Uncertainty. A simple, straightforward feeling. Some things are predictable, capable of being shaped by one's will, yet at the same time, others are utterly erratic. It is those things that give way to the feeling of uncertainty. Although, that emotion is not ever truly limited by anything. It can take over one's mind even when they firmly believe in their predictions.
The magician is, unfortunately, well-versed in that dubious fact. His exasperated sigh confirms as much.
A dark strand of hair messily falls over his face. It would be an understatement to say that he hasn't slept at all, considering the ugly dark circles that emphasize his bored expression. Such a face was inevitable from the beginning when he chose to spend a full sixteen hours just to read a dozen old books that are bigger than what his dehydrated hands could ever hold.
His eyes wander around the still room. It is circular with tall walls that are hidden behind heavy, wooden bookshelves. They are all filled to the brim with dusty books of different ages and topics. Philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and magic are of the most plentiful topics to be found here. The mage has gone through a couple hundred of them already ever since he discovered this crumbling paradise; a library that was abandoned for unknown reasons.
It never ceased to impress him how such a building could remain whole in the wild woods that surround it. He can sense magic, most of it deriving from the books themselves, constantly seeping into walls and furniture. It has spread across the entire place and now freely flows beneath his cold fingertips that barely touch the table he is sitting by. This magic is in a wild, unconfined state. The writers and past readers have all left a part of their soul-bound magic to these books. Now, they roam endlessly in this place, together, as the last thing that keeps the foundations intact.
The coffee magician closes the book in front of him. Three hundred pages send a fury of dust right at his face, causing him to sneeze.
Goodness.
He thinks to himself, running a finger right across the book's cover. He reads the title again, now that he understands the contents of the book better.
The death of necromancy.
He chuckles.
How clever. It summarised the nature of death behind the magic of necromancy in such a simple yet unexpected way...
Even with that enlightenment, he still can't shake the feeling of uncertainty away. He understood the essence of the book and even felt the eerily active dark magic of the pages as he read it for hours, but it doesn't feel enough.
Perhaps I may study it again later.
The mage stands up to put the book back in its place. After doing so, his eyes steal a glance at the doorway, leading to the rest of the building. There was a scratching noise outside a couple of minutes ago, but he was so invested in the book that he did not bother looking for the source.
Silence dictates the air not just in the library but outside, too. Not a single animal can be heard. There are small windows placed in different shapes on the spherical ceiling, allowing a bit of natural light inside. One of the rays shines against the mage's dark cloak. It is the middle of the day, so he remembers that most of the moisture in the forest will begin gathering inside soon. When the moisture builds up enough, more stray magic will gather in the air. That, coupled with the library's poor ventilation, will give the area a heavy atmosphere. It is not the most ideal situation for the studious mage. He knows that inhaling such a high concentration of stray magic can lead to... unpredictable side effects.
YOU ARE READING
Sweeten My Coffee
Fanfiction~ After the arrival of Madeleine to Kingdom X, Professor and Founder of the Coffee magic school, Espresso, often found himself unintentionally watching the knight Commander from afar. Whenever he caught himself in the act, he would mumble things suc...
