Chapter 8 : What?

Levi crept forward, tea cup in hand, until he stood a few feet from the reading alcove.

Velgrin hadn't moved.

Not even a twitch.

Just a slumped, reverent silence, like he'd been mid-prayer and his soul got interrupted by a divine migraine.

Levi took another cautious step and leaned in.

That's when he saw it.

Blood.

Not dramatic movie blood just a slow, steady trickle from Velgrin's left nostril, a thin line creeping toward his upper lip. His ears were worse: a single crimson thread curling down his jaw like a polite river of existential trauma. Even his eyes, closed as they were, leaked faint streaks of red like someone had installed faulty plumbing in his face.

"Oh my god," Levi whispered. "You're leaking. From all the head holes."

Luna padded up beside him, ears twitching as she peered up at Velgrin.

"Meow," she offered helpfully.

Levi glanced at her, then back at the wizard.

"You think this is funny? This man's having a magical aneurysm and I'm going to be charged with spiritual homicide. That's at least three lifetimes in Fantasy Jail."

He crouched slightly, inspecting the man's posture.

Velgrin's hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His breathing was shallow. Too shallow. His robe was soaked through with sweat and was that steam rising off his skin?

Levi looked up at the ceiling.

"Hey, system. Out of curiosity. Is this... normal?"

System Alert:

Patron has entered Law Sync Burnout Phase I: "Purification by Comprehension.

"Minor blood loss is to be expected.

Host should not intervene unless brain matter becomes visible.

"…Brain matter?! What kind of Reader's Digest dimension is this?!"

"Okay," he muttered, "he's not moving. That's fine. Maybe he's just meditating. Deeply. Like, unconscious from wisdom kind of deeply."

Luna padded up the side of the nearest bookshelf and landed neatly on the counter. Her tail flicked twice. Judgmental. Possibly hungry.

Levi jabbed a finger at her. "Don't you give me that look. You saw it! He dropped to his knees over a book about spiritual rice cooking."

"Meow."

"Oh, sure. Now you're quiet. Where was your cosmic feline wisdom when I was recommending fiction to a guy with enough magical pressure to melt the plumbing?"

Luna tilted her head, eyes blinking slowly. Smugly.

Levi returned his gaze to Velgrin. Still motionless.

He leaned back, checked the system panel floating in the corner of his vision.

Patron Health Status: Stable-ish

Mind Integrity: 43%

Soul Pressure Index:

CAUTION – Critical

Proximity

Mental Feedback Risk: 82%

He stared at the message again.

Stable-ish.

"Okay, but like what does the 'ish' mean? Is he medically fine or cosmically evaporating?"

He paced, tea cup in hand. One step. Two steps. Trip over nothing.

Recovered. Smooth. Totally professional.

He checked Velgrin again. The wizard had one arm hanging off the side of the chair now, like a Victorian heroine who'd just fainted from excessive plot development.

Levi sighed and whispered to Luna, "This is why I didn't want guests. Books don't pass out. Books don't look at you like you've handed them the lost name of God. Books don't… bleed on the furniture."

Luna leapt gracefully onto his shoulder.

"Meow."

Levi patted her absently. "No, I'm not going over there. What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, sorry the book gave you a migraine from the fifth dimension. Want a bookmark?'"

Still, he crept a little closer. Just close enough to confirm that Velgrin was, in fact, breathing. Barely.

The wizard's eyes were closed. His nose was crusted with dried blood. His right eye twitched occasionally, like his brain was still buffering. A thin trail of dark crimson trickled from one ear.

He looked… peaceful. In the same way a volcano looks peaceful before it erupts.

"Yup," Levi muttered. "Definitely having a good time."

He glanced back at the book. Still closed. No fire. No drama. Just a normal, hardcover copy of Cultivating the Immortal: Start by Lighting a Fire to Cook Rice.

Levi had always liked that one. Good pacing. Fantastic soup arc.

He looked back at Velgrin and tried not to laugh from sheer disbelief.

"You look like someone hit you with the concept of enlightenment and then followed up with a brick."

System pinged again.

Patron Mental Sync:

Partia lFlame Law Exposure:

1.03% Danger Level: Rising

System Recommendation: Let the patron rest. Any further learning may result in irreversible liquification of the ego-layer.

