By the first day of the second week, rumors were spreading about the mana battery’s student aide. There was talk among the congregation of students that I had fled to the mountains to eat berries and live out the rest of my short life span in peace. To most, it was the only logical explanation for why I hadn’t shown up after the first day. Little did they know that I had become a new man, forged from makeup and illusions. I was Calvin most days, but not today.

I proudly marched down the halls of the Academy, ignoring the jeering and hateful stares from my classmates. I had ruined their fantasy, their misplaced relief that I had vacated the premises. But I would not skip Mana Battery class, even if the professor wanted me to.

I heaved door 16, sliding it slightly ajar. To the untrained eye, the classroom looked empty. But to the keen eye, the well informed eye, and an eye on the lookout for an eye bound within a book, they’d find a rather unhappy professor larping as a book. The book was unhappy for one reason and that reason was sitting in the front-most desk, pen and paper in hand, ready to jot down some notes.

“So you remembered,” grumbled the book.

“Of course! Why would I forget the class that is the most important to me?”

“There weren’t any other classes you cared for? I’ll make you a list.” offered the book.

“I did try out Necromancy taught by Rath. He had a very hands-on, practical approach to Necromancy that I’m still getting used to. However, his class won’t be on my midterm and while I enjoy the material, it won't help me further my goal of winning the year end tournament.”

The book grumbled something that was just inaudible. I gathered from the tone that it was something that might have hurt my feelings, if I had understood the words.

“Fine. I’ll uphold my end of the bargain, if you uphold your end of the bargain. That is, to not talk about the what I was doing.”

“The mana siphoning.”

“I said to shut up about it, kid! What about upholding your end of the bargain don’t you understand.”

“Sorry, I forgot what we were talking about,” I lied.

“Good. Now, to begin the lesson. You must first learn what it is to be a mana battery, and what this class entails. I’ll skip over the platitudes and the nice words. You're here to have your mana capacity grown. The reasons for this are twofold and you’ll learn about them in due time. This is a dangerous process, and should be reconsidered at every opportunity. At least the optional study portion of this lecture.”

The book paused to see if I would reconsider. I sat in my chair attentively waiting for the lecture to continue. Professor book continued.

“The majority of the worlds believes that it is against the very laws and fabric of magic, to expand your mana reserves. Most people believe that how large your mana reserves, quite frankly, is decided the moment you’re born. That is the general consensus.”

“But they’re wrong.” I assumed.

“No, they’re not wrong. From the thousands of years that I’ve been at this academy, I have not taught one student who was able to safely increase the amount of mana they could hold within their reserves. That is why I ask you, again, to reconsider taking this sham of a class. It is never too late to pull yourself from the program. Many brave and unselfish students have.”

“But if this class exists, then there must be some merit to the idea.”

The book groaned.

“You’re too stubborn for your own good. If you were a fish, you would’ve grown legs and lived on land just out of spite and contrariness. That is not a good trait to have, I must say. But again, I urge you to step away from your misconceived ambitions and forget about that blackmail you hold over your head.”

“Can we continue on with the lesson?”

“Fine.”

The book paused before speaking once more.

“The reason this class exists is because there was someone who tricked everyone into thinking that she had increased her mana pool beyond that of a mere mortal. Long ago, I was one of the few suckers tricked into thinking this. I’ve spent eons trying to recreate her power, from the crumbs of information she left behind. The notes that were written and bound into my various pages, teach you about fantasy and make believe.”

“So you’re disillusioned?”

“Yes! Of course, I’m disillusioned. You try doing something thousands of times to just watch it fail and fail and fail, so on and so forth. The short term power gained is not worth it. Because eventually you’ll kill loved ones, and family, and other students. Oh, I’ve killed so many people, too many people. I hate the monster I’ve become.”

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“But from what I gathered, I will die if I do or don’t take this class. The answers on how to solve this dilemma must be hidden within the text. Maybe it’s greedy, but I want to live.”

“And I don’t.”

The book let out a hefty sigh.

“Their world is unfair, isn’t it? For people like us, who happen to find ourselves inexplicably making the wrong choices over and over again, taking the wrong turns in life. I wished I had the optimism that you have, but I lost that long ago. Come, pick me up. I will show something, then you’ll understand.”

I got up from my desk and shuffled over to the book. I hesitated as I carefully reached over the eye of the book. I was careful to hold the book upright, in a position where I wouldn’t bend its spine or pages. I wasn’t going to murder a person, let alone a book.

“Open door 16, carefully. And slide me out. Make sure I don’t scratch me against the door frame. If you’ve ever felt the feeling of having your skin peeled from your flesh, imagine that. That’s what it feels like, to scrape a book.”

I carefully carried the book into the hallway.

“Now, turn to your left.”

I turned to my right.

“Your other left.”

