[Your Narrative Grasp has increased!]
[Your Narrative Grasp has increased!]
[Your Narrative Grasp has increased!]
[Your Narrative Grasp has increased!]
Oh shut up for godssake I'm trying to read here...
[Your Narrative Grasp has increased!]
The flow was incessant. Not ceasing anytime with every progress he made with books he had selected for himself in the library.
[You have unlocked the ability of witnessing Narrative Arcs]
The what?
Arken closed the book shut so loud Rema yelped from afar, "silence! People are trying to read here!"
Arken barked back, "except for you there's no one complaining so you should follow your own advice."
"A Narrative arc? Whose? Mine, others or both?" He questioned.
[Arcs are reserved for your private observance. Yours is undetermined]
It sent a strange chill up his spine.
"Don't know what is worse. Having a set fate or an uncertain one."
He was seated on the floor between two shelves, books scattered around him.
Some were on the continent Ambrenia, some were on the Nobles, their culture. An entire section was devoted to the God King era but the more he read the more he felt like he was reading about religion than history.
He gathered that learning about the world was probably helping him increase his Narrative Grasp. So he kept reading and reading.
Till he finally exhausted a particular set of books on the continent's geography and rose up to look for more.
"Ow, sorry," he mumbled to the person he had run into and immediately jumped when he realized who it was.
The red-haired girl eyed him up through the top of her book as she leaned against the shelf, "what?"
"Um nothing hehe," he chuckled nervously and quickly turned his attention to browsing.
Damn, did she track me here?
☆
The girl mostly kept to herself as she thumbed a book on some academic study.
Arken didn't want to immediately run from her, making him look suspicious but he would be lying to himself if he wasn't curious about her.
Especially when he had seen her Arc.
"So hmm," he cleared his throat, "you're here alone?"
The girl ignored him but as the silence dragged on she finally looked up then around before returning his gaze, and immediately became apologetic, "I'm sorry I thought you were talking..."
"To the wall?" Arken smiled, "I've been guilty of it before but whatever. No I'm talking to you."
She turned red at his statement and hugged her book. "I didn't mean that."
"It's fine. If you want to be left alone, I won't bother you."
He saw her jump in a weird desperation, "no, no, wait. I'm—I'm Kalni. And yeah I'm alone here." She tilted her head, "you too?"
Arken nodded and rubbed his neck, "I am," he didn't offer his name learning a little from his slipup with Rema earlier but continued, "that book? Is it a good one?"
"What, this?" She looked at it and laughed surprising him.
Quite different from the alley cat version.
"It's a stupid guide to my education. I'm thinking of applying here." She rolled her eyes, "I mean who isn't right? I'm sure everyone in this side of the country wishes to be in it someday."
Arken's unenthusiastic demeanor didn't sit well with her, "you don't seem to though."
"I mean is it that great?" He asked.
Kalni's eyes buzzed with question and she giggled, "you're joking right? The Lakes Academy is the most sought after institution for higher studies. Even some nobles find it hard to get in."
This is going into unfamiliar territory.
"Oh you're probably from the outskirts, maybe that's why you're not aware," she nodded and returned the book to the shelf.
Arken didn't reply, letting the silence answer for him.
"I like your sword," he mumbled, borrowing from his recent knowledge about nobles and throwing it in, "so which noble family are you from?"
She paused, her playful expression dimming.
"I'm not sure how to answer that."
Seeing her face fall further and further he cursed himself.
Fuck. Way to go you dumbass. So smooth.
"Oh sorry, I see I've saddened you."
She waved away his sympathetic apology.
"Trouble at home?" He asked before adding, "if it helps, I'm going through something similar too."
She smiled weakly at him then shook herself, "I hope it works out for you."
They walked together back to the center where Rema was chewing on a sharpened charcoal pencil and looked up.
"Made a friend I see," she gave a twisted smile to Arken.
"Grow up boomer," he hissed, "what's the borrowing rate?"
She stiffened, and adjusted her glasses, "what did you just ask me?"
Arken looked at her puzzled and Kalni who was nearby giggled, "I think he's asking about the books."
"Yeah—wait," Arken turned sharply back to Rema, "what did you think I was asking about?"
Rema cleared her throat, "never mind that. The books can be taken whenever you want. Do with them whatever you please, I don't care as no one reads them anymore. But if any enthusiastic reader finds anything missing then you'll have to face them yourselves. Got it, Mr. Arken?"
Arken grit his teeth and closed his eyes in frustration just as he heard the sound of metal unsheathing from scabbard.
I'm screwed.
"What the hell did you call him? Arken? The Arken Kronas?" Kalni's previously softer voice now boomed with ferocious energy as she pointed her sword at his neck.
"Oh dear," Rema scrambled to her feet and had a hard time to settle her eyes on both of them.
"Oh dear indeed, you stupid cow," Arken muttered and turned to face Kalni. Then a smile came from his lips, extending wide from his jaw to his ear.
"Glad we can skip the pleasantries, I was retching inside with all the kind language earlier. Kalni."