Smoke still lingered in the air long after the creature had vanished.
Lio stood at the edge of the plaza, the acrid scent of scorched stone and unstable mana clinging to his senses. Around him, students moved in a daze—some assisting the injured, others whispering in hushed tones as if afraid that speaking too loudly might summon another disaster.
Selene stood beside him, her posture composed but her eyes sharp with quiet thought. Adrian and Felix had ceased their usual bickering, their attention fixed on the center of the devastation. Cedric lingered slightly behind them, his hands clasped tightly together.
"We should help," Lio said, already taking a step forward.
Before anyone could respond, a familiar figure moved into view.
Aren.
The librarian walked toward the heart of the crater with the same unhurried calm he carried within the quiet halls of the library. The sight of him in such a place felt strangely out of place.
"Isn't that the librarian?" Adrian muttered, squinting.
Felix frowned. "What is he doing here?"
Their questions went unanswered as the wolf-like beast emerged from the summoning circle. The teachers' spells collided with the creature in bursts of light and sound, yet it pressed forward relentlessly.
Then Aren stepped ahead of them.
From where they stood, the students could not clearly see what happened next. There was no chant, no sweeping gesture—only a subtle shift in the air, like the stillness before a storm. The creature's violent movements faltered, its corrupted aura unraveling into faint motes of light before its form collapsed entirely.
Silence followed.
"Did… did you see that?" Cedric whispered.
"I'm not sure what I saw," Lio admitted, his gaze fixed on Aren.
"It looked like the professors defeated it," Adrian said, though his tone lacked conviction.
Selene remained quiet, her eyes never leaving the librarian.
---
The moment was interrupted by the arrival of the Order of the Aegis. Clad in dark cloaks adorned with silver insignias, they moved with disciplined efficiency, securing the area and assisting the injured alongside the Academy's healers.
One of the officers approached the group of students.
"Can you hear me?" he asked gently, kneeling to meet their eye level. "Did any of you witness what occurred at the center of the plaza?"
Lio exchanged a glance with the others. Each of them hesitated, uncertain of what they had truly seen.
"…No, sir," Lio replied at last. "Everything happened too quickly."
The officer studied their faces for a moment before offering a reassuring nod. "That's understandable. You've all been through a great deal. Please return to your dormitories and rest."
Nearby, other members of the Order conducted similar inquiries with students and faculty. Elira spoke calmly with one of the officers, while Professor Aldrin—his robes singed at the edges—animatedly described the battle to anyone willing to listen.
"Yes, yes, a coordinated effort," Aldrin declared, chest puffed with pride. "The creature was formidable, but our combined expertise proved decisive."
Felix leaned toward Adrian and whispered, "He barely cast anything."
Adrian smirked. "Yet somehow, he sounds like the hero of the story."
Selene, however, remained thoughtful, her attention drifting back to Aren, who stood quietly apart from the commotion.
---
By evening, the immediate investigation concluded, though the sense of unease lingered throughout the Academy. Classes were suspended for the remainder of the day, and students gathered in small groups, exchanging theories about the attack.
Despite the chaos, one shared curiosity united Lio and his companions.
"I'm going to the library tomorrow," Lio mentioned casually as they walked along the dimly lit corridor of the dormitory wing.
Adrian's eyes lit up. "Mind if we join you?"
Felix grinned. "For research purposes, of course."
Cedric nodded hesitantly. "I'd… like to come as well."
Selene met Lio's gaze. "There are questions that require answers."
Lio chuckled softly. "I suppose the library has room for all of us."
---
The next day, the library felt much as it always had—quiet, orderly, and filled with the comforting scent of aged parchment. Aren stood behind the desk, cataloging a stack of returned books as the group entered.
Lio greeted him with a polite nod. "Good afternoon, Sir Aren."
"Good afternoon," Aren replied, his tone neutral.
The others dispersed among the shelves, each selecting a book at random. Adrian held his upside down for several moments before realizing it, while Felix pretended to scrutinize a dense tome on advanced spell matrices. Cedric attempted to read but found his eyes drifting repeatedly toward the librarian. Selene, more composed, genuinely perused a text while occasionally glancing in Aren's direction.
Aren, for his part, said nothing.
He simply continued his work, though a faint sigh escaped him.
When he eventually moved deeper into the library, the students followed at a cautious distance, attempting—rather unsuccessfully—to appear inconspicuous. Through the reading rooms, past the restricted archives, and into the quieter corridors, they trailed him with exaggerated subtlety.
At last, Aren stopped.
Without turning, he spoke.
"What is it that you want?"
The students froze.
Adrian cleared his throat. "How did you—"
Aren turned to face them, a hint of amusement flickering in his otherwise calm expression. "You have been following me for nearly a day. It would be difficult not to notice."
Felix crossed his arms. "We were being discreet."
Aren raised an eyebrow.
Selene stepped forward, her composure unwavering. "Who are you, really?" she asked. "And what did you do to that summon?"
Cedric added softly, "We didn't hear any incantation… or see any casting."
Lio remained silent, though curiosity was evident in his gaze.
Aren regarded them for a long moment. The silence stretched, filled only by the distant rustle of turning pages.
"It is late," he said at last. "You should return to your boarding houses. The library will be closing."
The answer, or lack thereof, left the students unsatisfied.
---
As Aren moved toward the exit, Selene made no attempt to hide her determination to follow. Lio and Cedric exchanged uncertain glances.
"Selene, perhaps we should leave it for now," Lio suggested gently.
"Yes," Cedric agreed. "We can ask another time."
But Selene shook her head. "Some answers are not meant to wait."
Aren paused near the entrance, then turned back toward them. For a brief moment, his expression softened with something akin to resignation.
"Very well," he murmured.
Before any of them could react, the world shifted.
Space seemed to fold inward, and in the blink of an eye, the students found themselves standing outside the main gates of the Academy. The massive iron doors were already beginning to close for the evening.
"What just—" Adrian began.
"Run!" Felix shouted.
Instinct took over. Lio channeled mana into his legs, accelerating his pace, while Felix and Adrian used enhancement spells to propel themselves forward. Selene maintained a graceful yet swift stride, and Cedric, despite his hesitation, summoned a burst of mana that carried him alongside the others.
They slipped through the gates just moments before they shut with a resounding clang.
Bent over and catching their breath, the group exchanged stunned glances.
"That was… teleportation," Cedric said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"A high-tier one," Selene added, her eyes wide with realization. "At least Sixth Tier."
"And he didn't chant," Adrian noted.
"Or even look tired," Felix finished.
Silence settled over them as the implication took hold.
Lio let out a soft laugh, the tension easing from his shoulders. "So, the librarian isn't ordinary after all."
A slow smile spread across Selene's face. "No," she agreed. "Not ordinary at all."
Adrian straightened, determination gleaming in his eyes. "Well then, it seems we have a mystery to solve."
Felix grinned. "I do enjoy a good challenge."
Cedric nodded, newfound resolve replacing his earlier uncertainty.
Lio looked back toward the distant silhouette of the library, its windows glowing faintly in the night.
"Then it's settled," he said. "We'll find the truth."
The group shared a quiet moment before laughter broke the lingering tension. Together, they turned toward their respective dormitories, their footsteps echoing along the lamplit paths of the Academy.
Behind them, the library stood silent, its keeper watching over secrets yet to be revealed.
And for the first time, the students felt certain of one thing—
Their lives had just become far more complicated.