Ellara (1)
As soon as Alden opened his crimson eyes, the sight of the library greeted him.
There were no changes. At least to the outside world.
But inside?
Alden felt tired. Turns out inheriting some cool old tome took more than just pain.
He felt drained.
He wanted to just go back to his room and sleep peacefully.
But he had an even bigger issue to take care of.
The librarian.
He wasn't sure if she saw him disappear or not.
Right on cue Alden heard the sound of heels clicking on the wooden flooring.
He slowly turned his head in the direction of the sound.
"Good evening, Ma'am." Alden greeted as naturally as possible.
He wasn't planning on showing any signs.
The librarian scanned him with her deep blue eyes. Her eyes held amusement.
She tilted her head slightly as a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"So, you have inherited the Codex, huh?
Alden's mind blanked.
What the hell?
How does she know about Codex?
He wouldn't have minded if she just asked about his disappearance.
He had few lies ready.
But she knew Codex.
How?
No more importantly,
Why?
Why didn't she tell the family about it?
He couldn't think of anything.
So he just decided to ask straightforwardly.
His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched.
"How do you know about that, Ma'am?" His voice was cautious.
He didn't have any interest in offending the mysterious powerhouse in front of him.
So, he kept his tone as polite as possible.
She could literally obliterate him with one slap.
The woman didn't look mad… instead her interest sparkled even more.
"Take a guess." She said mischievously.
Alden's mind raced.
What the hell?
How am I supposed to know that?
Still, he tried.
What could be the reason?
Could it be…?
He opened his mind hesitantly. "Can you read my mind?"
"Pfffftttt", the woman let out a laugh. "How did you reach that conclusion?"
"Even your dumbness is the same."
She muttered, wiping the tears in her eyes.
Alden felt confused.
Same…?
Same as who…?
And even more wild guesses formed in his mind. "Are…you perhaps a time traveller?"
The woman froze for a moment.
Then her lips trembled.
"Pffft… I take that back. You are even dumber than him." She laughed again.
Alden was dumbfounded by now. His patience was kind of running low. "Then how did you know about the Codex?"
"Wait a moment."
The woman laughed for a while.
"Ahem, let me introduce myself properly. I'm Ellara Zan'rethul."
Alden felt the shadows in his surroundings stir a little as she uttered her name.
But he ignored it for now.
His focus is completely on the woman in front of him.
Ellara.
"I was in charge of that little codex you just inherited." She sighed. "That founder of yours trapped me here, binding me by an oath to protect the Codex and the family till a worthy successor inherits it."
"I swear I would have killed that guy if I knew it would take thousands of years for someone to just find it… let alone inherit it."
"Why didn't you tell anyone from the family about it?" Alden asked.
"Bound by oath. Couldn't do that even if I wanted to."
Alden's eyes narrowed.
"That sounds kind of lonely." He muttered in a quiet voice.
Ellara's expression softened for just a fraction of a second.
"Not really. I got to bully the patriarchs of this family for generations?"
She said that casually. But Alden felt the slight difference in her voice.
"Well anyways, now that you have inherited the Codex, I'm free." She looked at him.
"So, what now?"
"Are you going to leave?" Alden asked curiously.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll stick around for a while." She said with a smirk.
__
Days turned into weeks, and time passed in a blur.
Alden tried to utilise his time better.
He tried to attune his body to Codex, but there wasn't any need.
His mana vessels were already in sync to it.
Ellara told him that Codex did that for him.
And honestly, he didn't care much.
It made things easy for him.
Why would he care what caused what?
Ellara had apparently become an important part of his life…
By 'important', Alden meant 'annoying'.
She always kept bullying him… in ways different from Cedric, obviously.
He sometimes wanted to just ignore going to the library.
But he needed knowledge.
He didn't want to waste his opportunity. He only had limited access to it after all.
So, he tolerated Ellara's antics.
He couldn't even curse her. At least not outwardly.
Whenever he tried to politely ask her to stop, she said the same thing: "You've inherited my wrath as his successor."
He had read many books in his previous life. In some of them, the librarian turns out to be the mysterious powerhouse trope, which was quite common.
But at least they taught the protagonist some cool techniques or skills.
But Ellara?
None.
She just argued with him. Sometimes on even some small matters.
Still, he liked the small banters. They gave him insight on some things of the past.
Even if only slightly.
Today was different.
Alden didn't go to the library.
He has read enough books now. Now was the time to perfect his combat ability.
He was practising swordsmanship alone after his lesson with the family-assigned mentor.
His hands trembled in frustration.
Fuck, why does it feel so difficult?
How could those protagonists in those web novels swing these swords so effortlessly on their first try?
The sword simply felt too heavy for him. The more he tried using strength, the more he messed up the swing.
"Is that how you plan to wield the sword?" He heard a voice from behind him.
Ellara?
What is she doing here?
Coming to mock me in swordsmanship too?
"And why didn't you come to the library today? I was waiting to continue our previous argument." She crossed her arms.
"I'm training." Alden simply returned to his training.
He didn't have time for her antics.
"I can clearly see that." Ellara's voice was as carefree as always. "But that's not how you train."
But inside she carried many emotions.
She had stayed for only curiosity at first. But the more she talked with him… the more he reminded her of someone.
Someone she lost long ago.
Someone she once held dearly.
Someone she couldn't protect.
So she enjoyed talking to him.
"What?" Alden snapped. "This isn't as easy as it looks. I am trying my best, you know."
Ellara's voice softened. "You aren't training Alden… you are just breaking your body."
"Sword is not wielded that way."
She stepped forward, and without any warning, she took the sword from his hands.
"Let me show you how it's done," she said with a confident smirk.
She moved.
Each of her strikes was precise. Balanced. And more importantly, beautiful.
She wasn't wielding the sword.
No.
She was dancing with it.
"Strength doesn't come from the arms. It comes from your whole body."
She moved again. This time slower.
"See."
Alden watched.
"Now, you try." She threw his sword towards him.
He nodded. He took a deep breath.
Balance. Focus.
He relaxed his whole body.
Then he moved.
The first few strikes were shaky.
But she didn't scold him.
"Better. But you are still too rigid, though."
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
And from that day—she started teaching him.
Not magic. Not lost arts.
Just the basics.
But to Alden… it meant more.