As I stood in front of the towering shelves of the royal library, my heart pounding in my chest, I knew that what I was about to do would change everything. The shelves were lined with ancient texts, forbidden knowledge that had been hidden away for centuries. I had spent months planning this heist, mapping out the guards' patrol routes, studying the layout of the library, and now the moment had finally arrived.
I took a deep breath and reached for the first book, my fingers trembling as I pulled it from the shelf. The leather cover was worn and cracked, and the pages inside were yellowed with age. I opened it, and the musty scent of old paper filled my nostrils.
"The giant tortoise? Ugh..."
I rifled through the shelves with assorted titles. Most were stories of past Theic heroes, though, I wasn't there to look at those. I could recount every tale of King Upsilon I. 3,000 years ago. Ruthless, careless, controlling, powerful, and most of all, intelligent.
"Phi Movement..."
In all the history of Theia, there were only several geniuses that surpassed all other scholars. It's a terrifying coincidence, but almost all of them lived during the same era. The most incredible overlap was Upsilon I and Phi. Upsilon had the incredible magical ability and fighting prowess: he was known as the "Philosopher King." Phi was a tactile genius who revolutionized mechanics and greatly expanded the realm of possibility. He invented the interplanetary travel that allowed Theians to--
"Delta! What are you...?"
Across the shining tile I was met by a familiar face.
"Prince Omega? I never thought you'd be here..." My voice trailed off. In reality, I did consider it, though, there was no need for a contingency. Omega was always on my side.
"Delta, you know how I feel about being in here," Omega called from across the hall.
Epsilon never acknowledged the existence of his hidden library to either of us, but, when my mother mentioned it to me I couldn't help myself.
"Theic combat originates from right here, Omega. This book!" I presented it to him.
"The Lambda Codex of Theic Warfare: A Masterclass in Technique and Strategy? You probably could've just asked my father for this, Delta..." Omega approached, examining the tome before him.
"Maybe so, brother, but I didn't sneak in here because Epsilon wouldn't give me the book. I'm here unbeknownst to Epsilon, and anyone else for that matter. Besides you, that is. But that's the same as only I knowing, isn't it?"
Omega gave me an uneasy expression, but then nodded subtly.
"Then what's it for?"
I opened the book, rifling through the pages. The tiles clacked as Omega approached me further, studying the book from around my shoulder. Despite the many chairs and welcoming decor within the library, we couldn't help but give in to the intensity while standing.
"Lambda was one of the few major Theic researchers to live way after Phi. Lambda is said to be the reason we know where other galaxies and planets are in reference to us. An accomplishment like that does deserve recognition, but there's not much reference to Lambda in history, besides the royal name."
Omega looked up, scratching his head. "You're right. I can't recall any Lambda, well, aside from this one. Can you get to the point, professor?"
I shook my head, closing the book and striking Omega across the head with it. Omega let out a yelp in response.
"Kind of high pitched there, Prince."
"Shut it, you must've heard wrong."
Instead of goading him, I decided to move past it.
"Anyway, we're getting out of here, normal guard patrol is set to resume in minutes. I'll explain on the way."
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Omega and I rushed to fix the books on the shelves. Epsilon wouldn't again visit the library until the books wore coats of dust, so the arrangement hardly mattered. We approached the thick marble wall between Epsilon's study and the royal library.
"Omega, how did you get in here?" I grew wary of my friend. The marble was of a specific type, permeable only to light. I was only able to get in by chance, and I had been hoping that the library possessed another way out for me.
"My dad taught me when I was young in case of emergency."
"Naturally... Electricity and fire are both subatomic, though, I'm surprised you can hold that form for the fraction of a second it'd take to get through that wall. Very impressive."
Omega had always been the more adept one when it came to controlling his power. He was proficient in turning his raw energy to fire, similar to his father's electricity.
My mother, Beta, was never proficient in any outward release of her energy. That being said, she turned it to inward strength and resilience. Though, you could say I got lucky with my absentee father, who could bend his plethora of energy to any form. Unfortunately for me, that meant anyone who ever trained me never had a clue what they were doing.
