"I'M SO DAMN BORED!" Sami yelled out, pulling at his hair and glancing around the nearly empty library.
The few people in the library looked over at him as if he were crazy. Sami ignored them, leaning on the checkout counter. Samuel, though he went by Sami, was a young man of sixteen years old, on the cusp of adulthood yet still alone.
The majority of his childhood had been spent either learning about books or dreaming of new adventures. His grandfather, however, had deemed him unfit to train, so he only taught him the bare necessities to survive.
"Um, excuse me, I'd like to check this book out," an elderly man asked.
Breaking Sami out of his thoughts, he quickly got the man checked out. Not knowing how to start a conversation, he simply told the man to enjoy the book. The man quickly left, leaving Sami to his internal dread.
Some days, when it's slow like today, Sami's mind would drag up old memories of his life before being a librarian. Ironically, he was a farmer when he was younger, but that felt like a lifetime ago.
Suddenly Sami cried out , "I WISH I COULD JUST FINISH UP MY BOOK!" Pulling on his hair, not knowing what to do because he was so bored. He wanted to bring out the book he's been reading.
The only thing stopping him was the image of his boss's disapproving face flashing in his mind. Not wanting to deal with another lecture, Sami pumped himself up by slapping his face.
"I can do this! Boredom will not defeat me!" Sami shouted out loud.
"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO STUDY FOR CLASSES!" a voice screamed at him.
Sami nervously bowed. "I'm sorry, everyone, please go back to reading," he said, hoping no one would complain to his boss about his lack of ethics.
To keep himself busy, Sami began putting back books that were either left on tables or on the table next to his desk. Once that was done, he took a rag and began to wipe down shelves. Then he swept the floor, making sure to open some windows in case dust was kicked up.
Slow days like this, though, really made Sami want to be more social. Truth be told, since moving to this city, Sami preferred the company of silent words on a page compared to forcing human interaction.
The recent book he'd been reading was about the Magical Academy known as the Oryan Academy, named after the First King who left the throne. Though some said it wasn't true, and that magic doesn't exist.
It was interesting how it evolved into the training of the Holy Knights for the kingdom. If his grandfather knew he was reading about magic again, he'd be so angry. Always making sure to give him books that would teach him practical things.
Mercer, a gruff and stoic man, became Sami's guardian after the devastating loss of his parents. Sami understood, or at least he thought he did now, why his grandfather had been so protective.
Mercer had suffered the same devastating loss, and he was determined to shield Sami from further harm. He raised Sami in the safest way he knew, ensuring he was apprenticed to a librarian by the time he was twelve.
While a sense of contentment settled within him, an adventure was something he craved. Maybe if he decided to enroll as a knight, he might be able to make it into the academy. Though that was a long shot since he hasn't had any training.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he glanced around the library again, realizing that more people had walked in. Hopefully, time would go by fast with them asking for help or having a small conversation about the world.
The afternoon soon gave way to evening as he began to shut down the library. Since he'd been cleaning throughout the day, all he had to do was wipe down a couple of tables. He had already returned the majority of the books that were either returned or left with him. So he didn't have much to do until he was locking the door and walking away.
A sense of adventure, dormant for years, flowed through him as he decided to explore the nearby woods. It was a place he had often visited as a child, knowing it was safe, though he hadn't been there in a while since he'd been busy working.
Nature was beautiful as he looked around at the trees. The sun in the background, creating a peaceful scene as it began to set.
As Sami ventured deeper into the woods, following a winding trail that seemed to continue endlessly. He finally made it into his secret clearing. Sami remembered the first time he had found this clearing.
When he first arrived in Astrum after the invasion that took his parents, he had woken up terrified. Sami took off running, scared that if he stayed in bed, the people would come and kill him.
His grandfather was furious when he finally found him. Sami could still remember the lecture he had been given about why he shouldn't have run like that. That was also the only time he had ever seen his grandfather cry.
Since then, Mercer and Sami had built a small table and carved a seat into a fallen log. He'd come here to read, on the days when he wasn't busy with work. Not only would he read, but sometimes he'd use this time to feed some animals. Other times he would just meditate and enjoy the fresh air.
A shiver ran down Sami's spine as the sudden sound of a stick breaking came from behind him. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet, moving away from the noise in case it was a wolf or bear. He could use the table as a distraction before making his way out of the clearing.
Sami was surprised that instead of an animal, it was a girl. She looked to be around his age, who stumbled out of the bushes. Her messy, reddish curls stuck to her sweaty face.
Her armor was beat-up, rips in the armor showed her scraped skin. On the armor was a symbol he didn't recognize. Though it looked similar to the city guards he had seen patrolling. The sword in her hand was broken, but she held it tight. A line of blood ran down her arm.
"Um, miss, are you alright?" Sami stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
"Do I look alright?" she hissed, her voice raw with pain and anger. "Do you have a weapon? Anything?"
"Funny thing is," Sami said, holding up his empty hands, palms out, "I have. No weapons. Sorry. Just got off work at the library."
He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "How did you get injured?"
"You're a bit useless, aren't you?" She taunted Sami, ignoring his question. She walked quickly past him as he stood there in shock. "Come on, bookworm, best to follow me before something bad happens to you."
"Don't have to be such a bitch," Sami muttered under his breath as he began to walk quickly to catch up to the armored girl.
"What did you say, bookworm? I didn't quite catch that," she commented, sarcasm heavy in her voice.
Sami stumbled before catching his footing. "Haha, nothing, I didn't say anything at all." The warrior just glanced over her shoulder before speeding up her pace.
The silence felt awkward to Sami as he trailed behind the girl. He watched as she dropped the broken sword, and it just disappeared. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, so he decided to ignore it. Moving fast to keep up with the warrior, he was afraid of being left behind if he lagged too much.
"I suppose you can stop looking at my arse and introduce yourself, bookworm," she teased as she kept moving through the wooded path.
Sami blushed hard, breaking him from his thoughts. Luckily she wasn't able to see his face. "I... I'm Sami, um, short for Samuel," he stammered out.
"Sigh, geez, bookworm, don't be scared. My name is Lyra. A trainee at the academy for warriors," Lyra introduced herself in a soft tone.
"The academy, that's so cool! I've always wanted to experience being a warrior, but my grandfather said no" Sami stated in excitement.
Lyra shook her head sadly. "It's not all it's meant to be lately. The kingdom... sigh, I won't speak on it, bookworm. Sometimes adventures are just not what they're cracked up to be."
"I'm sorry," Sami said, his voice low. "I always dreamed of defending the Kingdom and finding out who murdered my family." His hand clenched in anger.
"Revenge," Lyra began, her voice low and thick with a pain that seemed to rise from deep within her. "Revenge is something one should never strive for. I've seen so many trainees, some young and some old."
She paused for a moment before continuing,"It's just one tactic the kingdom uses to recruit members. They take that raw anger, and they twist it. Using it to recruit people, to turn their personal vendettas into their service. Just be careful if people offer you free power .
Sami, not knowing what to say, just stayed quiet as the weight of the words began to settle in his mind. Realizing that maybe his grandfather saved him from an early grave if Lyra's statement was true.
Seconds turned to minutes as sweat began to grow on Sami's face as he trailed behind the warrior. A growing unease settled over Sami as he realized the warrior was heading in the wrong direction.
Gathering his courage, he stammered out, "Um, d-d-do you know the way to the city?"
The warrior continued her steady pace, ignoring the question as she kept her eyes straight ahead. For a moment, Sami wondered if she had even heard him over the crunch of their boots on the uneven terrain. The air crackled with unspoken tension.