Library | Part 2

Callista flipped through the spell and magic books but couldn't find the right one that could help her.

She sat there helplessly in the empty library. "Watchu doing?" she almost jumped from shock when Ivan suddenly appeared "I was looking for something" she said with a smile.

"Looking for what?" she pursed her lips as she stared at his face. It was obvious that he won't stop asking unless she answered.

"I'm looking for a magic book. There's something I'm curious about" she said and Ivan sat beside her without her permission.

"Hm? What are you curious about?" he asked while looking at her.

Callista couldn't help but feel annoyed "I came from a faraway place and I've lived in the forest for so many years with my Grandmother before she died." she said and fiddled with her fingers.

"Oh, sorry for asking. But why did you attend the University?" Ivan asked, his tone soften "Because she wanted me to" she smiled and sighed.

"So I don't know much about this place yet" she added "Is that so?" Ivan hummed before thinking "Then I can tell you" he smiled so Callista looked at him.

"Really?" she asked so Ivan nodded with a smile "So what are you curious about?" he chirped "I'm curious about this Kingdom" Ivan nodded in understanding.

"Okay then." he said and cleared his throat "As you know, this is the Kingdom of Ashia and we are influenced by the church. That's why the Royal Family has a big amount of Holy Magic that was granted to them by the Gods. A characteristic of a royalty is white hair" he said so Callista had her eyed widen.

"Then Anastasia is.." Ivan nodded before she could even finish "That's right! She is the Princess of this Kingdom and Empire and the only heir at that" he said so Callista hesitated.

"Then I must be rude to her for not addressing her correctly" she said so Ivan waved his hand "That's okay. Ana doesn't want to be addressed as royalty here in the Academy" he said so Callista nodded in understanding.

"Then if Anastasia is the Princess then how about Ignis?" she asked curiously "Well, Ignis is the son of the Duke. He is the only child so he is also the only heir." Callista nodded again making Ivan smile.

"So, Ashia Kingdom is the leading Kingdom between the three. The Ellios Kingdom, the Kingdom of alchemy and witchcraft. The Welton Kingdom, the home of the brave. The Aelis Kingdom, the home of trade and business, its mostly where you can earn money fast." Ivan explained

"That's cool. But if your close to the Princess- I mean, Ana, then what family are you from?" Ivan had a grin from her question.

"Me? I'm a direct descendant of the Grand Mage and Denovan is the son of the Head of the Sacred Templars" he said so Callista was speechless for a second.

"So you're the son of the Grand Mage?" she asked so Ivan nodded happily "But you suck at witchcraft?" Ivan momentarily froze at her words.

"W-Where did you hear that from!?" he said and crossed his arms "And it's not as if I suck at it" he mumbled with a pout so Callista smiled.

"It's okay. Witchcraft is hard than Spell Casting and just because you're the son of the Grand Mage doesn't mean you have to be good at magic too" she said and Ivan gulped before smiling again.

"You're right! You're the only one who understands me, Callista" he said and suddenly gave her a big hug that made her eyes widen.

"It's great that I made you feel better but I have to go now before I miss role call" she said and patted his back, a sign that he should let her go.

"Okay" he said and pulled away from the hug "Should I walk you to your dorm?" he asked with a weird smile on his face.

"No, I'll be fine." she said and stood up "Okay. Get back safely." he waved her goodbye but something about his smile made her feel uneasy so she awkwardly waved back before leaving the library.

****

When the roll call has finished, she sat in the bed while staring at nothing. It has been two days since she arrived at the Academy and yet she still couldn't find a way to bring her back.

While Ivan turned behind him when he doesn't see Callista's back anymore "What do you think? Do you think she's telling the truth?" he asked so Ignis crossed his arms.

"She had lived in the forest for many years without knowing anything about the Kingdom she belonged to. Do you think that's believable?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. Ignis gave no reply.

"That's a no then." Ivan said with his usual grin as if he was enjoying every moment "But it's also possible that she's saying the truth" Ignis added so Ivan tilted his head.

"Why do you say so?" he asked "It's not a mystery in the Kingdom that some parents shut their children out of the world. But whether that is true or false is unknown" he explained

"Then do we proceed with our plan?" Ivan asked so Ignis nodded "It's better safe than sorry" Ivan nodded in contentment, obviously happy with his decision.

"Then I and Denovan will get ready." Ivan said and stood up "Be careful. There's something suspicious with that girl." Ignis said so Ivan leaned forward to him.

"Oh? But it's obvious that you're interested in her just by judging on how you look at her sometimes." Ivan said and studied Ignis's face but didn't get anything.

"It's human nature to look when something is pretty" he bluntly said making Ivan sigh "I hate how you can be so straightforward. Can't you at least act as if you are flustered?" Ivan said while shaking his head.

"How do you become flustered?" Ivan looked at him with wide eyes at his question "Are you serious!? You are joking right Ignis?" he asked and harshly shook Ignis's shoulders as if getting answers.

"Do I look like I'm joking Ivan? And will you stop that?" he said and pushed Ivan away from him with the click of his tongue.

"I can't believe you. Are you even human? How come you can't even get flustered?" Ivan said and looked at Ignis as if there was something wrong with him before shaking his head.

"What do I even expect from you? Even when we were kids you were always like that" he huffed "It's none of your business whether I get flustered or not" Ignis answered and sighed.

"Just focus on the task I gave you." he said and sent Ivan a glare "Yeah, yeah. Whatever" Ivan waved goodbye without even turning to Ignis as he disappeared in thin air.