Warning: A kinda strong word(all in comic relief though) and a kinda long rant at the end of the chapter.

Nagan growled in frustration and slammed another book back into the shelves. There was nothing here about that book! Absolutely nothing! You'd think if it was so important there'd at least be records!

He huffed once more and hit his back against the shelf, crossing his arms and glared up at the ceiling watching his now bright grey orb orbit around a rich red light. It was only a section of the first floor he had searched, but that didn't mean he couldn't get frustrated so soon. By now he knew exactly where to look when researching something of interest, but the most obvious places where information about some codex would be just wasn't there. He searched from dragons to mind control to ancient magics, even rattled through the source pages to see if it had been cited anywhere! The Code of Drakarmir just didn't seem to exist. He scrunched his nose in distaste. Perhaps the hooded man said some gibberish to throw him off.

Wait a second.

Why was there that red orb in the library? Who else was awake at nearly 6 in the morning?

The room was unusually quiet, no hum in the air, so that must have meant...

There was a slight chuckle to his right, and Nagan snapped his head in that direction. There stood Master Dagmire with an amused smile and a sort of fondness in his eyes. A look that Nagan had become accustomed to while learning under one of the strongest Dragonmages of this time. "Not finding what you're looking for, I assume?"

Nagan bit his cheek and pretended to scowl further. He knew Master Dagmire would offer his help in a heartbeat which was something Nagan couldn't afford. Instead, he sighed dramatically, knowing his teacher wouldn't suspect a thing with the act. There wasn't much of a need to act anyways. He was frustrated. So very frustrated and overwhelmed. Frustrated about not finding a single thing, frustrated about being dragged into something that could've been avoided if he wasn't so foolish, and most of all, frustrated that he couldn't cry for the help he knew he desperately needed. It had been a while since he felt so powerless and alone.

"Sort of," Nagan said after a few seconds of thinking of a cover story. "I'm looking for more information about time magic, but all I get is a bunch of theories and long, complicated incantations that absolutely no one could ever say without wanting to strangle their own tongue! My father's work may be incomplete since it was apparent he couldn't sit still long enough to write a coherent thought, but whoever else is studying it must be direct relatives to baboons!"

His rant drew out barks of laugher from Master Dagmire. "Oh come now, Nagan. Don't be too harsh on others. Not everyone is gifted with rare sources of magic."

"Well if it's something they could never fully understand, then why waste time on it in the first place?" He threw his hands in the air before sighing and turning sharply to Master Dagmire who was still chucking quietly at him. Nagan narrowed his eyes at him before asking incredulously, "What?"

Master Dagmire waved his hand as if signally denial to his amusement at his student's expense. "Nothing, nothing. It's just refreshing to hear such blunt logic. There are far too many dreamers in this world, so once you hear someone point out all the faults, you can't help but laugh a bit. Just remember to keep an open enough mind to be flexible, young one."

He gently ruffled Nagan's hair, much to the other's displeasure, before turning back towards the library's entrance. "Come on, now. I have a few theories you may be interested in. Ones that are practical enough for your taste," he teased which earned him a scoff. Though despite that, he heard the faint steps follow and soon caught the familiar blond head of hair step up beside him, pace matching perfectly.

A comfortable silence surrounded them nearly halfway to Master Dagmire's office, though almost idly Nagan asked, "Which was my father? A dreamer or a realist?"

"A dreamer," Master Dagmire admitted with a hum. "Though he knew when something was utterly hopeless and held strongly to his beliefs, even when no one else stood by his side. I, admittingly, nearly abandoned him at times due to his outlandish ideas due to my own mind being rigid. Though he always forgave me afterward, because he was rarely wrong and used the right to rub his success in my face."

He chuckled dryly. "As reckless as he was, he calmed down considerably after he met and married your mother, and even more so once you were born. Ah, he rubbed that in my face, too. That he settled down despite what others thought about him."

Nagan snorted. "He sounded like a pain in the ass."

"Absolutely!" Master Dagmire chortled. "It was often when Ania and I discussed such matters behind his back. Great vents and rants came out of that."

For the rest of the way Master Dagmire told Nagan stories of his father's shenanigans, so by the time they arrive at his office, they nearly stumbled in in stitches. It was times like these did Master Dagmire looked at the boy with admiration. Despite what life has taken from the boy so early in his life, he never truly lamented for something he could no longer have. There was a grieving process to be sure, and twinges of sorrow would turn up now and again, but it never lingered longer than necessary. He admired the boy's ability to move forward. To keep his footing despite shaky, uneven ground. To adapt and survive in any situation thrown at him. Perhaps it was the acute knowledge that nothing was definitively permanent, that there was always the chance something will be ripped away in a heartbeat.

Qualities like these were what they would need in the times approaching.

Master Dagmire internally frowned at the thought. He was not blind to the world. He knew something was brewing and about to violently explode.

He stole a glance at Nagan who still held a smile and rambled in a hyper sort of fashion about one of his recent magical breakthroughs, intelligent hazel eyes positively sparkling.

From the bottom of his heart, he wished nothing would destroy the peace and stability the boy had earned.

But there was a war approaching, and he didn't know how to keep Nagan away from it.

•_________________________•

Woahhhh like it's been a week since the last time I cranked out a chapter and my view count on this jumped over 200 reads! Such rapid growth!(Though maybe a one time thing XD) Just thank you all so much! It makes me super happy knowing people are liking my work and reading it heh!

I'm gonna have a bit of a heart to heart with y'all(even though we all know not everyone sticks around for these heh. Ain't shaming ya, cause I do it too sometimes XD).

This chapter pretty much dove a bit into my own pain I've been feeling since starting this book.

From the last few months of 2019 to now, my life has been turned upside down and shaken a few times because life probably found it funny. Maybe it kicked itself too idk. I've been practically surrounded by death and emergency rooms. And to top it off, I was also starting my first year in college which added another layer to like, everything. A combination to a completely new environment and being away from everything I knew from before.

That's pretty much why I started to write Nagan. I had the idea jostling around in my mind for awhile, and I needed somewhere I could escape to. So why not a fantasy magic school with dragons?

So basically in Master Dagmire's internal thoughts in the last part of this chapter, I sort of projected a piece of myself onto it, though in the form of someone watching my struggles. I especially related to the part where he observed how Nagan never truly wished for something he could never get back.

I can never get back what I've lost or change my current situation, and I've accepted that. All I can do is keep trudging on even though the ground is made of knee-deep mud while branches scratch my face.

I'm not typically this philosophical or even emotionally attuned(as you could probably tell since I notice I don't exactly portray emotions very well in my writing XD), but I just hope my moment of clarity can help someone else work through their struggles heh.

Aight, I could've published another chapter by how much extra I wrote, so I won't say much more XD

Except that I really, really, really, reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally appreciate each and everyone one of you beautiful people!🤗

Now go forward, my dear, courageous warriors! And triumph over whatever life dared to throw at you!