A Book for a Brother

A Book for a Brother

Rain used the last charge of ‘Libraien’s search’ to bring Ms. White before her and Lucus. To her relief, when the skill vanished, she felt like some of the pressure and pain from her soul vanished with it. For the first time in days, her soul only felt like it was in a bed of coals instead of a bonfire.

“Are you finally ready to fulfill your promise?”

“Soon.”

The look of shock that spread across Ms. White's face almost made Rain laugh. Her current apathy from summoning Ms. White was probably the only thing that prevented it.

“Very well, what do you need?”

Rain turned to Lucus, who looked just as uncomfortable as the last time he was in Rain’s Library.

“What are you looking for?”

“Is she going to help me find the book?”

“Yes, this is Ms. White. She’s my friend.”

Ms. White fluctuated slightly at that but said nothing.

“Is it okay if I ask her, or do I need to tell you?”

“I... don’t know. Can he ask you directly, Ms. White?”

“Yes, I can find what he asks for if that is what you desire.”

“Alright, then, help Lucus find the type of book he’s looking for, but make sure it won't corrupt him badly!”

“I’m afraid the last part of the request is beyond me.” Ms. White answered with a grin as she leaned down to listen to what Lucus whispered in her ear.

“I understand; follow me.”

Was it just Rain, or did Ms. White look like she was up to something? She wasn’t intentionally bringing Lucus to a dangerous book because Rain hadn’t gotten her a body yet, was she?

Rain followed Ms. White into the depths of the mist room while never taking her eyes off the spectral woman. She wouldn’t let Lucus read any book Ms. White offered if she thought it was a trap.

A few shelves in Ms. White stopped before floating straight up.

“This book is the one you want.” she said, pointing to a white and black book far too high up for Rain or Lucus to reach.”Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

“Can you bring it down for us?” Rain asked.

“No.”

Well, it had been worth a try.

Silently, the wheels started to turn. Rain checked to see if she could warp to a coin or connect to a sleeping person's mind, but the threads leaving her mind were all wispy. Every time she tried to touch them, her mental hand would pass right through. There was nothing Rain could do but hope with all her heart that her brother would be okay.

It took much longer than Rain would have expected, but Lucus eventually looked up from the book's first page. Good! He had listened and stopped after one page. As he did, all the wheels stopped. Rain watched as Lucus seemed to struggle to stand, then to shut the book, but he was unable to do anything other than read on.

Rain wanted to scream as Lucus gave up on escaping and turned the book's page. As he resumed reading, the wheels resumed their even turning, and Rain wept in her mind. Reading one page was usually safe, but reading more than that was not. Sure, the people who ignored her and read more were always stronger, but they almost all went mad.

The book was thin, but each page Lucus turned tore Rain's heart. There was no way he was escaping this unscathed. This was just like Lon. Why did things always go so badly for the people Rain loved? Was there some god out there working to make Rain’s life miserable? Had she angered some great entity?

Rain was forced to watch as one of the only people in the world who cared about her was destroyed by her actions and foul luck. Again. If this was the act of some god, Rain would do whatever it took to pull that god screaming out of his realm and into the world of suffering that Rain lived in. Rain didn’t care how many people got hurt in her quest to bring punishment.

Lucus turned the last page. Unlike every time he’d tried to stop reading before, the wheels didn’t just stop turning they reversed direction, turning a single nob. The force that held Rain in place lifted, and the gong of a rich bell shook the world. As the bell’s note faded, the book on Lucus’s desk turned to ash.

[Reader Lucus has attained the limited use skill: Second Chance.]

[Creating class around Second Chance for reader Lucus.]

[WARNING: Class can not be created around Second Chance. Reader Lucus will be unable to read any book from the Library of Oru until Second Chance is lost.]

[Notice: Reader Lucus’s mental corruption has risen 0%. Current mental corruption 0%.]

[Notice: Reader Lucus’s physical corruption has risen 0%. Current physical corruption 0%.]

Rain stared in shock at the messages that swirled into beautiful, purple existence before her eyes.

“Brother, are you alright?”

“I’m, I’m alive!” Lucus said, feeling his neck and looking dazed.

That was enough for Rain; she dropped Snow again and threw herself at Lucus, hugging him as tightly as she had ever hugged anyone. He was alright - no, he was better than alright - he didn’t have any corruption! She wasn’t sure how that was possible, but she didn’t care.

Lucus stiffened the moment Rain hugged him, but she didn’t care.

“Rain.”

That one word was filled with so much emotion that Rain couldn’t stop herself from trying to hug her brother even harder, her fingers pulling on the back of his shirt as she tried to get a better grip.

The two stayed in silence like that for a moment. Rain could feel all her anger and fear slide into delirious joy. He was alright. He was alright!

Rain let go of Lucus and scooped Snow back up. She was too happy to stay still and started dancing with Snow, twirling him around and laughing.

“What does your skill do?” Rain asked as the room spun around her.

“Second Chance only says that it will ‘give me a chance to do things differently.’ I don’t know how to use it, though.”

Rain smiled and giggled. That was fine because her brother was safe.