3 The Library

Edmund was sad that he wasn't allowed to go outside like his brothers and sister. But he tried to look at the bright side of things. He had told Albern that he was bored, so he built a library. Edmund could now go through a formation and read books. Albern had told him that he needed to get a "Squarey" whenever he was going to the library. When he said that, he looked really serious, so whenever he went to the library, he always, always took a "Squarey".

What Edmund didn't know was that a "Squarey" was a cube full of formations that teleported him back to the Sanctuary if anyone not of the Cygnus family entered the library. Why would Albern give him those? Because the library he connected to the Sanctuary teleport formations was not a library he built, but was actually the Royal Library in the King's Castle. Albern infiltrated the castle and set up a teleportation formation in the library, along with another formation that identified whenever someone not of Cygnus blood entered the library. That way, no one would find out about Edmund.

The Royal Library was rarely visited. Only those allowed by the Royal family were permitted inside, which rarely happened. If the Royals were to meet with almost anyone, they would go to the Throne room, or a meeting room. Rarely would anyone be invited to the Library. The Royal family itself didn't enter the library much. Unless they were looking for specific information, the Royals would be looking in other records and books. The Royal Library served as an archive of sorts for information. All mayor happenings were recorded there automatically with magic, so no one actually wrote down the history of the kingdom. This way, not even an archivist was allowed inside, making it the most secure vault of knowledge in the entire kingdom.

Albern, as the counselor of the King, had asked for permission to enter the library. He then illegally made teleporting formations inside it. As a father, he wanted the best for his son. So when Edmund asked for something to entertain himself with, he thought big.

But of course, he made some precautions, such as the "Squarey", which made Edmund encountering anybody in there impossible. The teleport formations also marked anything that passed through them. Any toys or food that he brought into the library would be teleported out with him, essentially leaving no proof the Royal Library had been intruded.

Edmund didn't know any of this, he was just happy that he had some books to read. Sure, most books were big and used complicated and long words, but he still enjoyed it. He made sure to learn as much as he could about everything. When he looked at a book, he didn't see pages, he saw a whole new universe. Some universes complemented one another, while others were lone and secluded from the others.

There were books about everything. History, Geography, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Mathematics, Fantasies, Magic.

He found out that he was on a continent called Primer, the name of which came from the word primero, which meant first in an ancient tongue.

The kingdom was the Angus Kingdom, names after its first King, Albert Angus. The Cygnus family ancestor had sworn an oath of loyalty to the Royal family. Since then, the Cygnus family had served the King for millenia, generation after generation. The Cygnus and Angus families were basically synonymous, and were so close that sometimes they were called cousins. The Royal family was characterized as having golden hair, while the Cygnus family had blue hair.

The Angus Kingdom was located besides the Great Wilderness, and was neighbors with the Black Empire to the West and the Firenda Kingdom to the South. To the North of the Angus Kingdom were the Immovable Mountains. North of the Immovable Mountains, there was the Primeral Ocean.

A few centuries ago, the Angus Kingdom endeavored on a project to drill through the Immovable Mountains to set a trading route. The Kingdom planned to build a port, then connect it to the Kingdom proper, therefore opening sea exploration and commerce. The project was met with limited success. The Kingdom successfully established the port, later named Ralish Port, and managed to drill a direct path connecting it with the Kingdom, but the port didn't become an instant hit as the Kingdom expected. Ralish Port was constantly raided by pirates and criminals. It became a city full of corruption and illegal activity. The distance made it unprofitable for the Kingdom to dispatch armed forces, so it made it govern itself. Ralish Port was still, technically, part of the Angus Kingdom, but it was more a trade center connecting it to the sea more than anything else. As long as they paid taxes, no intervention would be sent.

The Great Wilderness were unconquered lands. Beasts came from there. Some areas were safer, while others were more dangerous. If you went deep enough into the Great Wilderness, you would encounter Savage Beasts, these were beasts that started using elements and magic instinctually and were way more powerful than normal beasts. Every few years, a beast tide would attack the countries of Primer. No one actually knew how big the Great Wilderness was. No one had ever explored it fully.

The Black Empire and the Angus Kingdom were uneasy allies. They didn't have great relations, but the Kingdom was basically its shield. The only thing in between the Great Wilderness and the Black Empire was the Angus Kingdom, so going to war would be disadvantageous for it. Meanwhile, the Angus Kingdom going to war with the Black Empire would most likely destroy it, as it would be split between fighting the Empire and defending from the beasts. So although the Black Empire and the Angus Kingdom were displeased with each other, neither of them would go to war unless something big happened.

On the other hand, the Firenda Kingdom was a great ally with the Angus Kingdom. They, too, had to worry about the adjacent Great Wilderness. Both Kingdoms' soldiers cooperated with each other, and it was common to see them mingling together, especially to defend against beast tides. Commerce between both was also profitable for both, as many resources that grew in the Angus Kingdom didn't grow in Firenda, and vice versa. All this made the relationship between both kingdoms flourish.