Columns of towering bookshelves, stocked to the brim with tomes, formed an outline of the gallery. They blended with the walls so seamlessly that it was hard to tell whether the shelves were directly carved into the walls or simply attached to them. Pristine pillars stood in front of the shelves and held up a second floor, which resembled a narrow path with railings more than an actual floor. In front of each pillar was a bust of a famous figure, each of their frozen faces watching those who roamed around. Old wooden tables and old wooden chairs filled the remaining space in the room, offering a place for patrons to sit and relax. The library had more than enough ways to keep its interior well-lit—candle chandeliers, which hung closer to the floor than the ceiling, hovered above the ground every few tables; two table lamps, dressed in dark greenish lampshades, occupied each desk; and wide windows, which spanned from the floor to the second floor, let sunlight pour into the room. It was Bibliothèque Mazarine.

José breathed a relaxed sigh as he stepped into the main gallery. It was not the first time he had visited the library, and he sure hoped that it would not be his last. He strode across the floor, his dark brown eyes taking in the old architecture as he admired his environment. He savored the serene atmosphere, noting how the quietness made the softest sounds seem much louder. José took a right turn, then another right turn, and then strolled towards the very end. An antique globe rested there, surrounded by a wall of table-like glass enclosures. Some of them showcased ancient parchment, opened and laid flat or placed on a bookrest. He scrutinized the artifacts.

"José?"

José jerked his body, startled by a susurration. He turned to his right side to find Eddie standing right next to him. He was surprised—he had not heard Eddie's footsteps at all!

"Yes?" he whispered back.

"I just want to remind you that we're staying here for four hours," Eddie reminded him, his voice barely audible. "We'll be here until six."

"Okay," he said, "how long's the lesson, again?"

"Two hours. It starts at two thirty, so it's about"—Eddie glanced at his wristwatch—"thirty minutes from now."

José nodded his head. "I'll remind Jon when it's time."

"Thank you."

Eddie then left him alone, barely making any noise with each step. José wondered how he was able to walk so soundlessly. Maybe it's the shoes. After a while, José strode towards one of the tables. It was time to read.

José pulled out a chair and sat at a table. He retrieved a book from the bag he was carrying. "Ah," he exhaled. What better place to ensconce yourself in a novel than a noiseless library? Before he began reading, he took some time to appreciate the cover. It was not the most beautiful book cover he had seen. Had the novel not been written by his friend, he likely would not have bothered to pick it up. Luckily, the words written between the binding more than made up for its lackluster design. He cracked the book open and took a deep breath. Peace and quiet in a public setting were not easily found in cities.

José began reading. It was the third time he had read the book, though technically it was also his fifth time. José was one of the few people who was asked to comment on the story's first draft. He remembered receiving the massive manuscript with both hands, its sheer density intimidating him—did he have enough spare time to read, let alone finish, the entire work? He almost regretted volunteering to read it. However, his doubts were washed away once his eyes landed on the first page, mesmerized by his friend's ability to weave words and make them flow like a tranquil river. The manuscript hooked him, immersed him, and compelled him to read until his hands grew weary from holding it up and turning its pages. When his friend handed him the second draft, he read it as quickly as he did with the first. Not to José's surprise, the book made it to the shelves of bookstores and public libraries. He was one of the lucky few who received a signed copy at no expense. The author's autograph was still there on the title page, a string of squiggles preceded by a message: "To my friend, José Blanco Moreno, from Brandon de Bellefort." It was thanks to Brandon that José discovered his love for literature and became a voracious reader.

"Padre?"

José looked up from his book and faced his son. "Yes?"

"Where'd you get that book?" Jon asked.

"I brought it all the way from home," José answered. "You want to read?"

Jon shrugged. "I got nothing else to do."

Jon walked to the other side of the table and sat across from his father. José reached into his bag and fetched another book. Unlike the thick novel that he was engrossing himself in, the book that he had just retrieved was one that he had prepared for Jon. It was far thinner, more action-packed, and had a rather simplistic writing style. He would have given his son a more literary novel if he had a higher eagerness to read. José slid the novel across the tabletop before he resumed reading. He had about thirty minutes before he had to tell Jon to leave for Nitea; enough time to read four or five chapters.

***

Eddie lifted his wrist for the sixteenth time that day. It was 2:22 p.m.; just eight minutes before their lesson was supposed to start. He paced towards one end of the library as he searched for his teammates, and soon crossed paths with Jon.

"My dad says it's time?" Jon asked.

"It is," Eddie confirmed. "Have you seen Stella?"

Jon shrugged. "Not yet."

