Lucian's fingers froze as they touched the spine of the old book he had just pulled from the shelf. The cover shimmered faintly with ancient symbols, and a pulse of energy stung the center of his palm. There was no doubt—this was the information he'd been looking for.
"That book doesn't belong to you!" the woman snapped, her voice cutting through the silence like ice.
Lucian turned, locking eyes with her. She wore striking clothes, her long hair tied neatly to the side. Under the hanging lantern light, her figure looked elegant—and dangerous.
"Just like this world," Lucian replied flatly.
The woman narrowed her eyes and stepped closer.
"Do you even know what you're holding?"
Lucian clutched the book tighter.
"I know enough… and I don't have time to explain myself to someone who's trying to stop me."
Without warning—
WHOOSH!
A burst of wind exploded beneath his feet, launching him toward the window he had broken earlier. The woman raised her hand, tracing a sigil of magic in the air.
"Catch him!" she shouted.
Outside, Lucian landed on the nearest rooftop, knees bending into a perfect crouch. Without pausing, he shot forward, sprinting across shingles, leaping over chimneys, and darting across rooftops like a shadow in the night.
Shouts rang out behind him.
Spells erupted in the air—flashes of magical light hurtling toward him like glowing arrows.
ZRAK! DUMM!
An explosion struck just inches behind him, blowing apart the rooftop and scattering sparks into the sky.
But Lucian didn't slow. His movements only grew faster, nearly vanishing from sight. His cloak whipped wildly behind him, becoming one with the darkness.
"He's heading north! Cut him off from the front!" one of the pursuers yelled.
A fireball streaked toward him. Lucian twisted mid-air, dodging it by the slimmest margin.
"Tch… amateurs," he muttered.
He slipped under a wooden archway, then vaulted into a narrow alley, pushing off walls and fences like natural footholds. Even as spells rained down around him, Lucian's focus remained razor-sharp.
He wasn't just running away.
He was coming back.
And now, with the book held tight in his arms—Lucian carried the one thing he'd been searching for.
His pace began to slow.
A sharp pain stabbed his chest—sudden and piercing. His breath grew ragged, and his hand rose, pressing against the source of the pain. He forced himself to keep moving, but his speed had clearly dropped.
"Not now… damn it," he whispered through gritted teeth, trying to suppress the pain gnawing at his focus.
As he ran, head low, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure up ahead—the woman from Narami Library. Her long hair tied back, her gothic dress just as striking as before.
She stood with her back to the road, as if unaware Lucian was only a few steps away.
His heart pounded—caught between panic and caution. With swift instinct, he ducked into a side alley, hiding behind a stack of wooden crates and the shadows clinging to the walls.
Moments later, the woman turned around.
Whether by instinct or suspicion, she seemed to sense someone nearby.
But when she looked toward the alley…
There was no one there. Lucian was already gone.
Silently, he had slipped deeper into the narrow passageway, gliding between buildings, vanishing from all sight. Despite the lingering pain in his chest, he kept moving—leaving behind only the faintest trace, swallowed by the cold and silence of the night.
The woman stood still for a moment, her eyes scanning the now-empty street slowly being swallowed by evening fog. Yet something tugged at her—a presence she couldn't name, like a pair of eyes watching her… or someone who had just passed by.
She furrowed her brow, gaze drifting toward the stack of crates in the corner of the alley.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward.
Her feet splashed into a shallow puddle, the hem of her gothic dress catching dust from the street—but she didn't care. She sharpened her gaze, hoping to find something, anything that could explain the unease gnawing at her chest.
But…
No one was there.
Only the shadows of night and still crates, unmoving and silent.
She stood there quietly, then glanced around once more before letting out a short breath.
"Was it just my imagination…" she whispered coldly, her voice like the wind.
Meanwhile…
Lucian had returned to his apartment, located just two hundred meters from Narami Library, deep within the city of Monity. His breathing hadn't fully steadied, but his body was calming down.
