The Bookstore Mage

Estrea came back with the tea and placed it on the table before Lucien. He glanced at it and asked:

"Green tea?"

"Yes, same as last time. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Besides, anything is bound to taste better with a pleasant company." Lucien answered with a smile.

Estrea covered her mouth and chuckled. "That was very cheesy."

Lucien shrugged in reply:

"I'm only saying the truth."

"I'm sure you are. I suppose you only tell the truth to all the girls you meet?"

"What can I say, I'm an honest man," Lucien answered and took a sip of his tea. The sweetness lingered in his mouth for a few seconds as he savored the taste.

The duo continued with their light-hearted flirting for a while before Estrea steered the conversation toward the main topic.

"So, Darius?" She asked before gently placing the empty teacup on the table.

"Yes. Not a very pleasant visit. Quite the rude customer, I must say." Lucien joked, to which Estrea laughed and shook her head.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. He's not very famed for his manners."

"Yes, I figured. You mentioned something about him being on the wanted list of the Council?"

Estrea leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs, assuming a more comfortable position before she spoke:

"That's what I know. I'm not very familiar with the details, but If I'm not mistaken, It had something to do with him attacking a small mountain village up north."

"Oh?" Lucien frowned.

"He had a group of like-minded Vampires that followed him. They preached something about the new world order, and how the fantastical side of the world should be the one to rule publicly."

"So basically, the opposite of everything that the Council is working for?"

"Yes. Darius and his little group were notorious a few years back. They crossed the line, however, with the mountain village incident. That's when the Council increased the resources spent on hunting them. Eventually, only Darius was left, and not much was heard about him until now that is."

"I see." Lucien nodded and refrained from asking more about the mountain village attack. He had a feeling he would not like to know the exact details.

"Still, It is quite strange how he managed to go unnoticed for all these years right under their noses," Estrea mumbled out loud.

"Perhaps he wasn't hiding here in Holden?"

"That's a possibility, but I doubt it."

Intrigued, Lucien couldn't help but ask:

"Oh, why do you think so?"

"Well, Holden is a special place. Even with its relatively small size, the number of mages and magical beings that exist here is far larger than normal. This wasn't always the case though."

"Hmmm, and what does that have to do with Darius?"

"Simple, It's easier for him to hide here, rather than elsewhere. There are a lot of unknown things lurking beneath Holden's surface."

Lucien frowned at her reply but did not interrupt, and instead waited for her to continue.

"There's a reason why the Council's branch here doesn't care much about us Rogues. They have bigger things to worry about. Some of the older mages say that an ancient devil was sealed under the city, while others believe It's been blessed. Some even think that there's a treasure to be found."

"And what do you believe?" Lucien asked.

Estrea fell silent for a few seconds as she raised her head and glanced at the ceiling.

"What do I believe? That's hard to say. I do think that things are not as simple as they seem, they seldom are." Estrea then turned her gaze toward Lucien, her sharp hazel eyes seemed to be able to look right through him.

"The density of mana in Holden has also been steadily increasing for the past couple of decades. So who knows? Perhaps there really is a treasure waiting to be found."

Lucien tried to maintain an unconcerned expression on his face. He shrugged and replied:

"Maybe."

Inwardly, however, his mind was in turmoil. Lucien did not know why he instantly thought of that terrifying entity In the astral plane when Estrea talked about an ancient devil being sealed below the city.

Trying not to sound too ignorant, Lucien asked carefully:

"When exactly did you say the mana density started to grow?"

Shaking her head Estrea answered: "I'm not sure, I only heard about it from my father, bless his soul. Something about a change twenty-something years ago that made the mana grow. Most of the mages don't care much for that, calling It a happy side-effect. Still, the question remains, a side-effect of what?"

Lucien nodded his head to indicate his understanding. Inside, though his heart skipped a beat. He didn't know if he was reading too much into it, but his grandpa came to Holden twenty-three years ago to be exact.

The coincidences just seemed to continue. The increase in mana density when he came, the mysterious entity sealed underneath the astral plane, and then there was the book he left him in the center of it all.

'Just what did you hide from me, grandpa?'

"Are you alright?" Estrea's voice broke him from his chain of thoughts.

"Ah, yes. I just have a lot on my mind." Lucien responded with a smile.

"Well, It is getting late."

Taking the hint, Lucien stood up to take his leave.

"Indeed, I'll be on my way then."

"Please, let me send you off again," Estrea spoke.

"I'm not sure I'll find any cabs at this hour, so I'll be grateful if you do."

"Oh, It's my pleasure."

Estrea then led Lucien to the teleportation room and motioned for him to get inside. He instead turned to face her. Lucien was a little bit taller than the mature lady, forcing her to slightly raise her head to look at him.

"I forgot to ask, I still need to use your training ground if that's alright?"

"No problem. I'll be a bit busy tomorrow, so I won't be here, but the day after tomorrow should be alright."

Nodding, Lucien thanked her and added:

"Well?"

Confused, Estrea tilted her head in confusion;

"Well, what?"

"Where's my kiss goodbye?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

Estrea rolled her eyes and chuckled;

"You are going to need to make some more effort than that, Mr. Lucien." She said while sarcastically adding the 'Mr' part.

Still, Estrea moved closer to him, and gently cupped his face between her hands, she closed her eyes and angled her face to his. Lucien met her halfway through until their lips locked.

The kiss was small, gentle, and very meaningful. Before it could escalate to anything further, Estrea quickly broke away and pushed Lucien to the middle of the teleportation circle.

A faint blush was visible on her face as she spoke:

"Goodbye, Mr. Lucien."

And with those final words, Lucien disappeared only to find himself standing next to his bookstore door. His lips curved upwards into a wide grin as he fumbled for his keys.

The sweet smell of her perfume still lingered in his nose as his hand subconsciously reached out for the light switch to his right.

"Tonight is a good night."