Chapter 10 - Learning

The morning sunlight filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow over Seraphina's room and her body. She took a deep breath, feeling more refreshed than she had in years— her body slowly regaining the energy that had been lost to the eyes.

With a thought, she could bring up the knowledge she had read through in the mental space over the night— a sign that it wasn't a mere dream.

"So it wasn't a dream. This... this changes so much."

Her heart fluttered with excitement as a smile rose upon her warm face.

Today marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life— one where she had power.

But fantasizing about power would get her nowhere. She had to make the most out of it. Stretching her hand out, she rang the bell by her bedside, summoning Cella. 

The maid entered the room promptly, her expression a mixture of surprise and concern as she noticed Seraphina was already sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to arrive.

This was the second day in a row that the girl had woken up very early, and knowing her condition, such a thing shouldn't be possible.

"Good morning, Young Miss. How are you feeling today?"

Cella asked, and Seraphina could make out the voice laced with genuine curiosity.

"I'm feeling much better, Cella. Thank you for asking. I plan to visit the library again today; please help me prepare."

Seraphina replied, her tone holding a sense of confidence in it.

Cella was concerned about the wellbeing of her Miss, this being the second day in a row where she wished to do strenuous actions for her body— but she was merely a maid.

Nodding, she began preparing the clothing for the girl to change into.

"Of course, Miss. I'll assist you in getting ready."

With Cella's aid, Seraphine was able to easily change into a comfortable and suitable dress for a person such as herself. The process was still slow and painful; however, her body did not ache nearly as much as it had the day before.

She also no longer needed to take as many breaks.

Once dressed, Seraphina took a moment to steady herself and look at the mirror before her.

She could see that her body was visibly getting better. Before, her flesh was so thin that she looked like nothing more than skin and bone— but now she could see some texture returning to her body.

Her face even held a tint of red— a refreshing tint that added to her silky milk-like skin. Her eyes grew a deeper violet hue with each passing day.

"Cella, I want to explore the library more today. Can you help me move around?"

She explained her actions beforehand as she wanted to test the ability she had gained— she wanted to touch and skim through various books to see if they would be stored on the bookshelf.

Doing so would look rather strange and require the help of the maid to gather the books.

"As you wish, Miss."

Cella responded and guided the girl through the hallways with a steady hand toward the library. Once again, their trip was noticed by the servants working in the hall— but Seraphina paid them no mind anymore.

Upon entering the library, Seraphina was met with the familiar scent of old parchment and ink that filled the air and the sight of countless books lining the shelves before her eyes.

'This place just feels like home.'

She thought in her mind as she stepped in and made her way over to the nearest shelf as she walked.

She began by touching the various books on the shelf, running her hand along the spines as she passed them to see if they would later be registered in the mental space. History, politics, knights, geography, tales, and more.

She merely touched them for now as she wanted to do a test. She wanted to check out various books to various degrees and see just what book would be stored in her mind.

If the mind stored only books she had read, or if it stored books she had touched. She even wanted to know if it only stored books she had read and digested— she wanted to learn the details of this ability to make the most of it.

Cella watched her with a mix of curiosity and confusion, but she didn't speak up. She could notice the change in the girl's demeanor; it was palpable to someone who had been with her since she was young.

Not only was the girl acting more confident, but she also was more active. Before, she never cared to enter the library, even if she could— now she was here two days in a row.

Even someone who barely knew the girl would notice that change— and she had already made note of it.

A few minutes passed by, and Seraphina merely touched the spines of various books as she made her way through the library and finally stopped at her couch. She had finished the first step in her test, and now she needed to read through other books.

"Cella, help me gather books that record the various powers in this land. Knights, mages, and even cultivation, if you can find any. Any books at all, history, theories, even folklore."

Seraphina's goal for today was to get a better idea of the power systems this world had to offer. From the memories, she knew the most prevalent one on this land was the Knights; however, tales of Mages and even rarer Cultivators existed.

The Seraphina from before knew nothing of these things in detail, so she wanted to learn as much as she could before making a path to power for herself.

Cella paused when she heard the words of her Miss and thought for a moment before responding.

"There are a few books that cover those subjects, Miss. However, most of them would usually be kept in the main mansion; detailed ones would be restricted by the Head."

Seraphina frowned as she heard the girl's words, but she knew that something like that would happen. Detailed information pertaining to power would never be easily accessible; anything proper would be restricted.

Before she could say anything, the maid spoke once more.

"If you wish to gain access to them, you can ask your father, Miss. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Seraphina knew that, eventually, she would have to meet her parents; she just didn't want to meet them yet. With the combination of memories, she was no longer the same girl as before— she wouldn't be able to look at them the same.

And while she knew her father loved her very much, she didn't know how to be around them. She didn't know if he might find something strange with her.

She shook her head and decided to leave that until he came to her. He probably already knew of her recent activity, so it was only a matter of time before he came.

"Forget it; just collect all the information that can be found here for me. Any information is useful."

Cella did as she was ordered and left to fetch the books from the various shelves. Sera watched as the girl moved about from one side to another and picked up books.

Every now and then, she would bring over books and place them on the table before returning to gather more books. It seemed that there were various things mentioned throughout the library that fit her needs.

She was quite surprised by just how much they had— by the time the girl had finished, over 20 books laid before her carefully on the table.

"These are the books you requested, Miss. I hope they are of use to you. Is there anything else?"

Cella said respectfully, taking a step back and waiting for a new order.

"No, this will be fine."

Seraphina said as she gazed down at the table and stretched her hand to pick up the first book. She decided to start with the thickest one, a large leather-bound book with a black and green cover— with large white words written on it.

'Knighthood'

The name of the book caught her attention, and the words written on it felt like sharp carvings of a knife. It wasn't smooth but rather had sharp edges, drawing her in.

Opening the book, she was met with the thick scent of dust— it was clear that the book hadn't been opened in a very long time. The first page was filled with dense text written in black ink.

It was a page that seemed like a quotation from the author.

"The path of the Knight is the path of hardship."

Seraphina read the line out loud in a soft mutter as her eyes gazed over the thick words. Invested now, she turned the page to read more.