Aarav stepped forward past a few cloths and beads draped at the entrance to hide the interior of the woman’s stall. Typical crystal ball reader attire. Somethings transcended universes as he had already discovered, including, in this case, the very mystical art of looking into a weird glass ball with glowing mist in it. As the woman stepped to the side and Aarav stepped up to the table inside, there was a glass orb, but this one didn’t have white mist in it. It was multi-hued, and the colour constantly swirled and mixed and separated. Go magic! I guess she is making proper use of light magic. Also, why did she stop?

The woman had stopped and turned to look at Aarav with a shocked expression. “What!?” Aarav was suddenly very self-conscious. Was she seeing through his façade and into his soul? What was happening right now?

“Who are you?” The words seemed to come from a distance, and it was nothing like the mysterious voice she had exhibited before. It was like a demon's bass and booming voice. Coming from a stick-thin woman like her was the most horrifying experience of Aarav’s short life. Boren was frozen behind the Slime in the act of pushing aside one of the curtains. “Who are you?” She boomed again, and Aarav grew concerned that people outside would hear and come to investigate.

“I am Aarav!” he replied, anything to get this beast to stop. At the same time, he started backing away, slowing from the human who Aarav was beginning to think was more than met the eye.

Suddenly, the woman jerked forward, and her hand closed on Aarav’s fairy neck. What the hell is going on? “Boren, get back!” Aarav yelled as he worked to get his neck free of the vice grip. Next thing, it was like a battery was being discharged directly into this brain. Aarav howled in agony at the sudden surge, his Health dropped a few points, but nothing to be worried about. Aarav was shocked by how quickly the situation had changed from outside on the street. Like an idiot, he had followed this unknown woman into the darkness.

The grip was not overly concerning, he could get out of it in a second, but he was worried about what she would do next. And there was Boren’s safety to consider. He would not allow another child in his care to get hurt, not in this life. Not to mention the boy’s mother would kill him if anything happened to Boren anyway, so there was that.

“What do you want!?” Aarav shouted, unable to keep the hysteria from his voice. Situations did not escalate like this unless you were dealing with psychopaths. Obviously, this woman was on the spectrum, but Aarav’s brain was still playing catch up.

“From another place, another time, another being, another world!” she boomed, her devil's voice getting more pronounced and confusing with each word. “From another place, in another time, another being, another world!” She repeated again without loosening her grip. “The darkness comes, the darkness comes!”

“What are you saying!” Aarav was still struggling to make sense of what was happening. Between the woman’s words, his concern for Boren, electricity seemingly running through his brain and the woman’s grip on his neck, Aarav was really struggling to keep it together. “Answer me, dammit!”

But the woman showed no sign of answering.

Suddenly, all the strength from her body gave out at once. Then she collapsed in a heap on the floor, dragging Aarav with her. “I just wanted my fortune read.” Aarav said quietly, finally extricating himself from her still vice-like grip. The strength had never left that. Aarav checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh when he found it. “Stupid people and their stupid weird behaviour!” He grumbled as he stepped back and then tugged Boren, trying to move quickly and quietly out of the curtained entrance.

With the amount of yelling and screaming the woman had been doing, Aarav expected a crowd. They might have to use Boren's status to get back to the palace without inciting a mob. But when he exited with Boren in tow, there was nothing. The streets were just as crowded, and people ran around and yelled their wares. It was like the last three minutes never happened.

He and Boren huffed and panted at the exertion and quickly moved as far as they could from the crazy passed-out woman. “We are never going in there again!” Boren nodded as they both tried to get their wits back. It seemed everywhere they turned, there was some new form of crazy chasing them.

“Where to next?” Boren said a few minutes later.

He had regained his exuberance for exploration. Kids are really resilient, Aarav thought, shaking his head in wonder. He was not traumatised by the experience and ready to keep going. Aarav’s lack of concern stemmed from him not being hurt much by the squeeze she had on his throat. If he had been hurt more, maybe his mental state would be different.

“Did you hear what she said, though?” Boren asked Aarav.

“Yes, but it made no sense. I definitely didn’t understand what the woman was talking about.” Bunch of crazy people and Aarav was happy to leave it at that.

“Okay, let’s go somewhere else. Maybe that is enough exploring in the market. We don’t want to run into anyone else that might surprise us!” Boren said in what was probably the understatement of the year. Surprise them? No, it would end with a surprise. Most likely, it would spell their deaths.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. Come on, you said there was a library here? Maybe somewhere quiet next? Might be good after all this noise!”

Unanimously decided, Aarav allowed Boren to guide him through the rest of the crowded market and through to quieter streets. It had only been about thirty minutes since they exited the gate, but it felt like a lifetime. “Okay, where is this library?” Aarav asked once they could hear each other again without having to shout.

“Just around this corner… there it is!” Boren stated with satisfaction.

“Boren, are you sure it isn’t just the Palace?” Aarav was standing in front of the largest building he thought he would ever see. It was far enough from the market that it had taken then a good twenty minutes to walk here, but the building looked like it would take that long just to walk around it. It was insane.

Boren laughed, “Don’t be silly! The building is much smaller than the palace! Not only that, but it is only one part of the Academy! This is the main library in Darf, and we have the largest library in all the five kingdoms, you know!” Boren said with a bit of boastfulness in his voice. “Although it is the largest part of the Academy, the rest of the place is just another smaller building. Then there are rooms in the library for classes and such. Research facilities inside as well.” Boren sighed wistfully, “I wish I could study there.”

Aarav could believe it. “I-I don’t know what to say. It’s on a completely different scale to anything I have seen before apart from the palace!”

If the King’s palace was Everest, then the library with the Academy attached was K2. It was more diminutive and narrower with sharper edges but no less daunting in its grandeur or size. Aarav had yet to see the Academy, but if people sent their children here. It would have to be a testament to the city's capability from all over Darf and the forest, not a show of force. Can’t be looking weak with nations surrounding them, Aarav thought. I need to ask Haemish about the geography of this continent and world preferably. It won’t pay to ignore such things.

“Okay, so what are we waiting for! Let’s go in!” Then something struck Aarav, something Boren had said, and in his excitement, he had disregarded. “Wait, Boren, did you say that you wish you could study there? Why can’t you? That makes no sense.” Aarav's mind was whirling with the possibilities.

“I can’t really be around people much. I have a condition that brings bad luck to the people around me. So I have to be taught alone.” The statement and confession seemed to sadden the boy, but he quickly clapped his hand over his mouth and said in a hushed whisper. “But don’t tell anyone I told you! I’m not supposed to say anything to anyone. No one is supposed to know.”

The boy looked at Aarav with anticipation and concern. “Relax, who am I going to tell? Besides, I am sworn not to harm you anyway, and even if I wasn’t, I am not one to hurt innocent children.”

“I’m not a child! And if I am a child, what does that make you? A baby! That’s what.” Huh? This conversation is flip-flopping around so much I can’t keep it straight. First, he is worried he let out a secret, now the boy is complaining he isn’t a child, yeah. Okay, kid. You do you.

“Whatever you say, buddy, can we just explore the library now?” Aarav gestured to the building that was taking up like ninety per cent of the horizon. Boren nodded eagerly, and his argument was forgotten in the excitement. Aarav sighed again. Heh, this kid.