Noctis trailed Lira through the Nightryn estates' sprawling corridors, his footsteps echoing against marble floors that gleamed under the soft glow of crystal lamps.
The air hummed with faint mana, He flicked on his smartwatch, and glanced at the date-
25th Jan, 1647.
"Hmm, I have a year and a half till the University begins," he murmured, nodding to himself.
His eyes fell on the messages icon, a glaring red 999+, he can already fell it, 'Yikes, that's a notification raid I'm not ready for.'
He swallowed hard, steeling himself. "Time to face the raid," he muttered, tapping the app.
The hologram shimmered, revealing a flood of chats. Two group conversations caught his eye.
The first, with eleven members, buzzed with familiar names,'hmmm, fairly a normal group consisting of the main characters and some key classmates from the game.'
He scrolled through their messages, a mix of banter and plans for the university.
"Just your average squad chat," he chuckled at the chat.
Lira turned a corner, halting before a sturdy oak door etched with the Nightryn crest—a lightning-wreathed bird with green wind blades around its wings.
Noctis dismissed the hologram, as Lira pushed the door open.
The Nightryn family library was a spacious, welcoming room with tall wooden shelves packed with books and scrolls.
Sunlight streamed through high windows, illuminating sturdy oak tables scattered with papers and a few books left on the table nearby.
The air carried a faint musty scent of old pages, and a soft hum of mana lingered, barely noticeable.
Rows of neatly organized books stretched along the walls, a cozy quiet place, perfect for study or a moment of reflection.
Lira waited for moment before she spoke,
"Master, I'll return shortly after tidying your room,"
"I'll bring the snacks"
Noctis nodded as he walked towards the shelves, noticing the labels on each sections. Making it easier to look for the desired book.
As Lira's footsteps faded, Noctis scanned the labeled sections, 'Spellcraft, History, Resonance Theory. At least I won't be lost in this maze of books.'
He walked towards the history section, fingers trailing over several book, as he read the titles one by one and finally his fingers landed on-The Eldarlea Continent.
The book's felt quite heavy as he carried it over to a table, its cover opening to reveal a vibrant map,
It was an illustration of the two continents.
Noctis traced the map, 'The game mentioned, Eldarlea was two continents a thousand years ago, fused after Drewrath's invasion through a rift 900 years back.'
He located the Starborne Empire in the south, his family's territory nestled at its northern reign, bordering against the Solvorn Empire's reign.
The Solvorn sprawled across the Eldarlea's middle and east, while the church claimed the west.
Snow-capped mountains formed through the continent, their passes now riddled with tunnels for travel to the other side of the mountains.
The northern part of eldarlea bloomed green with elven forests, Further north, taller mountains stand with a few covered in snow, that's where the dwarves carved their homes.
'Pretty much the game's map, but with extra flavor', he thought, yawning as he flipped to the next page.
For the next few minutes, Noctis skimmed the text, cross referencing game lore with this world's reality.
Most matched- some empires rising while others fell, wars raging, internal conflicts, cults, etc..- the usual.
New details emerged, this were not in the game, 'The other half of Eldarlea came through a rift, just like Drewrath?' His brow furrowed, leaning back in the creaking chair.
'In the game, it was mentioned that the other half of the continent was just further away from the human continent.'
'The game framed the collision of both collision due to the rift phenomenon caused by the Drewrath continent smashing into the human one. But this book suggests the elven-dwarven lands arrived a century earlier through a similar rift.' He rubbed his temples, piecing it together.
'If elves and dwarves came through a similar rift before the Drewrath, why haven't they warned or prepared themselves for the monster invasion? Something's off.'
His mind raced, thinking of possibilities. 'What if they're all from the same plane, just with different time of their arrivals? But that doesn't explain their silence'. He sighed, continuing to the next part.
Skipping chapters on Pre Eldarlea wars, irrelevant for now—he read the surface level on the invasions and empire collapses, As he read, his eyes caught an interesting question posed by the author.
'Why aren't there no more than ten Transcended Rankers?'
