The Great Library felt like stepping into the mind of a god. The air was thick with the scent of ancient vanilla and ozone, hummed with a low-frequency vibration from the glowing mana-crystals embedded in the ceiling.
As I glanced at the spines of the massive leather-bound volumes, my heart skipped. The titles were written in jagged, swirling runes—a language that should have been gibberish to a guy from Earth. Yet, as I focused, the symbols seemed to shift and reorganize themselves in my mind.
The Chronology of the Void.Advanced Mana Weaving: The Fourth Tier. "I can read this," I whispered, trailing my fingers over the gold-leaf lettering. "The Convergence... it's not just magic. It's a universal translator built into my soul."
"The book I'm looking for might be somewhere here," Elara murmured, her eyes scanning the dizzying rows of the restricted section. She pulled a heavy tome from the shelf, but as it slid out, she froze. She peered through the rectangular gap left in the shelf, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.
"What is it?" I asked, leaning in.
"Follow me, my Lord," she whispered, beckoning me around the corner of the towering bookshelf.
There, tucked away in a sun-drenched alcove of the library, was a sight that made my pulse quicken. A girl was sprawled across a mahogany study table, fast asleep. She was stunning—a wild mane of honey-blonde hair cascaded over the edge of the desk, and her apprentice robes had ridden up high, revealing long, creamy legs that seemed to go on forever.
She was snoring softly, a tiny, glistening line of droil trailing from the corner of her mouth onto a parchment map. Even in sleep, she looked incredibly sexy—the way her chest rose and fell against the table made her look like a goddess who had just finished a marathon of hedonism.
"Who's that?" I asked, mesmerized by the way her messy hair caught the light.
"Vespera," Elara said with a sigh. She reached out and gave the girl a firm shake. "Vespera! Wake up, you lazy cat!"
The girl bolted upright, her blue eyes snapping open, wide and glazed. "What?! Is it lunchtime? Is the cafeteria serving the glazed boar?!"
She blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes until her gaze finally landed on me. She froze. The sleepiness vanished instantly, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated hunger.
"Whaaat? No way... it's the Lord of Convergence himself!" she shrieked, jumping off the desk with a frantic energy. She didn't just walk over; she scrambled, practically lunging at me.
Before I could say a word, she was all over me. She giggled, her small, soft hands squeezing my biceps, then sliding up to my chest to feel the pectorals beneath my shirt. She leaned in, burying her nose in the crook of my neck and taking a deep, shaky inhale.
"You smell like... like fire and rain," she whispered, her voice a breathless moan as she began to twirl a lock of my hair around her finger. "I thought the legends were exaggerating, but you're so... solid. So real."
"What's wrong with her?" I asked, looking over at Elara while trying to keep Vespera from literally climbing me like a tree. "Is she high on mana or something?"
Elara's face turned a deep, burning crimson, her eyes darting nervously around the silent library. "See, my Lord... the Sisterhood is an isolated sanctuary. We are guarded by constructs and female spirits. To be honest... we haven't seen a man in almost a year."
"What?" I blurted out, my eyes widening.
"Not a single one," Vespera chimed in, her hands now sliding down to my waist, her touch lingering dangerously close to my belt. She looked up at me, her blue eyes dilated with a mix of desperation and awe. "And now they drop a masterpiece like you right in front of us? It's not fair, Elara. I need to study his physiology. For... for academic purposes."
Zeraphis loomed behind us, her violet eyes glowing with a cold, sharp disdain. "She is a hair's breadth away from being a corpse," she rasped. "Lord Karl, shall I remove her hands, or her head?"
Vespera was a breath of fresh air—or perhaps a whirlwind. Unlike the other mages who treated Zeraphis like a walking hurricane of death, Vespera looked at the Dark Knight with the casual annoyance one might give a noisy neighbor.
"Oh, relax, you old hag," Vespera chirped, not even flinching as Zeraphis's hand drifted toward the hilt of her sword. "It's not my fault you're a summoned spirit and can't actually sleep with Lord Karl. Some of us have biological needs, you know?"
Zeraphis's aura flared, the shadows in the library deepening as her violet eyes turned into slits of pure, murderous intent. "Biological needs? I will show you the biological need to stop bleeding, little girl."
Vespera ignored the threat entirely. She leaned her forehead against my chest, her hands sliding over the muscles of my torso. "Aaah," she breathed out, her eyes fluttering shut. "It's been like a century since I've touched something this hard. All the stone golems in the garden just aren't the same."
Elara stepped in, her face a mask of horrified embarrassment. "Vespera! That's disrespectful! He is the Lord of Convergence, not a... a stress relief toy!"
"No, no," I said, catching Elara's eye with a lazy grin. I looked down at the blonde girl practically purring against my ribs. "It's okay. I don't mind the warm welcome."
Vespera poked her tongue out at Elara, her hands now tracing the line of my abs. "See? There's no need for you to be jealous, Elara. There's enough of the Lord to go around. Though, I saw what happened in the courtyard... I expect my turn for an 'inspection' later."
Elara's eyes went wide. "Wait, you were watching? You stayed hidden while we were fighting for our lives? You are a bad girl, Vespera. Lady Deborah is hunting for you right now."
"Ugh, those old hags," Vespera groaned, rolling her eyes and leaning back against the desk so her robes hiked up just a little further. "They're always so controlling and annoying. It's a wonder they haven't bored the magic right out of this place." She ignored Elara's indignant huff entirely, focusing her sapphire eyes on me. "So, what brings you to my humble, dusty sanctuary, Lord Karl?"
"I want to learn about this land," I said, looking around at the endless shelves. "Everything. The geography, the history, the politics—whatever is available to know."
"I see," Vespera purred.
In a flash—a movement so fast it felt like the air itself had skipped a beat—she vanished from my side and reappeared behind Elara. Before the redhead could blink, Vespera snatched the heavy volume Elara was holding. It was a display of sheer, effortless speed that left me stunned. Deborah wasn't joking; this girl was on an entirely different level.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Elara complained, spinning around with her hands still shaped as if she were holding the book.
"I'm the only one worthy enough to teach the Handsome Lord about our world," Vespera said, landing back on the table and crossing her legs. She slammed the book open, the pages fluttering until they landed on a massive, glowing parchment.
"If I help you understand our world will you let me show you my breasts?"Vespera said.