The Bookstore Mage

Waking up in the morning, Lucien's eyes were bloodshot. He did not feel well rested, if anything his body was killing him. The memories of what had happened the night before flashed through his mind causing him to grind his teeth in anger.

He clenched and unclenched his fist a couple of times, making sure that he fully regained control over his body. After that, Lucien stood up and made his way to the bathroom. He stood before the mirror, glaring at his reflection with a savage expression, and roared:

"Come out, you f*king bastard!"

"Come out!" He cried out, as he banged on the sink with his fists.

"What the f*ck do you want from me?!"

"What?!"

Lucien's expression turned savage as he roared at his reflection. The feeling of helplessness he felt yesterday was one he did not want to experience ever again. To be trapped inside his own body was maddening. Forced to watch as a mere spectator.

"Who the f*ck are you?!" His cries grew louder, and soon enough Lucien was unable to hold back his rage.

His fists that banged on the sink turned to the mirror, as he delivered one punch after another, cracking and destroying it, bloodying his hands in the process.

"What do you want from me...?" Lucien mumbled before he collapsed to the ground, and covered his face with his bloody hands.

He was scared. Ever since he took his first step inside this magical world, Lucien was in constant fear. He managed to suppress his emotions most of the time and deluded himself into thinking that everything would work itself out if he simply laid low and went with the flow.

But what happened yesterday, the voices that banged on his head, the unknown presence that took over his body, all of that made him feel terrified, it made him feel insignificant as if he was nothing but a pawn in a much larger game.

Lucien hated that. The fear of having his own body snatched from him seized his heart. He never wanted to experience it again.

For the first time since he started learning magic, Lucien wished he was stronger. He wished he was strong enough to uncover the mysteries that his grandpa left behind. He wished he was stronger so that he wouldn't have been concerned about any families, or council. He wished he was stronger to protect himself...

Tears fell from his eyes into his hands, as Lucien felt the hopelessness of his situation. Outside of the bathroom, Moon wanted to rush inside and comfort him but was blocked by Tamellalt.

"Leave him, the Lord needs to understand what he is getting himself involved with."

Moon bared her teeth at the fairy before she rushed toward the bathroom. Before she could reach the door, however, a wave of darkness swallowed both her and Tamellalt.

Back inside, Lucien slowly forced himself up and removed his clothes. He tried to avoid the glass shards of the broken mirror and stepped inside the shower.

The wave of cold water made him shiver as it took him a few seconds to adjust to it. He first cleaned his hands and washed away the tiny invisible shards of glass away, before he stood there motionless with his eyes closed. By the time he closed the water and left the shower, the look on Lucien's face was no longer the same.

"Fix this." He ordered, motioning to the broken mirror. He knew that the fairy was listening, she always was after all.

"As you command, my Lord." And as expected her reply came as soon as he spoke.

Lucien didn't bother to reply and instead made his way back to his room. He quickly changed his clothes and used Imer to bring out the magical book his grandpa left him along with the spell that Ian had given him.

Taking a deep breath, Lucien sat down by the window and opened the book to resume his search for the spell. Minutes turned into hours, as coffee cops began to pile up on the desk.

Lucien did not bother to open the bookstore for the day, no, he was determined to first find what he was searching for. He was too complacent before. His false reputation deluded him into thinking that he was safe, but not anymore.

Noon quickly passed. A concerned Moon jumped to his lap in an attempt to divert his attention. Lucien with his cold gaze, however, continued flipping through the pages with one hand, the other he used to scratch Moon's back.

He would occasionally stop when he came across an interesting spell and jot down the page number and spell details on his notebook before continuing with his search.

By the time the clock pointed to 3 pm, Tamellalt appeared by his side with a bow and spoke:

"My Lord, please take some rest and eat first."

Lucien waved her off and replied:

"Just make me something, please."

"Understood."

Saying that the fairy disappeared along with the empty cups of coffee on the desk, leaving a frustrated Lucien behind. The book was too big, not to mention the unknown language used in it. He was still not proficient in deciphering the contents just yet.

This slowed down his search significantly. His quest, however, was not in vain. The number of useful spells he came across was nothing to scoff at. It was safe to say that his harvest was fruitful.

Still, Lucien was curious about Ian's spell the most. Something about it seemed to call out to him. A sigh escaped his mouth as he pushed the magical book and his notebook away.

He lazily stretched his limbs and was about to stand up when the loud growl of his stomach made him pause. He had been too absorbed in his research that he forgot to eat anything.

It was then that Tamellalt appeared next to him with a tray of homemade meals. The fairy gently placed it on the desk before him and bowed:

"Enjoy, my Lord," saying that the fairy stepped back and disappeared into the darkness.

Not wanting to waste any time, Lucien used Imer to make the magical book and his notebook float before him, as he wolfed down the food all the while keeping up with his search at the same time.

Moon who had jumped down from his lap made her way to his bed and glanced at him with a disappointed expression on her face before she turned to glare at Tamellalt who was standing in the corner of the room.

"It's necessary. Don't look at me like that."