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41. Goodnight, Sleep Tight
🕑 Added 2024-01-07 14:00:09 +0000 UTCSudden paper flapping caught Oz’s ear. He turned to find a paper human fluttering out from Aisling’s pocket. She caught it, unfolding the paper, then frowned. Reluctantly, she looked between Oz and Linnea.
“What?” Oz asked. Another talisman? A note from her Master, maybe?
“Master Sachairi is calling me. I have to go,” Aisling said. She gave Linnea and Oz another reluctant glance, her eyes lingering on Oz’s. “You’ll be safe, right? She won’t hurt you?”
“No, no. I mean, I can eject her at a moment’s notice if she does anything stupid, so if anything, she’s the one in danger,” Oz said, waving his hand.
Aisling looked at Linnea.
“I’m not that hungry,” Linnea said.
Aisling stiffened. Her fists curled.
“Linnea, stop teasing her. Be serious,” Oz admonished her.
Linnea sighed. She lowered her head. “I’m not going to eat anyone. Since I arrived here in Aune, I haven’t eaten a single human. The same as you, Aisling, I haven’t needed to eat anything in a great time.”
“But when you cultivate—”
“If I cultivated a human-eating style, I’d be totally unable to advance while I was here, in the Mages’ Quarter, surrounded by humans and demon-killers. I’ve made small steps since I’ve arrived, haven’t I?” Linnea asked, crossing her arms.
Aisling hesitated. Her eyes burned with worry, fear flickering as she sent a glance toward Oz.
Oz smiled. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
Abruptly, she jumped into motion. Crossing to Oz, she pressed a small paper into his hand. Without having to look, he knew it was a talisman. “If you need me, send this. No matter what, I’ll be at your side in a flash.”
Oz nodded. Carefully, he tucked the talisman into his robes, placing it close to his heart. “Thank you, Aisling.”
With one last nod, she turned and left. Oz and Linnea stood alone in the library, Aisling’s retreating footsteps the only sound. The front door creaked open and clicked shut, and then there was complete silence.
Awkward. Where do I go from here? Oz scratched the back of his head, lost.
Softness wrapped around his ankles. A meow filtered upward.
“Sid! There you are.” Oz knelt and scooped her up, glad for the distraction. He scratched her ears, pressing his face into her soft fur. Ahh… so nice. After a stressful day, this is just what I need.
Sid mewed, struggling a little, but quickly settled back down with a tired huff.
Oz took a deep breath, then looked up out of Sid’s fur. “It’s getting late. I’m going to go ahead and turn in. You know about poisons, right?”
“Right,” Linnea confirmed.
“First thing in the morning, I’m going to try to break down that pill Professor Keane gave me. Meet me in the pill room then?”
Linnea snorted. “Sure.”
Oz lifted his arm. “If you need a place to sleep, the dor—”
“I’m familiar.”
“Oh. Well, then.” Awkward again, Oz glanced around. After a too-long pause, he shrugged. “See you in the morning, then.”
Wrapping his arms around Sid, he walked off, leaving Linnea to her own devices.
Left alone, Linnea gazed up at those books, towering off to infinity. Her nose wrinkled, and she stared down at the floor, kicking a dust bunny.
“What now?”
Squirming and scratching, Sid twisted free of Oz’s arms a few steps into the dormitory hallway. Oz grappled at her, biting back a second muttered question, but she jumped free and darted off into the darkness, running into his room ahead of him. At the door, she paused, looking expectantly over her shoulder at him.
“You didn’t need to…” Oz sighed. I was just about to carry you there.
Sid flicked her tail and mewed, waiting for him to catch up, but not for much longer.
“Coming, coming.”
Following Sid into his room, Oz found the calico perched on his bed, her tail high. As he approached, she lowered to a delicate sit, wrapping her tail around her paws.
“How dainty,” Oz complimented her. He sat beside her and scrubbed her ears. “What did you want me back here for, hmm?”
Sid bent over. She started heaving, her mouth wide open.
Oz lunged. “Not on the bed—”
A deep male voice issued from Sid’s throat. Oz paused, hands still reaching for her.