He sat on a bench in front of a small shop—one that faced the main street of Monity. From there, his eyes scanned his surroundings, watching closely to make sure no one had followed him or taken notice.
Night deepened. The chime of a distant bell echoed faintly in his ears, but for now, his mind was far from peaceful.
He knew… this wasn't exactly a noble act.
After confirming the area around his lodging was secure and no pursuers remained, Lucian finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. He entered the modest building, walking slowly through the narrow hallway toward his room.
Once inside, he shut the door gently and immediately pulled out the book he had taken. He placed it on the wooden table, sat down, and stared at the worn cover for a moment before flipping open the first page.
But the moment he began to read, his brow furrowed.
"Strange… this isn't the book I was after," he muttered with disappointment.
What he found wasn't a record of curses or soul magic—instead, it was a compilation of odd spells, some of them barely legible. While still valuable, the book's contents were far from what he'd hoped for.
Lucian closed it with frustration.
His body felt heavy, and the pain from his earlier wound still lingered faintly. He rose from the chair, stretched a bit, and walked toward the bed.
"Just sleep," he whispered. "I'll search again tomorrow… damn it."
And the night passed…
The midday sun pierced through the window slats when a loud noise jolted him awake.
THUMP THUMP THUMP!
Urgent knocking rattled his door.
Lucian sat up abruptly, his face still groggy with sleep. He stood quickly, walked over, and opened the door cautiously…
But there was no one outside.
The inn hallway was quiet. Only the wind slipped through the cracks of the old building.
Lucian glanced left and right, trying to sense something… but found nothing.
He frowned and muttered,
"Was it just my imagination…?"
His gaze stayed sharp even as he stepped back inside. Now, he knew—something was watching. And maybe… it wasn't over yet.
After making sure no one was outside, Lucian slowly closed the door. The room still carried the dampness of the previous night, as if its shadows hadn't fully lifted.
He returned to the table and reopened the spellbook that had disappointed him earlier. This time, he read more carefully. His fingers skimmed over page after page filled with strange letters and unfamiliar sigils. He tried to comprehend them, but his mind felt dulled.
None of the spells made complete sense. Perhaps it was the memory loss—ever since he transmigrated, Fenn's memories remained clouded.
Lucian let out a soft sigh. His eyes half-closed from the hunger gnawing at his stomach.
He grabbed a small pouch of coins, slipped it into his pocket, and stepped out of his apartment room.
"Ugh… starving," he mumbled, trudging through the hallway into the city streets.
His feet carried him toward the marketplace, where people usually gathered to eat or shop for daily goods. The midday market buzzed with life. The smell of warm food, the chatter of haggling, and the laughter of children filled the air with a familiar energy.
But Lucian stopped in his tracks when his eyes caught a pile of announcement papers pinned to a public notice board. Flyers and scraps of newsprint were pasted haphazardly—but one headline grabbed his attention:
"Fire Explosion and Theft at Narami Library — Perpetrator Unknown."
His eyes froze.
Lucian said nothing. His expression didn't change. He stood still, silent amidst the crowd that remained oblivious to his presence.
For now, he chose not to care.
Without changing his face, he walked away—searching for a quiet place to eat, as if he had never read the news at all.
He glanced at the board one last time, then sighed softly.
"Huh, word spreads fast around here," he muttered, half-admiring the speed of the information.
He turned around, walking casually toward a bakery just a few steps from where he stood. But before he could raise a hand to open the shop's door, a cold voice whispered behind him—one that sent his heartbeat racing.
"So you finally showed up…" someone murmured from behind.
Lucian froze in place. He turned slowly, eyes locking onto a familiar figure.
A woman stood there, not far from him. Her long hair tied neatly, her gothic attire standing out sharply against the bustle of the midday market. Her gaze was piercing, mysterious, impossible to read—
the same woman he had encountered at Narami Library.
And deep in the back of his mind, last night's chase came crawling back to life.