Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon was faced with multiple racks of books that reeked ancients. There were three wooden shelves with colors that seemed to have lost their peak glory. His ears hear none but the steps of his own feet and even though the night was outside, he felt blanket-warmth. He looked around and saw no windows as mana orbs looped by like a wave through the air.

"A table, comfy chairs, and books," said Lyon as he sighed. "This would be perfect if there were snacks and drinks to access nearby, with a better lighting of course."

"Either way," Lyon took off his oversized white cloak and placed it hanging on the chair's backrest.

He walked up and stand before the three bookshelves with his arms crossed. He looked at the titles at the side of each aligned book with his hum filling the gap in the silence. However, it didn't take too long before he sighed.

"I've tried to act interested, but it seems like I'm not much of a reader," Lyon sighed.

"Lyon?!" a female voice cried.

Lyon had his shoulders up straight before he turned around and smiled, "Elder? What are you doing here?"

"Don't elder me! 'What are you doing here?' That's supposed to be my line!" said Elize as she put her hands on her waist.

"Well, I was curious," said Lyon before he turned and looked at the books once more.

"That's not a justifiable reason!" said Elize as she puffed her cheeks with her long bunny ears straightened. "How did you even get here in the first pl—Is that?"

She noticed the white cloak hanging on the chair. Only one person was allowed to wear the white cloak, it was none other than the Alchemy Union's headmaster—the highest strata this organization had.

"Did you steal his cloak?" asked Elize.

"No, I'm not, I'm borrowing it," said Lyon without turning around.

"You are stealing it," she sighed.

"I said no, but if you believe it to be that way, then who am I to judge," Lyon smiled with a smirk.

"You know what, do as you wish," said Elize. It was already the middle of the night, after a slight consideration, it would be more troublesome to address him than to let him. With only a handful of people who could enter this place, especially with him being officially her student, there was very little chance of being found out.

"Lyon, what are you looking for? Maybe I can help you," said Elize. "Perhaps what you're looking for is not in this place."

"Huh? Oh, well, if you insist," Lyon turned with a playful smile. "I was looking for a way to enhance my soul through alchemy."

"Enhance your soul?" she raised her brows before her ears folded as she contemplated. "What do you want to enhance your soul for?"

"Trade secret," Lyon grinned.

"Heh," Elize smirked back before she shook her head with a helpless gesture, "I don't think you would find the recipe here."

"Why not?" asked Lyon.

"This section of the library is not for recipes, well, not especially for recipes and glossaries," said Elize before she strode forward.

"Then what is it for?"

"Archives," she nodded with her arms crossed. "Usually criminal deeds, a certain history, or a story for that matter, certain legends... certain myths. Oh! And also the true history of the Alchemy Union if you want to read that."

"Now, I have more questions than I was before meeting you," said Lyon after he sighed. "Why would the library of an Alchemy Union keeps something like that?"

"Because of their mythical sense, we put it on the third floor. Can you imagine if we put it on the second or the first? We would give them biased information and our reputation would be at stake."

"That's exaggerating and didn't answer my question," said Lyon as his brows twitched. "Then if some of them were legends, why would the Alchemy Union still keeps them?"

"I just found out that answer," said Elize with a grin.

"Huh?" Lyon raised his brows as he saw her picking up a book with hard black leather covers and placing it on the table. "What is that book? It has no titles."

"There is one," said Elize, "Try to rub the cover."

"Huh?" Lyon raised his brows before doing what she had told, "Oh, there are hard lines here... let's see... the... the lege... The Legend of...??"

"As you've noticed, it was missing a word or maybe more," said Elize. "It is the most mysterious book on the shelves."

"Missing a word?" Lyon snorted a smile. "Maybe the author is doing it on purpose?"

"I doubt it," she shook her head. "Opened it and you shall know why."

Lyon furrowed his brows but opened the ancient-looking book anyway. "I don't get it."

"Read it."

"Oh, hehe," Lyon smirked. "Forgot that part."

Elize rolled her eyes (How did he even get two devastating wives is still beyond me).

"A lady once existed with an extraordinary affinity for alchemy," Lyon pursed his lips as he nodded.

"Keep reading."

"I know, relax would you," said Lyon before he sat down and crossed his legs. After making himself comfortable he read the next few lines.

'A lady once existed with an extraordinary affinity for alchemy. Her soul flame reached out to her petite shoulders and her cauldron was made out of a material that was now known as Heaven's Prism, yet, the cauldron she used was not as colorful as the original Heaven's Prism, what she owned was plain black. Her name was        but before her real name was known, she was often called the Lady of The Woods. She traveled from small villages to the next, curing diseases that were outright impossible for them to cure without a proper concoct of a pill.'

Lyon stopped before he furrowed his brows. "Her name is blanked out?"

"You see what I mean?" Elize asked.

"How weird, why is her name also blanked out in the content?" Lyon contemplated. "Does the author do it on purpose?"

"That's half of the issue, don't you notice something?"

"The Heaven's Prism was black and her soul flame reached out to her shoulders just like mine."

Elize nodded. "Exactly, the resemblance is too uncanny. Years in the foray of alchemy I never saw a soul flame like yours. I too, thought it was a mere myth, yet here you are."

"I see, I did notice that my soul flame is off-shaped from the others," Lyon nodded. "However, are you saying that I'm related to this woman or something?"

"Perhaps you are, perhaps not, however, the way you concoct a pill, your alchemy arts, it is vastly different from the usual," said Elize. "Who taught you?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, "It just came naturally for me."

"But the name, the term Lady of The Woods," Lyon contemplated. "That's a really cool nickname."

"Maybe it's your grandmother?"

"What? Nah, that's impossible."

"Hmph, either way, that's that," said Elize before she closed the book and put it back on the shelf where it belonged.

"So there is no recipe here?" Lyon hunched down. "That old man, he already knew the answer but didn't tell me."

"Old man? You mean the headmaster?" Elize raised her brows before she squinted her eyes, "What did you do? Wait, you didn't do anything harmful to him, did you?"

"No, he just sleeps in the Third Hall, nobody would dare to wake him up," he shrugged his shoulder.

Elize sighed (Such an underhanded tactic) before her mind flashed. "Wait a minute, Lyon how did you even ascend to the Seventh Floor?"

"I just borrow his badge," Lyon casually answered, "Then the story is as you know."

"Borrow, eh?" Elize had her mouth twitched. (Why is he so skilled at thievery?).

"Then that's it for me," said Lyon before he stood up, and he pushed the chair back. "I thought I would gain something but I gained nothing, such a wasteful night."

"Perhaps there is a place where you can find that information."

"Really? That would tremendously help! Where?" Lyon's eyes turned more radiant.

"Well, it's in another legend."

"Hah~" Lyon sighed and hunched. "What's up with these legends."

"But this one is true, it's just that you might need a huge luck and fate."

"A huge luck eh," Lyon's mouth twitched, "That's not my forte."

"Then it will be hard, but if you do meet the place then you will know."

Lyon furrowed his brows, "Meet the place?"

Elize nodded, "It is none other than the famous traveling library!"

Lyon sighed. The last time he remembered back in Nostria, they had said that the library was already rummaged the moment they were there before they were eventually kicked out.

Lyon yawned before stretching his arms up, "I guess that's the night for me."

He picked up the white cloak before putting it on, "Good night, Elder Elize." He waved his hands goodbye as he passed the barrier. "Hmm... Lady of The Woods..."