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Velgrin stood near the reading alcove, straight-backed and composed, his hands folded neatly behind him. The Library's silence draped around them like a heavy blanket. Levi stood a few paces away, expression unreadable, the black Library Permit card held loosely between two fingers.
Velgrin inclined his head.
"Mr. Levi," he said respectfully, "if I may make a request regarding our destination."
Levi didn't speak right away. His gaze remained forward, fixed on the smooth southern wall of the Library. When he did respond, his voice came out calm and flat.
"Speak."
"My office at Henderson Academy," Velgrin said. "It is registered as a private arcane sanctum under my authority. Designating it as our anchor point will ensure a secure and uninterrupted arrival."
"You have full access?" Levi asked.
"Yes," Velgrin confirmed. "No students enter. It is shielded against scrying and dimensional interference. The location is insulated and isolated. It is where I returned from when I first entered your Library."
Levi finally turned his head, dark eyes steady. "You're affiliated with the Academy."
Velgrin gave a measured nod. "Archwizard of the Sixth Circle. Senior Lecturer in Flame Theory. I also serve as tactical consultant for the Council's dueling curriculum at Henderson Academy."
"And you're allowed to open external gates into the premises."
"With pre-registered anchor codes," Velgrin said. "Mine are already set. No alarms will trigger."
Levi considered that for a long moment. The silence didn't feel heavy. It felt controlled. He projected no emotion. No hesitation.
Only stillness.
Then he nodded once.
"Your request is accepted," he said. "We'll use your office as our anchor point."
Velgrin bowed with precision. "Thank you, Mr. Levi."
A pause.
"Oh, before you go," Levi added, "don't forget the payment fee."
Velgrin reached into his robe without hesitation and withdrew a small leather pouch. He loosened the drawstring and poured ten white coins into his palm. Each one gleamed faintly under the Library's light, stamped with intricate royal seals.
He placed them carefully on the table between them.
"This is all I have at the moment," Velgrin said. "I will bring more next time. Is this amount sufficient?"
A notification blinked into Levi's vision.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Payment received: 10 Royal Gold Coins
Can be converted to 10 Dimensional Crystals
Levi picked up one of the coins, turned it over in his fingers, then set it back down.
"It's enough for the first time," he said.
Velgrin bowed again, deeper this time. "You have my gratitude."
Levi turned to face the southern wall fully, raising the Permit between two fingers. The obsidian-black card shimmered faintly in the Library light.
"Remain behind me," Levi said without looking back. "Do not follow until I verify the integrity of the threshold."
"Understood," Velgrin said.
Levi stepped forward, the long coat shifting behind him. He walked without hesitation, each movement precise and efficient. When he stopped before the blank stone wall, he raised the card to eye level.
No flare of power. No chant. Just a slow, deliberate swipe through the air.
The Library responded.
Thin cracks of light webbed outward across the wall's surface. Not fractures, but seams. Scripted runes glowed faintly, forming an arch.
Then the stone dissolved inward.
And the doorway opened.
Behind it, a ripple of still, colorless magic hovered, stable and quiet.
Levi glanced back at Velgrin.
"You will step through only after I confirm the anchor," he said.
"Understood."
"If the space is breached, you fall back and wait. Do not follow."
Velgrin bowed again. "As you command."
Levi raised the card higher.
The air around him responded instantly. Pressure shifted. Silence grew taut.
From behind, Velgrin watched a figure of authority in motion, cloaked in black, radiating stillness, no excess gesture or speech. A presence that altered the room simply by existing.
Levi didn't glance back.
No need.
"Prepare yourself," he said. "We enter your world on my signal."
Then he swiped the card through the air.
The wall split wider.
A portal began to bloom.
And reality bent to the will of the Librarian.
There was no flash.
No sound.
Just a shift.
A tug behind his sternum, like someone yanked a thread through his chest and forgot to tie a knot.
Then gravity caught him again, and he stepped onto solid stone.
Levi didn't stumble. Didn't flinch. On the outside, he moved with the same slow grace he'd practiced in front of a mirror back when social media clout paid his rent.
Internally?
Okay. I didn't vomit. That's a win. Step one: don't puke. Step two: don't die. We're halfway to victory.
The room was plain. Surprisingly plain.
A single desk, broad and dark, sat against the far wall. Two guest chairs stood in front of it, straight-backed enough to qualify as medieval torture devices. A bookshelf lined with scrolls and manuals filled one corner, everything sorted by subject. He clocked battle magic, planar law, a few policy codices, and Arcane Ethics: Revised, with what looked like angry margin notes in red ink.
To the right, a tall window offered a view of a courtyard below. Robed students drifted past in silence, probably on their way to set something on fire in the name of education.
And then... the far wall.
Seven skulls.
Just hanging there.
Mounted with the kind of precision that said, "This is not a threat, it's just how I catalog murder."
Six were obviously not human. Drake, basilisk, wolves with too many teeth. But the seventh? Definitely human. Small. Smooth. Edges charred like it had been roasted, then polished for display.
Levi did not move.
Externally, he radiated cool, silent control.
Internally?
WHY IS THERE A HUMAN SKULL ON THE WALL. WHO FILES THAT UNDER DECOR. WHO GAVE THIS MAN A TEACHING LICENSE.
Behind him, the portal closed with a whisper.
Velgrin stepped through, robes perfectly still despite the motion. His staff tapped once on the stone, more punctuation than support.
"Welcome, Mr. Levi," Velgrin said, calm and reverent. "This space is yours for as long as you require it."
Levi took two steps into the room, coat sweeping slightly behind him. Hands behind his back. Chin high. Entire posture screaming, 'Yes, I meant to do this.'
