The Spawn of Lucifer

24

My fingers skim across the variety of books that is neatly arranged on the shelf, every one of them I pass catching my interest. A grin pulls up on my lips at the sight of a particular book I have been yearning to read.

I take it out from its position on the shelf and brush my hand against the cover; The Canon of medicine by Ibn Sina. It's divided into five books, two of which I've read so far. The third book covers the function and diseases of each organ, as well as the etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment for each disease discussed.

Such wonderful books.

Today, I decided to explore Aran’s mansion and in the process, I stumbled upon a huge library housing dozens of books ranging from historical fiction, thriller and suspense, action and adventure, biographical novel, romance and so much more. I was quite surprised to see a couple of medical books as well.

I don’t read novels but I was impressed.

This definitely has to be my favorite place in the whole of this mansion.

I make my way to the comfy chairs at the far end of the library, my footsteps faltering when I see Kamol seated by the large round table with headphones on, his head bobbing back and forth from the music he’s listening to while drawing something on a notebook.

I drop the books I picked up earlier on the table and sit across from him. “Hey.”

His eyes darts to mine before it drops back to whatever he’s drawing. “Hey.” He responds drily. “What are you doing here?” He seemed a bit curious as to why I was in the library of all places.

“I just wanted to read a few books.” I say with a small smile, flipping open the first book so I could read it. “Been bored out of my mind lately. What about you? You don’t seem like the type to read a novel or a book entirely, no offence.”

“You’re not wrong.” He hums, lowering the headphone to hang around his neck, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration as his pen moves slowly across a page of the notebook. “I only read to find peace within myself and I draw sometimes to take my mind off certain issues. The library is sort of my comfort zone.”

I suddenly feel out of place, my stomach twisting in guilt. I shouldn’t have come here. “Well, I’m sorry for intruding. I didn’t know you were here.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t really mind for your company.”

I crack a smile and divert my attention to whatever got him so hooked. He’s drawing some kind of ancient symbol; which I’ve never seen before, while being careful not to mess it up. “What are you drawing?”

“Kaizen.” He answers without taking his eyes off the symbol. He takes my sudden silence as a cue to explain further. “It’s a Japanese symbol and the philosophy of constant improvement. Kaizen is not about being invincible but rather unstoppable. Everyday you have the choice to improve, even if it’s just by 1%.” He taps his pen on the top symbol. “The first symbol 'Kai' means self whip. It refers to the discipline we need to have in order to change who we are. It’s about starting with ourselves to make a change while the other ‘Zen’ means good.”