As Mikel walked through the entrance to the library he looked up and marveled at the paintings just in the doorway. No matter how many times he visited he was still in awe at the beauty of the architecture. The head librarian was a well-known observer and adventurer. Having made it to the emerald stage, he was one of the top cultivators that still lived in Rosewood. There were many paintings and trinkets he had accumulated before his retirement and he gladly loaned them to the library for the masses to see.

The smell of old parchment and dust always had a calming effect on Mikel. As he walked up to the main desk he asked softly, “Freya, is the old man in?” As she looked up and saw him, a smile blossomed on her face, “Yes, give me one moment Mikel. I will go see if he is available.” She said as she turned around and walked through a door behind her.

The desk was made of a black wood that drank in all the light in the library. It was from a rare wood found in the Rosewood forest, and probably cost more than most homes. The old man had put a lot of his personal wealth into the library.

Minutes later, with a chuckle, a tall man with alabaster skin walked out of the door followed by Freya. “Mikel, it’s good to see you again. I figured that book would take you at least two weeks to digest.” He said, a look of amusement on his face.

As he stood behind the desk, the multiple lamps in the library caused a glint off his eyebrow. Two emerald gems sat above his right eye.

“Old man, once again you underestimated me.” Mikel said with a smirk.

With a small smile the old man looked into Mikel’s eyes. “Confidence is good, but it can be deadly.” He said in a solemn tone.” Come, let’s test your knowledge” said the old man. Waving for Mikel to follow, he led him into a room to the side of the main desk. This room was the head librarians office and personal library.

As the old man took the book from Mikel and placed on the wall the cover could be seen, the title was “Travelling the Rosewood Forest”. Once he had the book in the proper spot he started peppering the young man with questions, “How many square miles does the Rosewood forest cover?”

“Five thousand three hundred twelve and a half. Or roughly three point four million acres” He answered quickly.

“What are the most common non-magical creatures found in the forest, starting from class small to large?” The old man shot back immediately.

“The brown tailed squirrel, silver-mist wolves, and the Rosewood brown bear”

“What should be your first concern upon setting camp?”

This question threw Mikel a little, as he was expecting the next question to be about magical creatures. They were very dangerous and a high concern. “Shelter from the elements and creatures.” Mikel answered after thinking for a second.

“Not clean water?” Asked the old man.

“We both know I can create clean water, and food should not be a problem with my bag” He said while patting the satchel at his side.

“Did you not hear me earlier? Over confidence can be your death.” The old man said, shaking his head.

“I’m not being overly confident. I know my skillset and therefor I believe that shelter would be the most important thing.” Mikel said with a perplexed look on his face.

“What would happen if you were incapacitated or, heavens forbid, killed? Your companions would be without clean water. You’re an observer, you have to think of all the possibilities.” He lectured.

“Ben, I understand. Water, then shelter, then food. Although we won’t be staying in one place for long, I think you’re right. I shouldn’t assume anything when planning.” Mikel said, knowing the old man had his best interests at heart.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Old man Ben sat down at his desk glaring at Mikel. As he tapped his fingers on his desk he chuckled to himself. “I know you’re trying to placate me Mikel, but please remember that anything can happen in the forest. It is a dangerous place and men far stronger than you have been broken in its depths.” He said with a serious tone.

Mikel nodded, looking properly chastised. “I know it’s going to be dangerous Ben, but I’m ready. I can’t advance while sitting in the safety of this city.” He said with a determined face.

“I understand.” Old man Ben started, “It’s a stifling atmosphere and I can’t believe so many are able to break through here. You know, the place where I started my journey made the forest look tame.” He said, his eyes staring off into the distance.

“Anyways . . . “Ben said with a shake of his head. With that the questions continued, with Mikel answering each one with little pause. This continued on for about twenty minutes, when finally Ben smiled and sat back in his chair convinced Mikel had a good grasp of the material.

“I have one more thing to teach you before you leave.” At that he stood up and walked over to one of the bookcases, rifling through he finally found what he was looking for and sat it in front of Mikel. “This is a spell I have been holding back, until I felt you were ready. Page nine, go ahead and copy it into your spell book”

Looking down at the book that sat in front of him, Mikel noticed the worn leather bindings. His breathe caught in his throat. This had to be the old man’s personal spell book. All the other spells Ben taught him had been from basic spell books from the empire. They were fine spells, but very rarely contained evocation. Mostly he had learned abjuration or conjuration magic to this point, with a select few transmutation.

With shaking hands he opened the book and started to slowly flip to the ninth page. As the page fell to the one he was instructed to turn to, he noticed immediately that it was evocation. The formula for range, the equation for force and trajectory all taken in by Mikel. “So I will be able to create force projectiles? This could be a lifesaving spell, thank you Ben.” Mikel said as he looked up from the page.

“I will give you one hour to copy it, I must get back to my work.” Old man Ben said as he stood to leave, but before he left he looked at Mikel “That page only. The other spells are well above your capability and I will not have your death on my conscience. I know you to be trustworthy, do not break my trust.” He said, and with that he exited the room.

It took Mikel less than thirty minutes to copy the spell into his own spell book. The two books looked nothing alike. Mikel, having just started his journey into the observer ranks, had a brand new leather spell book. Enchanted to withstand dirt and water, it looked immaculate. Ben’s spell book on the other hand had seen 40 years of adventure and it showed. The cracked leather and burn marks on the exterior was testament to the hardships Ben had seen. “This is a spell book of a legend.” Mikel thought to himself, wondering if one day his book would be as priceless.

Eventually Ben returned and placed the book back into its place. With a few more words of warning and encouragement he showed Mikel to the door. “Come see me again before you three leave, Mikel.” He said as he reached out and patted Mikel on the shoulder. “And return those books before you leave today.” With a chuckle he waved and went back into his office.

After returning the books and chatting for a few minutes with Freya, Mikel left the library and continued walking home. Walking through the city without a book to distract himself he actually made good time. Finally he walked up the steps to his home above the family run bank.

After some pleasantries with his family he locked himself in his room and started to cultivate. Laying his spell book on the ground in front of himself he took up the lotus position and then closed his eyes as he began to meditate. Like Old man Ben had taught him he pictured his upper dantian. Yellow and gem like, much like the citrine pierced through his eyebrow, he saw the various links from his dantian to his brain. New synapses forming since the last time he cultivated. He started to circulate his mana through the newly formed synapses, pushing them further on their path.

After a full hour of this he opened his eyes and smiled. Looking down at his spell book he opened it to the new spell that Ben had given him. He spent the next thirty minutes studying the various intricacies of the spell, when finally “Ok, here we go” He said, pumping himself up.

He held his hand out in front of him pointing at the wooden chest sitting in the corner of the room and made the correct symbols with his hand. White energy began to build up on his palm for a few seconds before

WHOOSH!

THUNK!

CRASH!

Three white balls of energy shot forward towards the chest. The first of them slamming into the wooden chest and splintering the side, but the last two veered off course and shattered the window as they could be heard slamming into the wall of the building next door.

“Oh shit”