The Librarian

Blaze tapped on Leus' shoulder and pushed him forward

Leus understood the remark and introduced himself to the man

"Hello Sir, I'm Leus Inferno"

The Librarian keenly eyed Leus up and down without saying anything

Leus tilted his head in confusion

'What's wrong with this old man?'

After a bout of silence, Leus spoke again

"This is my father, Blaze Inferno, Sir"

After fixating his eyes on Leus' eyes and hair for sometime, The man turned spoke in a flat tone

"How old?"

"Excuse me?"

"How old?"

" ... I'm two years old, Sir"

The man turned around and looked at Blaze for confirmation, And Blaze nodded at him

After Blaze confirmed Leus' age the man's lips curled upwards forming a wicked smile, But before he could say anything Blaze stepped forward

"What do you think, Arno?"

Arno's expression returned to normal and he replied in a neutral tone

"I don't know, I have never seen it before"

Blaze was disappointed to hear that, But Arno quickly added

"He will eventually find out on his own, Affinity is not what matters now"

He looked at Leus again and continued in a tone he rarely shows, An interested one

"He is only two years old and he's already a Soldier, That's more important"

Hearing that improved Blaze's mood a bit, So he asked

"What do you suggest, Arno?"

Arno didn't remove his eyes from Leus and asked

"Leus you said, Right?"

Leus nodded

"Yes sir, Leus inferno"

"What brought you here today, Leus?"

Leus turned around to Blaze, But Blaze didn't speak, So Leus continued

"I asked Dad for a map of the world, And he said that he'll buy me The Archivist's Atlas and brought me here"

"You know how to read, Leus?"

"Yes, I do"

After hearing that, Arno pondered about something for a while then asked in a serious tone

"Leus, Do you want to be my Apprentice?"

The sudden question took Leus by surprise, Once again, He looked at Blaze for help

This time Blaze spoke

"Decide for yourself, Leus"

Leus sighed

'What kind of a troublesome situation is this'

Arno noticed the hesitation and confusion in Leus' eyes, So he spoke

"If you become my Apprentice, I can guarantee that you will become an Elite Mage"

Leus was still not convinced

'Sounds too good, Like making a deal with the devil ... What will I have to do in return?'

He asked Arno

"What are the requirements?"

Hearing that, Arno smirked

'He's indeed a clever one'

Arno spoke neutrally

"It's simple, I'll give you a book, If you master all the spells in it within two years, I will accept you as my apprentice, If you don't, then my offer is revoked and you must return the book"

Leus liked the offer

'Two whole years of time and I won't have to do anything other than continuing my training, Sounds pretty good'

'It's better than doing nothing productive at home, Maybe I'll learn some cool spells'

He nodded to Arno

"I accept"

Hearing that, The smile on Arno's face disappeared and he went back to his flat tone

"It seems that we've come to an agreement"

Normally, Arno would ask them to go pick their book on their own and pay for it on the other end of the Library and not bother him with their minuscule matters, But this time, He wanted to leave an impression on his soon-to-be apprentice

Arno aimed his right hand to the side and a small wave of water extended out of his palm toward one of the shelves, The wave pushed one of the books down and it landed on top of the wave and then brought it to Arno's desk

Blaze knew exactly why Arno was doing that

'Magicians and their fancy tricks, Trying to impress Leus ...'

But he didn't say anything about it, He only snickered

He gave the book to Leus and said to Blaze

"That'd be one gold coin, Pay it on the other side"

Leus was surprised to hear the price

'One Gold coin? For a book? ... Why so expensive?'

Blaze went and paid the gold coin, And while he was doing that, Arno took out a book that had a blue cover and handed it to Leus along with the Archivist's Atlas

"Remember, If you don't master it within two years, Then you must return it

"I understand"

After that, Leus and Blaze left the Library

Arno looked at Leus' departing back and thought to himself

'Who knows ... Perhaps, The future is not so dark'

After they were out of the Library Blaze looked at Leus and asked

"What are you planning to do?"

Leus was enthusiastic

"I'll try it, I'm interested in learning new things, First, I'll check the Atlas, After that, I'll focus on The Librarian's book"

Blaze nodded

"Sounds good, Let's go home ... It's already late"

But then Leus remembered something and asked

"Dad, What was it that you were talking about with Arno at the beginning?"

"I was asking him about your Affinity, That's why many people look at you, It's your purple hair color"

"My hair?"

"Yes, Your purple hair

It should indicate your affinity, But I don't know what is it, And even Arno doesn't, It seems to be a very rare affinity, As Arno said, You must find it on your own"

"How will I do that?"

Blaze awkwardly smiled, He didn't expect that question

He scratched the back of his neck

"I have absolutely no idea, But hey, If you become Leus' apprentice, He will probably teach you a method or another"

Seeing Blaze's embarrassment Leus felt amused

'He looks kinda funny'

But he didn't show anything and replied cheerfully

"I see, Thank you, Dad, Let us go home"

It was almost dark, But instead of going home directly Blaze took Leus around and bought a couple of sweets for the family, Then they went home

At the same time, In The Northern Continent, A significant event was about to take place.