Minutes within the ensuing first training session, I immediately departed as soon as possible from Sofia towards the library. Lord Kalabhiti, where he originated from, his past, the undead's past; whatever details there was to know that would be key to awakening Princess Rosalia.

The problem? Access to reliable, accurate resources. But I was in luck, as there's one good starting point; The Book of Guidance. It would know best where to direct me.

Entering through the French doors, very few were present, other than Mrs. Galender and three other servants dusting the stone tables with uttermost dedication. The smell of book paste and musty scrolls from two days prior filled my nose. Mrs. Galender, who was polishing the spine of a book, ceased her task to give me a collective greeting, "Miss Liselotte, need my assistance?"

She didn't need to know. Judging from the reactions of Lord Carbrey and King Bervon when Tahan mentioned them, I just knew in my gut that I shouldn't. I'd practically be asking for the distrust, the dubious treatment. I shook my head, "No ma'am, just browsing."

She gave a stern glance, adjusting her glasses in the process, "If you insist, never hesitate if you need something."

I placidly waved, "Of course."

Again, she adjusted her glasses to the tips of her nose, "If you say so."

Does she know? Why the hell is she giving me that look? Regardless, there wasn't much I could do about it. I went up to the bookstand, grabbing the emerald-encrusted book up in my arms.

"Book of Guidance, I need assistance." The engraved emeralds illuminated whilst the gold lock shimmered. It automatically turned towards the first page, just like the last time, labeled "Help Options". Under the bulletproof list, I made my way to available book subjects. Horology, biology, herbology, geology, history... keep looking, keep looking...documentation. There we go.

"Lead me to the documentation," I said. Without warning, the book flashed a dull-pewter grey. Then, just like the dying embers of the midsummer festivities, right back down to its original state, closing the gold lock instantly.

I tried everything I could possibly think of, from prying the lock open to even doing the trusty spine trick that Calix taught me when I was nine. But to no avail, it was sealed shut.

Damnit. What happened?  Even the Book of Guidance didn't want me to know... apparently.

I combed through every aisle, every slight nook and nanny possible. Yet no matter where I looked, there would be nothing. If they wanted to something as vital as documentation secret, then why would it be listed as available? It was baffling, sketchy too.

At this point of time, I was in herbology section, where books detailing the various herbs and theories resided. Herbs such as rue, chamomile, dill, and even comfrey... I'm going to be here all day, am I?

Then, I heard someone's footsteps approaching nearby. Instinctively, I huddled away to the other end of the shelf, adjusting my shoulder in a precise enough position as to not be seen.

The footsteps stopped momentarily and then started up again, finally rounding the corner. When I looked to see who it was, I took in the details. Tousled blonde hair and jade green eyes, tall and built and tan as if he spent time in the sun.

Oh hell no. It was the very boy or should I say the prince I fleed from last night. What was I going to say? How would he respond to me after what I did? What could I possibly do to avoid this situation? I could just flee, but that would only be a temporary solution. I can't avoid him forever. He's going to recognize me and try to reach out to me, no matter what I did.

I've made my decision. I can't turn back now. I unriddled myself from the corner, stretching my aching shoulder. Then, I turned my back to the bookshelf, grabbing a book on sugar cane and nonchalantly flipping through it.

"Susanne?" He evenly said, approaching me carefully when he saw me.

I felt the same icy feeling throughout when he called that name out, the name I purposely fabricated for some stupid reason. So Kapaneus hasn't told him my real name now, has he? Probably shouldn't surprise me.

"So you're here..." It's best he get an apology.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened last night. I was nervous and it was a bad move." I said, yet for some reason, I couldn't get the words out, nor could I look him in the eyes. It was difficult, though this wasn't anything new. I had always had a difficult time with apologies, not because of shyness of any sort but rather because it was rare of me to apologize for a mishap that I felt nothing for. But this... was different. I actually felt guilty, it was uncalled for what I did really.

Finally, I stopped shuffling my feet and looked into his eyes. To my surprise, he still had that easygoing, warm-hearted look in his eye. The look I could easily relate back to last night.

"I figured that was the issue. It's fine." He said, rumpling his hair in the process. For a moment, just for those two seconds, I gave a polite smile. But when he returned that smile, I stopped, fidgeting slightly.

"Anyways, what are you doing in the library? I thought you were with my brother?" He inquired.

"That was over half an hour ago," I told him.

Chariton raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? I expected him to keep you there all day long, knowing how he is." He said this almost jeeringly as if he was underhandedly hurling an insult straight towards his face rather than mine.

"Sounds like you don't like him," I added sardonically, "Can't blame you."

He laughed, "Well, get used to the conceit, you'll see him plenty times more." He said.

I laughed along. Even his own brother doesn't like him. Says a lot about him now, does it? But then, I realized something. I was laughing with someone else. Not just anyone else though but rather, the same boy I danced with and kicked down there for no earthly reason. I stiffened unpleasantly, "Do you mind helping me with something?" I said.

