Jackson stood at the front of the tall doors of the Ravine family library. He was hesitated awkwardly for a moment then he try to raise his hands but they hanging in midair and then he pushed one of the doors open. A puff of dust landed on his face and the hinges creaked faintly. His nose was tickled by the smell of old paper, ink, and wood.
The library's vast area seemed like a different world. Stacked tall and tall, weighed down by its many shelves of old books, shored up by scaffolds that reached into the high ceilings. The room was lit by floating lights, clearly enchanted, along the walls, with a gentle blue glow that lit up the room without flame or smoke.
Jackson swallowed hard. This place… I've never been here. This was my first time.
For many years, sword training and magic studies had been denied to him. His physique was too frail, too sickly. Always being told, "Don't overexert yourself Young Master. You should be resting." He was adopted and did not have the bloodline of the Ravine family. Which is why I did breathe the library space, it was still a family space for Priests and mages whom were powerful and intelligent mages.
The sound of footsteps echoing on the marble floor startled him, as he turned to see where the voice had come from.
"Excuse me, Young Master Jackson?" he froze when he heard the voice, to see a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, looking amazed and polite while standing behind the registration desk in the entrance. She wore her hair in a bun, with the calm look of a woman who owned a library or was used to silence and reading indeed, and was wearing a modest gray robe.
It was Madam Elira, the librarian.
Jackson parted his lips. He could occasionally converse with people albeit with some difficulty, especially if the person in question was not one of his close associates and was an unpaid servant. For a moment he could not get words to leave his throat.
"I-I came." He hesitated momentarily before making himself continue. "...to borrow a book."
Elira raised her brows cautiously. "Get a book out? That is not the norm, you have never expressed a desire to use the library Young Master. I apologize may I ask the type of book you are looking for?"
Jackson was feeling sweaty in the palms. He looked down his voice was soft but firm. "A book... regarding human life spans, records, histories- or something along those lines."
Elira blinked at the strange request but soon regained her composure. "Right away, certainly. Please wait here."
She stood up with poise and shuffled her way deeper into the shelves. Jackson was sitting relatively firm at a nearby table, feeling his heart pounding. He tapped his nervous fingers on the polished table. Why did I sound so awkward? She has to think I'm weird.
Elira returned after several minutes carrying a big, thick book covered in leather. Although the spine was cracked with its age, the golden letters still sparkled faintly in the lantern light:
"On the Span of Mortal Life."
She carefully placed it in front of him. "This should meet your request, Young Master. It is an old compilation, but trustworthy. Can I ask, what made you want to learn about such a subject?"
Jackson felt his throat tighten. It was not like he could tell her: Because I might be dead in five days and want to know how long I could live if I were to steal life.
So he forced a weak smile. "Just… um, curiosity. I wanted to know how long people normally live."
Elira took him in for a moment, then nodded, "Knowledge is never wasted. If you need any more help, just call for me." When she finished answering, she walked back to her desk and left him with the book.
With a slow he exhale his breath the he open the book. The words were still clear and sharp even though the sheet of paper and writing had yellowed and faded.
He scanned the first page with fast-moving eyes.
A regular human lives seventy to eighty years. They are adults starting at twenty. After fifty, they start to decline.
Jackson's hands shook as his fingers followed what he read. Seventy to eighty years… compared to five days…
He flipped the page quickly.
A person's lifespan can be increased by one hundred or even one hundred thirty years if they train their body or have access to professional healers and recovery magic.
His breath caught. One hundred thirty years… that's like… thousands of times more than me right now.
His yellow eyes burned with a desperate hunger.
A human can live longer than two hundred years in certain circumstances—such as when they are born with advanced bloodlines, receive divine blessings from gods or achieve highest levels of mage. These are uncommon and frequently mentioned in myth or historical documents.
Jackson held the book to his chest and closed it for a moment. His heart ached. Two hundred years—two hundred. That is the value of their lives.
The thought from earlier—horrifying, tempting—slid back into his mind. If plants gave me hours… then a human, a full human life… decades. Enough to live. Enough to be free of fear.
He pressed his trembling hand against his lips. But… to take it, I'd have to kill them.
He looked down at the open pages again, where the neat handwriting spoke so calmly about life and death. A chill ran through him.
"I…" he whispered to himself. "I don't want to die."
The System's cold timer ticked in the back of his mind.
[Lifespan remaining: 5 days 0 hours]
Jackson's grip on the book tightened. The library around him felt suddenly colder, heavier.
From across the room, Elira's voice drifted softly. "If you want to, I can compile a list of noble bloodlines and their gifts, Young Master."
Jackson jerked a little, suppressing the turmoil in his chest. He brought the smallest polite smile in her direction. "No... this is sufficient. Thank you."
He proceeded to lower his attention back to the pages and feigned reading, but inside his head was racing with guilt, fear and a dangerous new appetite.