The Bookstore Mage

Lucien leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. He had yet to calm down from his meeting with the Council. After a few minutes, he finally stood up and locked the bookstore door. He then closed the window blinds and glanced at his phone.

"Looks like there is still some time to set everything," he muttered.

Tamellalt reappeared by his side and handed him a silver knife and the remnant soul. Lucien nodded and placed them on the counter before he ran upstairs to grab the grimoire.

Moon was sleeping peacefully on his bed. She merely glanced at him as he entered the room and quickly ignored him after. Lucien smiled and shook his head before he ran back downstairs.

"Okay, silver blade, check. Remnant soul from a nightmare, check. The grimoire, also check. Let's do this."

Lucien took a deep breath as he moved to the middle of the bookstore, where he sat down on the floor and closed his eyes. The spell would only work if he cast it at noon. Lucien wasn't completely sure why. The grimoire didn't expand much on the subject.

It did mention, however, how the portal needed the help of certain mana particles that appeared at noon. What were these particles? He didn't know. Were they useful for something else? Perhaps, but that was a question for another day.

After taking a few deep breaths to steady his mind, Lucien opened his eyes and grabbed the grimoire using Imer. He still had a few hours before noon, so he planned to use that time to study the spell. One could never be too careful, especially when trying magic of this scale.

According to the grimoire, once he cast the spell, a portal that led to another plane would open. After that, the mana would link it to the first person to walk through it. This; was a bit confusing as Lucien assumed it would automatically be bound to the caster.

Once he made it to the other plane, Lucien would have 24 hours to return. Since the portal would be linked to him, going back was not as complicated. He just needed mana.

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After reading through and memorizing the spell for the hundredth time, Lucien turned to Tamlellat who stood by the door and asked:

"What do you think I should bring with me?"

The fairy paused for a second before she replied:

"I apologize if I come off as rude, my lord. But have you considered the dangers this could cause you?"

"Not really, no. I'm pretty sure that the longer I think about this, the stupider this idea would sound like, but for some reason, I still want to try it."

The fairy shook her head and continued:

"I'm not talking about only that, my lord. This new plane you are going to, the real dangers are not its residence, it's the land itself."

"What do you mean? Do you know where this spell will lead me?"

Tamellalt quickly shook her head and explained:

"I'm afraid I do not, my lord. That, however, does not change what I've said. Have you considered the possibility of landing somewhere inhabitable? A disease-ridden world? What is your guarantee that you will survive that plane's bacteria, the germs, the invisible components?"

Her questions made his eyes widen for a second. He didn't consider any of that. He thought the only source of danger to his well-being would be the plane's habitant. It was almost always the case in novels and stories.

Lucien pushed his hair back and released a long sigh. "The Council explores all the portals that open in our plane. What is their secret?"

Tamellalt paused for a second before she answered:

"Healers, my lord. Healing spells, no matter how minor can cleanse the body of its caster. Though, of course, the stronger the spell the better."

Lucien scratched his head as he thought of the only healing spell he knew; Tadawsa. "So, what do you suggest?"

"Cast a healing spell on yourself before you go, and cast another one as soon as you arrive. Find a safe location as soon as you get there and check your mana flow. If it is undisturbed, then that would generally mean that the place is safe, if you do sense a disturbance, however, isolate the area using your mana and continue applying healing magic. If that still doesn't solve the problem and the disturbance grows, then you should come back home immediately, my lord."

Lucien's expression hardened as he nodded and committed her words into memory. He knew that what he was doing was reckless and dangerous, but only now did he understand to what extent.

"Thank you, Tam," he said with a sincere smile.

The butler fairy gave him a deep bow and replied:

"I hope you stay safe, my lord."

"Heh, I'm sure I'd be safe if you accompanied me there," he joked.

"I wish I could, but I am bound to this place. Pehaps when you rega- when you are stronger, my lord."

"Oh, so there is a way?" Lucien asked with a raised brow, to which the fairy simply nodded.

"There is always a way, my lord."

Another sigh escaped his lips as rubbed his eyes deep in thought. He was starting to have second thoughts about this whole matter. 'Maybe it's not smart to go for this after all?' He inwardly mumbled.

He was going alone to another dimension! It seemed like he didn't quite understand the magnitude of his situation. Just as he felt himself starting to panic, the smell of sweet tea brought him back to his senses.

Tamellalt with an uncharacteristic smile appeared before his face and handed him a cup of tea.

"Here, for your nerves," she said.

Lucien grabbed it almost instinctively and took a sip. The sweet fragrant tea warmed his insides and did wonders to his nerves. By the third sip, Lucien was able to regain his composure.

He turned to glance at the fairy and smiled:

"Thank you, Tam. I don't know what I would have done without you."

The faint smile on the fairy's face blossomed into a wide one as she replied:

"I'm sure you would have managed, my lord. You are stronger than you think."

"Heh, and a whole lot dumber it seems as well," he chuckled and answered. The fairy simply shook her head and refrained from speaking any further.

The sound of his alarm nearly made him jump. Lucien grabbed his phone and glanced at the clock. It was almost time.

He took a deep breath and glanced to Tamellalt:

"Please clear the area."

The fairy's face quickly turned solemn as she snapped her fingers. Lucien watched as the center of the bookstore was cleared from all books. The small chair he placed for Anna has been pushed away as well, leaving behind an empty area.

"Should be enough," he spoke and grabbed his silver blade.