The map room was a universe of silent, glowing information. Kael was like a man possessed, moving from one floating continent to another, his hands tracing invisible lines in the air as he absorbed decades of forgotten geography and strategic data. I felt overwhelmed, a single grain of sand in an ocean of knowledge.
Drawn by a familiar pull, I approached the massive, rotating globe at the center of the room. I reached out and gently touched its surface. It was more than a map. My Sandsong, now attuned to more than just my home's frequency, could feel the globe's symphony. I felt the deep, sonorous hum of mountain ranges, the chaotic, discordant noise of Magi cities, and faint, scattered whispers—the tiny, resilient songs of wild places untouched by the Magi's dominion.
"They are arrogant," Kael said, his voice pulling me from my trance. He stood before a detailed projection of a rugged coastline. "Their power is immense, but it is not infinite. They must draw it from the world itself, like a parasite."
He pointed to a specific point on the map, a small cove nestled among jagged cliffs. "They do it through these: Resonance Wells. They find places where the world's own magical energy is strong and sink a kind of magical taproot deep into the earth to drain it. This energy is then channeled through their network to power their fortresses and fuel their spells."
He zoomed in on the location. "This one is at a place called Siren's Cove. The archives say it powers the entire coastal quadrant, including the garrison at Port Draconis. The well itself is lightly guarded by soldiers, but its true defense is the location—treacherous tides, razor-sharp rocks, and constant, violent storms."
Siren's Cove. The thought of the sea, an endless, churning body of water that dwarfed the river I had barely survived, sent a chill through me. But the map showed cliffs giving way to beaches. Sand. Wet sand, tidal sand, but sand nonetheless. It was a challenge that felt tailored to my unique, evolving skills.
"If we could disrupt it," I said, the thought taking shape, "we could weaken an entire region without a single direct fight."
"Precisely," Kael said, a grim smile on his face. "We cut the root, and the tree will wither. It is a war they won't even know they are fighting until it is too late."
For the next several days, we became planners. We studied the maps, memorizing the terrain. I spent hours in the Resonance Chamber, not just practicing with the silver sand, but trying to replicate the feeling of the wet, heavy coastal sand I had sensed from the globe. Kael, meanwhile, gathered what he could from the Library's stores—durable cloaks, waterproof satchels for supplies, and a small, crystalline shard that, when struck, would emit a single, perfect note to help us find our harmony in the chaos of the outside world.
Finally, Kael found what he was looking for: the way out. It was not the grand entrance we had come through, but a simple service portal described in an ancient architectural schematic. A door that led into a subterranean river system that would, after a long and lightless journey, deposit us in a sea cave just a few miles from Siren's Cove.
"It is a one-way passage," he warned me as we stood before a plain, unadorned stone archway deep in the Library's foundations. The air here was damp, and the sound of rushing water echoed from the darkness beyond. "Once we leave, the Library will seal the path. We cannot return."
I looked back in the direction of the quiet halls, the Resonance Chamber, the Bridge of Conviction. This place had been my sanctuary, my school, my entire world. Leaving it felt like leaving home all over again. But this time, I was not a frightened victim being dragged into the unknown. I was a willing soldier, armed with knowledge and a purpose that was now as clear and solid as the golden bridge I had crossed.
I met Kael's gaze and nodded.
Without another word, we stepped through the archway, leaving the silent, glowing library behind and plunging into the roaring, wet darkness that would carry us back into the war.