Gunmage
Chapter 114: Books that shouldn’t be touched

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Books that shouldn’t be touched

Urgh.

Lirienne groaned as she stirred awake, her head ached, it was heavy with the lingering remnants of unconsciousness.

She was lying in bed.

The soft glow of the lamp illuminated the room in a warm amber hue, contrasting with the coolness of the night outside. She blinked, trying to adjust her vision.

Had it all been a dream?

Her hands trembled slightly as she turned towards the window, catching sight of a round moon sketched against a canvas of stars.

The view felt unfamiliar. She tilted her head in confusion, this wasn’t her window.

Her head swiveled around. This wasn’t her bed either. And the room, it was far too small. She shot upright.

Her heart skipped a beat when she realised where she was, she’d been sleeping in Lugh’s bed.

Then it all came rushing back. The events before she passed out surged through her mind like a wave.

She remembered. She remembered everything.

Joy flooded her. She should’ve been embarrassed, who knocks themselves out?

But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was, she could finally use magic!

Eyes lighting up, she focused on a pen lying on the desk.

It didn’t move.

What?

A wave of panic briefly seized her chest, but she quickly reminded herself of Lugh’s instructions. Right, she hadn’t followed his method properly.

She focused again, this time letting her mind settle into the flow of his words

The pen began to levitate, slowly rising into the air.

She grinned.

Success!

She let it drop, her eyes scanning the room for something bigger to test herself with. Her gaze landed on a book nearby.

She reached for it, her mind focused once again, and this time, the book floated toward her without resistance.

"Hehe"

Her laughter bubbled up, a mix of exhilaration and disbelief.

"Hahaha!"

She laughed wildly before stopping herself. No, she needed to try something bigger.

Her eyes locked onto a wrapped bundle in the corner of the room.

It was large and long, maybe a stick? No... a sword.

Perfect.

She outstretched her hand, trying to lift it.

Nothing.

She tried again. Still nothing.

Her heart sank as frustration crept in. What was going wrong?

She stood and walked over to the sword but was reluctant to touch it. The air around it was cold, unnaturally so. A ghostly chill radiated from the bundle.

Lugh had brought this back.

Come to think of it...

Where was Lugh?

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

1:00 AM.

He must’ve snuck out again.

No worries. He always came back.

She could’ve rushed to her mother’s room right now, bang on the door, tell her everything.

She could already picture the look on her face.

But... no. She had to wait for Lugh.

She couldn’t explain how she’d learned this. She was sure it wasn’t standard Force Control.

Best to wait. Lugh would know what to do.

To pass the time, she began pacing the room, observing everything with fresh eyes. She stopped at the table.

It was the same one she had lifted earlier. A thick, heavy oak table, polished to a sheen. Lugh must’ve put it back in place.

On it were parchment papers, crudely bound like a draft manuscript.

Fresh ink. The handwriting was beautiful. Precise. Almost mechanical.

And yet undeniably human.

The title caught her attention.

The Last Rose of Vale

Below that in a delicate script, was the authors name.

By Thera Vale

Thera Vale? Was that his pen name? It sounded... feminine.

Curious, she picked it up, settling back on the bed and beginning to read by lamplight.

...

Two figures sat under the stars in a wide clearing of countless, half-buried stones.

A checkered board of black and white pieces lay between them, moonlight glinting off the polished surface.

Lugh played the youngest daughter of the Von Heim family—Aveline—in a game of chess.

They had gone many rounds now, with Lugh winning most.

It couldn’t be helped. He was an amalgam of countless souls, their skills, their strengths.

Under proper conditions, she shouldn’t have stood a sliver of a chance.

She still didn’t.

But she’d won a few rounds. Not just through brilliance, but because Lugh’s mind, which was constantly layered with the past and near future, affected his thinking in ways he couldn’t fully control.

"Checkmate."

He spoke softly as the game drew to a close.

"Urghhh. I was so close,"

Aveline groaned, slumping.

Out of eleven games, she had only won two, and even those were dubious.

No one had ever beaten her this badly before, not even her eldest sister.

"One more round!"

Lugh glanced at the sky

"It’s getting late"

He said calmly.

"I guess so..."

Aveline sighed in resignation. Then her eyes lit up.

"Can we use the secret passageway to head back? I want to see some of the books."

"...Sure"

Lugh replied after a pause.

"But we can’t stay long. And the books can’t leave the room."

"Uh, okay."

They left the forest and darted through the gardens, using the same path they had taken previously.

Lugh carried the large wooden chess board. Aveline clutched a delicate pink pouch holding the ivory pieces.

They opened the grate, slid down the tunnel, and emerged into a chamber bathed in soft, phosphorescent blue light.

Aveline’s eyes widened in awe as she looked around.

"Be careful what you touch"

Lugh warned before adding,

"We only have five minutes."

"Okay"

She said, already drifting between the shelves.

She began scanning the spines, committing titles to memory. She would make a list later so she could choose what to read next more carefully.

But the titles were... strange.

The Ninth Tongue

The Crimson Testament

Of Fesh and Rite

Codex of the Hollow Flames

What is this?

Lugh, scanning the shelves beside her, paused as one book caught his eye.

On the Worship of the Broken Star

Then another.

Saints with Iron Hearts

Finally, a book further back grabbed his attention and held it.

It was bound in auric leather, the title shimmering faintly in the dim interior.

Arcanum Concordat: The Gathering of Gods

He pulled it from the shelf and opened it.

The first line read:

"To gather the gods is not to worship them—but to bind them to law. And if law fails, let silence be the leash."