"Haaah, I feel like I've been reborn," Matt said, stretching luxuriously as he descended the stairs.
Once downstairs, he noticed a sheet of paper affixed to the wall by the door. Approaching closer, the young man realized it was a calendar. Though it looked archaic, it still resembled the familiar paper calendars from Earth. Peering at the unfamiliar symbols, Matt was surprised to find he could intuitively decipher them.
"The second day of the Ninth month in the 368th year of the Era of Prosperous Lands..."
"So, that makes today September second," he muttered to himself, mentally aligning the dates of the two worlds.
"You're up already?" A soft voice from behind made him startle. Evelina stood in the kitchen doorway. "Come have breakfast; everything's ready. I'll go wake Cassian soon," the woman smiled warmly and gestured for him to enter.
In the kitchen, a plate awaited him on the table, steaming with fried potatoes and a substantial piece of meat.
"Do they really afford meat every day? Or is this a special occasion—because Cassian brought a friend home for the first time?" Matt pondered. From the novels he'd read, he knew that only very affluent families could indulge in meat daily.
"Eat up, don't be shy; my husband and I have already had ours," Evelina said, her back turned as she stirred something in a pot.
"Thanks, I'm starving," Matt was about to dig in but suddenly paused and looked around. "Mrs. Evelina, where's your husband?"
"Already at work. He's an assistant engineer in technomagic, so weekends are just a dream for him," a hint of mild sorrow crept into the woman's voice.
"Technomagic? Interesting..." Matt mentally noted the new term, resolving to ask Cassian about it later.
"Matthew..." Evelina abruptly changed the subject.
"Mrs. Evelina, I told you, just Matt is fine..." he tried to object, but she gently interrupted him.
"Thank you again for befriending Cassian. It might not be obvious from the outside, but he struggles immensely with forming new connections... especially after everything that happened with Ian."
She glanced back briefly to gauge his reaction, then turned away to the stove once more.
"We used to live in the northeast of Aelan, in a small village near Deretye. We weren't well-off, but we managed." Her voice, initially steady, grew heavier, as if weighed down by memories. Evelina set the spoon aside, paused for a second, and continued. "Cassian was still very young then, and my husband and I had to focus more on Ian—he had just awakened his Structure."
She fell silent again briefly, rinsing a knife under the water stream.
"I don't know how, but he managed to befriend a man from the Undead Cleansing Legion, of the Hand rank. The man was staying in our village on assignment, and Ian's ability caught his interest. The Structure was called 'White Lantern'—it illuminated all metal within a dozen meters. It seemed like a useless utilitarian ability for counting coins in a bank, but perfect for detecting ambushes and hidden traps."
Silence settled in the kitchen, broken only by the steady sizzle of food on the stove and her quiet, even voice.
"That's how Ian was recruited into the Legion and sent to the capital, Confess. He desperately wanted us to move with him, but we couldn't just abandon our home and jobs, dumping all the burdens on our son's shoulders. He promised to return and take us away... which he did in less than a year. He settled us here in Longville. He said the city was smaller than Confess but not as noisy and hectic. And with his connections, he got Kozof a position as an assistant researcher—tough work, but well-paid and hard to come by."
It all seemed like a fairy tale... until the day the notification arrived." Evelina's voice trembled. "Their convoy, transporting valuable cargo, was ambushed. Ian's ability proved useless—the attackers knew about it and prepared accordingly."
She paused, struggling to contain her emotions. "Everyone was killed... No survivors. We were devastated. Kozof had always tried to talk Ian out of it, begged him to leave the Legion, but he just brushed it off, saying he'd wait a couple more months... And while we worried about the elder, we completely overlooked what was happening with the younger."
She turned around, a bitter, guilty smile frozen on her face. "Cassian... He's always had trouble getting along with his peers. He was too gentle. Ian was the only one truly close to him. After Ian left for service, he barely communicated with his brother anymore. Cassian withdrew even further into himself, and when news of Ian's death came... he shut down completely. He stopped talking even to us."
"Things got a bit better over time, but he still can't build relationships with anyone. I failed to watch over either of my sons. I'm a bad mother."
Matt listened with an impassive expression. He couldn't understand why she was sharing such personal matters with someone she'd known for less than a day. Perhaps she hoped to evoke pity, or maybe she was desperate and seeking sympathy. Either way, he was grateful for the revelation. It proved that, despite everything, they genuinely cared about Cassian.
Some time later, Cassian himself came downstairs. His gaze was downcast, as if he were lost in thought. Matt didn't disturb him. Soon, they stood before the city Library.
It surpassed even Cassian's boldest expectations, drawn from fragmented memories.
A colossal, austere building of dark marble, elevated on a dozen massive columns. Its distinctive feature was the rhomboid purple emblem on the facade—a Tree-like Tower piercing the heavens.
"The architecture of this world never ceases to amaze me. On Earth, such a structure would be considered a wonder of the world," Matt said admiringly, craning his neck to take in the full grandeur of the edifice.
Cassian merely nodded silently, and they entered.
The library's interior left them frozen in awe. Everywhere, from the floor to the dizzying height of the third story, stretched endless rows of bookshelves. In the depths of the hall, ghostly turquoise-purple glows flickered intermittently. Some shelves, overflowing their allotted space, levitated in the air. Dozens of translucent hands fluttered about, serving as assistants: they swept the floors, shelved tomes, and aided visitors.
Cassian gasped involuntarily at the breathtaking sight.
"It takes my breath away sometimes too," a young, friendly voice sounded nearby.
Turning, they saw a fair-haired youth in his early twenties, dressed in a dark blue robe with silver embroidery. The stranger smiled at them.
"My name is Kyle; I'm an assistant librarian. First time here? Are you here to read, borrow, or return books?"
"We're first-timers and would like to peruse some publications," Cassian replied for both.
"Excellent. Then please follow me to the registration desk to issue reader cards. They're required for checking out materials and will remind you to return books on time."
Soon, all the necessary paperwork was completed. They were instructed to dip a finger into a strange substance resembling ground graphite powder and leave a print where a photo would typically go.
After that, Kyle stepped aside with them. In his hands was a device strikingly similar to a Polaroid camera. After photographing them, colorful and quite recognizable images of their faces appeared in place of the prints. Seeing their bewilderment, the youth hastened to explain:
"This is called a photo-imprint. It's needed so that the Glissandas—those flying hands—can identify you. They also handle reminders for overdue books."
Kyle double-checked the entered data and stamped the documents with a rhomboid purple seal depicting the Tower.
"All set. If you need a book, just clap twice and say: 'Glissanda!'" Demonstrating, he summoned a pair of translucent hands. "Bring me 'The First Eternal King.'"
In that instant, Cassian understood the origin of their name. Gliding swiftly through the air as if across invisible piano keys, they vanished into the library's depths, returning moments later with the requested tome.
"Thank you," Kyle said, taking the book. He smiled warmly. "My favorite novel. If you need help, you can always find me at the registration desk." With that, he departed.
"So, where do we start?" Matt asked, finally tearing his gaze from the fantastical interior.
"We need a lot, so we'll proceed systematically. We'll select specific types of books, study them, and then share the key points with each other. It'll be more efficient than reading everything indiscriminately."
Matt nodded approvingly: "Makes sense. But where to begin?"
Cassian pondered for a moment, then clapped twice: "Glissanda! Please bring general information on Structures, their origins, as well as on the governmental system of Aelan."
A pair of hands darted off to fulfill the request.
"And you try to learn something about the powers existing in this world," he said, turning to Matt.
"Deal. I already have something in mind. Meet back here in four hours," Matt replied, clapping twice.