The usually quiet library felt somewhat rowdy today. Perhaps it was because of the influx of students about to choose their magic. Although everyone spoke in hushed tones, the noisy chatter still made Li Yue’s head throb with fatigue.
She wore a black overcoat, and everything from her shoes to her inner lining was pure black. Even her scarf was an alternating pattern of black and white. Since Clo had gone out this morning and Li Yue felt a bit better, she had changed into the clothes in the wardrobe to attend the academy’s ceremony. Today, all students were to choose their magic for the first time.
Her hair was as pale as ever, but due to her illness, her cheeks were flushed with a faint crimson. Her temperament seemed slightly different from usual—appearing more human, perhaps even a bit more lively—yet a faint sadness always lingered in the depths of her eyes, and her unintentional movements carried a sense of sickly frailty.
She looked at the books on the shelves and the ones fluttering their pages like wings as they flew through the air, momentarily unsure of what to do. The magic book that belonged to her own magic was likely still kept in some cathedral within the Royal Court, guarded by layer upon layer of security.
Thinking of this, she found it strangely amusing. Her exploration of her own magic was exactly as she had imagined it; it seemed she could use it however she wished. After all, magic was a product of imagination. Whether she actually needed that magic book now didn't seem important anymore.
However, she hadn't actually channeled any blood magic yet. Those powers seemed to be hidden away within the God's remains. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing; at least it gave her a chance to choose her own magic anew.
She didn't plan on choosing a combat spell. Not being proficient in that area would save her a lot of trouble. Choosing a support type magic would spare her from many headaches.
“Classmate, I am truly sorry... Your injury now...” A girl with short black hair stood beside Li Yue. Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of sadness and resentment.
“I am fine now. Aside from the illness, everything is well.” Li Yue glanced at the girl’s wrist, which bore a black, handcuff-like bracelet. It appeared to be another artifact used to suppress God's remains.
“I am truly sorry...”
“It is a minor injury.”
“Everyone, stop chatting. Calm your minds and feel your connection to magic. Sense your own resonance with it.” Black’s voice seemed to carry a trace of magical power. Under his words, the students’ restless moods gradually settled.
Hearing this, the girl immediately shut her mouth like a startled rabbit. She seemed to have a faint, lingering fear of Black’s Chants. Li Yue didn't know what had happened afterward, but she assumed the girl's God's remains had been bound by the Chants, and the resulting fear had affected her.
An elderly man wearing glasses stepped out from a corner. With a casual wave of his hand, the books in the library seemed to be released from their restraints, drifting up to float within the massive hall.
Between the rows of bookshelves, magic books of all colors rose into the air, each emitting a different aura and intensity of magic.
Li Yue sighed. She closed her eyes and quietly sensed the various magics throughout the room. In her consciousness, these magic books seemed to take on their own colors as they drifted slowly through the air.
Most magic originated from gods who had died long ago, and most of them had been slain by her own hand. Though they were dead, a god did not truly vanish so easily.
Thus, Li Yue could feel waves of hostility emanating from most of the magic books. It made her feel quite awkward—a meeting of old enemies, so to speak...
She let out a soft sigh as the sky full of magic books slowly descended into the hands of the surrounding students. Their faces were bright with excitement as they compared the strength of their spells. Li Yue remained silent, passing the time. As long as no curses or dark forbidden magics came flying at her, she considered it a victory. She would just pick a simple magic book later.
For instance, the kind that could instantly style hair or tidy up a room... Those things were what really mattered now.
She stood there dazing until Clo, having finished her lecture, arrived at the hall. Clo stood beside Black and nodded toward the librarian before focusing her gaze on Li Yue. She looked over Li Yue’s outfit and pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.
The clothes she had helped her customize were indeed too dark. Combined with her aura, it felt as if I had already passed away... She carried such a heavy air of widowhood, as if she were a woman from a neighborhood where every single husband had died.
Li Yue waited, feeling somewhat bored. She caught sight of Clo and felt a flicker of confusion in her eyes, but she didn't have much time to think. In the next moment, a magic book flew into her hand. It was an old, worn-out book with many damaged pages.
“This is...” The elderly librarian standing not far away stood up. He set down his teacup, his expression becoming uncharacteristically serious.
“Time Loop?” Li Yue brushed the dust off the cover. Although people always tended to the books here, it seemed a few had slipped through the cracks.
She looked at the cover. Aside from the name of the magic written in obscure and difficult terms, there were no other descriptions. It looked extremely simple.
“Manifestation? Cycle?” Li Yue flipped through two of the spells. They didn't seem to be direct combat spells, which suited her requirements perfectly.
She tucked the magic book away and stood to the side, watching the other students still picking theirs. Her expression remained neutral. She sneezed, perhaps from inhaling dust, and felt a sudden wave of dizziness and discomfort. However, after just a few seconds, the abnormal sensations vanished.
She registered the magic book and, under Professor Black’s guidance, walked out of the library doors. On the back of the magic book, a circular magic circle flashed briefly—it looked like an ouroboros.
Inside the library, the elderly librarian remained silent. He glanced at Black, who quickly walked over along with Clo.
“What is the deal with that magic book?”
“That is a magic evolved from the ‘authority’ of an unknown god.”
“What authority?”
“Time Loop... It wasn't the ‘Time’ related to me?” Clo frowned. She paused to think for a moment as flashes of memory began to sting her mind. Memories sealed away by ‘fate’ seemed to surge up at this moment.
“It is ‘Eternity and Cycles’...” the old man exhaled slowly.
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