Place muttered curses under his breath as he woke up.
He recognized the signs, normally, he would strain his body to bleed away his stress, but there were more pressing matters.
A quick look outside the window showed him that there was time before sunrise.
He didn't care.
In the dark, he quickly splashed his face in the bathroom and walked out.
The other three were sleeping.
Place quickly grabbed his specially made storage bracelet, and for a moment hesitated, wondering whether he should put on his armor.
A moment later, he was outside the building, still dressed in his sleeping clothing as he speed walked away.
It was quiet, the only sound being the rustling of leaves as a bit of wind blew through them.
There was a light pole every few dozen meters or so, giving enough light to him to move without stumbling.
A few minutes later, he saw the library building.
He tried the door, it swung open easily.
As he looked around, a few lights appeared, tracing a few different paths.
He followed the red one first, it led him to a thick book that appeared well-used.
Its cover read: 'Probati Shagut'.
The yellow trail led to a much thinner and dustier book in a corner.
This one was titled: 'Notes of Gharil Pluts'.
The blue led to a single sheet of paper, placed on a table.
It was a complicated one, filled with intricate details and dozens of labels showing its parts.
The white trail brought him to a section of the library that seemed unvisited. A thin dust was set over everything, showing that it had been untouched for at least a little while.
The trail led to a book similar ot the first one.
Lastly, he followed a mental tug to a plain book with no defining features.
He carried all five items over to a table and laid them out. Then he closed his eyes and let the mental tugging do the rest.
He moved his hands slowly, and they flipped through the books and adjusted their positions.
About half a minute later, the movement stopped, and he opened his eyes.
The books had been arranged to form a giant ritual circle, with diagrams from each book connecting with the others.
Place looked down at his right hand, which was folded with its index finger pointing at some words.
He took in a deep breath, and read them aloud.
"Prathama Bhattari Kharab Papda."
He read it and waited with bated breath.
Nothing happened.
He slowly moved his finger off the book.
The ritual circle lit up, blindingly bright.
A burst of pain erupted from his abdomen, and Place doubled over.
And then, all he knew was darkness.
***
He was being moved.
Place drifted back into consciousness as he felt himself being flipped over.
Someone was saying something.
He groaned as he opened his eyes, before immediately flinching as a bright light flashed into them.
Something more was said, and the light moved away.
"Can you hear me?" The voice sharpened in his ears, along with his vision.
"I can." He answered, he was still in the library, so not much time had passed.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" It was a man's voice, and so was the silhouette hovering about.
Place moved to sit up, and a hand supported his back as he did so.
"I don't think so... But everything is... blurry, right now." Place answered honestly, his mind was abuzz, and so was his entire body.
"Alright, sit still."
Place experimentally moved parts of his body one after another, trying to drive away the strange feeling as the man did whatever he was doing.
'The man.' Place's attention snapped into place.
"Who are you?" He asked, his mind settling to let him recognize his current situation.
"You can call me Professor Cumber, today is my turn to cover the night shift." Professor Cumber explained.
"The academy's wards alarmed me that someone was moving about, and by the time I got here, I found you unconscious on that table."
He gestured to the side.
"Mind telling me what you were doing to end up like this?" The professor continued scanning Place with his spells as he waited for him to respond.
"I... Something pulled me here." That statement was true.
"And once I got here, it intensified, and some of the books were glowing."
"And you didn't think that something was wrong about that whole situation?" Mr. Cumber seemed ready to explode into screaming.
"Not the first time something like this has happened, and it was always good for me."
The professor paused for a few seconds.
It took him a bit of time to process that statement.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"This is not the first time something like this has happened, and every time, it was good for me."
"I see." He let out a deep breath. "Does your family know about this?"
Place shrugged. "No idea."
"I see, what's your name?"
"Ald-placeen Cublue, just call me Place."
"Cublue. I see."
A minute passed in silence as the professor finished his scans.
"I can't find anything out of the ordinary, and I am tired. Can I trust you to make your way back to your dorm?"
"No problem."
"Very good." Professor Cumber fiddled with something on his chest. "Someone will come to meet you in a few minutes, so just stay here until then."
Place stared at the tired Professor.
'Didn't you just ask me if I could make my way to the dorm?'
He didn't say anything about that subject, just nodded and accepted the order.
"No problem, professor."
"Right, stay put."
With that said, he turned around and strode out of the library.
Place stared at the door for a few seconds, then leaned against the wall he was sitting against and closed his eyes.
'Hello there, Friends of The Thing.'