Chapter 8 — The Stranger at the Library
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Cyrus stepped out of the library.
The sunlight greeted him softly.
The distant sounds of laughter and footsteps filled the marble courtyard ahead.
A warm breeze brushed against his face, carrying the scent of nearby gardens.
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For a moment, everything was peaceful.
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But then…
Something shifted.
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A subtle pulse in his gut.
An instinct.
A faint tingle in the back of his mind.
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> ...Something is off.
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He kept walking, his pace unchanged — casual — but his senses sharpened beneath the calm surface.
Like the click of a hidden switch in his mind.
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His eyes, without turning his head, slowly swept across the courtyard.
Dozens of students.
Groups talking.
A pair dueling near the edge.
Two girls feeding small flying familiars.
A boy playing with a floating orb.
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And then —
him.
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A lone figure leaned against one of the tall white pillars near the far edge of the courtyard.
Half his face hidden in the shadow cast by the afternoon sun.
Dressed in simple academy robes, but somehow… out of place.
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He wasn't doing anything unusual.
Just standing.
But that's what made it strange.
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> He's been here since I entered the library.
I didn't notice him before.
Why?
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The stranger tilted his head slightly.
As if acknowledging Cyrus's unspoken gaze.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
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It wasn't the look of curiosity.
Nor challenge.
Nor fear.
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It was familiarity.
Like a man who had seen him before.
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> But I have never seen this face.
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The stranger smiled faintly and pushed himself off the pillar, slowly walking toward Cyrus.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
Calm.
Controlled.
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As he closed the distance, Cyrus kept his breathing steady.
The instinct inside whispered louder now.
There was no logical proof.
But his mind sharpened its blade.
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The stranger stopped a few paces away.
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"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
The voice was smooth, almost friendly.
His eyes held an odd mix of warmth and... something deeper.
A knowing.
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Cyrus nodded politely, his tone even.
"It is."
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The man smiled wider.
Then extended his hand.
"Name's Adrien."
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Cyrus glanced at the hand, then shook it lightly.
"Cyrus."
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Adrien's grip was firm, but relaxed.
His eyes never left Cyrus's.
For a moment, silence hung between them.
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"Galactus Academy is... quite something," Adrien continued casually.
"As if plucked straight from a book."
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The words were ordinary.
But the phrasing— deliberate.
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> Straight from a book.
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Cyrus studied him quietly.
"You're new here?"
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Adrien chuckled softly.
"In a way, yes. You could say I'm... recently arrived."
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The way he said arrived carried weight Cyrus could not yet define.
> Transferred? No.
Brought? Summoned?
Or... something else?
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But he remained calm, voice smooth.
"I see. So you've read much about the academy before coming?"
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Adrien's smile widened just a fraction.
There was amusement in his eyes.
"You could say that.
In fact… I may know far more about this place than I should."
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The tension thickened.
Yet neither showed it outwardly.
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Cyrus's mind raced behind the mask of his calm face.
> He knows me.
Not from here. Not from my history. Not from this world.
Yet he stands before me as if reading a story already written.
Impossible… yet possible.
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"You speak strangely."
Cyrus said softly.
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Adrien tilted his head.
"Strange is only relative, Cyrus Aurelius."
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The use of his full name.
Direct.
Intentional.
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Cyrus's heart did not skip.
His breath did not change.
But inside, his mind sharpened further.
> He knows too much.
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Adrien continued before Cyrus could reply.
"Don't worry.
I'm not your enemy.
In fact… I've always admired you. Long before I ever arrived here."
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For the first time, a faint shadow of surprise flickered behind Cyrus's eyes.
> Admired me?
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Adrien stepped back slightly, giving him space.
His voice softened:
"The path you walk… is far heavier than any of them understand."
He gestured toward the students in the distance.
"They play their games. You… you carry something else entirely."
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Cyrus's tone lowered.
"Who sent you?"
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Adrien smiled.
"No one sent me."
He paused, his voice lowering like a whisper carried by the wind:
"Call it… a transgression."
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The word hovered heavily in the air.
Cyrus repeated it quietly in his mind:
> Transgression.
A crossing. A violation. A transfer beyond natural laws.
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Adrien's gaze grew distant, almost melancholic.
"I was a reader once. Now I stand within the story."
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Silence fell again between them.
The gentle breeze was the only sound.
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Cyrus finally spoke, voice steady.
"Why approach me?"
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Adrien smiled softly.
"Because unlike the others… you'll understand what's coming."
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He began to turn away, but stopped halfway.
"We'll speak again, Cyrus."
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And with that, Adrien calmly walked away, vanishing into the stream of students.
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Cyrus stood silently.
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> A reader? A world-walker?
Impossible by known rules… yet it happened before my very eyes.
> The multiverse grows stranger by the day.
> I must prepare.
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The sun remained warm.
The students still laughed.
But in Cyrus's mind, the first true ripple of transcendence had begun.
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End of Chapter 8