Chapter 6
The glyph chamber glowed softly as the final seal unlocked. At the center, the transport Codex hovered—large, ancient, its thick pages floating open in midair.
Elian stood a few steps away, gripping his satchel tightly.
Ysmeil walked up first. Her face was calm, but her voice was gentle.
"This next part of your journey won't be easy, Elian. But you're not just talented—you have purpose. That matters."
She pressed a small folded parchment into his hand.
"Your provisional registration. And the Head Conservator's seal. Don't lose it."
Merrin came next, giving a crooked little smile.
"You'll be fine. Just eat something occasionally."
Lyra puffed up her tiny chest.
"He has me. He'll live."
Ysmeil chuckled softly.
"Then go. The Academy's waiting."
The Codex pulsed, like it was breathing.
Elian took a last look at them.
"Thank you. Both of you."
Then he stepped forward.
The pages lit up. The air around him shimmered.
And the book opened.
---
He didn't fall. He landed.
Dirt under his boots. A cool breeze. Leaves rustling nearby.
He blinked and looked around. He was in a forest. The trees were tall and twisted, with bark covered in dark ink stains and faint moving letters. Old scrolls hung from the branches like strange fruit. The sky overhead was a pale violet.
"…What just happened?" he muttered.
Lyra floated beside him, silent, just watching.
Then—footsteps.
Someone stepped out from behind the trees. A teenage boy, maybe twenty, wearing light travel robes and a pale blue sash. A badge shaped like a half-finished quill was pinned to his chest.
"You're the late one," the boy said. "Come on. The book's waiting."
Elian followed him, still confused, until they reached a clearing.
And there it was:
A flying book.
It was huge—big enough to sit on—with a soft glow coming from its worn leather cover. It hovered just above the grass, and its pages rippled gently in the wind like wings.
"You're kidding," Elian said.
The guide shrugged. "First-years fly in. It's tradition."
Elian stared at it. Then climbed on.
The book rose into the air with a soft hum. Trees fell away below them as they rose above the forest. The air got colder. The wind rushed past his face.
Then he saw it.
"…That's the Academy?"
The Scriptorium Athenaeum stood at the end of a high valley. Massive towers shaped like open books stretched toward the sky. Their rooftops curled like pages in motion. Floating lanterns drifted across high bridges. Scroll banners waved gently between tall spires, their glowing ink shifting in midair.
Elian leaned forward, eyes wide.
"It looks like someone built a library… then went way too far."
Lyra snorted.
"This is just the outer district. The real Scriptorium is mostly underground."
"Of course it is," Elian muttered, still staring. He saw fairies darting between towers, long staircases leading into book-shaped doors, balconies shaped like shelves. Nothing looked normal.
His voice dropped.
"And I'm supposed to study here?"
"You'll be fine," Lyra said. Her voice was soft this time. "You'll fit in faster than you think."
The wind rushed around them as the Codex flew on, bringing them closer to the towers.
And for the first time since this journey began—
Elian didn't feel like he was stumbling forward anymore.
He felt like he was finally arriving.