Chapter 44 - The Stranger Of The Library - III

-- Aaris - POV --

He was glaring right into my soul with his fiery eyes, and I stood there like a statue. I knew I wouldn't be able to move. I couldn't do anything besides just stand still covered in his mana pressure, He was oozing with rage. My soul felt like it was being constrained without any mercy. It was obvious the likes of Dustin or Tresguys were nowhere near this guy. He is really strong.

"Believe it or not, that's the path you are choosing, keeping yourself bound with the chains called morals and ideals you can only become a hero who just tried or just inspiration for a fairy tale nothing else. Listen here kid, a starving wolf doesn't care if its prey is a baby or adult, human or bug.

If he gets the chance, he will do the right thing that he thinks is right without any hesitation, that's the world you live in. If you want to get stronger you have to be prepared to be ruthless, & keep this in mind forgiveness doesn't always change people, But fear does!"

His words dug deep in my heart and my mind, I know that I know!

But I don't want to become a cold-hearted being who uses people, betrays them & slay them off when they finish their part in his book.

I DON'T WANT TO BECOME LIKE THAT!!

'So what do you want me to do huh? Start killing people, deceive them? & become just like those who killed my mother? The reason she asked me not to seek revenge was that she didn't want to become-'

" IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING!"

His scream sent a shiver to my spine and all of my senses were never more cautious than now.

Finally, he calmed himself, and the intimating pressure diminished. I was finally able to breathe normally but my heart was still racing.

"Then first get rid of this naïve thinking,

Or one day you'll regret it, changing something requires more than determination. It asks for sacrifices. If you want to change the world of & for others, you should be prepared to ruin your own!"

He grabbed my wrist gently but his sour emotion on his face threw me into thoughts, whether I should resist or not but my gut was saying not to resist.

"Come with me"

He swiped his two fingers horizontally, vertically then traced a circle,  and a magus circle appeared, reading his scripts it was a cloaking & hiding spell.

Straight away a downstairs appeared on the floor,

He relaxed my wrist and went down, & I followed him there.

The lower I stepped the darker the room became, the darkness was like air itself weighing on my shoulder, then I heard a snap of a finger and the room lit up, and around me, there were four shelves two on each side.

But something was off, the shelves had a strong defensive spell inscribed, and books also didn't look normal they were a mixed aura coming out of them somewhat wicked, somewhat astonishing

My breath filled me with a peculiar sensation of strength and fear, they are definitely the Crown Grimoires!

Just the presence of spells in the Grimoire can affect the mana in the air and bend it slightly the way the spell is bound to when used.

If novices try to touch the Grimoire it can overwhelm the user and exhaust all his mana in one go and the most formidable and strongest spell among the all present in the Grimoire will embark, killing the person in the process.

But why have so many of them? And then I saw three familiar-looking books on the wall stuck on an inscribed magus circle.

"Do you know what this is?"  He pointed to those three books.

& finally, I realized 'Yes! They're like the same three books my mother gave to me!'

"They are true of you mothers' but they are not just mere books, you'll understand about this sooner or later, for now, they are useless and powerless but if it's you may be again! they can come forth once again!"

'Who?'

He smiled and turned over, "All in the good time boy! But do you want them?"

'Yes!'

Walking slowly to me he clenched his fist in front of my face and said, "Then fight me!"

'What?' Is he serious?

"I said fight me."

He knows that the outcome is fixed but I have no choice either. I must get my mother's books 'Well if that's what you wish for but isn't this place a bit too cramped to fight?'

I took my stance and prepared myself.

& he smiled again but this time his eyes were like a predator looking at its prey.

"You don't need to worry about that, just come at me."

And the fight began.

I freed the odd mana throughout my limbs as Sir. Serlin.

My strength increased many folds and I could feel my senses getting sharper.

This was Normal Physical strengthening without any spell, it was just normal circulation mana anyone can do but since I can't do any spells, this was the only option for me currently.

I was keeping my eyes on him and he was just standing there, smiling.

"Hmmm? Well… well… well you have quite a peculiar mana inside your body huh? It's been a while since I felt this kind of pressure. It's weak but very pulsing."

He cracked his fingers and neck and swiped his back foot & took a stance too.

I need to get a lead. If I give him an opening and he starts attacking, it will be over for me.

I laced my mana as much as could in my right hand and fist, but there was a problem. The more I concentrated my mana at any place in my body,

The more pain scurried too, like my muscles and tissues were being torn and crushed and slowly was going numb so it's one shot or a total defeat.

And I charged at him.

"Seriously? Don't do any spells? You really weren't joking about having no mana?" He said

I was faster than before, faster than a wink as Sir told me but with each step, I took his eyes and followed me but he didn't move. He may be strong but he is way too overconfident, with every speck of strength I could gather I landed a punch.

'Wait what?'