Kyle guessed that this old man must be senile because who gives themselves the title of Librarian? The odd situation reminded him of the mysterious statues outside.
“Old man, what were those statues outside about?” The casual tone Kyle spoke threw off the Librarian.
“He doesn't even use the name I gave him, kids these days.” The annoyed old man mumbled under his breath.
“Speak louder I can’t hear you.” The Librarian’s lips twitched.
“I said the statues outside are tributes to our ancestors. The man is Glendale Clovesteel, a crazy bastard that had an extreme thirst for knowledge going to lengths such as peering into souls to learn more. The lady is Hellen Treelock, a silly girl that recorded history and dangerous lands as a hobby. They’re both long gone, you only need to worry about their descendants. They are an arrogant and annoying bunch to deal with.” It almost sounded like he had experience with these descendants.
The old man reminded Kyle of his uncle, so he found it easy to talk to him even if he had a screw loose. Additionally, he needs someone to give him some guidance to survive in this landscape. Someone with a little wisdom like the old man matched the requirements. The big question he wants to ask is whether the stay is permanent or a vacation, but asking that would reveal too much information. Instead, Kyle tried to ask in a more roundabout way.
“Hey, Mr. Librarian you look like a knowledgeable person, say could you tell me what being a Hero means? It would be of great help to me.” Kyle added some flattery to the request as bait.
“Oh, what happened to you calling me ‘Old Man’ huh?” The Librarian answered in a thug-like manner.
“Uncle, I was ignorant in my ways. I have understood my wrongdoings, please don’t punish me for who I was in the past, but treat me for who I am now. I hope Uncle can be kind-hearted and enlighten this junior.” Kyle would usually feel embarrassed speaking this shamelessly, but today he didn’t care. The Librarian was also confused about how he got a brand new nephew all of a sudden.
“Stop, stop, stop, alright I’ll help you, here just read this. You can get your own understanding of what it means to be a Hero from this book. You’re also too young to be my nephew at the minimum you would be my grand-nephew.” The Librarian mindlessly stared and passed a book across the table. Kyle acted oblivious to the stare and was proud of his shamelessness. It took years of practice and it had greatly benefited him when needing something from his elders.
He grabbed the book that would give him a boat to ride the metaphorical storm to come. Looking at the title he was stunned, The First Hero. Wasn’t this the goddamn book the old man was reading earlier?! Kyle lifted his head and looked at the old man. He put on a smile used when speaking to a stupid customer.
“Grand Uncle are you sure you gave me the right book? Did you forget to take your medication Senior?” Kyle sounded soft-spoken and concerned.
“You said you wanted to read about Heroes- Medication My Ass! I’m 187 Not Senile! One Hundred, Eighty-Seven!” The Librarian panted as he finished.
“Senior this junior misspoke because he was ignorant! Please be lenient to this junior!” Kyle hurriedly pleaded and acted pitifully.
The Librarian sighed “Whatever, do what you want. I’m going to nap, wake me when it’s lunch.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The Librarian leaned back and closed his eyes. Kyle flipped open the book and looked at the first page. This was written to honor The First Hero, recorded by his companion Hellen Treelock. The name at the end caused him to peek in the direction of the statues outside. Then Kyle heard the sound of what he could only assume belonged to a dying animal at its last breath. It took him a moment, but he found that the origin of the noise was from the old man.
Kyle’s main worry was that the old man’s descendants won’t have time to say their goodbyes. But, after a few minutes passed and the snoring continued he grew confused. That was until he remembered that this damn old man was taking nap and must be snoring!
Kyle ignored the snores and got back to reading. Kyle decided not to wake him up because he vaguely remembered that old people needed tons of rest. What he didn’t notice was a wooden eye forming on the wooden beams above him and at the bookshelf in front of Kyle.
He began reading The First Hero. The beginning introduced a time of chaos where the world was in a state of war. The four races were on a righteous crusade to fight back the evil beasts that terrorized the inhabitants. Through a deadly final battle, they managed to push the beasts north.
The four races each left a special method to help their descendants if they ever faced a disaster even a sliver of the threat the chaotic era held. For the humans, this was a summoning spell. It was passed down through generations of humans and held specific instructions needed to construct the magic circle.
The summoning of the First Hero was the first time it was used since the chaotic era. The First Hero told a tale of grandeur, friendship, and loss. The human kingdom was terrorized by a group of dragons that hid during the chaotic era. The First Hero went on a quest to slay those horrid dragons.
He met a crazed wizard obsessed with knowledge, a reckless historian in pursuit of all things related to the past, and many other insane characters. The story was told from the perspective of the author. Kyle was so focused on reading that before he knew it he reached the last page when lunch arrived.
The maid assigned to keep watch on the Hero stood at the library door. The statues at the entrance almost had her drop the tray, but her training kept her hands steady. The maid named Elene opened the door and skillfully held the tray of food in her free hand. Her small stature made the small feat of strength seem out of place.
Walking in she saw a beautiful scene it included two men, one young, the other old. The young man was engrossed in reading and his head was almost buried in the book. The old man on the other hand was napping and snoring like a dead man, the horrid noise echoed throughout the library.
When the food landed on the table it got both men's attention. The Hero pulled his head out of the book and the old man awoke at the smell of the freshly cooked meal. They thanked her for the meal as she left.
However, she did not actually leave and was eavesdropping behind the door. The old man was an important figure according to her mistress, so something must be going on between the two of them. Whatever was happening must be reported to her mistress in case of an unexpected variable occurring.
She crouched behind the door to minimize her presence and kept an eye on the path. Hidden in the shadow of one of the statues Elene kept her ear to the door, but out of the corner of her eye, the surface of the door began wriggling. She dashed a dozen steps backward and pulled out a hidden dagger. She warily watched as the door began to form a ball-like shape where she previously crouched. A moment later a wooden eye fully formed, its pupil spun wildly which then abruptly stared at her.
All of sudden she felt a warm liquid trickle down her forehead. Elene’s eyes shook, in front of her, a sharp wooden spike poked her right between the brows. The unnaturally long wooden spike stretched a length of a few meters. The spike morphed into a slender hand that had fingers that were long and eerie. At the center of the palm, the hand split open. A shallow breeze flew out of the opening creating a scratchy and unnerving whisper-like sound. “Didn’t your mistress ever teach you not to eavesdrop on your guests, little girlie?”
Elene carefully backed away from the wooden hand and when she felt like she was out of its reach she dashed to the castle. Reaching the castle her heart pumped blood through her entire body after encountering the near-death experience. After the maid finally left the eerie wooden limb sunk into the wood causing little waves on the surface of the door. Everything returned to normal except for a small change. A sign hung on the door, it read Children must be supervised by an adult in the library.