The True King’s Shadow

Melch felt his body changing, adjusting to the rigorous training and the demands of academy life. Even though he still carried the burden of Valkora, the life-threatening illness that had once limited him, his endurance now became slightly improved. He tested himself comparing his current abilities to before, only to realize that his progress wasn't as drastic as he had hoped, he was merely thirty seconds faster when healing back. It was an improvement, but not the kind of breakthrough he had expected.

Still, there was no point in dwelling on it now. If he couldn't push his body further, he would expand his mind instead. The coming week, he decided, would be dedicated to the Theoder Academy's library.

Meanwhile, Leif was struggling with theory literature. His enthusiasm for practical training didn't extend to history and theoretical studies, and it was clear he was preoccupied with trying to force the information into his brain. Melch, having known Leif for a while now, understood his habits all too well. Leif had a natural talent for many things, but unless something flipped a switch in his mind, he remained disinterested. Melch had seen that switch flip in the past, but it was rare, almost as rare as Leif choosing to study willingly.

"I swear, these books are cursed," Leif groaned, closing one with an audible thud. "Why is history written like this? Just tell me who won the wars and who got betrayed. That's all I need to know."

Melch glanced up from his own book, amused. "That's probably why you keep failing history quizzes."

Leif leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I'll have you know, I got a passing score last time."

"Barely."

"Still counts."

Shaking his head, Melch refocused on his research. The Theoder Academy's library was known to have extensive resources on a variety of subjects, unlike the Earth Magic Tower, which specialized more in magic and less in broader knowledge. Melch was particularly interested in the history of the Church of the Beginning, but to his frustration, most books avoided discussing its actual origins. The church seemed to have suddenly emerged in the previous era's and the details of its rise were obscure. Anything truly informative appeared to be restricted to the church itself.

He sighed and moved on, browsing through the library's shelves until he stumbled upon an intriguing book. It was an old translated text of Ancient Forsic, a language not commonly used. As he read, he realized that it discussed the universe, planets and even higher realms. The way it was written made it feel as though the author was from a completely different time or perhaps, from beyond this world like him.

"This is interesting," Melch murmured to himself, flipping through the pages.

Leif, who had momentarily given up on studying, peeked over. "Found something good?"

"More like something strange."

"That's usually a good sign. Unless it's a book on taxes. Then it's just a trap."

Melch ignored him and continued reading. However, as he turned the pages, he realized something odd. The book was thick, but large portions of it were missing. Entire sections of the content was missing and what remained was fragmented at best. Each surviving page was made of thin wood etched with the now unfamiliar markings of ancient forsic.

Curious, he took the book to the librarian to ask about its origins. The elderly librarian adjusting his spectacles examined it for a moment before nodding in recognition.

"This book was found by one of the academy's founding members during a treasure hunt." he explained. "It's one of a kind but similar texts exist in the Inner Academy. Unfortunately, as a first-year, you don't have access to them yet."

Melch frowned slightly but thanked the librarian anyway. If he couldn't get more information now, he would have to find another way later.

"Are there any other books like this in the Outer Academy?" he asked.

The librarian thought for a moment before gesturing toward a far corner of the library. "There's an old research note behind the shelf where 'The True King' is kept. It's tattered and incomplete but it was retrieved by one of the early students. It's more of a personal notebook than a proper book though."

Melch nodded and made his way to the indicated section. As he approached, he noticed that the area was largely untouched. 'The True King' was a famous book and most students stopped at its shelf never bothering to check what lay beyond it. The shelves behind it were covered in dust, their books marked with low borrowing numbers meaning they had barely been touched in years.

Scanning the shelf, Melch eventually found what he was looking for. It wasn't much of a book but rather a collection of worn loosely bound pages with no cover. The handwriting inside was erratic and almost illegible, scribbled in a way that made his head hurt just trying to decipher it.

Leif, who had wandered over out of boredom, leaned against the shelf and peered over. "What's that?"

"A research note" Melch replied, still trying to make sense of the scribbles.

Leif squinted at the messy writing and winced. "Looks like the author was either in a hurry or being actively attacked while writing."

"Or both." Melch muttered. The text was chaotic but amidst the clutter, certain words stood out mentions of an 'unseen force' 'fractured timelines' and something called the 'Veil of Ancients.'

None of it made immediate sense but one thing was clear, this wasn't just random research. Whoever had written this had stumbled onto something significant.

Leif, losing interest, clapped a hand on Melch's shoulder. "Well, you have fun deciphering ancient nonsense. I'll be over there pretending to study."

Melch gave a small nod, but his mind was already elsewhere. Something about this note felt important. He just needed to figure out why.