A World To Discover

Chapter 2.

"Zeke... is there someone who loathes you?" Chelsea asked me as if she knew something about this, a bit of worry and fear were in her voice.

For how long, my body has received this reaction every time I expose myself to the world outside this town. It burns through my body, leaving black marks all over. "What are you saying?"

"Ira..." She said to me, grabbing hold of my left hand as she pulled me inside the town. "I'll ask you again. Is there someone who loathes you?" She faced towards me, letting go of my wrist as she puts her arms on her waist as she stared at me with her crystal blue eyes.

"You could say that.." I looked away, my boss along with everyone else that followed were in my head as I answered her

Her eyes kept focusing on me as she crossed her arms, biting her lower lip while she hummed "Hmm."

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Change of plans: Let's go to the library." She answered, grabbing hold of me again as she pulled me along with her.

"The library?" I questioned, trying to lightly get my arm free again. I haven't noticed it before, but this girl's got some grip.

"Yeah. I've read a book once that told me about that curse. It's called 'Ira'." She looked around as if she was lost while I was trying my hardest to hide my face from the crowd we passed by. I've gotten famous for stealing around here for years now... There might be someone here who realizes who I am.

"The library's over there." I told her as I noticed that she was about to head the wrong way, my index finger pointing left from us towards the street that was less bustling as this one.

"It is?" She asked.

"Mhm." I nodded, her grip weakened as I was able to let my hand free. "Follow me," I headed left towards the less crowded streets. There were still folks walking around, but it was nothing compared to this street that lead to the center of the town. Which, I guess you can say is where everyone's always gathered.

Eventually we reached the library, the building stood tall over the ones around it. The letters on the sign that hanged on top saying "Library" were all faded out that you couldn't make sense of it without a looking twice. The pocket door creaked the moment I pushed it open, a scent of vanilla partnered with an oily, woody smell wafted around everywhere.

Chelsea, who was right behind me, spread her arms wide the moment she stepped in as if she was saying, "Come to me.". She took a deep breath.

She went ahead without saying a word, leaving me there to close the old wooden door shut, to which creaked every time I moved it. I followed her trail around the library crowded with shelves that were lined up in intervals. I peeked through every passage while walking forward, there were 1 out of 10 chances that I could see someone standing in between.

I felt a thump on my body which stopped me from my tracks. "Sorry," I instinctively said before I checked on who I bumped into. It was Chelsea.

"Pay more attention to where you're going." She shouted in a whisper, in her arms was a huge book encased with a leather cover gilded along the sides. Before I could take a closer look, she took me by the arm as she pulled me across the bookshelves to our left. Desks were set around the area, four chairs in line with each table that stood.

She placed the book down with a thud, letting me sit right in front of it as she took a seat beside me and dragged it closer. 'In Memory of Magic', or so the book says. Magic... some deem it as fiction, and others see it as witchcraft. It's often called a ruse, full of tricks and lies. But personally, I'd like to say it's true. How else can I explain 'That'?

Chelsea leaned in towards the book, sliding the cover as it opened wide. She flipped through the pages of the book without glancing at me, her eyes were quickly moving from left to right as she scanned through the words. My eyes shifted towards the book. It was filled with runes, incantation and sketches, while the words showed signs of handwritten erasures and revisions.

The pages changed fast that I couldn't read much, only able to read little by little, only often seeing marks and symbols--- A thick line that slid from top to bottom stood inside the loop of a ribbon. Beside it was a label that said 'Vincit'.

The page switched to another, Ignis written on top with another mark below it. Three lines that curved from left to right, the first line was thicker than the others which grew thinner. When put together, the three lines looked similar to a candle flame.

Again, the page flipped. "Here it is!" Chelsea exclaimed as her voice echoed, the few but nerve breaking eyes stared towards us, broken from their trances. "Sorry." She gestured towards them.

My eyes were locked onto the page. There was no rune on it, only a drawing labeled 'Ira' that felt so familiar. A man so accurately drawn that it seemed real. His mouth was agape while his pupils rolled back to his eyelids. He was in pain. The right of his body was nothing but an abyss black that surged out as if it was trying to consume him. "This will happen to me?" I thought, imagining the picture as if it was me. I slammed the book shut and pushed it aside, intensely. The book fell from the other side as it crashed on the ground. "Will... will this happen to me?!"

Chelsea, who was right beside me, looked at me as gently as she could. "I don't know..." If she was trying to comfort me, she failed.

"What do you mean by 'You don't know'?!"

"Zeke. You're causing a commotion."

"A commotion?! I'm gonna die, Chelsea! Die!" Something rose up my body, an unpleasant feeling that consumed me. At first... I thought it was mere anger, anger that I was pinning on to Chelsea, who did nothing wrong. Until it struck me, the same feeling that stung me every time I stepped out of borders. My body was burning. My gaze wandered towards Chelsea eyes where I saw my reflection, my neck consumed by the same black abyss that was in the drawing.

My mind started getting foggy before I felt another sharp sting across my left cheek. My eyes, which were turning hazy, grew clear. Chelsea's hand was in the air as something sparkled between the corners of her eyes. She's crying. All of the pain, aside from the sharp slap right on my cheek, had vanished. "I'm sorry..."

"We should get out of here." She pulled me outside the library without taking a quick glance behind her, rushing through the bookshelves after apologizing to the disturbed readers.

We stood right in front of the building, her back facing me as she used her arms to wipe her face. "Sorry for hitting you." She turned towards me, her eyes still a bit red.

"Look." She said, her voice uncertain. "I don't have the slightest idea on what I'm supposed to do for that." She continued, confidence slowly building up with her words as her eyes were starting to gleam with confidence. "But I will save you. I promise!"

On her face was the brightest smile I've seen... a smile so comforting, a smile... that belonged to her.

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