“—get into Ossian’s bed. It can’t be that hard, can it? For a slut like you. Just show him your tits and—”
Sid gulped, then sat back down, wrapping her tail around her again. She tilted her head and meowed at Oz.
“Right, I forgot. You can record voices.” Oz petted her head again, lost in thought. He grimaced, disgusted. That voice… Lif Lifsson. I’d recognize those slimy used car salesman tones anywhere. And if the voice is Lif, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out he’s probably talking to Linnea.
Huh. Explains why Linnea was so hellbent on seducing me, even after I made it clear that I wasn’t interested. Anger welled up in his chest, anger that Linnea had been treated so poorly, frustration that anyone would force someone else into such a position. Oz sighed and ran his hair back, and back, and back, forcibly suppressing his anger. It’s not my place to be angry. That’s Linnea’s battle to fight. But I’ll support her. Whatever she needs to get back at Lif, I’ll be there.
Lifting his hand off his head, he let the last few strands of hair fall, then collected it again and tied it more tightly.
Abruptly, he shook his head. “Fuck, Lif’s a bastard. If I see him again, I’m socking him a good one, and I don’t even care if I’m way less powerful than him.”
Oz pursed his lips. “At least Linnea’s in here, now. Lif can’t do anything to her in the Library. She doesn’t have to worry about him anymore.”
Sid looked at him.
“What?”
She stood up and nudged his hand, rubbing her head on it.
“Oh, right. How could I forget about my most important duty?” Snorting, Oz went back to petting her.
Lifting his legs onto the bed, he settled into a cross-legged pose and focused, calling out to the library. The books resonated with him, especially the ones he’d scanned.
I can read the books I’ve scanned at any time, and even now, I’m reading a pill book on the backburner. Likewise, as long as I’ve scanned the book or organized it, I can call the physical copy to me. But what about the ones I haven’t scanned or organized? Is it possible to call them to my side? Or is interacting with the books a prerequisite to calling them?
He called out to the books. A resonance called back, warm and comforting, a familiar blue light that stood out in the darkness all around him. The light grew brighter and brighter, and suddenly he stood in a dark, vast space. Darkness stretched to infinity above him and around on all sides, except to his feet before him. Stretching out ahead of him, a vast sea of blue qi sloshed, slowly swirling in the darkness. The same familiar aura of the books emanated from the sea. He turned. A little to the left, off along the shore of the vast sea, a small blot of an unfamiliar dark red lurked.
I’m seeing qi, but further and in more clarity than I ever have before. Interesting. Why? Oz paused for a moment, then shrugged. I’ll make the most of it while I’m here. No point looking a gift horse in the mouth.
He focused on the dark red. It burned low, barely visible compared to the incredible glow of the sea. An uncomfortable, squishy feeling emanated from it. He poked at it, and it whirled, suddenly glowing brighter. Red qi, near the books… That’s probably Linnea.
Turning away, Oz kneeled, brushing across the surface of the blue sea. Scraps of information floated to the surface of his mind as he touched it, bits and pieces he instantly recognized. All the books I’ve scanned and organized… already, there’s so many of them. He stood again, taking the light in as a whole. It flowed through the library, brightest in the organized shelves, dimming where he hadn’t organized yet.
The resonance hummed, calling him. Thousands of books, glowing with blue qi, swirling in perfect harmony. Oz took a deep breath, looking it over. If I want to commune with the books, this is the obvious place to start.
He stepped forward. His foot sunk into the sea, the sea swirling around his leg. He walked into it, the blue qi swirling around him, warming his body. Exerting his own qi, he kept the blue qi outside himself and slowly walked deeper. The qi closed over his head. His feet barely swept the ground.
He looked around. Blue qi swirled all around him. Bits and pieces of knowledge flickered past, visible one moment, swallowed up by the sea the next. He lifted his hand, touching one of the pieces, and an entire page of a book flowed into his mind.
Oz laughed. “Whoa!”
His feet left the ground. Oz pushed at the qi, backpedalling toward the ground. Let’s not go too far. I—
A current gripped his body and yanked him out into the sea. Startled, Oz kicked, fighting it, but the current sucked him down faster than he could swim against it. The sensations of his body faded, leaving him empty, shapeless.