"We have to find her."

The two walked together as they searched for their third teammate, Eddie walking a step or two ahead of Jon. They bumped into Stella not long after.

"It's time to go," he informed, tapping his wristwatch.

She nodded her head. "Okay."

Eddie took quick yet quiet footsteps as he ushered Jon and Stella out of the library, his feet barely sweeping the floor. He glanced at his sides. There were not many people inside the library; those who were seemed too occupied with whatever they were doing.

"Nobody's following us, right?" Eddie whispered.

"No," Stella answered.

"Good. We can't let anyone see us."

The trio took a left turn and passed by a small room as they exited the main gallery. Beyond it was a marble stairwell. Metal railings lined the edges to keep the patrons from falling off, while smooth round pillars encircled the stairwell's inner area. Another series of busts greeted the trio, peering at them from pedestals that were placed within the walls. The three passed by a few antique wooden doors as they descended the spiraling staircase, the soles of their shoes clinking as they made contact with the hard marble floor. They soon reached the base. There was only one door: the exit. Nothing else was near the foot of the stairs except for a pair of concave walls.

Eddie turned his head around, his eyes scanning each and every section of the area. There was no other living person in his vicinity aside from Jon and Stella. Eddie looked at the two and beckoned with his head, then slinked towards one of the walls. He brought his hand closer to the wall without touching it, letting it hang from his wrist.

Rumble. Jon and Stella stepped back while Eddie remained still. The wall next to them crumbled to reveal a descending staircase.

It was the entrance to the portal!

"Come on," he urged them.

Eddie lit a flame in his hand and hurried down the stairs, the two following closely behind him. The wall resealed itself once the three of them had entered the antechamber. They already knew what to do and where to go from there: cross to Nitea, teleport to the nearest launchpad, and fly to the Gatekeeper base. They arrived at their practice room less than three minutes later.

The room was empty. Eddie switched on the lights and scanned the room. There was nobody else but him, Jon, and Stella.

"Is this the right room?" she asked.

Eddie checked the sign on the door. "It is," he said. "Maybe he's on the way."

Eddie closed the door behind them and checked his phone. It was 7:29 p.m., Nitean Capital Time. They were supposed to start in a minute. He checked his schedule before glimpsing the sign on the door once more. They were in the correct room shortly before class, so why was their mentor not with them?

Bang! The trio glanced at the door. Giorgino barged through it as he rushed into the room.

"I'm so, so sorry!" he said, tossing his bag to the side. "I had a group project to do in the lab downstairs, and then I had to go home and eat dinner and then shower and then rush back here." He paused and glanced at his phone. "Oh, I'm not late yet. Anyway, good evening."

"Good evening," Jon and Stella greeted.

"Good evening, Elder," said Eddie.

"Alright, just put your bags against the wall over there," Giorgino told them, pointing near the door. "Let's start."

Eddie and Stella placed their bags against the wall. The trio stood a few meters opposite Giorgino, roughly in the center of the room.

Vwshh. A ring of light encircled the trio and hovered at their waist level. There was ample space for them to walk within the ring, for its inner area was enough to squeeze ten people inside. Meanwhile, a race track unrolled on the floor and ran one lap around them. A sign told them that the track was two hundred meters long.

"Before we start, let's warm up. I'm going to move that circle around and you have to remain within its borders. If you don't, you'll have to run one lap," Giorgino said, pointing at the race track. "Got it?"

"Yes."

"Yup."

"Got it."

The ring slowly moved towards the front. The three of them strolled in the same direction. They walked for the first few minutes, jogged for the next few minutes, and then sprinted briefly slowing down. Staying inside the circle did not seem too hard at all. Eddie stretched his arms as they continued walking.

Zwsh. The ring zoomed in the opposite direction! Eddie turned his back and sprinted. Swish. He glanced to his left. The ring sliced through Jon and left him outside its borders.

"Jon, to the track," Giorgino told him.

Jon nodded his head. He made his way to the race track and jogged across its surface. They resumed once he was done.

The circle started moving slowly. Eddie narrowed his eyes at its borders, monitoring it for any sudden change in motion. There was nothing too drastic yet; it accelerated a bit as it followed a curved, clockwise path. It was only a matter of time before it would jump to the left, right, or back.

Zwsh. It veered to the left! Eddie hastened to a jog. He glanced behind himself. Jon and Stella were still within the borders. Nobody seemed to be running laps anytime soon.

Until the circle began zigzagging. Eddie ran sideways as he followed its path, making sure to stay close to the middle. Swish. He glanced to his right. Stella had failed to catch up to the ring.

