A whisper brushed Sami's ear. "Very soon, your life will be in danger, my heir."
Sami jumped, his book slipping from his grasp. He glanced around the library, yet he didn't see anyone suspicious.
A chill went down his spine, but he pushed away the feeling. His hand hovered over the book, but his urge to read was gone; instead, he turned his head to look out the window. 'Such a beautiful day to be stuck inside.'
The window began to warp; an image appeared of a woman with red hair holding a broken sword, with spots of blood on her armor.
She appeared to be running away from something, the look of fear strong on her face.
He thought he saw something big, scaly behind her but the image was unclear, the world around her dark.
"Excuse me, can I get some help here?" a man's voice yelled out, snapping his fingers to get Sami's attention.
Sami pulled his gaze away from the window to the man standing in front of him. His cheeks grew warm with embarrassment; he apologized and hurriedly checked the man out.
The man left in a huff shortly after.
Sami let out a groan and put his head on the counter. "What the heck is going on with me today?" he muttered
Sami lifted his head and took one last glance at the window, but the image from earlier had disappeared.
'It was just a weird vision brought on by boredom,' he tried to convince himself, while starting the chores around the library.
His first task was restocking the books; wiping his hands off with a smile on his face, he stepped back from the shelves.
BANG!
The books he had just stocked had fallen off the shelf.
"I really need a break", Sami muttered to himself as he moved to restock the books.
The afternoon soon gave way to evening, with Sami flipping the sign to close and locking the library door behind him.
He quickly made his way into the forest, the tension throughout the idea slightly. After about ten minutes into the trail the trees finally opened up to a sunset shining upon animals that grazed quietly.
Sami walked forward with a small smile on his face as he ran his hand over the table and chair in the center of the clearing.
A shiver ran down Sami's spine, the sudden sound of a stick breaking alerted him to something coming from behind.
He pulled his knife out of his boot; he slowly backed away from the bushes, using the table as an extra defense in case it was a wild animal.
Instead of an animal, he saw a girl who looked to be around his age stumble out of the bushes. The biggest shock was the fact that the girl looked familiar.
Her messy, reddish curls stuck to her sweaty face. Her armor's damage allowed him to see some scars she carried.
Despite the sword in her hand being broken, she held it tight; a line of blood ran down her arm.
Even through the sweat, Sami still found her beautiful.
He felt his cheeks warm as he looked into her eyes. 'Wait, wasn't this the girl from the image I saw in the window earlier?!'
Sami's stomach tightened. Taking a deep breath, he tried to approach her. "U-um, miss, are you alright?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. 'Smooth, very smooth, now she'll think I'm so cowardly.'
"Do I look alright?" Her eyes narrowed on the small blade, letting out snort. "Might as well put that knife away, not like it'll stop me if I wanted to hurt you."
Shaken by her words, he quickly put his knife away.
The warrior sucked on her teeth in annoyance and brushed past him. "Best to follow me, bookworm, lest something bad happens to you." She commented.
"No wonder she is by herself with such an ugly attitude", He muttered under his breath, moving to follow.
"What did you say, bookworm? I didn't quite catch that," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm
Sami stumbled before catching his footing. "Haha, I said nothing at all!"
The warrior glanced over her shoulder before speeding up her pace.
"So why are you calling me bookworm?"
The warrior shrugged, "I don't know, you just seem like one of those types who reads a lot."
He chuckled awkwardly. "I actually work at a library, so I'm around books all the time, haha."
The warrior let out a snort.
Sami watched as she dropped the broken sword; his eyes opened wide when it disappeared in a golden light when it touched the ground.
Sami glanced at the warrior, now empty-handed, and back at the ground.
Sami looked back up and realized the warrior got ahead of him. 'What the hell was that?' His mind wandered if it was just a trick of the light, or even if she held a sword in her hand.
Sami shuddered after catching up to the warrior; he did not want to meet any random creatures on his own, no thank you.
"I suppose you can stop looking at my arse and introduce yourself, bookworm," she teased, breaking the silence
"I-i wasn't, my name is Sami... short for Samuel"
"Geez, bookworm, you don't need to be scared. My name is Lyra. I'm attending the Oryan Academy as a knight in training."
His head popped up with excitement. "Oryan Academy, really? I always dreamed of attending.
"The academy isn't worth idealizing. stated Lyra, her voice low and thick with a pain that seemed to rise from deep within her.
Sami, not knowing what to say, stayed quiet, thinking over her words. He hadn't really interacted with too many nobles, having worked in the library.
Walking in silence, time soon passed; the sun got lower in the sky as while the darkness grew
A growing unease settled over Sami as he realized they were heading in the wrong direction. He stammered out, "Um, w-we are going the wrong way!"
The warrior continued her steady pace, ignoring him.
For a moment, he wondered if she had even heard him over the crunch of their boots on the uneven terrain.
The air crackled with unspoken tension.
He went to open his mouth again when she paused mid-step.
Lyra turned slowly to look at him.
The sun cast a long shadow across her face, making it hard to see her, yet he could feel her gaze on him.
"I'm leading us as far away from the city as possible," Lyra whispered, her voice turning sad. "The monster that attacked my team is still following me."
"M-Monster?" Sami stammered, his brain trying to catch up to the implications of something like that could exist.
Lyra's face was full of confusion as she stared at Sami. "Monster?" she repeated, her voice laced with genuine confusion. "Have you not heard of the increased attacks happening in cities?"
"I haven't heard of any recent attacks," his voice shaking as he tried to stay calm. "Maybe a while ago we dealt with a bandit raid, but that was it."
She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to decipher a strange puzzle. "W-where are you from?" Her eyes scanned his simple clothing, his wide, bewildered expression.
"I-I live in the city called Astrum."
Lyra shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips, she opened her mouth to speak, but a loud sound ripped through the air, cutting off her words.
ROAR
The loud noise sent vibrations through Sami's body.
The ground shook violently beneath their feet.
"The monster that's been chasing me is called a Gbahali. It is a large, reptile-like monster with very sharp claws," she growled, her voice tight with urgency.
Lyra forced Sami behind her, taking a protective stance in front of him. "Promise me, bookworm, if you see a chance to leave me, take it. I'll hold the monster back for as long as I can."
Sami couldn't speak. He nodded, his body trembling.
Soon a blur passed by, a sharp gleam in the dark reflected the moonlight.
Lyra stepped forward, deflecting the attack; a sword flashing into previously empty hands.
The Gbahali's claws slashed the ground, creating a giant gash.
His heart beat rapidly, his breathing shallow, fast as he took as much of the fight as he could. "They're moving so fast, is she truly only a knight in training?"
With the Gbahali, now standing still, Sami could take in the monstrous form.
It was tall, easily twice the height of Lyra, with red eyes that burned with anger.
Its long arms ended in claws that resembled small blades, and its teeth were pointy with meat and metal still stuck in them. Its body was made up of green scales that reflected the moonlight.
The creature moved with surprising speed for its size, a blur of motion at them once again.
Lyra didn't hesitate.
With a fierce cry, she shoved Sami backward once again, sending him stumbling before falling on his butt.