sitting down in contentment. The plate, pitcher, and glass all lift themselves off the table and onto the cart which rolls itself back into what I assume must be the kitchen. The book slides itself in front of me before opening up.
“I hope the food was satisfactory, Master Mael, the fare this time was rather simple since there wasn’t much time to prepare anything in advance.”
I shake my head, “That sandwich was AMAZING!” Honestly if the only thing I could eat was that sandwich, I wouldn’t hate it. The pages of the book shuffle once more.
“I am glad to hear such praise, it has been a rather long day for you master Mael, perhaps you should retire to your room for the night?”
As if on cue, a yawn crawls out of my mouth and I rub my eyes as a wave of exhaustion rolls over me. “Isn’t too early for that, I remember coming here early in the morning, what time is it?” A fluttering of fabric and a slight breeze cause me to turn and look behind my chair. A pair of curtains have pulled themselves back to reveal a window looking outside, revealing an inky blackness that is only broken by the light coming from the dining hall. H-how did so much time pass? I mean, I don’t have a watch on me or anything but it definitely didn’t feel like that much time had passed. The scratching sounds have me turn back around, hopefully to an explanation.
“The manse is still in the process of adjusting to itself, certain “anomalies” are going to occur but should not be an issue going forward, apologies for the inconvenience.”
Well, I don’t really have anything to counter that so I guess that's that. I grab the book and slide off the chair, “So can you point me to my room then, I’ll also need to stop by the study to grab my backpack and suitcase.”
“Of course mater Mael, if you want, your luggage can be delivered to your room so you don’t have to make a detour.”
Convenient, “Oh well in that case, please do that and guide me to my bedroom.”
“Understood.”
Like before, the floor plan appears along with a dotted line showing the path. I follow it, leading me up to the second floor. As I go up the stairs, I notice that the specters haven’t moved at all since I asked them to move out of the way. Well, a specter is a ghost right? It's probably fine for them to just stay there for now. I continue along, eventually making my way to where my bedroom should be. I reach out to turn the door knob but the door swings itself inward before I can do so. I pause a moment before going in, “Wait, I thought I needed a key to open a room, why were the study and my bedroom already open?” I opened the book.
“The study and your bedroom were exceptions to this rule out of necessity, all other rooms must be opened with keys.”
I pouted a bit upon reading that, “I think the dining hall should have been called a necessity.”
“Well it was possible that you brought food with you, at least now you will have access to meals of much higher quality now.”
I wipe a bit of drool from my mouth, “That was a really great sandwich.” They have a good point, having good food is important. Mom always told me that eating snacks instead of “real” food would make me sick. Satisfied with that answer, I walk through the door into my bedroom.
The room is way bigger than my old bedroom, the bed is even bigger than my parents’ bed. There is a table with two chairs, next to a large pair of curtains. There is a large wardrobe and on the floor next to it, my suitcase and backpack, with the t rex plushie sitting on my suitcase. I make my way over to my luggage and open my suitcase to find my pajamas. I pull them out and get changed, there isn’t anyone here besides the book and it doesn’t have eyes so it shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t see a basket or anywhere to put my used clothes so I leave them on top of the suitcase. I take my t-rex plushie with the book over to the bed. I see a step stool already next to the bed and use it to help me get into the bed. I crawl under the cover and find myself nestled into cozy covers and fluffy pillows. I can barely keep myself awake as I place the plushie and the book next to me. I can’t even say goodnight to my plushie and the book before I find myself lulled to sleep.
Why does it feel like I forgot to do something important? Oh well, I’ll probably remember when I wake up tomorrow.