Chương 59: Ch.58— Books and Worry

Amy stared at the red book in her hands with a frown, then looked up. Libris—the human version of them with cracks all over their body—was standing directly behind the couch in the living room of the apartment where Amy sat, bracing themselves against the backrest while looking at her fixedly with their red eyes.

"Amy," Libris said with a sigh.

"We don't have much time." Amy looked at them without responding. Something about their expression was off… Was it just her imagination, or maybe Libris hadn't fully adjusted to their new form as she noticed multiple times the muscles of her face twitching and her breath getting harder suddenly. Almost like she was in pain. Libris shook their head at her silent stare.

"We'll talk after. The manga first… please." Amy frowned. There was something deeply strange about hearing that voice come from a face instead of the back of her head. The fact that she didn't understand why or how they had gotten a body only made her confusion grow worse… She had so much to talk about and so many things to say, and as always, for some reason, she simply couldn't.

"Amy," Libris called once again, bringing her out of her thoughts, and then pointed at the book version of themselves, which had already transformed into a manga tome. Amy's frown deepened, but her hands were already opening the book. Libris was right; they should obviously prioritize the manga chapters to prepare for future developments. But still, she had gone through so much and had nobody to talk to about it… Was it that much to ask for only five minutes?

"When I finish, we'd better have a damn long conversation," she finally said. There was no reply from above, which caused Amy to bite her lip and take a deep breath. One breath, then another. It was only after the third breath that she gazed downward, toward the book in her hands. The first chapter was marked as 163, and its title was "What We Leave Behind." The cover art was a split image.

On the left: darkness, and inside the darkness, Crow suspended mid-fall with his left arm already absent, golden light washing over him from above. On the right: Amy, clutching a burning book to her chest with both hands, her face turned slightly away from the viewer. Between the two images, golden light spread outward.

"Ugh," Amy said immediately.

"Something wrong?"

"After everything that happened, I can't help but think that this composition is foreshadowing… I really hope I'm not set up as Crow's enemy."

"Mmm? What are you…" Amy looked up to find Libris tilting their head with a confused expression, then opening their eyes slowly, as if realizing something.

"Oh, you really did it now, Amy."

"Did what?"

"Nothing. It's just that the events that happened while I was sleeping are slowly coming back. Please don't mind me and continue." Amy paused, then tilted her head.

"Is that why you don't want to converse right now…?"

"Among other things." The manga in Amy's hands began to tremble slightly, bringing her attention back to it. Amy frowned while staring fixedly at Libris's book form for a moment, but soon turned the page. The chapter opened with a scene already shown in the manga—the confrontation with Abaddon in the cabin as chaos creatures tried to enter right before being teleported to the academy—but this time from Crow's perspective.

The first pages showed the moment Libris's light erupted, rendered in a full double-page spread, as the chaos creatures dissolved. Crow's internal monologue read: What is that light? In the next panel, his remaining hand reached for Bloodedge on instinct, even as the light erased everything around them. Whose power is that? He was looking at Amy, or rather, at what she was holding. The pages moved quickly after that. Crow registered Abaddon's retreat before the ground began to shake.

The teleporter activation was shown as a bloom of light, then black. His loss of consciousness was handled with a couple of internal monologue lines that described him falling deeper into an "ocean of darkness." Amy couldn't help but roll her eyes at the wording. How was it possible to make a tense, scary, and honestly kind of traumatic scene like the one she had lived through so damn edgy? The Goddess really had a talent. With a sigh, she continued reading.

The following pages showed events she had mostly witnessed firsthand, so she mostly skipped them; after Crow fainted, the perspective shifted to everyone panicking about what had just happened, Lyra curing Crow, Iris confronting Amy for answers she had lied about giving later, and the group planning what to do next. Chapter 163 ended with Amy saying she had a plan as she took the lead while Crow was out.

"Libris," Amy said to the ceiling.

"Mmm?" Libris tilted their head. Amy stared fixedly at the woman, who looked uncannily like her, for a few seconds before speaking.

"Are you alright?"

"Amy… We don't—""Just respond to this one question, please." Libris sighed, then tilted their head slightly with an eyebrow raised.