"Hey, Omega, you remember when I tried doing your fire thing and I scorched off Orid's eyebrows?"
"Yes, Delta, I recall. You were forced to spend recess in his office for two fuckin' weeks. Where's this coming from, aren't we in a rush?"
I locked eyes with Omega; I could see crimson waves splashing behind them. Past his anger, I could see how much I meant to him. To other people, he was a hothead. To me, he was passionate.
"There's a storage bay about a few thousand studs... that way," I pointed to the right, parallel to the wall in front of us.
"Okay, in miles please, for the rest of us?"
"Right. Three miles that way. Take the shuttle marked there and bring it to the palace. We have to use the landing strip here so we don't raise any problems. Got it?"
I tossed Omega a key.
"Right, I won't ask any more questions relating to how the fuck you got these keys."
"Captain Recte. Guy's a fossil, trust me he won't even care. Probably doesn't even remember he has it."
Omega clutched his face and shook his head aggressively, just before shouting at me, his negligent voice echoing across the entire room.
"YOU STOLE THE SHIP FROM THE CAPTAIN OF THE MILITARY?"
"How much military does the guy even do? I'm sure if he started the damn thing the engine revving would be enough to do him in, let alone breaking the atmosphere."
Omega shook his head, stifling his laugh.
"Now get on, I'll meet you at the strip."
Omega nodded. He took his hands down to his hips, locking them into fists. He let out a calming breath before vanishing into a wisp of flame through the wall.
"As for me..."
I examined the wall thoroughly. The palace was no stranger to Omega's shouting, though, the guards would already be on their normal patrol anyway. Hopefully there was nothing waiting for him on the other side.
CRACKLE!
The sound shook me to the core of my being. It was Epsilon, he'd returned to the palace early from his excursion.
"God damnit! I have no choice..."
I quickly raced back to the bookshelves, over to the seating area Omega and I stood near previously. I partially lifted the rug and began drawing a pattern out of my own sweat. I wasn't as gifted as Omega when it came to stuff like turning into fire, though, that's not to say that I was useless.
As I came to finish the circular pattern on the floor, I lowered the rug carefully into it, making sure not to smudge it accidentally. I then sat in what I assumed was the middle of it, closing my eyes and holding tightly into the book I had come for. I heard a faint knocking.
"Delta?"
No, it couldn't be. I had to remain focused. With my eyes closed, the world began to melt around me. The floor I sat on came to soften until I forgot it was there. Where was I?
"Delta?"
The knock again. There it was. As I heard the door open, I sprung to my feet, standing in the doorway of my bedroom, several blocks away from the palace.
"Hi."
I was still rather dazed, but I was able to compose myself long enough to respond to my mother, Beta. I always found it odd that she'd prefer to live in a more modest home nearby to the palace, as opposed to living with Epsilon and Omega.
"There's food if you want it," Beta said. She entered my room, pushing past me and sorted several articles of clothing. She didn't pay much attention to the book on the ground, though, she definitely noticed it.
"Thanks. I'm headed out actually. I should be home in a day or two but I'll be in touch."
"Off-world?"
"Yeah."
"Okay well make sure I know you're safe. I shouldn't have to worry, but, I even worry about your father sometimes so..."
"Right."
I grabbed the book from the ground where I had been sitting and escaped through the hallway, into the kitchen. It was rare that I wore shoes in the house, but the desperate times called for it.
Buzz.
I reached for my phone with my free hand, downing fruit at a rapid pace with my other. I read it aloud.
"Delta, I got the ship. Heading to the palace now."
I took a slight pause before replying.
"Do not go to the palace, meet me at my house. Your father is home."
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, smearing strawberry across it. The pressure had begun to consume me already. After wiping my hand and face, I opened the book to a page towards the end.
"725, 420, -910..."
On the weathered page was a planet located in the northern sector of the universe, nested within the Malin Galaxy. The bottom left corner of the page was almost indecipherable, omitting the two words that I'd been searching for. Even if they were faded, I knew what was meant to be there.
"Et Cetera."