“Are we doing this?” I fret.

“I think it is the best option.”

“I am worried. Kury is a High Mage.”

“And?”

“And if this information is as valuable as we assume, maybe we are underestimating the response.”

“Hmm… That is a great point.”

“Congratulations to me then.”

“Touche.”

“And?”

“And my point still stands: moving sooner is likely to give them less time to prepare for us, giving us more time to gain information.”

“Okay. You have that. But we need a better approach. Something more tactical.”

"Okay. I'd still be the best to work through this as I know more about magic.

“You have the floor.”

“We need a central entry point. A place that is covert but can act as a distraction.”

“How?”

“She likely has dominion over the Athenary, meaning she can sense people's auras inside the building. So I'll have to make a few jumps before I drop you off, or she will go right to you and not bother with me.”

“I don’t have an aura, so she won't be able to detect where I am.”

“That will be helpful, but I will still do it to be safe.”

“Fair enough.”

"Once I distract her, you read books one at a time. How long can I keep her busy? She is fast, likely a body enhancer. And if she has anyone with her, or worse, a whole team, I might lose."

"I have faith in your call."

“If we keep to the stacks, I can jump floor to floor with little effort.”

“Will they come after you if they figure out you can teleport? There are not many people with that ability.”

“Yeah, that won't look good. If I time it right, it should be harder to pinpoint my movement technique. But there is a risk there.”

“Teleportation is classified as a movement technique?”

“You should try a class that uses magic next bimester. Combat classes have a lot of helpful techniques for any magician and deal in tactical classifications.”

“I’ll have to look into that, along with the millions of other tasks.”

“Quit complaining and take my hand.”

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“So brazen,” I taunt, taking the lazily lifted hand as the process splits my being.

The weightless sensation of teleportation makes my stomach turn, but there is a new sensation—a pulling thread that snags on my being and connects me to both points for a fraction of a second before we appear. This new sensation relates to the longer distance.

“Hang on,” Shannai whispers.

The warning is inadequate to prepare me for the next few jumps. My existence is a string snapping between two points. My existence expresses itself in those two points bound by the extent of scale, the universe's boundary. For an instant, those two places, those two things that separate with space, become entangled and unhindered, allowing travel.

We appear in front of a familiar building, then a familiar door, past that and into an unfamiliar expanse. Endless books stretch into the darkness. I cannot look but at books holding answers to countless questions. The thought churns, bubbling at the pure greed of such secrecy.

“Any idea where to start?” Shannai considers.

“I will start with runes, which will answer the rest.”

I begin searching the shelves, which are in disarray. The codes beside them hint that a sorting system of some kind was in use. However, that system devolved long ago, leaving books ranging from political ideology to observations on ambient mana stuffed onto one shelf. After an hour of searching, I separated three tomes on runes and half a dozen books on interesting topics— the best lead so far: The Ambience of Complex Rune Structuring. The guide presupposes a level of understanding I need to possess. Memorizing those parts, such as the formulas for measuring condensed mana capacity or the rune formation diagrams, is doable.

Of the several discoveries culminating from the growing pile of finished books, the goal is to confirm something I’d guessed: the missing foundational rune. Words are the shapes as they fly by fast enough to tire my hand. Variances on known formations include a closed inductor rune with varied material further into the center, gold on the outermost, and iron as you come to the center to store metal mana. Another variance is in material structuring to produce an oscillating mana field. And finally, the rune I have been missing is mentioned in one of the last books. The single dot houses a mana gem, the power rune, a catalyst for a rune formation.

The amount of new information presented as if it is common knowledge befuddles me. There are gaps in my education; the more I uncover, the more I realize who hid them. With this tiny bit of information, I can make a dozen breakthroughs. Why stagnate the growth of our knowledge? Creation teaches us to be prudent and have an understanding of conservation. But why limit our progress?

The thought brings me back to myself as I hear a shifting step that echoes in the dark chamber. The candle smothers under a wet finger, allowing darkness to descend. The room’s tenseness emerges from my throbbing heart and shakes my body as I wrestle my diaphragm. Should I run or wait for Shannai? I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth in a steady cadence. A hand lands on my shoulder, and before a scream can pop out, a forceful pull at my sleeve silences me.

After some discomfort, I am in our dorm with Shannai breathing heavily behind me. I huddle the bin and wretch until bile is spilling out of me. After heaving, I look at Shannai, who's on the floor. Her skin is paler than usual, and she pants with a distant look.

“Are you okay?” I huff.

“I think so... I was close to depletion with that last jump.”

“Did someone notice us?”

“The librarian, Kury. She has a way of sensing my aura. I led her away before doubling back to grab you.”

“Security will be tighter from now on,” I note.

“I think we might have better luck if I grab them.”

“There might be something protecting the books from being taken.”

“You think? Then what?”

“We will have to make another trip. For the time being, I need to process this information. Once I have it all filed, I may be able to understand more.”

“Alright.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. You seem to get sick easily.”

“Oh? Other people are better at this?” I jab before continuing my efforts.

“I haven’t done it with anyone, but I don't have a problem.

“Aren’t you-”

“Blessed? I am. Ran circles around that old librarian.”

“So that went well?”

“Not exactly, because someone else got there quickly. I think it might have been High mage Phyillius.”

“I'm surprised you handled both of them.”

“I am that great. Sorry, I had to cut it short.”

“Lost track of time,” I mumble.

“Can’t imagine how.”

“I imagine our experiences are different.”

“Yeah. I fought off two high mages, and you had a nice read.”

“Exactly.”

“Did you get any good info?”

“I'm not sure yet. It’s all a bit messy. Do you think we will be able to risk another attempt?”

“My gut says I won't be able to juggle whatever they scrounge together.”

“Hmm… Maybe you can drop me off if I can find a way to leave through another means? If I work at it, I can teleport a short distance. I can find an exterior wall connecting the Athenary and the alleyway?”

"That is assuming a lot. Plus, teleportation is different from most things you can accomplish with affinity. You can use a small amount of elemental magic to create a fire on the tip of your finger, but if you teleport just your finger, it will detach from your body."

“Why can’t I teleport my entire body?”

“I’m not saying you can’t, but you could kill yourself gruesomely if you don't have enough magic.”

“How thick are the walls, do you think?”

“Half a meter of stone, and you might have some limitations. Such as needing a line of sight or having been there to create an anchor.”

“An anchor?”

"I don't know a ton because I don't need them, but these anchors are spatial mana. There's another affinity mentioned. Anyway, those reserves are placed at the destination of the teleportation and can be reached anywhere in the Empire, as long as there's enough mana stored."

“Hmm… I don't want to advocate for destruction here, but I understand why Mage Phylius doesn't mention it. All the teachers are keeping pieces from us.”

“That’s true.”

“So what do you think?”

“It is a good idea if there is no other way to get the information. But we have to be sure of it before we risk it.”

“That works; maybe they will tire.”

“Good luck with that,” Shannai huffs.