1 Book

Deep within a vast forest, there's a prosperous village home for a hundred families. Houses made out of stone were built.

childrens joyfully played under the sun's fiery heat, as the adults collected the harvest from cultivated plots of land. A young man with dark hair and neat body build plowed the dry earth along with his parents.

" Enlir, faster!" Enlir's father, Jurdo. Angrily Yelled at him.

"hey, don't talk like that to my son!" his mother, Melina. Butted in to help.

" this is your fault Melina, if you only have been strict to our son then he wouldn't have this skinny looking body!" the couple quarreled.

Just yesterday Enlir turned sixteen, the marriageable age considered by everyone in the village. While other families would be happy. his father was angry for a reason.

Not a single family offered them a dowry to ask for marriage!

Here in this village, it's the girls' families who will give dowry instead of men, though Enlir was good looking and many girls likes him, their families doesn't want their daughters to marry someone who looks unhealthy in their eyes.

Enlir do have well toned muscles but it pales on comparison to other young men who look buffed like a bull. The reason for this practice was because hunting is the primary job in the village and having strength to match up those beasts in the forest was the key survival of a family.

That's why his father was really angry and blames his mother, Melisa. for allowing Enlir study instead of doing hard drills that promotes muscle growth.

Enlir sighed as his parents exchange words, his mind wandered then at the stories about the world outside this forest. Those thrilling adventures, the beautiful rivers and mountains described by the authors of the books he read. He really want to embark on an adventure one day. But it seems impossible at the moment.

Melina discovered that his son was smart unlike those other muscle head kids so she taught Enlir how to read. It was an unexpected turn of event when Enlir got addicted of reading books and completely stopped doing regular workout. His father was really angry but she supported the hobby of his son.

Enlir dropped the Rake on his hand and left behind his parents that are fighting, they didn't notice Enlir's departure and he's headed for the library.

" Sigh..." he heaved a sigh of relief and disappoinment, relieved that he got away from his loud parents, and disappointed at the same time. half of Enlir wants to marry and make a family with a beautiful lady, yet what surfaced more was his desire for adventure.

He have a little sister named Tequila, she was ten this year, and the dowry he would receive was supposed to be used once she turned sixteen as a dowry also.

Enlir couldn't help but feel that he was born in the wrong era. Soon he reached a small house made of stone, this was the library where books are stored, the books came from merchants that comes every 3 months to trade for various crops.

Seventy percent of the villager's foods came from hunting while farming only accounted

For 30 percent. The rest of the crops were sold off in the form of raws minerals, gold, silver, or copper coins that's used to pay the annual taxes issued by the kingdom of Flika, the sovereign nation of the land where Enlir's village stood.

He knocked at the door lightly, twice, and as he entered Enlir saw an old woman sitting on a wooden chair while reading a book. She glanced at Enlir once and turned back to the book the next second.

She was a village elder assigned to take care of the books stored here. Everyone calls her the Sorceress, a title given to magic wielding individuals from the myths. Though she doesn't have any magic, everyone respected her because of how knowledgeable she is. She knows many things others doesn't, and was often asked when weird occurance happens at the village.

The book she's reading attracted Enlir's curiosity, he's here almost every single day yey this is the first time he saw the old book.

" I've heard of what happened to you yesterday. seeing you here again, you don't really plan on marrying aren't you?" the Sorceress said.

Enlir doesn't really want to answer but he don't want to appear disrespectful either, so he answered anyway. " I don't plan on becoming a hunter." he said.

He found a wooden chair on the corner so he brought it with him and started looking for books to read.

" you told me years ago you want to go on an adventure, are you really going to embark on such path?" the Sorceress said after Enlir passed by her, the library was only thirty meters square afterall, so even if he was on the opposite corner he could hear her if she talk.

" yeah, but I don't even know how to start." Enlir replied, as he continued walking, looking at the books shelve by shelve. Many of the books here have different covers but actually was only a copy of other books while some are unreadable as Enlir haven't learned the corresponding language it is written into.

" here, try this book. I think you have already finished reading every book here so I brought this out for you." the Sorceress stood up and walked towards Enlir slowly as she was already old and limping.

" after you finished reading this book burn it afterwards, you heard me?" she said seriously as she handed the book at Enlirs palm, " when reading it, read it like chanting a mantra. I can feel my days nearing, consider this as my settlement for your help in these past years."

Enlir was frozen, speechless. What's the Sorceress telling him? No. Perhaps, why is she telling me this things. He thought deep inside his mind.

He did helped her many times over these past years but only because he wanted to access the books' she's guarding.

" hey, Enlir. You heard me right?" she said.

" make sure to burn it or else something bad might happen." she added.

And as she was preparing the frozen Enlir,

" something bad might happen?" he said and gulped.

" ohh... Relax, I wouldn't put you in harm." she said.

A book that can make something bad happen? Enlir looked at the book on his hand and just nodded towards the Sorceress.

" after burning it meet me here or in my house." she then left after saying this.