"Stella, to the track."

Stella nodded and jogged towards the race track. Unlike Jon, who sprinted as soon as he set foot on the path, she maintained a steady pace as she ran across it. It took her roughly twenty seconds longer for her to complete one lap. Once she was done, she jogged back to Jon and Eddie, standing close to them before they resumed their warm-up.

Staying within the ring proved to be a more difficult task than it first appeared. The ring ran in circles like a lunatic, accelerated like a sports car with its gas pedal fully depressed, and moved as erratically as a dust particle in the air. Stella and Jon took turns running laps while Eddie remained within the loop for the whole duration of the warm-up. Sometimes he locked eyes with them as they strolled, sprinted, and decelerated. He could not help but shake the feeling that they were eyeing him enviously, waiting for him to finally run a lap. Nah, he thought, that probably didn't mean anything.

Zwoop. The circle disappeared in a flash. Jon breathed an audible sigh of relief, exchanging a glance with Stella.

Giorgino glanced at his wrist. "Alright, we can have a five-minute water break," he announced. "The dispenser's near your bags."

The trio looked at their side. A water dispenser stood right next to the door, a tray of empty cups resting on its top. They ambled towards it and each reached for a cup. Eddie let Jon and Stella drink ahead of him, for they were more tired than he was.

Eddie took a sip before he turned to his mentor. "May I know what we're doing today?"

"We're just going to do sparring today," Giorgino answered him. "You versus Jon first."

Jon nearly choked on his water. "Me versus him?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Uh, nothing. It's just that the first—and last—time we fought, he beat me easily."

"I think it's going to be different this time around," Giorgino said, smiling. "Eddie told me how well you and Stella performed against Gobhastan. Helene as well. Surely, you guys have improved a lot since then."

Jon only nodded before he turned to face Eddie. A toothy smile was plastered on Jon's face, the kind that surfaced out of fear instead of happiness. Eddie wondered if his first fight against him left any trauma.

"Don't worry, I won't beat you up."

You just had to say that, idiot.

Jon seemed to take it lightly, at least, for he chuckled. "Thanks, Eddie."

"You're welcome."

Eddie gulped down the rest of his drink. He placed his cup on the top of the dispenser and then walked a lengthy distance from the wall. I might as well practice while waiting. He took one glimpse of his environment. He was far enough from the nearest person to not hurt anyone by accident. He then inhaled, took one step, and punched.

Fwoosh. Golden yellow flames flew from his fists, swelling to the size of a man. He could feel the intense heat blowing onto his skin. Eddie took another step and punched forward. Fwoosh. Another fiery cloud erupted from his knuckles. He glanced out the right corner of his eye. Two pairs of eyes watched his every move, and neither of them was his mentor's.

Eddie ran, leaped, and spun as he kicked midair. His feet drew a spiral of fire that rippled across the room. He landed on two feet, his stance firm and upright, and paused. Maybe I should practice lightning now. He relaxed his posture. Lightbulbs.

A dozen unlit lightbulbs were summoned into the room, scattered in the air. Some hovered a short distance from him; others were as far away as five hundred meters. All of them oscillated in the air instead of floating firmly in place. Eddie extended two fingers from both fists. He narrowed his eyes as he locked his vision on his first target—the one that was a hundred meters from him. He raised one hand and aimed. Waited for a while. He then recoiled his arm, ignited a spark on his fingertips, and thrust.

Flash. A sliver of lightning slithered through the air and struck the metal base, lighting it. He cocked his head to the other side. Aimed, recoiled, then fired. Another lightbulb was lit. Short streaks of electricity flew from his fingertips and lit the remaining bulbs. Not one of them missed. He glimpsed his friends' reactions. Stella widened her eyes before facing Jon as if to ask him if he had witnessed the same thing. Jon only nodded.

Once he was done, he made them vanish with a flick of his hand. It was only a sneak peek of what he could do.

***

It had been roughly ninety minutes since they entered Bibliothèque Mazarine. José knew this not by checking the time, which he could do by glancing at his watch or the library's clock, but by counting the number of chapters he had finished reading. Had Eddie stuck to his original itinerary, they would have left the library by then, but José asked him if he could double the duration of their visit. He was elated to find out that the change was made. José grinned as he started on the thirteenth chapter. That particular part was one of his favorites, for it was where the two protagonists had—

"José."

José looked up from his book. Celestine was standing right next to him, her mouth close to his ear. He whispered to her, "What is it?"

"I need help distracting Letizia," she said in a hushed voice. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle tug. "She's looking for Stella."

