The Camur library was like a secret level out of a video game, given dimensions in the real world. Tall, well-stocked, redwood shelves stood like the statues guarding ancient tombs. Kritika inhaled the aroma of paper and naphthalene. A silver-fish skittered across the encyclopedia spines, behind the librarian's desk, and embraced the darkness within a gap.
Emilio threw a fireball at a torch mounted on the wall.
"Whoa there, Emperor Nero, take it down a notch!"
"Geez, I got this. Ya'll are really jumpy today."
The ball had disappeared into the flames of the beacon. It started a chain reaction; torches in the room lighted up one by one and the sequence terminated in the chandelier overhead.
"Lady, I'm a champion at basketball. These eyes, they never miss."
"Duly noted."
Emilio swiftly moved to the librarian's computer and spun around on the revolving chair. He booted up the computer and brought up the archive search programme.
Kritika looked the thick layer of dust smudged on her palm after an accidental brush. She rubbed them together, watching Emilio as he combed through the archives.
After a long vacation, one could craft a glass bottle from all the dust by simply taking a stroll through the reference books section.
Esther would've loved to add that to her wine bottle collection. She would've also cleared the passage by now with her chronic sneezing. The poor girl and her eosinophil count. She had been sent to fetch one of the two Sports Captains, who was probably fooling around with her boyfriend in the Gardening Club's orchard.
The system pinged, and up popped a window.
"The book's been issued. Accessed by a library mastercard, given to school staff only," Emilio said.
Kritika squinted at the pixelated words and the picture.
"Anaikos, Hera. She's Clara from the Nutcracker drama, Fantastic! What's her element?"
"Dunno," he said, waiting for the printer to spit out a copy of the page.
"Wait, she's a techie, right? From your class?"
Emilio shut down the system, and stuffed the folded paper into his pocket."Yes, but frankly, I didn't even remember what she looked like. Girl's received a whole lotta suspensions. Wonder if they'd let her write the finals this year. What do you have on her?"
"She's our class teacher's kid, from what I know. Had asked me to give her mom her packet-lunch one day. Seemed pretty normal to me."
"Oh, so that's where she got the master card from. You have absolutely no id–"
The library doors slammed shut in their faces. Someone bolted them in and giggled from outside. They backed away as indigo gas poured in through the keyhole. The smoke swirled into a sphere, like cotton candy being spun onto a stick. It hurled itself at the two students.
The duo leapt apart; Kritika rolled on the ground and recovered with her back against the door. The smoke ball crashed onto the floor and grew into a bubbling fountain.
The smoke began to twist and twirl until it acquired a form resembling an upturned badminton cock. The round end solidified, and it sprouted a pair of beady, black eyes. Its face cracked open in a chasm of a grin.
The thing was an infernal, blue Pac-Man. It squeaked in a high-pitched voice,
"Hi, I am Happy!"
"We're so not," Emilio said, and he lifted his hands in an offensive stance.
YOU ARE READING
Rulebook Of Chaos || Elemental Academy ✓
FantasyWhat would you do if your school teachers were to vanish into thin air one fine Monday morning? The Camur Academy for the Elementally Gifted has churned out elite elemental kinects since the time of the divine elemental beasts. With an uncompromisin...
