The sharp scent of ink and parchment filled the library as Zephyr's pen hovered over my botanical sketches like a hawk eyeing its prey. Two days had passed since my deal with Cassandra, and my fingers still ached from trying to properly draw those damn five-point calyxes on nightshade berries.
"Marginally less disastrous," Zephyr muttered, circling one of my less terrible sketches. His voice carried that usual tone - like he was considering whether to help me or bury me in the herb garden. "At least you've stopped confusing monocots with dicots."
High praise coming from him.
My fingers tapped against the wooden desk.
The Clearflow Pill sat heavy in my pocket.
Normally I'd have just swallow it and call it a day, but something told me that'd be like using a rare medicinal herb as salad garnish - technically edible, but a complete waste. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't some kind of lucky protagonist who would break through 10 levels at once or awaken some kind of hidden constitution after eating a pill.
"Before we continue tomorrow," I said, closing the plant anatomy tome, "can I ask something a bit off-topic?"
Zephyr leaned back in his chair, which creaked ominously.
The guy wasn't giant - just taller than me with that permanent "I will end you" aura - but he made even simple furniture look threatening.
"I came across a Clearflow Pill," I said. "Do you know the most effective way to take it?"
Zephyr's eyebrow did that microscopic twitch that for him was basically a gasp of surprise. "A pill?"
He said it like I'd found a corpse in a cereal box.
He steepled his fingers.
"Basic somatic purifier," he said. "Flushes residual metabolic waste. Enhances nutrient uptake. Temporary boost to cellular restoration." His tone turned dry. "You could swallow it like candy. Or use it properly."
Yep, super clear as always. What did I even expect... But I don't have other choice, do I?
I nodded as if I understood everything. "And the proper method?"
His gaze shifted behind me—toward the front desk.
Following his eyes, I spotted Lina.
She was wrestling with a pile of scrolls, somehow managing to tangle her hair, sleeves, and one foot into the process. Despite the chaos, she wore a determined frown and an oversized cardigan like a scholar at war with gravity.
"She's learning alchemy," Zephyr said after a beat. His voice sounded just slightly off. Too casual.
I raised a brow at him. "She is, huh?"
A flicker of something—irritation, maybe?—passed over his face. Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe not. But his next words made me bite back a grin.
"Don't. Waste. Her. Time."
Three words, spoken like an executioner warning a man not to flinch.
I gave him a friendly salute. "Wouldn't dream of it."
He narrowed his eyes a fraction, and I turned away before he could regret tutoring me altogether.
Lina glanced up as I approached, her expression shifting from wary to bright in an instant.
"Oh! S-Student Aman!" she said. Then, realizing her volume, she clapped a hand over her mouth. "S-sorry. I mean, yes. Hello again." She straightened her cardigan like it could erase the fluster. "You're the transfer student. The one Zephyr's been tutoring."
"Yep, you remember it well." I said with a grin. But I thought we passed the strangers part since we talked a few times. Well, since her personality is a bit... Never mind.
"Zephyr said you might be the right person to ask about a alchemy and stuff. I wanted to know the best way to use a Clearflow Pill."
Her eyes lit up, her entire demeanor shifting. The shy librarian faded like mist, replaced by a scholar mid-lecture.
"Oh—Clearflow? You're taking it for the first time?" she asked, voice suddenly steady, assured.
I nodded.
"Then you'll want moonbloom tea brewed exactly seven minutes. No more, no less. Drink it warm. Then take the pill right at sundown—your body's energy meridians are most receptive at that time. It'll activate the purifying properties across multiple channels instead of just your core system."
I listened, absorbing every word. As she explained, I noticed how the nervous tics disappeared. The stutter. The fidgeting. They were gone.
She reminded me of Zephyr during our sessions—aloof shell stripped away the moment something intellectual took center stage. Same intensity. Same absorption. Same slightly intimidating hyper-focus.
"And you should pair it with silverthorn extract as a secondary catal—"
Thump.
A book slammed onto the counter beside us, the sound heavy and deliberate.
"Silverthorn extract," Zephyr's voice rumbled behind me. "Page two-seventeen."
I didn't have to look to know he'd come stalking over like a jealous cat in tweed.
Lina made a startled squeak. "I-I was getting to that—!"
Zephyr didn't answer. He just folded his arms and stared off like he hadn't been watching us the whole time.
I smothered a twitch of a smile. The tension between them buzzed like static. It didn't take a genius to see through it.
I stepped in before the awkwardness could combust. "Thanks, both of you. This is exactly what I needed."
I grabbed the book, gave them both a nod, and made a strategic retreat toward the back shelves. As I passed between rows of tomes and scrolls, I cast a glance over my shoulder.
Zephyr stood stiff as a sword in its sheath. Lina twisted her sleeves, sneaking glances when she thought he wasn't watching. Which he absolutely was. Haha, it's both funny and pityable. Damn frustrating too.
They are a mess, the both of them. But maybe the kind that just needed a little push.
Just as I ducked behind a particularly tall shelf, a voice echoed in my mind, soft and low.
"Can you help them, boy?"
I paused, fingers brushing the spine of the book.
Great. More voices in my head. Just what I needed. Or did the system finally return after the two day asbense?
Nah, the voice doesn't match.
As I shook my head, thinking that I was hallucinating, the voice spoke again.
"I am talking to you."
"..."
My first thought: Library ghost.
Second thought: I'm officially losing it.
Third?
"...What in the herbal hell."
The voice chuckled.
"Look to your right."
I frowned inwardly, half-expecting to see a prank note stuck on my back or Zephyr looming dramatically. Instead, I turned—
And there it was.
Floating three feet off the ground, wings lazily flapping like it had nowhere better to be, was a winged snake. Its emerald scales shimmered with shifting hues, and feathery, iridescent wings moved in smooth, rhythmic patterns. Clutched delicately in its tail was a thick hardcover book titled:
'1001 Ways to Subtly Manipulate Two Idiots Into Romance'
…Well.
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
The creature adjusted its reading glasses—yes, glasses—and turned a page with a flick of its tail.
I glanced around to see if anyone else was witnessing this. Maybe Lina. Maybe one of the dozen library spirits I was now certain existed. But nope—just scrolls, shelves, and an overly interested serpent with feathers.
"Right," I muttered to myself, rubbing my eyes like a man hoping reality came with a refresh button.
Then the voice came again.
"What? First time seeing a talking dragon?"
I stared at the creature. "...Actually, yeah. Talking snake? Sure. Winged snake dragon holding a matchmaking manual? That's new."
The creature gave a theatrical sigh. "Virion, please. Not just any winged serpent. Honestly, the youth these days. No sense of magical taxonomy."
Virion...?
Why does it sound familiar....
Wait...
....
Virion, The Winged Tyrant?!