The trio, though still surprised, continued to follow after Cullen and Tom. They walked through the center of the library, looking for anything else that’s of interest. Kazu spotted another scholar pushing a cart, which contained a collection of books on top. But then, the books began moving on their own, while the scholar acted like it was nothing. It was impressive of course, though it caused the Kagemusha to wonder something…

“Uh, High Scholar Ambrose?” He called and asked, “Are all the scholars here magic wielders?”

“The society is open allows all living beings that wish to join,” confirmed Cullen, “It doesn’t matter whether they hold talents in the magical arts.”

“Then, was that woman we saw a human or a magic wielder?” Kazu questioned.

Cullen stopped walking shortly after Kazu had asked him that. He looked around the library, noticing a young man reading a book at a table nearby. Leo and the others spotted him as well, unaware as to what the high scholar was waiting for. Then suddenly, the young man stood up and left, leaving behind the hardcover he was reading. And instead of calling for someone to come collect it, the tome started to hover in the air. It soon levitated even higher before placing itself on a shelf within the nearest bookcase. The trio looked back at Cullen who was merely smirking at their expressions.

“Each book is charmed in returning to their original place,” he stated. “It also assists non-magic users in the society in certain duties.”

“And when you check out a book, they teleport to the front desk on their check out date,” added Tom.

“That’s incredible!” Excitedly commented Celine.

The witch changed topic on how she, Leo, and Kazu learned teleportation. It amused Cullen to see someone so young take quite an interest in the pursuit of knowledge. As he continued leading the group further down the library, Leo noticed something up ahead. They were walking toward a full-grown tree planted in the far center of the room. It was facing a wall of stained-glass windows, radiating rays of light from the afternoon sun. Then suddenly, Cullen stopped walking and gestured over toward the tree before them.

“Here we are,” announced the high scholar.

“A tree…?” Kazu questioned doubtfully.

“I understand your skepticism,” Cullen empathized, “But keep in mind that what you see is no ordinary tree.”

The magic wielders were finding it hard to believe the high scholar. But of course, Cullen had intended on that, taking only a few steps to the well-grown sapling. He looked down to the floor and held his hand over a spherical orb peaking at the surface. To their surprise, the others watched as the orb was being lifted till it touched Cullen’s palm. Even more so seeing the tree react as well, releasing visible energy from it branches.

“This is the ‘Scholar’s Tree’,” informed the high scholar. “It assists readers in finding the books they’re looking for.”

“H-How does it work?” Leo asked a bit doubtingly.

“Allow me to demonstrate…”

Cullen closed his eyes and touched the orb, which gave a faint, vibrant glow. Shards of light appeared above it, taking shape of what seemed to be a very large book. It became less transparent, then finally assuming form of the solid tome floating in midair. It opened with its pages hastily flipping through, until eventually they stopped halfway. On one page, it showed an illustration of a creature that was both half-man and half-wolf. The book disappeared into sparks of light with the wave of the high scholar’s hand.

“The orb responds solely to the thoughts of whatever the reader wishes to know,” Cullen informed. “As you had noticed, my thoughts were directed at werewolves.”

“That’s incredible!” Commented Leo and curiously asked, “But did you think of the image or just the word ‘werewolf’?”

“As long as your mind is focused on the topic, it won’t matter. Now,” the high scholar gestured to the orb and said, “Would any of you like a try?”

Before a decision had been made, Celine of course, ran up to the orb. She was bouncing on her feet with glee as her hand reached for the magical sphere of glass. And once she made contact, the witch began to concentrate, keeping her mind at focus. Another book was being formed by strings of light, just as how it happened for Cullen. When it finished, the tome opened with its pages flipping to what Celine was looking for…

“Alright, let’s see what’s written here…,” She read the title page aloud, “‘Wielder’s Tome.’ Perfect!”

“An excellent choice, Ms. Roy,” commented the high scholar. “Several wonder as to how and why they received such a gift.”

Cullen made a small wave-like gesture from the book selected to Celine. The tome floated over toward the witch, surprising her a bit before took it into her arms. When she stepped away from the orb, Kazu walked up with some skepticism on the matter. The Kagemusha didn’t have a care in the pursuit of knowledge, much less spend time reading. But he figured he may as well humor his friends and take part in the experience. Just when Kazu stopped at the orb, he looked over at Cullen and asked…

“So, I just place my hand on the orb?”

“Yes,” answered the high scholar. “And remember to keep your mind focused on what it is you wish to learn.”

Kazu let his mind wander to whatever it was he wanted to know the most. Eventually, he decided on something that was left unresolved to him since he a young boy. The Kagemusha placed a hand on the orb, concentrating as the magic conjured itself again. But instead of forming into another book, the streams of light shaped as something else. Kazu’s face lit up with excitement when he saw the item floating opposite of him.

“What is that?” Questioned Tom.

“It’s a ‘Technique scroll’,” the Kagemusha replied, containing his enthusiasm. “My dad told me they’re used for learning the skills written on them.”

“And what technique were you thinking of?” Asked Leo.

His cousin only gave him a toothy grin when Cullen gave him the scroll. He wasted not another second to unwrap it, revealing the skill that was written inside. But all that was there were painted pictures with words written in some strange language. Leo, however, took a deeper look at the illustrations and founding them rather familiar. Seeing a solid character on one side of the scroll, then a doted outline on the other. It left the sorcerer to realize what it could mean…

“Oh, the Camouflage technique,” he speculated. “Uncle Akira used it to cheat in hide-&-seek when we were little.”

“Exactly!” Confirmed Kazu. “I wanted him to teach me, but my mom wouldn’t let him because I was stealing pastries from our bake shop.

“Quite the troublemaker aren’t you, Mr. Nishimura?” Cullen jested, then turned to the sorcerer and said, “Well, Mr. Cayden, I believe it’s your turn now.” 

To Be Continued...