Levi slowly scrolled to the bottom of the report.

Warning: Cleaning liquified ego is not covered by Library custodial services.

"…Noted."

Luna licked her paw, then tapped his cheek with it.

He looked at her.

"Don't say it."

She didn't.

She just blinked.

Levi dragged a chair closer, sat down opposite the unconscious inferno wizard, and let out a long sigh.

He covered his face with both hands.

"Oh god. I'm a walking bookstore hallucination. I'm accidentally inspiring magical ascension with light novels."

Luna yawned.

And for once, Levi had no counter.

The system pinged.

SYSTEM UPDATE

Patron has absorbed: 1.03% of the Law of Flame

Patron Status: ALIVE

Mind Stability: 43%

Congratulations!

Librarian's Charisma has increased by +1.

"…Charisma?" Levi said flatly. "Someone's literally bleeding out because of me, and I get more 'charisma'? What kind of reward system is this?"

The screen shimmered again.

You now appear 12% more mysterious to all patrons.

Skills

[Passive] Librarian's CharismaYour words carry unearned weight. Your silence speaks volumes.

Patrons instinctively assume Levi holds great wisdom, power, or cosmic insight.

Calm speech or vague advice is often misinterpreted as profound truth.

Effects scale with the patron's reverence and emotional state.

Immunity: Cats and beings immune to awe.

"That's helping," Levi said. "Better chance to survive this fucking nightmare"

"But why you have to mention cat"

He stood, stretched his back, and paced slowly along the front of the desk. His eyes wandered back to Velgrin still seated, still steaming a little, like his internal temperature hadn't gone back to normal yet.

Levi glanced at Luna. "You think he's okay?"

Luna gave no answer. Just blinked.

Levi sighed and mumbled, "This is my life now."

He walked to the edge of the hall and glanced once more at Velgrin's face. Nosebleed. Blood from one ear. A faint line under one closed eye.

"Is that… brain fluid? No. Can't be. Right?"

He took a step back, just in case.

Patron experiencing early Law Sync Burnout. Please do not disturb. Further contact may cause spiritual collapse.

Levi folded his arms. "Right. No poking the wizard. Got it."

He turned back to the desk and sat down, opening the system menu with a flick of thought.

Well fuck you too then

Levi closed the window.

He sat in silence for a while.

Then muttered, "Alright. I need to think."

He looked at the empty shelves nearby. Then back at Velgrin.

"He really saw something in that book. That wasn't acting. That was pain. Or reverence. Or both."

He glanced at Luna. "What if the Library really is giving them something different? Not just how the book looks the entire content? What if what I read and what they read isn't the same?"

Luna meowed softly.

Levi leaned back again. "Okay. Let think that it a normal novel for now. Maybe the Library intend it to be the magical novel?"

Another ping.

Continue using your instinct. Trust your recommendations. Do not question the Library.

Levi stared.

Then laughed. Once. Dryly.

"Right. Trust the haunted dimension full of magical tomes. Good plan."

He looked again at Velgrin.

Still unconscious. Still holding the book like it was a holy relic.

Levi shook his head.

"I liked that story because of the main character's slow growth. He didn't use violence to get strong. He just kept cooking. Kept practicing. And now this guy sees it as a divine trial of fire."

He leaned on the desk.

"Honestly… I don't get it. But he's alive. Which I guess is a win."

A final system message blinked in the corner of his vision.

Patron Soul Sync at 1.03%. Ascension potential unlocked.

Next evaluation in 24 hours.

Librarian Authority: Stable.

Levi dismissed the screen.

He picked up his tea again. It was lukewarm now, but he drank it anyway.

"Alright," he muttered. "If this is what it takes to run a magical library, I guess I'll figure it out."

Luna settled beside him and began grooming her paw.

"I just hope the next patron isn't worse."

He glanced toward the massive front doors.

They remained closed.

For now.

The room stayed quiet for a long time.

The only sounds came from the gentle flicker of magical lanterns, the distant creaking of ancient shelves, and the occasional clink of Levi's tea spoon against porcelain.

He kept glancing at Velgrin from behind the desk, half-expecting him to suddenly burst into flames or collapse forward.

Instead, the old wizard finally stirred.

His fingers twitched.

A slow inhale. Then another.

Velgrin opened his eyes.