Chapter 75: Second Year Battle Class
Logan left the cartography alcove, the last faint glimmer of the enchanted map fading behind him as the crystal covering dimmed to transparency.
The shift back to the normal muted tones of the library was almost jarring. Rows of shelves stretched outward in precise lines, their wooden edges smooth from years of use.
His footsteps echoed against the polished stone floor as he returned to the central reading area.
The librarian passed him going the other way, arms stacked high with returned books, giving him a polite nod without slowing.
Logan lightly smiled at her.
The table he had claimed earlier still held his stack of discarded volumes.
Everything from political essays to symbolic lexicons. None of them had given him exactly what he wanted, but they had given him a path to follow.
He gathered the books into a neat pile and carried them to the return desk. The clerk, a young woman with round glasses, barely looked up from her ledger as she muttered a quiet thanks and began marking them back into the system.
Logan didn’t linger. His mind was already running through the steps ahead.
The corridor outside the library was cooler, lined with tall windows that framed the deep blue of the evening sky.
Spheres of light shone steadily in evenly spaced sconces, reflecting faintly on the polished marble tiles. Students passed in small groups, some carrying books, others deep in conversation, their words were of no business to Logan.
He kept his pace steady. The academy’s dormitories weren’t far, but the walk gave him time to sort his thoughts.