The room did not change when the book closed.
That was what unsettled Elias the most.
He had expected something dramatic
symbols fading, shelves collapsing, the hum vanishing. Instead, the space remained exactly as it was: quiet, patient, waiting. As if the school knew there was no rush.
Elias exhaled slowly.
"So," Mara said, breaking the silence, "either we just discovered a hidden magical library, or we're both hallucinating."
"If this is a hallucination," Elias replied, "it's been very consistent."
She smiled faintly, then turned serious. "The book responded to you. Not to me."
"I didn't ask it to."
"I know."
That made it worse.
They sat at the narrow desk, the book resting between them like something alive. Elias kept his hands folded in his lap. He was afraid to touch it again.
"What did it mean?" Mara asked. "Those words."
Those who listen will be answered.
"I think," Elias said slowly, "that this place doesn't react to force. Or intent. It reacts to… awareness."
Mara leaned back, considering that. "Like it's not about commanding magic. It's about understanding it."
He nodded. "Or understanding yourself."
The hum stirred again, soft but insistent.
Elias stood.
The moment he did, the symbols along the wall pulsed brighter. A sharp pressure bloomed in his chest—not pain, but intensity. His breath caught.
"Elias?" Mara said.
"I'm fine," he lied.
The pressure grew.
The desk rattled.
Books shuddered on their shelves.
"No, you're not," Mara said, rising quickly. "Sit down."
"I didn't mean to " Elias stopped as the air itself seemed to tighten around him.
Panic flickered, sudden and fierce.
The room reacted instantly.
A low tremor ran through the floor.
"Elias," Mara said again, closer now. "Look at me."
He couldn't.
Fear clawed its way up his spine, dragging old memories with it times when lights shattered, when doors slammed, when people stared at him like he was dangerous.
"I can't control it," he whispered.
"Yes, you can," she said, firmly. "Not by fighting it. By slowing down."
She reached for his hand.
He stiffened but didn't pull away.
"Breathe," she said. "Just breathe."
Her voice was steady. Grounded. Real.
Elias inhaled.
Then exhaled.
The hum softened.
The symbols dimmed.
The trembling stopped.
Silence returned, heavier now.
Mara released his hand slowly.
"That wasn't the school attacking you."
"No," Elias said, his voice barely audible. "That was the school responding."
"To what?"
He swallowed. "Fear."
They left the room soon after, neither of them speaking as the door closed quietly behind them. The hallway outside felt… normal again. Too normal.
At the top of the stairs, Mara stopped.
"There are rules," she said. "Even if we don't know them all yet."
Elias nodded. "Emotion matters. Control matters. And whatever this is—it listens."
She studied him carefully. "Then promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't face it alone," she said. "Not again."
He hesitated then nodded once.
"I promise."
As they walked away, Elias felt the hum settle deep inside him not restless anymore.
Watchful.
Learning.
*End of chapter*