He stood up a little straighter, "It depends on what it is. Does it have to do with the Book of Guidance perhaps?"

How. Did. He. Know.

"You're not being nearly as inconspicuous as you may think you are. What did you request?"

"Documentations..."

Chariton placed a hand on his chin, nodding a couple of times. Whether it was for me or theoretically towards himself, I wasn't sure. "While the Book of Guidance purpose is to aid others in finding whatever they need, it has its own will. When you request something that has confidential information, it may deny the request depending on who you are." He added, "Of course, I'm not too surprised you didn't know that. Very few are actually aware."

"By 'few' you mean Aira, Odessa, and Hestia," I replied.

He nodded, openly giving me this smirk, though it was nothing like his brothers. Instead, the smirk was of a lighthearted, far less gelid in nature and intention. In a way that was far less deck-in-the-face tempting.

"What's with that look?"

"You look annoyed."

"Your point?"

"It's cute."

Getting bold now I see. "You must want to get kicked down there again, do you?"

His smile faltered completely, to my amusement. "No."

"Then don't you ever call me cute again. I barely even know you." I told him, trying to remain serious, "Now get to the point, how can I access documentation?"

He raised an eyebrow, "So your just cutting to the chase, no please or thank you?."

He smiled once more, "That's fair." Whether he meant it or not? I couldn't easily tell. His tone was too cryptic by nature, not implicit nor explicit enough.

"Follow me." He said.

The further we went, the more cloudy it seemed to get. The bookshelves growing granular and sootier from the minute. Eventually, he stopped at the second to the last one, approaching the marrow point of the shelf. He gathered his hand into a fist and rapped on the shelf with a peculiar stable yet limber beat, left, right, up, down, up, left. The faded mahogany wood shifting in and deviating to the inside, revealing a cluster of drawers, lined up in rows together. It was still dim, yet not dim enough to disguise the dust particles.

"Why is it so dusty around here?" I asked Chariton, endeavoring towards the first drawer. He only followed suit.

"This has been a relatively untouched, abandoned area. Haven't been occupied since the last century."

"Sometime around the 1400s then.." I blurted out, but not to Chariton or any higher-ups in particular. Just in case...

The first drawer was full of rolled-up stationery tied up with different ribbons and seals, various etchings present on them. Different animals; the deer, a boar, the wolf, a horse and even underwater based creatures, such as a bluefish, Kraken or leviathan. Chariton watched casually from the sides, possibly expecting me to ask a host of other such questions.

"You know... " I said, "You don't have to stand there. You can look around too, see if there's something for you here." I offered, though I knew it likely he was here before.

Chariton shook his head, "Don't worry about it, I did this more for you than me. Besides, I've been here, countless times. I know this room like the back of my hand."

As you say...

I inspected and skimmed different documents, some were in surprisingly neat condition whilst others were yellowed and frayed at the edges. Eventually, Chariton spoke once more, when I slammed the third drawer almost recklessly.

"What are you even looking for?" He asked calmly.

I might as well tell him. "Anything pertaining to Lord Kalabhiti and the Undead. Do you know anything?"

Chariton's emerald-shaded eyes briefly widened, then quickly narrowed in concentration. "How did you find out about that? You're not supposed to know about that."

He nodded his head, "You must have spied on my father or someone from his council now, haven't you?"

"Do you plan to tell anyone about it?" There was little sense in answering a question he already knew the answer to.

"No, not at all. I actually find it impressive that you weren't caught."

"It was pretty easy actually. There were very little if any guards present." I told him.

He shrugged, "Still impressive."

I went back to looking through the drawers, unraveling crumpled letters that were obviously mishandled to the max. It wasn't until I was on the 12th drawer when I actually discovered something important. A bonded leather handbook, tawny in color and grainy to the touch, it read the initials, "FP."

As soon as the book was opened, my hand tinged and shiver, a bolt of candescence going through my tendons, leaving a dull ache to my arms. Regardless, I turned the page, skimming through the first page. My breath nearly hitched, as the sight of what was seen as unexpected, especially from what I've typically seen of penmanship thus far. The calligraphy while fairly faint but normal, it was the gleaming, distinctive shade of scarlet across somewhat frayed parchment. Sharp edges engraved within each ending letter. It looked very much like blood. Who's? I'm not sure if I want to know.

I used the sleeve of my blouse to adjust the book, reading out the entry:
"November 18th, 1217
The sky was red and black and gray and the winds dreary. Madame Rivka often calls me, telling me to interact with the other children, telling me to stop keeping snakes in my room. But I remained silent. I can't nor do I want to not do so. The snakes may merely hiss for others, but for me, it's different. They don't hiss, nor do sanction their fangs. They speak to me. They understand me. They are nothing like the rest of humanity. Foolish, shortsighted, insignificant beings.

And yet, it's not their fault...
-EP"

Ep? I looked up towards Chariton, "Who is EP, do you know?"