He didn't respond.
Because the moment he opened his mouth, the odds of blurting out, "Bro, do you keep the rest of the skeletons in a closet?" were dangerously high.
"You bring presence even when you do not speak," Velgrin added, voice low.
Yes. That's because I'm holding back a scream with the power of my liver.
Levi gave a solemn nod.
The room smelled of old parchment, magical oil, and some kind of dried herb that screamed 'wizard meditation starter pack.' The atmosphere was thick with history and mild judgment.
Velgrin gestured toward one of the chairs. "Would you care to sit?"
Levi moved like he'd done this a thousand times. Smooth. Measured. Sat without flinching.
Inside?
This chair is a medieval torture device. This is what happens when ergonomic design gets replaced by moral philosophy.
Velgrin turned away, moving to a cabinet. He retrieved two cups and a tin marked Calming Flame. Levi's nose caught notes of cinnamon bark, citrus peel, and something that definitely wasn't FDA approved.
With a flick of the wrist, Velgrin conjured water, steaming instantly. No chant. No wand. Just wizardry flexing its well-toned muscles.
He poured the tea, then offered Levi one of the ceramic cups.
Levi accepted it with quiet poise.
Scalding. Bitter. Slightly herbal.
He didn't react.
Inside?
WHY IS THIS TEA FIGHTING ME. THIS ISN'T A DRINK. THIS IS A RITUAL SACRIFICE.
Velgrin sat across from him, settling into his chair with the kind of ease that came from decades of sitting in uncomfortable furniture.
"You wear this world well," he said.
"I adapt," Levi replied.
The words landed like marble. Smooth, cold, heavy.
He had no idea where that line came from. It just sounded cool. Hopefully Velgrin wasn't expecting an adaptation montage.
Outside, twin suns pushed their light through the window slats. The gold rays striped across the stone floor like something from an inspirational cult poster. The skulls didn't move. Just watched silently. Judging. Existing.
Levi took another sip of tea and immediately regretted it.
This beverage is sentient and it hates me.
"Tomorrow," Levi said, voice calm, "we begin the next phase. I need a location. Quiet. Stable. Properly resonant."
Velgrin nodded. "There are sites that meet those parameters. I will prepare a shortlist. Some lie in zones neglected by the city's planners. Others are hidden structures that survived shifts in magical zoning."
"Keep it discreet," Levi said. "No attention. No fanfare."
"Understood."
They both sipped their tea.
Levi's mouth burned again. The liquid tasted like someone had distilled the concept of discipline into a beverage.
What is this, Liquid Disappointment? Does this tea slap you if you complain out loud?
Velgrin tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "Shall I begin preparing routes and contingencies tonight?"
"Yes. Work quietly. I want to move without alerting any circles or city monitors."
"As you say, Mr. Levi."
Another sip.
More burning.
Levi remained motionless.
I swear this tea is judging me harder than the skulls. It probably knows I used to microwave instant noodles in my old apartment and thinks I'm unworthy of the wizard aesthetic.
Velgrin's eyes briefly flicked to the bookshelf.
Levi caught it.
"Is that Arcane Ethics annotated in red?"
Velgrin blinked once. "Some of its conclusions lacked... practical application."
Levi raised his cup slightly in acknowledgment. "A valid critique."
A long silence passed. Comfortable, for once.
The air cooled as the sunlight shifted.
.
.
.
Velgrin set his cup down and folded his hands on the table.
"May I ask a question, Mr. Levi?"
Levi nodded once.
"When you walked through the portal," Velgrin said carefully, "there was no fluctuation in your aura. No adjustment period. You simply... arrived. As if stepping between worlds was no different than crossing a threshold."
Levi took another sip of tea, buying himself a second to think.
Yeah, because I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm running on pure anxiety and fake confidence.
"Experience," Levi said simply.
Velgrin's expression shifted slightly. Not doubt, but deeper respect.
"Of course," he murmured.
Nailed it. Thank you, vague one-word answers.
Levi set his cup down with deliberate care.
"The Library exists in all places and none," he said, channeling every pretentious philosophy book he'd ever skimmed. "Travel is a matter of perspective, not distance."
Velgrin's eyes widened slightly.
Oh my god, he's buying it. I literally just made that up. I sound like a fortune cookie had a baby with a TED Talk.
"Profound," Velgrin said quietly.
Levi inclined his head, saying nothing.
Because the less he said, the smarter he sounded.
Another stretch of silence.
Outside, a bell chimed somewhere in the Academy grounds. Distant voices echoed faintly through the stone walls.
Velgrin stood, moving to the window. He gazed down at the courtyard below, hands clasped behind his back.
"Henderson Academy has stood for three centuries," he said. "It has trained Archmages, Battle Kings, and Court Wizards. But in all that time, it has never hosted a being such as yourself."
Yeah, because most beings with half a brain wouldn't voluntarily walk into a fantasy death trap wearing business casual.
"I'm not here to disrupt," Levi said. "Only to establish a foothold."
"And when word spreads?" Velgrin asked, glancing back. "When others learn of the Library's presence?"
Levi met his gaze evenly.
"Let them come."
The words hung in the air, colder than he'd intended.
Velgrin turned fully, studying him.
Then he bowed.
"As you will it, Mr. Levi."
Okay, that was actually kind of badass. I might be getting the hang of this.
Levi smoothing down his coat.
"Velgrin."
The wizard straightened. "Yes, Mr. Levi?"
"The tea," Levi said, deadpan. "It's terrible."
For the first time since they'd met, Velgrin's lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile.
"Noted," he said.