Chapter 4: The Council

Walking down the street, Lucien glanced at his phone. It was already noon and he was still indecisive about where to eat. After walking along the main street for a few more minutes, he finally made up his mind and entered a small coffee shop that offered late breakfast.

Lucien chose the seat by the window and ordered. He stared absentmindedly at the people walking outside, and at the colorful light particles for a few seconds when he suddenly spotted something strange. In a dark alley a distance across the street, the colorful light particles seemed to gather around a particular area forming the vague silhouette of a person.

Shivers ran down his spine as it looked like that figure was staring at him. He didn't know if it was just a feeling, but he could sense its gaze on him. Just as he was thinking about what to do, the waitress came with his order, distracting him for a split second. When Lucien looked up again, the mysterious figure was no longer there.

Still, he was not relieved, if anything Lucien was more anxious than ever. Who was that figure? Why was it looking at him? The way those particles gathered around it indicated that it was not a simple person.

"Another mage, perhaps?" He wondered, "But why was it watching me? Could it be they already figured out that I started learning magic? Do they have a way to tell mages and non-mages apart?" Countless thoughts swirled through his mind, but the loud rumbling of his stomach forced him to push them all to the back of his head as he began to dig in.

**

Walking back home, Lucien's eyes constantly darted left and right, fearful that someone was watching him. He kept a watchful gaze on the colorful particles. His gut feeling told him that they were his saving grace. It was because of them that he spotted the mysterious figure in the first place.

*****

Inside a tall building, a tall man with tanned skin and dark green eyes was walking in hurried steps, following behind an equally tall beautiful dark skinned girl. Her ebony hair was cut short reaching her shoulders. She wore a formal dress that complimented her figure perfectly; giving her the impression of a cold mature business lady.

Contrary to her composed appearance, her light brown eyes, however, looked extremely anxious as she passed by the hallways before she came to a stop in front of a large wooden door.

It was then that Ryan finally spoke:

"Uh, the old man will pay me for the information, right Nia?"

Clicking her tongue, Nia glared at him before replying in disdain: "Don't compare the Council to the rest of you Rogues, we don't go back on our words. And It's Mr. Chairman for you."

Raising his hands in the air, Ryan gave her a wide grin and replied:

"Right, right, Mr. Chairman, my bad."

Ignoring him, Nia proceeded to knock on the door with a respectful expression on her face. A few seconds later, the large wooden door slowly opened by itself. The inside of the room was surprisingly small. It was made in an old Victorian style. A large bookcase took over the entire left wall, on the right were countless portraits of different people, men, and women. Right in front of them was a lone desk with a white-haired, old man behind it. His beard was trimmed short, with his messy long hair reaching past his shoulders.

Seeing Nia and Ryan enter, he removed the round-rimmed glasses from his eyes and settled them on the desk. His ocean eyes scanned the duo before he spoke:

"Nia, what seems to be the problem?"

Nia first bowed respectfully. Seeing at how Ryan was still standing straight, she glared at him before speaking:

"Mr. Chairman, Ryan just came to us with the information of a new Rogue that seemingly appeared out of nowhere."

The Chairman nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I went to check on this person..." She hesitated for a second before speaking; "The problem is, I was spotted."

Hearing that, a frown quickly made its way to the Chairman's face. "Were you hiding in the Elemental plane?"

"Yes..."

Nodding the Chairman massaged his temples for a few seconds before he asked:

"Nothing happened when he saw you?"

"No, he didn't seem to have any intentions of attacking."

"Good, send me all the information you have gathered so far on this person." He paused for a second before continuing, "And don't send anyone else to monitor him directly. Keep your distance, and just make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

Nodding, Nia turned for the door, but Ryan remained there. She glared at him and motioned for him to leave, "Ryan, go with Nia. You'll get your payment." Only then did he smile and turn to leave.

A long sigh escaped the Chairman's mouth. The sudden appearance of a potentially dangerous rogue was not something pleasant, especially if he was one of those that liked to dabble in the dark arts. His strength was still a mystery, but the fact that he was able to easily spot Nia from the Elemental plane already placed him high on the danger list.

Seconds later, a file suddenly appeared on his desk. The Chairman word his glasses and read the first lines.

-Code name: The Bookstore Mage

-Real name?: Lucien Wood. the current owner of the old bookstore on 27th Street. He used to live there with his grandfather, Thomas Wood before moving out six years ago.

-Age: 25?

-Race: Unknown

-Unable to find further information on the grandfather.

-Unable to find further information on the parents.

-Unable to trace Lucien from the time before he came back to the city.

-Recons noted a strange aura looming inside the bookstore, preventing them from using magic.

-Proceed with caution.

-Threat rank: ???

Another sigh escaped his mouth before he removed his glasses and massaged his forehead. "Wood, that's not part of any of the main families, and If Ryan isn't familiar with him then that means he isn't part of any old Rogue group. No to mention how we completely overlooked his grandfather's presence all this time. Lucien Wood, just who are you? Where did you crawl out from?"

*****

Meanwhile, back in the bookstore, Lucien was happily reading his magic book. He first reviewed the healing spell called Tadawsa and made sure he completely memorized the hand gestures. After finishing that, he searched the pages for another spell to learn.

The countless patterns were slowly making sense. His current best guess was that they showcased the way his mana should flow inside his body. The countless notes, however, were a completely different matter. They were written in a way worse than that of a doctor's handwriting.

Still, Lucien was satisfied with his current progress. After a few hours, he finally managed to find another spell that looked promising. It was called Imer, and from what he understood, it seemed like some sort of telekinesis.

The hand gestures for this one were non-existent, which excited him the most. The problem was the somewhat complicated patterns. Making up his mind, Lucien vowed to succeed in casting it at least once before going out for lunch.