Oz looked down at himself. The current of qi dragged at his body, and it dissolved away. His toes, legs, body, all of them dissolving into tiny flecks of qi that vanished into the ocean. He screamed, startled, as he fell apart down to a tiny mote of blue qi. Holy shit, holy shit, it hurts, it—it doesn’t hurt?
Floating along, he smacked his lips, or tried to. A vague sense of dread swirled in what had been the pit of his stomach moments ago. He gripped at what little qi remained of his form, holding it close with all his might. It eroded, but slowly, the majority sticking near his form. It might not hurt, but, uh, this doesn’t look good. You know what? I think it’s time to wake up and go back to my body.
Nothing happened.
Time to… wake up! Oz tried to pinch himself, but he had no fingers. Dread simmered, growing to fear. His heart shuddered, qi trembling. The qi currents dragged him down, pulling him deeper into the qi. Swallowing, he forced back the fear with an attempted shake of his head. He smiled to himself. Okay, this was cool, but that’s enough. Let’s go ba—
A wave of thicker, denser blue qi rose up in the midst of the blue qi. Oz stared at it, eyes wide, then turned, wiggling as fast as he could. To no avail. The shadow loomed over him, swallowing him, passing him by. He struggled faster, and made no progress. Shit, shit, shit!
The wave crashed over him. His last defenses collapsed, and the blue qi poured in.
Titles. Words. Images. Thousands of books swirled through his mind, the softness of their paper, the smell of their bindings, the sound of their pages. Information blasted into him, a thousand voices talking all at once, book after book pounding into his mind.
Stop! I can’t take any more! STOP!
Oz tried to pull away, but the books gripped him. They sucked him down, deadly as an undertow. He kicked and fought, pulling with all his might, then exerted his qi, circulating what little he had. Spinning it at top speed, he shot back toward his body.
The surface glimmered, silvery underside calling him. Oz swam faster, calling out the last scraps of his power. Just—a little more—
He brushed the surface. Cool air touched his qi. His eyes widened. Yes!
His qi form trembled. The last of the power in his small form burned out, and he sagged back down. Desperate, Oz grabbed at the surface, trying to keep himself up, but his hands sank through the immaterial qi. Currents dragged at his form, pulling it down once more. He fell into the ocean, down, down, down. Pressure gripped at him, tightening all around him. As he fell, his awareness flickered like a dying lightbulb, overwhelmed by the power all around him.
Heat burned from his forehead. He coughed, and blood leaked down his chin. Veins stood out on his forehead and neck, his body straining to contain the information. All his muscles tensed, body going rigid while his jaw slackened. Sweat dripped down his back. The books sang in his mind, the pure, sweet information swallowing him whole. He sank down into the sea of knowledge, and it washed his self away. His nose and ears bled, and tears of blood dripped from his eyes. His veins throbbed, on the verge of bursting open, and his face reddened.
In his lap, Sid stood on her hind legs and batted at his face. Oz’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t awaken.
She mewed loudly. Seeing him not reply, she ran out into the hallway and mewed again, and again, and again, louder and more insistent with each passing moment.
The door to the dorms creaked open. “What is it? In heat? There’s no tom cats in here,” Linnea snapped, annoyed.
Sid turned around and ran toward Oz’s room, then paused and turned back, mewing at Linnea again.
“What?” Frowning, Linnea followed her into Oz’s room. “This better be—”
She jolted to a halt, eyes wide.
Blood ran down Oz’s face, flowing from every orifice. His body trembled, his skin discolored, his veins standing out. His eyes rolled back in his head, and his jaw hung open.
“Fuck,” Linnea muttered, frozen in the doorway. He’s overloaded. Taken on too much qi. He’s running headlong into a qi deviation, and there isn’t much time left. I have to vent some of this qi!
Jolting back to life, she ran to Oz’s side and lifted her hand, then hesitated. Her hand hovered over his chest.
Linnea shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” She slammed her hand into his chest, closing her own eyes. Calling out to the qi inside him, she drew off the excess, pulling what his body couldn’t handle into her own, passing it through her body, then venting it out her other hand.
“Oz! Wake up!” she shouted, frustrated. What did he even do to end up like this?
