Spellcasters Axiom : The Bloodsworn Raids

CHAPTER 1.4

I sat there frozen in my seat, bathed in the glowing ambiance of the forcefield the newcomer had set. As I shifted my gaze, his piercing crimson eyes locked onto mine. The crowd's attention was riveted on the boy, and I couldn't help but wonder in awe at how he managed to effortlessly defuse the tension so quickly.

I could make out a palpable shift in the crowd's dynamic, their murmurs and chatter immediately began to subside, and they regarded the boy with a mutual respect. The boy began to approach me, causing everyone to move aside, forming a passage.

"U-uh..." I stammered.

"Hey," he said soothingly. "You okay?"

My eyes dart around, noticing that the crowd has already taken their cue to leave. I look up to meet his unwavering gaze. "Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for doing that."

He shot me an affectionate smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "No problem, Prince Leo," he bowed.

There it is again.

"No need for any formalities, just call me Leo," I said.

"Well Leo," he said huskily, extending his arm out for me to shake. "The name's Ryder."

My eyes lingered on his outstretched arm for a moment before I looked up to meet his own. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Ryder," I said, my voice coming out softer than I expected. "Did you just arrive on campus?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I was planning on exploring the place a bit before settling into my dorm."

"I actually just finished putting up all of my stuff in my dorm. I can accompany you." I told him, my gaze fixed on the ground. "If you would be okay with that, of course." I drawled out.

Ryder's smile grew wider. "Of course, Prince L— mean, Leo." He concurred. "That's cool with me."

We walked out of the dining hall together, the warm sunlight streaming through the glass windows was a stark contrast to the chaotic atmosphere that enveloped me just before. Ryder fell into step beside me, scanning the campus with a curious expression etched on his face.
Our pace was continued in a comfortable silence, the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the distant murmur of conversations blended into a gentle background noise.

The campus began unfolding before the two of us like a tapestry of wonder, my eyes darted around from the ancient trees to the intricately carved buildings, the lush greenery, and the students that meandered throughout the pathways. I could feel their eyes on me, but I didn't look up as I was lost in my thoughts.

"This is amazing," Ryder said finally. "I never thought I'd get to be doing this."

My thoughts began to untangle, my mind clearing. "Yeah," I replied. "There's something about this place that's just so..." I trailed off. "So otherworldly." I spun around, taking in the place.

Ryder drew a hand through his hair, only for it to fall back into place in messy waves. "It's so massive too, I don't know how I'll be able to get from place to place without getting lost."

I nodded. "There's a big map in the student union building, I memorized the routes between all my classes already."

"Wow, you're a character," he chuckled in amusement.

"That I am."

We continued wandering on, I pointed out spots where there were hidden passageways and secret gardens, and we passed by statues of ancient wizards and mythical creatures. Ryder intentively listened, I hadn't even realized I was rambling at this point.

I stopped in front of a massive stone door, opening it and revealing a room filled with rows upon rows of ancient tomes. "This is the Library of Ancients."

The air grew thick with the scent of old books and parchment, reminding me of the library in the palace. Ryder smiled at me. "You seem to know your stuff."

"Whenever I wasn't studying magic in the castle, I jumped into a rabbit hole about Wysteria. So I know almost everything about this campus," I explained, to him I was probably beginning to sound like a complete geek. But Ryder seemed completely fine and continued listening intently.

I found myself wandering through the shelves, running the tips of my fingers over the spines of the books. The covers were worn and cracked, but I knew not to judge, as the pages held secrets within their golden script and illustrations.

My eyes scanned every individual section before I took an interest in the section of the shelves dedicated to ancient spellbooks. Ryder was leaning against a shelf on the other side of the library, skimming through the contents of a history book. "Over here," I called him over.

Ryder made his way over to me, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he scanned the titles. Pursuing the shelves, he stumbled upon a variety of books that caught his attention. "Shapeshifting 101? A Guide on Divination? Chronomancy? They must have just about everything here."

"As I would expect from the most prestigious school on the continent," I chuckled. "I'm going to borrow this one," I hold up a copy of The Arcane Compendium, featuring a dark blue background with an illustration of a mystical tome, accentuated with silver filigree and glowing runes.

"Good choice," he nodded in approval.

After that, I continued eyeing the shelves, before I pivoted to face Ryder, who was carrying an abundance of books, clenched tightly against his chest as if they were a cache of riches. "You know you can't check all of those books out, right?"

Ryder hummed in contemplation, he glanced about the room, surveying the shelves once more. "Uh..." he trailed. "Shit, I dunno'. I wish I could just take the whole section. How many are you allowed to take at a time?"

A smile creased my face. "Four at a time."

He groaned inwardly, rubbing his temples with his forefinger and his thumb. "I guess I'll settle on these four."

We exited the library after checking out our books when we heard a chorus of cheers in the distance. I leaned over, peering around the corner; I noticed that it came from the battle sphere.

Ryder and I shared curious looks, storing our books in our orbs before rushing over to the dome, upon entry I was surprised to see Scarlett in a battle with a struggling mage girl —another first year, by the looks of it.

She seemed to enjoy dueling whenever she could. I wondered just how many matches she took part in between the one with Percival and this one. It was clear that she was the warrior type.

This was going to be interesting.