Chapter 132: Those Who Rewind Time pt 2
>>Lyal
I found myself heading toward the old library. I liked it here, it was one of the only places people rarely went to, where time felt like it moved more slowly, where the air was heavy with the scent of old parchment and dust, a smell that somehow brought me peace.
As I neared the library’s oak door, something made me pause. A flicker of movement under the door, barely there, but enough to catch my eye. I hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open as quietly as I could. The hinges creaked, loud in the stillness, but the room beyond was undisturbed.
Sunlight filtered through the high, narrow windows, falling in golden beams that sliced through the dust-laden air. The light danced on the stone floor and settled across the wooden table in the center of the room, illuminating it with a soft, almost sacred glow. And there, leaning over the table, was Hael.
The Tower Master
I stopped in the doorway, surprised to see him here.
What’s he doing here? He doesn’t like staying in the palace for long, but there he was, utterly absorbed in whatever lay before him, so much so that he hadn’t even noticed me come in.
Or maybe he had and he chose to ignore me.
His expression was intense, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he stared at an unrolled map on the table. Around him, other maps lay in disarray—some spread out, others half-unrolled, and more still stuffed into a container on the floor, their edges curling with age.
Curiosity tugged at me, and I stepped closer, my eyes drawn to the map he was so focused on. It was old, the parchment yellowed and the ink faded, but I could still make out the details. The Hollow Woods—no, that wasn’t right. The name in the corner was different. The Dark Woods. That was what they were called long ago, in the ancient texts, before the forest was renamed.
"What are you looking for?" I asked quietly, my voice barely breaking the stillness.