I turned to my left and began walking down the corridor. It was the opposite direction from the entrance of the academy, and not an area with any students. I wondered why there were no other students down in this hall. Even if no classes were taught in this area, there was value in a good after class hangout spot.

The farther down the hall I went, the cruder the walls became; the less tapestries hung on the walls. Typically, the academy paid for people to come modernize their hallway, to make sure their halls were up to date on the current preferred style and fashion tendencies.

“You wonder why the halls are getting narrower and narrower, cruder and cruder, don’t you?” asked the book as if it was reading my mind.

“Yes.” I said.

“We’re closing in on that reason, the reason people avoid this area of the academy. For darkness lurks at the very heart of this university, hence it’s name.”

“So the name doesn’t come from the types of magic taught?”

“No, the type of magic taught roots from…”

“Roots from what?” I asked.

“We have arrived. Do not take a step further into that hall, not if you want to live.”

“What’s in that hall?” I asked, as I peered into the darkness. It was an eerie and sort of artificial darkness. The light from the torches should’ve traveled farther down into the hall. I could hear my heartbeat in the silence.

“What lays before you is a creature of unfathomable power, from another world.”

“A demon?” I asked.

“Not this being doesn’t come from the planes of Nalthreim. This is no demon, it comes from lands beyond. Its form is grotesque with tentacles, and beaks, and more eyes than any being should have. It grows in power from devouring mana. If it were to cross the barriers placed in this hall, the entire world would be in peril. It is the duty of the mana battery, to carry the burden of the mana; to withhold it from the monster.”

“So this is my purpose?”

“Yes, al lart klar varsa, ithl hnal.” spoke the book.

A screeching pierced my ears as it came from the darkness. I… it… I felt dread. It shouldn't have existed. It made me feel ill, as I tried to comprehend how a creature of the composition could have existed.

“Yes. Do you see why it’s important to neglect your studies now?”

“No. Wouldn’t increasing my ability to hold mana, only help me keep that thing from escaping?”

“Well, in a sense, yes… But if you were to die in your training, you’d create an opening for the eldritch horror to fill its reserves and lash out against the barrier.”

It was horrifying, the way the creature twisted and turned. I knew as I couldn’t take my eyes off it, that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep well at night. It shouldn’t have existed. It was not even a creature, it was something beyond that.

“You’ve looked at it enough. Come. Walk away from it. You will go mad staring at it, trying to make sense of it. It is not for the eyes to understand.”

The book bent its spins and opened its pages, before clamping down hard on my finger. I yelped as paper broke my skin, drawing blood. I hated paper cuts.

I turned my gaze away from it and marched back down the hall. The book thought it had dissuaded me from learning the secrets in its pages. But that thing needed to die. There was no place for that horror to exist, it shouldn't have existed. The answers I needed were taught in this class. I just needed to decipher the teachings.

“So now you understand? You’ll leave me alone?” asked the book, as I marched back to Door 16.

“No, that thing must die.”

“No, it must stay contained. As long as no one walks down that hall, we’ll keep it from fully coming into our world. We don’t know what’ll happen if we kill it. There’s no precedent. There might be more of its kind, and I don’t think we want to attract more of them.”

“Is that what you think will happen if we kill it?” I asked.

“Who knows what will happen. I know that the containment field has been proven to work for thousands of years. I doubt its magic will unravel in our lifetime as long as we make sure to contain the mana out of the area.”

“But eventually it’ll collapse?”

“The shield? Yes, eventually that monstrosity will escape. No mortal magic lasts forever. Only the gods and the creations from the beginning of time, know how to weave spells so tight that they never come undone.”

“But you’ve been alive for thousands of years.” I countered.

“Yes, and eventually my time will come. It’s a long story, but there is a reason I was turned into a book.”

I nodded.

“Anyways, if you want to continue down this path, I cannot stop you. Now that you know what is down there, I will not warn you again. But I hope you take the time to consider what is at stake and take this seriously. I hope you understand why a few students blowing up every now and again is worth it. I'm ok with you learning and I teach for a reason. Just don’t grow too big. Don't forget the responsibility that is needed to tread down this path. I hate senseless, meaningless death.” pleaded the dejected book.

“Someone has to stop that thing. I will do it, I hope at least.”

“I’ve given up on trying. Show me something groundbreaking and I’ll be by your side. But until then, make sure you listen. What I’m going to tell you isn't something to be taken lightly, it isn't for the faint of heart. If you’re to take on this burden, then you must be prudent. If not for you, then for the sake of your classmates.”

“I will try my hardest and give it everything I got. At least that much I can promise you.”

“I understand your desire to live. The desire to live is something that I did have once,” said the book. “The desire to live even through misery and pain is a uniquely human trait.”

"Do you wish to live?" I asked.

"I think about that often." said the book.