The soft rustle of pages and the distant ticking of a magical wall-clock were the only sounds filling the upper floor of the library.
Noel sat down beside Charlotte at the long, polished wooden table near the stained-glass window. She had already arranged three large tomes in front of them, each old but well-kept, their covers embossed with golden script and sacred sigils.
Charlotte beamed at him, clearly excited. "Ready to begin?"
"Sure," Noel replied, glancing at the books. "But which one do you think is best? I'd like to get a bit of an overview."
Charlotte picked up the first tome and tapped the cover with care. "This one is Elarin the First: The One Who Touched Mana. It's about the god we worship—Elarin was the very first being to use mana. His main element was light, and it's said he purified the world from malevolent creatures when they first appeared five hundred years ago."
Noel nodded. "I see. What's next?"