Deep in the ocean, book after book surged into Oz’s mind. Qi surged through his body, rioting in his qi passages. His heart thumped, beating fast.
At the bottom of the mass of knowledge, a small, shapeless form laid. Battered by the currents and dragged along the floor, it clung to the last scraps of its shape. Nameless, knowing nothing, and yet knowing everything, the form shuddered, on the verge of breaking apart entirely.
A faint sound caught its ear. The form twitched. It looked around. With effort, it lifted off the bottom of the sea.
“Oh. So you made it here.”
Startled, the form whipped around. It froze, then slowly gazed up at the person before it. A tiny mouth opened in its shapelessness.
“No. It’s too early for you. Hurry back. I’ll wait.”
“Oz!”
The form looked over its shoulder, then back at the person, only to find itself alone.
“Oz, can you hear me? Hurry!”
It turned again. Linnea.
Wait, that’s Linnea! She has to be next to my body. Follow her voice! Oz leaped off the bottom and flew toward Linnea’s voice, fighting through the currents with all his might. Even then, he could barely move, caught in the sea’s power. He frowned. Even with her help, I can’t fight this power! Something, anything!
A thin spider’s thread twisted on the sea, dancing with the sway of the knowledge. Oz flew toward it, using his last scraps of qi to latch on. He gave the thread one small pull. I’m here. Bring me back!
The thread flew through the ocean. Oz gripped it grimly. If I let go, that’s it. I die out here.
Water battered him. Pages brushed his hands, loosening his grip on the thread. He gritted his teeth, holding on for dear life. Come on… come on!
Darkness caught his eye. Oz turned, frowning. Off in the distance, a patch of dark water swirled, separate from the rest of the ocean. His eyes widened. I wonder—
Silver rushed up. Stiff as a book cover, it smashed into him, and then he was through, and flying through the air on the other side. His body called out to him, and he called out to it. With a smash, he landed back in his body.
Pain assaulted him. Every inch hurt, inside and out. Warm water covered his face. He shakily raised a hand to wipe it away and found his hand covered in blood. Oz’s eyes widened. “What the fuck?”
Linnea stood over him, a hand on his chest. She pushed him back and glared at him. “What were you thinking?”
“Er, I don’t know,” Oz said. I wasn’t really thinking anything. I just wanted to try calling a book I hadn’t synchronized with…
“You don’t know? You’re telling me you accidentally sent your soul out of your body at first realm? That’s deadly on its own, but then plunging yourself into a mass of qi… what were you doing?”
Oz bit his lip. He glanced up at Linnea. “Would you believe me that it was all a big accident?”
“You don’t accidentally send your soul out of your body. People train for years to accomplish that, and that’s after they hit fifth realm!” Linnea snapped.
Oz opened his mouth, then shut it. Is that what I did? Huh.
Wait, hold on. Soul out of my body… but this isn’t my body. Is that it? Is that what’s happening? This body rejects my soul… or isn’t fully synchronized with it, or something, so it’s easy to eject my soul.
That’s not a great situation to be in. Even to someone like me who barely knows magic, that sounds crazy dangerous. I don’t know, but…
No. Wait. I… I know that.
Linnea’s right. I shouldn’t be able to eject my soul at this level. Not unless someone cast a spell on me, or poisoned me, or… or a summoning, a summoning can do it. I… He frowned, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I know that? How do I…”
“Huh?” Linnea asked.
Oz looked up at her. Blood began dripping from his eyes again as he laughed, unaware of it. “I know so much. I absorbed the library. No… not all of it. But so much. So much of it. I—”
Linnea put her hand on his forehead and forcibly pushed him onto his back. “Sleep. Don’t think. Don’t talk. Just sleep. You’ve caused great damage to your mind and soul with that stunt. If you keep thinking about what just happened, your brain might burst.”
“Oh. That sounds bad.”
“It is bad.”
Oz swallowed. His eyes drifted shut. “Linnea…”
“Go to sleep already.”
“Thank you.”
She paused. A snort escaped her nose. “Remember this later, when you’re the all-powerful Librarian.”
The door shut. Oz fell into darkness.
“Right,” he murmured, and closed his eyes.
