Alden blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim, familiar light of the library.
His heart raced a little as he looked around, searching for any sign that something had changed.
'I'm back,' he thought, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him. He looked at the towering shelves, each one brimming with books. "Guess that answers how this works," he muttered to himself.
But before he could calm his thoughts, a sudden realization hit him.
"Wait... Did the librarian see me disappear?" Alden blurted out, louder than he intended.
"Oh, I saw," a voice came from behind him,it was melodious. But there was something in it a hint of amusement.
Alden froze. Slowly, he turned around, his heartbeat quickening, only to see a figure that made him stop in his tracks.
The librarian was standing there,
Her pure white hair like snow, as they were shining in the dim light of library .
She was beautiful, unnaturally so. Her eyes glowed softly, unblinking, as if she could see straight through his soul.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe, his heart pounding in his chest.
Shaking his head Alden forced himself to look away.
The woman tilted her head slightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips, as if amused by his reaction. "So,"
she said, her voice filled with an unspoken playfulness, "you've inherited the Eclipse Codex."
'How does she know about that?' Alden's mind raced. "How do you know about that?" he asked, his voice fully alert.
"Well I have been guardian of the Codex you inherited for longer than I care to count, thanks to that unreliable man ..... I mean founder of this family and his brilliant ideas." She said sarcastically.
"Guardian?" Alden said, confused.
"Yes, guardian," she repeated. "I'm a spirit bound to the guarding Codex. As long as the Codex exists without an owner, so do I."
Alden raised an eyebrow. "So... you're not—"
"Human?" she cut him off, raising an eyebrow. "Not even close. I'm a spirit. I was contracted spirit of your founder . He needed someone to... babysit this tome. And lucky me, I got stuck with this job"
Alden said in a shocked voice "Wait, so you've been here this whole time? Watching?"
Her expression filled with amusement "What else was I supposed to do? Take a vacation? I've been bound to this family, genius. Couldn't leave even if I wanted to."
Alden hesitated.. "That sounds... lonely."He muttered in a quiet voice.
Ellara's expression softened for just a fraction of a second before it returned to its usual sharpness. "Maybe. But that's not your problem, is it?"
"You have inherited the Codex now so i am free now " She said in a relaxed tone.
"Uh, thanks, I guess? So now what? Are going to leave somewhere" Alden Replied.
"No I think I am going to stick around for a while." She said with a smirk.
Days turned into weeks and time passed like blur.
In this time he tried attuning his body to Eclipse Codex but found no need to do so. His mana vessel were already attuned to it. Perhaps the pain he felt while inheriting it was due to codex attuning his mana vessels forcefully.
But through it all, he found himself coming back to library again and again because of Ellara .
At first, their conversations were awkward.
As Alden asked some questions about Codex and Ellara answered them to best of her knowledge.
But gradually, something changed.
There was a now awkward silence to their exchanges now.
They was understanding between them that was growing with each passing day. And most surprisingly, she started teaching him.
It happened one evening, when Alden was practicing swordsmanship alone after his lesson with family assigned mentor.
He was sweaty and frustrated as he gripped the sword awkwardly. It was heavier than it looked, and his arms were shaking from the effort.
"Is that how you plan to wield the sword?" He heard a voice called from behind him, the voice was sharp.
Alden turned around, still struggling to hold the sword. There she stood, as graceful as ever, her arms folded and an eyebrow raised in that characteristic way.
"What?" Alden snapped. "This isn't as easy as it looks. I am trying my best, you know."
Ellara said in a quiet voice"Clearly, But that's not how you wield a sword ."
She stepped forward, a movement so swift it was as if she'd teleported.
Without warning, she took the sword from his hands, her movements fast.
"Let me show you how it's done" she said with a smirk, her voice filled with confidence.
In an instant, she was in stance her body steady,
Her movements were precise and beautiful to look at, each strike moving like water.
Alden could barely follow the speed of her actions, and yet, there was a calmness in how she wielded the sword.
She wasn't relying on strength, but on balance.
"This is how you wield sword, strength doesn't come from the arms alone. It comes from your whole body. You need to coordinate your whole body with movement and not just your arms."
She showed a few more basic moved, with ease as if it was child's play.
"Swordsmanship is an art of precision and control. If you can't control the blade, it will control you."
Alden watched in awe. Every movement was perfect as though she was dancing with the blade rather than fighting with it.
"I... I didn't know Swordsmanship could be so beautiful like that. I've been focusing so much on strength.". he whispered under his breath.
Ellara's lips curled into a faint smile. "Watch closely. I'm not using any magic. Just pure technique."
She tossed him the sword, the hilt landing neatly in his hands. "Now it's your turn. Try to follow my movements"
Alden stared at the sword, still unsure. But this time, he concentrated on her words balance, focus, control.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a second, and then tried again.
The first few strikes were shaky as he couldn't control his body efficiently.
The sword felt heavy in his hands, the weight pulling at his arms.
He tightened his grip on sword, tried to focused on the rhythm, not the result. His movements started to became a bit smoother than before.
Ellara watched him for a few moments, then nodded approvingly. "Better. But still too stiff. Relax, Alden. Swordsmanship is a reflection of your mind. Keep your mind steady."
Day after day, she drilled him in the art of swordsmanship, each lesson becoming more difficult but also more rewarding.
At first, she had been critical, almost cold. But now, there was a subtle warmth in her voice, a softening in her eyes. It wasn't just about the sword. It was about the connection they were forming.
Alden began to realize that Ellara wasn't just teaching him to fight. She was teaching him how to live...
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What do you think about Ellara?
Let me know in comments.