The blade stayed up. Poised. Practiced. Sharp.
The library felt small in that instance to Arken.
"You're really him?" Kalni asked, now using both hands to hold her sword up.
"Am I famous?"
A sharp laugh of mockery erupted from Rema's place as she sat down and wiped a tear from her eye, "oh lord, he's hilarious."
"You're one to laugh," Arken said.
"I mean come on, do you really not see how absurd your question was stupid boy? You're a living legend of our times. Famous is the least thing you are."
Kalni eyed her suspiciously as she contined to read her book unfazed, "how are you so unbothered by his presence? Do you know him? Work with him?"
Rema shook her head, "not at all. He just popped in today."
Even Arken had to admit. Something was not entirely right with Rema but he had a fiery girl pointing an actual sword at him so he chose the first threat to nullify.
"Can you calm down with the sword?"
Kalni snapped and held it more firmly, "you're kidding right? You've even become the tale of caution parents tell their children and you expect me to be civil or unguarded in the presence of the Relic Bearer?"
Oh the blasted Relics again.
"Listen you dumbass," he walked to the blade and Kalni pulled it back, a little taken aback at the sudden move.
"I have no intention to hurt anyone nor do I have any knowledge of the relics, ok? I'm just here to gather...um to study."
"Study what?" He saw her hands shaking from holding the sword at an awkward angle.
"Your hands are shaking," he said smiling.
"I'm perfectly fine. What are you studying?"
"Why does it matter to you?"
"You don't get it do you?" She sighed and stepped back, lowering her sword but not her guard, "the Relic Bearer doesn't do anything for no reason."
"No one survives to tell the tale after going through what you did and yet you did," Kalni looked at him with a more softer stance, almost of pity mixed with a little awe, "no ordinary human is built like that Arken. Her description of you being a legend is not without reason."
There they go. Another tall tale.
"Do you believe everything you hear? Don't you think you're being fed absolute fantasy?"
That made Kalni pause but she retorted, "maybe. One may lie, a few might amplify it. But entire countries don't declare a mortal enemy for no reason. I'll choose to believe that."
Arken groaned and walked over to Rema, slamming his fist on her desk, "you see this? I ran from idiots only to run into more of the same outside. This is your doing. I'm sure you're enjoying this."
Rema's unbothered facade creeped him, "I don't know what you're talking about. But if anyone deserves anything, you should get its lion's share."
Arken gnashed his teeth, "what's that supposed to mean?"
Rema shooed him and Kalni had to drag Arken away before he got violent.
☆
"Did you really do the things they say you did?"
Kalni's voice came to him as he was hunched over a particular chapter on magic.
They were both seated on the floor of a more open area of the library now, a floor high above where Rema was dusting books and arranging them.
"Does it matter what I say? You're stuck to your belief anyway." He followed it up with a furious turn of a page.
Kalni nodded and grinned. Her body was more relaxed now and to Arken seemed weirdly trusting, just after pointing a sword at him.
Weird world. Weird people. Weird lore.
"Tell me about magic," he asked casually.
"It's a dying form really," her words made him pause and he looked at her with wide eyes.
"It is, after the Relic Wars and your disappearance, the Temples only grew more emboldened as did the people's hunt for the Relics. Of course there's magic but it's stopped from evolving. No great funds, no great interest. All of it diverted to studying the relics and how to obtain them, use them. Locate them."
Arken rested a hand on his bent knee and stared at the opposite shelf, "but magic really exists huh?"
"Show me something. Anything. Come on," he asked her excitedly.
She batted her eyelashes at him, "I'm the last person to showoff my magic skills but I can show this," she carefully pulled out her sword from her scabbard then placed it on her forehead before extending it.
The blade shimmered with a vibrant color, as if energising the blade itself from within.
"This is my Aura. I'm a Wielder but I still have lots to go before a full manifestation," she said with a little pride in her eyes.
He caught the reflection of the buzzing sword on her face and it made her look dazzling in the faint light.
"Pretty," he mumbled.
"I know right," she waved her sword but Arken was looking at her features.
Small nose, bright eyes, expressive lips. Shame that her future is what it is.
Kalni leant on him without hesitation and Arken breathed in her scent deep.
"You seem more at ease with me now than before," he said.
"Hmm, but now that I know who you are, I think everything is going to be okay."
She put her glowing sword back and looked at him.
"What is the Relic Bearer doing in Andluri?"
Arken struggled to answer straight.
"I think I better show you myself."