Noctis chuckled, the answer he remembered from the game knowledge.
'It was the world's will limit imposed on this planet, this world can't handle more. As for why, never mentioned in the game' He leaned forward, elbows on the table.
'In the game, leveling up was just the usual monster hunts and quests, with clear rank-up mechanics till S-rank, while the Transcended rank was much more challenging, clear a trial from the world's will and kill the Transcended Ranker of their resonance element, and I am sure, that is just only a part of on how to reach the transcended rank in this reality'. His smile faded as he remembered is element.
'My elements are Zephyr and Umbra. The Zephyr Transcended ranker is a no-go, ranks in the top 3 despite their young age. No way I'm messing with that anytime soon.'
He slapped his cheeks, snapping out of the daydream. "Focus, Noctis. Transcended rank is the endgame. I've got bigger things to worry for now." Closing the book, he returned it to its shelf, his gaze shifting to the spellcraft section. 'Time to learn this world's ma-'
The door creaked open, and Lira returned, balancing a tray of cookies and a glass of milk. "Well, guess my brain deserves a quick rest" he said, striding to the table as Lira set the tray down.
"Thanks, Lira," he said, flashing a smile as he sat down, He powered on his watch, the hologram flickering to life as he resumed his message dive.
"It's my duty, Master," Lira replied, her voice polite but warm. She moved to a nearby table, tidying the scattered books.
Noctis opened the second group chat, a smaller one with five members. 'Ethan, Trisha, Lena, Rain, Clara—yep, the childhood squad I guess.'
Their names made him remember of the watch's photos, carefree moments that never existed in the game.
He scrolled through their messages- concerns for him, pleas for replies, and chatter about the Ethereon University. 'These guys sure are close,' he thought, chuckling at a goofy exchange about Lena's failed cooking attempt. 'Way more chill than the game's Rivalry.'
He closed the group chat after read all the messages. He looked at the DM's.
His eyes lingered on Clara's name, which was at the top with most messages. He looked at her with a complicated look.
'In the game, she despised Noctis. Here, she's… worried?', He opened her chat, relief washing over him as he read.
Her messages were kind, asking about his health, wondering why he'd gone silent. 'Good, no hate arc yet and hope it doesn't happen', He closed her chat.
Moving to Ethan's profile, the big brother character in the game, his messages were of the similar one from before.
Lena's threats of 'smack some sense' into him when she she sees the next time made Noctis shudder, while Trisha's shy, sparse messages felt like she couldn't decide on what to send next.
Rain, was twins with lean , the opposite of her, the clumsy type, his rambling texts, half apologies, trying to send memes- drew a laugh from him.
Noctis leaned back stretching his arms as the last cookie vanished from the tray.
Lira stood a respectful distance away, her presence quiet as the room. He glanced at her, thinking about the entrance exam. "Lira, which university did you graduate from?"
Her eyes widened briefly, caught off guard, but she recovered swiftly.
"Star University, Master," she answered, bowing slightly.
"Nice," Noctis said surprised, she studied in the top 2nd university. "So, what should I focus on for Ethereon's theory exam? It will be in a year and half."
Lira paused, thoughtful. "For the magic theory, mastering the 4 basics of E- and D-rank spellcasting - spell structures, construction ,deconstruction and weaknesses. Studying magic circle analysis and spell integration basics are required".
"The math side tests your grasp of calculations; a exceptional mage needs solid numbers to cast without the support of external staffs or a wand."
Noctis's face froze in a nod, but on the inside, he was screaming. 'Math I can handle, but spell structures? Magic circles? I'm toast!' His confidence wavering.
'No matter the world, exams are my true bad ending.' He sighed, the weight of study looming like a raid boss.
"Hmm, Lira. Can you grab some books on those topics?" he asked, masking his dread.
"Yes, Master. Please wait a moment." Lira bowed, walking to the shelves, she went around the room picking out the required books.
Noctis tugged at his hair, banging his head lightly on the table. "This is so gonna end me," he groaned, lamenting his fate.
The library's coziness felt like a trap now.