"Can't you take care of her? You're her sister."

"We're not really on good terms. Trust me, you better do it."

José placed a bookmark on the page he was reading before he closed the novel and placed it in his bag. He stood up, lifted his chair, and pushed it back into its spot. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Thanks."

José sighed. He did not want to spend the rest of his visit distracting Letizia instead of immersing himself in his favorite novel, but to be fair, he should have. Not everyone would like to spend such long hours at a library when they could be doing other things elsewhere. José and Celestine gave each other a knowing glance before they separated. Celestine faded into the background while José strolled around the library, searching for Letizia. It did not take long for him to find her. She was pacing from one side of the gallery to the other, her widened eyes darting all over the place.

He approached Letizia. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice quiet. "You seem worried—"

"Have you seen Stella?" she interrupted him. "I can't find her—"

"Shhh!"

A chorus of hushes echoed across the room as the people near them silenced her. Of course, they were in a library. It was not the proper place for a conversation. José lowered his voice and said, "I might know where she is. Follow me."

He led Letizia to a small room that joined the marble staircase to the main gallery. After failing to find Stella there, they searched the rest of the library's interior, entering every room that was not restricted and passing through every path that was not closed to the public. They could not find Stella. José was not surprised since he knew that she was in Nitea, but he had to feign ignorance. Letizia should not know. Letizia should not know that he knew. After a fruitless search, he proceeded to lead her outdoors. They lingered in front of the library's entrance. Letizia paced back and forth. She then opened her phone, typed a message, and sent it. He could sense her panic from her stiff posture, compulsive lip-biting, and restless hands.

"Where is she?" Letizia asked, seemingly to herself.

"Maybe she's just exploring," José said.

"Exploring, exploring. She always wanders without thinking," she spat. "Now I can't find her! Maybe got lost somewhere. What if she's—"

"What if she's with the boys?" he interrupted. "I didn't see them when we were looking for her."

She became still. Her body became less shaky. "Yes, I also didn't see the boys," she recalled, "but what if they're not together?"

"I think they are. She's probably safe with them. Maybe they're having their own little adventure."

"You sure?"

"I'm pretty sure. Eddie's a responsible boy; he wouldn't let anyone get lost."

"But I've been texting her and she hasn't replied!"

"Well, we were in a library. Maybe she put it on silent mode and forgot to turn it back on?"

Letizia then sighed. "Yes, that could be." A slight frown stretched across her lips as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So she and the boys just left to go around and leave us here for four hours."

"You don't like libraries?"

"I don't don't like libraries, but four hours is too long, no? For me, I would just spend ten minutes maybe, take some pictures and look around for a little bit. I prefer shopping or going somewhere else. I don't know why Eddie made us spend so much time here."

José touched the side of his head and grimaced. "Well, sorry. It's my fault," he admitted.

She shot a glance at him. "What do you mean?"

"I asked Eddie if we could spend four hours here," he revealed, averting her gaze for a split second. "I like to visit quiet places."

José braced himself for whatever insults Letizia was going to throw at him. He expected her to burst at him, blaming him for making her waste time at a place she could not care less for, but none of that happened. She simply responded, "Oh."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Oh no no, it's fine," she said, though her face told him otherwise. She broke eye contact with him and sulked. José regretted asking Eddie to make the library excursion twice as long.

José pulled out a book from his bag. It was not the novel that Brandon gifted to him, but one José bought himself when he visited a bookstore on a whim. He offered it to Letizia. "You want to go back inside and read?"

She looked down at the book. "What's that?"

"It's a slice-of-life novella," he answered, "something you can read while waiting for your daughter to return. It's a good book."

She huffed as she received the book with her left hand. "Thank you"—she struggled to remember his name—"José?"

"Sí, that's my name."

The two reentered the library. José returned to his spot at one of the tables and retrieved the novel from his bag. Before he turned to the bookmarked page, he lifted his chin and glimpsed his front and back. Letizia was sitting at another table. She opened the novella and held it with both hands, resting her forearms on the tabletop. It was obvious that she was barely reading, if at all—her stagnant pools of hazel hardly moved from left to right as they stared at whatever page she first turned to, sometimes glancing at the corners in search of something more exciting. She even yawned at one point. José only rolled his eyes. At least she was taken care of.

✧ ✧ ✧

Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, Bibliothèque Mazarine is the oldest public library in France. I thought it was a pretty cool place to hide a portal to another world. After all, you know what they say: books let you travel without moving your feet 😉

If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote by pressing the gold star on this chapter! It really means a lot 😊