Nagan | Broken Time Series: Book One

Chapter 10

Again, Nagan had died and gone to heaven.

The second his head hit the pillow, Nagan realized how much he missed a good bed. It's not like he hadn't been able to sleep in one during his years on the streets, but they were usually from a ratty inn or a sympathetic peasant who had a room available for a night. Nothing as soft and warm as this bed.

It was a shame he passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Now it was morning, and Nagan wished the dorm window wasn't facing east. He tried to turn his back to the window, but even while reflecting on black walls, the sun was persistent. With a groan, Nagan begrudgingly sat up and looked around while squinting. At least it's confirmed this is not a dream, Nagan thought as his gaze landed on the closed bed curtains of Az's bed. Childishly, he stuck his tongue out towards the curtained bed, knowing that Az was still sleeping soundly thanks to it.

Since he was already up, he might as well get ready first. He just hoped he didn't wake up too early. Unfortunately, it didn't take him very long to bathe and dress, and once again he was left with nothing to do. Even redressing his wounds (which were healing surprisingly quickly) as Nurse Marvi instructed only spent about ten minutes of his time. He considered looking through his books that were apparently required for his classes, but that was quickly tossed to the wind. No need to start the day with a headache.

Well, actually...

Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered Master Dagmire mentioning something about a library. He didn't quite catch where it was, but perhaps there was enough time to at least find it. Maybe they carried a Tarkovish to Rakshu dictionary he could use for references. After one final glance to the window, determining it was still early, he decided to go exploring for a bit but still took his book bag just in case he didn't have enough time to return.

The castle was quiet. A peaceful sort of quiet though. Even the normal humming he heard was softer as if the castle itself was still asleep. For a moment he stood outside his room door, debating which way he should go and decided to head left since he had never gone that way prior. He prided himself in paying close attention to his surroundings to create mental maps of the area, and he didn't remember seeing anything like a library on his way to the Great Hall and the cafeteria. Maybe if he was lucky, Sir Luxivo would be around to set him in the right direction.

After many ups and downs and lefts and rights, Nagan was starting to get frustrated. And why was no one around yet? Did he really wake up that early? He turned another corner and spotted a door held ajar. Having nothing else to do, he wandered over to inspect what was behind it. It was a staircase. If there were stairways behind closed doors, who knew how many he missed. Nagan internally groaned at the thought.

Taking a closer look, and opening the door a bit more, Nagan couldn't help but notice that it seemed...darker than the rest of the castle. Not that it wasn't well lit or anything, it just felt like the lights didn't quite reach the corners as well. A draft of air blew past him and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something didn't feel right.

Against his better judgment, he decided to take a peek at what was down there. He made sure that the door was wide open before starting his descent down the spiral staircase. Step after step he took while the air seemed to get heavier and heavier. At the bottom was another door, but it shimmered oddly, like oil floating in water. Just as he reached for the knob, a hand came down heavily on his shoulder, and his soul nearly left his body. He would never admit it, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't scream.

"And what do you think you're doing here, Mr. Elvar?" a familiar nasal voice sounded behind him, and Nagan whirled around to find Sir Luxivo standing a step above him. He would've been relieved to see him if it weren't for his pinched expression. "I thought I'd find you around here, but I didn't expect to see you nearly touch a barrier. Didn't Master Dagmire warn you about them?"

Ah. So that's what the oil mess is. "I was trying to find the library, sir."

Sir Luxivo snorted and led the way back up the stairs. Nagan tried to ignore his wheezing. "Indeed you were trying, but you're a long way off from your destination. Let's not dawdle here any longer. I'll show you the way to the library. You're looking for a certain book aren't you?"

"...Are you sure you aren't a mind reader?"

"Common sense. And it appears it is something you lack."

Nagan scoffed at that, but he couldn't exactly deny it either.

After following Sir Luxivo for a long while, it turned out Nagan should've headed to the Great Hall in the first place since just a corridor ahead was the library.

"You should hear a bell chime soon that is meant to wake the others. Following that will be a second bell to signal the start of breakfast, and another after that to prompt you to head to class. By then you'll have ten minutes to arrive to class. Please do not be late," he explained before turning to the library, "Keep things tidy in here by putting books back where you found them. If you wish to take a book out of the library, you may do so. Just be aware that each book is enchanted to never be able to leave the grounds and that I will be informed if any significant damage is done to a book. I hope you find what you're looking for, Mr. Elvar."

And with that, Nagan was left alone.

His gaze floated back into the library, and he was filled with a new sense of dread. The library was massive! How was he supposed to find anything?!

The library's walls were made of bookshelves, completed with ladders and filled with books of all shapes, sizes, and colors. He wished he could say that was it, but on the main floor, there were even more shelves crowding the space with barely enough room for the study tables. Oh, did he say main floor? Above him was the sight of two more floors, all equally packed with books like the floor below them with the study tables pressed against the railings. Was there even any walking room up there?

A large, decorative chandelier hung in the open space at the center to illuminate the whole room, though, with a closer look, Nagan noticed a single, dull grey swirling light. Was that...his magical presence? Maybe the blinding light orb in the Great Hall was composed of every person's magic who was present at the time.

He would have to ask about it later. For now, he needed to focus on the impossible task of finding a translation dictionary.

...This was gonna take awhile.