Chapter 1 - First Encounter

Lyrien trudged through the crowded streets of Elyria, his eyes fixed on the pavement. He had just finished a long shift at the local tavern, where he worked as a dishwasher. He was just paid his periodic stipend of twenty copper coins, which would obviously be insufficient for his daily needs.

'I can't continue like this' Lyrien thought with a sigh as he walked further down the street. His entire life had been a mundane, repetitive, and unremarkable cycle, in which nothing interesting ever happened.

He felt like a small cog in a giant machine, just going through the motions, which was a feeling that he hated and despised from the depths of his heart. As he turned a corner, he stumbled upon a small, mysterious shop. The sign above the door read "Curios and Antiques."

'That's strange' Lyrien thought as he stared at the shop. He had been through these streets before and this was his first time seeing this shop here.

Lyrien felt an inexplicable pull, as if the shop was calling to him. Though he had seen and been to many trading stores and therefore was already used to the sight of displayed goods which held little value.

But this very shop seemed strange in the sense that it had a presence that was so inexplicable that it made Lyrien feel that he was staring at a doorway to another world. Due to this feeling he had concerning the shop, his open mindedness and sense of adventure made him resolute in finding out what was so special about this shop as he pushed open the door, and a bell above it rang out.

The shop was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the scent of old books and dust. Lyrien wondered what sort of shop would be so poorly kept and managed as he involuntarily sneezed due to the invading dust.

Glancing around the shop, he saw scattered piles of old and dusty books. Some of these books were arranged on dilapidated wooden shelves which gave Lyrien an inkling of what the shop truly was.

As his eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light of the shop, he saw an old man with a long white beard, watching him from behind the counter. Lyrien wasn't sure what but he felt something distinctive and ethereal about this old man which made it seem as if the old man was not a part of this world.

"Welcome, young one," the old man said in a raspy voice as he stared at Lyrien with a wide smile. "What would you like to buy?"

Lyrien felt weird due to the old man's smile. It was as if the old geezer had been expecting him all this while.

But the strangeness of the old man's appearance and presence didn't scare or deter Lyrien in the slightest. After all he was sure that he would be able to best the old man in combat if the situation called for it.

"Are you the shopkeeper here?" Lyrien asked as he stared at the old man.

"Yes I am." The old man answered. "Would you like to check out what we have?"

Glancing around the shop one more time, Lyrien wondered about what he'll be interested to buy from such a dusty old shop. "Isn't this a bookshop?" Lyrien asked with a frown.

"Yes you could say that." The old man replied.

"Well that's quite a shame because I don't read books" Lyrien said almost immediately.

"Well that I don't believe." The old man replied with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Lyrien frowned slightly. As weird as the old man was, Lyrien felt like the shopkeeper was hiding something quite significant, which was the reason why he chose to stay till this moment, if not, he would have left due to the dusty atmosphere that made his nose feel dry.

"Firstly, for the fact that you're here only goes to explain the fact that you're someone who's quite curious, and a curious individual is definitely a reader." The shopkeeper said as he kept smiling which went on to further irk Lyrien.

Lyrien felt like the old man seemed to be reading him like an open book which he felt quite annoying. Though truth be told, Lyrien was actually someone who loved to read a lot of books mostly because books carried ideas and imaginations that were quite unlimited and unshackled by the monotonous and myopic laws set by the human society.

Deciding to make a comeback at the old man, Lyrien said with narrowed eyes "Okay then what would you have that would interest me, and don't tell me its your books because I've read a lot of books and hardly would there be any book that surprises me with anything new"

"Ah but you should know that reading a book is not just about glancing through it's pages but mainly about studying it's context and understanding the deep wisdom behind its words. Just like an entire world which you can never hope to completely explore, so is a book which you can never say to have completely read and understood!" The old man spoke with evident enthusiasm and an excited glint in his eyes.

"Well as stirring as your words are old man am not that easily swayed. If you truly think that you have something worthwhile then show me or else I'll take my leave" Lyrien said with a stubborn look in his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest.

"In that case, I'll take you up on that challenge." The old man finally said as he left the counter and opened a door behind the counter and walked through it.

Lyrien's heart raced as the shopkeeper disappeared into the depths of the store. Moments later, the shopkeeper returned with a small, intricately carved box.

"What's this?" Lyrien asked as his eyes stared at the peculiar box with interest. He also noticed how the old man held the box with great care, indicating the possible importance of the box.

"Something that would be of great interest to you" the old man said with a mysterious grin as he gently pushed the box closer to to Lyrien.

On the other hand, Lyrien gazed at the box with a mystifying look in his eyes. He felt that there was something strange about the box that he couldn't place his feet on it.

"Well open it" the old man urged, interrupting Lyrien's thoughts.

Choosing not to dwell too much on it, Lyrien quietly opened the box, revealing a glowing artifact inside.

"What is this?" Lyrien asked with wide open eyes, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Ah, that is a mysterious artifact from a long-forgotten civilization," the shopkeeper replied, his eyes glinting with a knowing light. "It is said to hold great power, but this power is said to come at the cost of great and terrible danger. If you're willing then you can have it but first I want to know...." the old man leaned forward and stared deeply into Lyrien's blue eyes.

"Are you willing to take the risk?"

Lyrien's heart raced as he considered the shopkeeper's words. Ever since he saw the shop while walking down the street, he had felt that there was something strange indwelling in the small building.

And when he came in and saw the old man, he knew that there was something even stranger about the old shopkeeper, and finally with the glowing artifact right in front of him, he could finally conclude that his earlier suspicions were right on the money. At that moment, he felt a sense of excitement, of wonder, and of trepidation as he stared at the glowing artifact that was well placed in the small box.

Lyrien had always yearned for excitement and adventure ever since he was a young boy. And at the initial stage when he began to show his affinity for magic, it was a wonderful experience for him as his parents showed their pride and joy over the fact that their son had more or less become a prospective magician.

Though his season of glory didn't last long due to the fact that the only magic tutor in his hometown Willowdale, was someone who was extremely strict and quite heartless, which caused Lyrien to lose interest in learning magic much to the disapproval of his parents. Because of this, Lyrien stubbornly chose to leave home and find a life of freedom and adventure for himself.

That was three years ago. Now here he was after three years with nothing to show for it.

That was until he saw the glowing artifact in the box. Lyrien could feel the powerful energy that was emanating from the artifact, which made him sure that his life was about to change forever.

"Yes," Lyrien said finally, his voice firm. "I'll take the risk."

Stretching his hand into the box, he touched the artifact and at that moment, a group of glowing words appeared in his mind;

[_System Status:_]

- _Level:_ 1 (initial activation)

- _Experience Points:_ 0/100 (needed to reach Level 2)

- _Elemental Mastery:_ 0% (unfamiliar)

- _Spellcasting:_ 0% (undeveloped)

- _Material Fusion:_ 0% (unknown)

- _Energy Sensing:_ 0% (dormant)

[_System Abilities:_]

- _Elemental Summoning:_ None

- _Spellcasting:_ None

- _Material Fusion:_ None

- _Energy Sensing:_ None