Even though it was easy to miss, I swore a flash of dismay went through his expression. "I don't know. Nobody can know for sure. All books and documents dating prior to the 14th century were wiped out after the emergence of Lord Kalabhiti. What you just read was one of the few exceptions."

"You mentioned that the wipeout occurred at the first emergence of Kalabhiti, is it possible that he had something to do with it?"

"That's widely suspected, but at the end of the day, there isn't conclusive evidence nor on hand accounts to confirm it." He looked down morosely towards the book in my hands, so thoughtful all of a sudden, "Any other questions?"

I looked down at my hand as it tingled once more, "Yes, just one more. What does he mean by it's not their fault?"

"Have you heard of the story of how our universe came to be?"

"Stop being pretentious, what do you mean?" I admonished.

He laughed, "I mean the story of Eileithyia and Khthonia."

"Wait, the sisters?"

He nodded affirmly, "While...of course. The story goes that more than a decade ago, goddesses and gods have roamed the lands before humans, elves, or demons. Long before there were capitals, kingdoms, or breathing mortals. There was this sort of hierarchy and on the very top was Aither and his wife Gaia. They had two daughters, Eileithyia and Khthonia."

"As much as the two loved them, they always favored the elder, Eileithyia, because she lived up to what was expected of an heiress. Thus, the second daughter Khthonia, hungry with jealousy, made a deal with Plouton, a wizard from the underworld. Steal her mother's diadem, which had the power to control all of time and universe, then she'd be able to rule the land. So she stole the diadem and ran from home."

"Gaia was fully aware of the fact that it was her daughter who stole it, yet she withheld that fact from everybody, including her husband. A year later, when Gaia was on her deathbed, she begged her elder daughter to find Khthonia so she could see her for one last time. Eileithyia agreed to this. Upon finding her, she immediately accused Khthonia of stealing the diadem. But upon hearing this, Khthonia stabbed her sister in the abdomen, whispering in her ear as she died that she'd make a far better goddess."

"Afterwards, Khthonia then used Eileithyia's blood to obliterate her father, Aither and their dying mother, alongside the other gods and goddesses. As legend concludes, this act freed those living in the underworld, and eventually, this created two divided factions, those who rebelled became the ancestors of demons, while those who retained their traditional ways became ancestors of the undead. Meanwhile, Eileithyia's blood created us elves and humans."

"So, you're telling me this EP person is referring to these old gods and goddesses when he says they're not at fault for how humanity turned out..."

Chariton nodded, "Supposedly, but take it as you will. Everybody has differing takes and theories on who exactly was at fault. Some argue that it was Khthonia, some believe that Eileithyia could've done more to stop her, while others argue it was their parents Aither and Gaia because of their preference towards the preceding while others blame the other gods and goddesses. I could go on."

"What does this have to do with the princess?" I asked him.

He shrugged at the additional question, "I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with the motive behind my sister's curse. But of course, everyone is more so fixed on the political implications, seeing as it was a well known Evoninion assassin who was responsible."

Lilith... For some reason, her name was still causing me chills. She was hard to forget, the pale complexion, long grey-white hair, the dark makeup, and black wings. But what disturbed me the most was her glowing yellow-red eyes, dissolute with a frightening twinkle to them. Ironically, I would've laughed at things like this. I would've scoffed at the numinous looking descriptions of the villain in storybooks Sofia read to me or even from Calix's made up legends. But now that I've physically seen the real deal...it was terrifying. She was the exact personification of fear.

As we left, I took the handbook with me, shoving it into the left pocket of my lace-up vest. As I did, I felt my hand tingle once more for the third time. I grappled my wrist, massaging it. I must have looked remarkably unsound, as Chariton briefly stopped walking and asked: "Are you okay?"

Part of me was obligated to just be honest, given that he has been kind to me when I didn't even deserve it. But that other side, my favored side, kept bluntly and curtly repeating no. Telling me that I shouldn't trust him quite yet. That he could easily use this information against me and use it to manipulate. And so I only responded in the best way I could. "I don't know, the question is are you?"

He signed confusedly, "Don't deflect the question like that. You don't have to tell me your whole life story. Just a simple yes or no." He gave me a reassuring smile and a warm-hearted pat on the shoulder. I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face, how warm my body suddenly felt.

"I'm fine."

"Close enough." He said, looking up and then stopping when the subtle warmth of sunlight arriving from the transom windows became visible. "As much as I would like to continue talking with you, it wouldn't be wise for us not to. You know how gossip works." He practically whispered those last few words, but it was perfectly understandable. After all, if Kapaneus of all people knew, then I could only imagine who else was aware at that very moment.

"I-I know." I still couldn't talk about that incident without wanting to curl myself up into a corner, or preferably bash a wall.

He turned towards the nearest bookshelf, his posture swiftly transfixed into formality, waving, "Until we meet again."

Despite fighting the temptation to wave back, it was no use. I waved back, smiling no less.