The Tales of the Shadows

3. A Blue Spark

Silence surrounded the thin, dark girl while her curious eyes carefully comprehended each word of the thick, old book. It was something she had read countless times, just like most of the books in the library, but it never ceased to interest her.

"Trina! What're you reading today?"

The girl jerked her head, startled by the loud but friendly voice. She gave a small smile as she turned her head towards a slender man, who walked towards her with an abnormally large grin, supporting his head as he folded his arms behind it with a laid back expression on his face. His casual hair, the shade of a deep purple was something that amused her, but it had grown to become her favourite colour.

The librarian glared at the man who smiled apologetically in return, now quickening his pace. Trina slightly shook her head as she closed the book, keeping one finger on the page she read.

"Nothing much, sir. Just reading a book about the 'blood' of Shadow Beings."

"Oi. Don't call me sir. And what're you reading about our blood for?"

"What else should I call you, then?" Trina asked, keeping his second question aside for the moment. She preferred to address each matter separately.

"My name. Zeno."

Trina blinked twice, though she had expected nothing less from her mentor.

"Sir, you're thirty-two, and I'm twelve. I don't think it would be respectable for me to address you by your name."

"You're speaking formally on purpose, aren't you," Zeno murmured while slightly gritting his teeth, faking a smile. Trina only gave him an innocently confused expression at which he turned his head away immediately, shaking it furiously.

Trina giggled, breaking her serious demeanour, causing a satisfied smile to come on Zeno's face. He gave Trina a hard pat on her head, and she flinched with a nervous smile, looking at his light, blue eyes with fondness. They seemed to reflect a bright clean lake and she somehow sensed strong spiritual energy around it, though it was too strong for her comprehension.

"Now, what were you reading about the blood of Shadow Beings for?" Zeno asked in a serious tone, eyeing the book with familiarity.

"Oh, right," Trina said with a smile as she opened the book again. Along with being her teacher for shape-shifting, Zeno, like her, had a natural curiosity in history and the essence of both biological life and Shadow Beings. Visiting new places wouldn't hurt either.

"Nothing in particular. I've read it before, once. There are a few things I want to try, though I'm not sure how to go about it. Most of these pages have faded away and the others go on and on about the basic components."

Trina paused, smiling nervously as she glanced towards the book, contemplating whether she should talk about her thoughts or not. Zeno easily understood her hesitation but sat silently in patience, giving her time to think.

"What is the technique of Solis?" Trina decided to ask the question instead of explaining anything, immediately regretting it. The technique wasn't directly mentioned in any of the books she'd read. She just found it in the book she was reading.

"The technique of Solis?" Zeno rubbed his head, thinking. "What's that, solar energy?"

Trina opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment, before she shook her head.

"No, never mind. It's nothing."

Trina smiled nervously, and he gave her a weird look, shaking his head.

"You're scary you know," Zeno said in a funny tone.

"Eh?"

Trina looked genuinely confused, now giving Zeno a weird look.