"Clarify."

"Are you…" Amy gestured vaguely at them, at the fractures running along their skin like broken porcelain.

"Alright? Like in pain?" Libris was quiet for a moment. Their red eyes didn't waver, but their lips twitched slightly at her words.

"Depends," they said finally. Amy looked down at her lap. She thought about the light, and the cabin, and the way the book in her hands had saved her. If she had been stronger, more careful, or better prepared…

"Libris—""Don't apologize, Amy. You did nothing wrong."

"I wasn't going to apologize…"

"You were." Libris's voice was dry, but not unkind. They shifted their weight against the couch's backrest and patted Amy's head.

"And it would be misplaced. Because thanks to you…" They paused.

"I'm closer to the last step." Amy looked up.

"The last step."

"To become human." Libris held her gaze steadily.

"Properly and entirely." The words settled in the room. Amy studied them, scanning from the top of their head down to their hands. As she looked at the person in front of her, confusion flooded her mind.

"Your body, isn't it—""Next chapter, Amy."

"I'm just asking—" Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Amy Stake." Libris pointed at the now trembling book in her hands.

"Chapter one hundred and sixty-four [A Dire Situation]. Please read it." Amy pressed her lips together. She looked at Libris for one more long second, then dropped her gaze to the manga, exhaling through her nose.

"You are so insufferable," she muttered. There was no reply. She turned the page. This time, the cover showed three tall panels set side by side. On the left: Iris and Lain, drawn small against a corridor whose furniture hung from the ceiling; Iris was mid-stride and pointing at something off-panel while Lain walked beside her. In the center: Zayd, seated in perfect posture on the ground beside the dormant teleporter with a steaming cup in his hands and an unconscious Ash sprawled out on the ground next to him.

On the right: Amy herself, walking backward with Crow's torso in her arms and Lyra holding his legs. The empty space where his other arm should have been was emphasized by a deliberate gap in the linework and shadows, basically rendering the space blank. Through all three panels ran a single golden thread, stitching the separated groups together."' A Dire Situation,'" Amy read aloud.

"Such a boring and predictable title."

"I don't pick them," Libris said from behind the couch.

"C'mon, stop hating and get to reading." Amy sighed, then turned the page. Luckily, or maybe unluckily from a practical perspective, the chapter did not open with her. It opened with Iris and Lain, somewhere in the inverted corridors, maybe ten minutes after the group had split. Iris walked in front with her hands laced behind her head, talking, while Lain walked half a step behind, not talking.

"—and that's why I'm telling you, if the furniture is on the ceiling, then technically we are the ones on the ceiling, which means we've been upside down this whole time, which means—hey, are you listening?"

"... Yes."

"What did I just say?"

"... Furniture."

"Close enough." The exploration continued across several pages. Iris tested a suspicious wall by punching it—the sound effect took up a third of the panel—and declared it "almost indestructible." They also—across the numerous panels of exploration—found a heavy wooden door reinforced with iron bands set into a stairwell, and Lain stood in front of it for a long moment. Lain's internal thoughts read: Leads upward, probably to the balcony. Exterior access probable. We should be careful with this.

Then, three pages later, after checking the balcony, descending, and continuing with the exploration, the corridor opened, revealing a double-page spread on a colored page: the hall with the seven doors. Iris wanted to try the handles one by one, but was stopped by Lain, who advised caution. After some conversation between the two, they eventually decided to explore the rest of the academy. It was during these panels of exploration that they heard a noise, which they then decided to head toward.

The perspective shifted then. Her own section came next—the carrying of the unconscious Crow and the conversation with Lyra. Amy flipped through it quickly because she had lived every step of it. She slowed only twice. Once, during the baking talk, when they made plans to go out sometime after the nightmare ended. And once, a single panel near the section's end, drawn from Lyra's eyes: Amy's back, walking ahead of her through the dark, the wall symbols throwing gold across her shoulders.

The text box beneath it read:"Despite everything, I can't help but doubt her intentions. Is following whatever her plan is really the right path?" Amy frowned at that panel. Then she turned the page quickly. The following part made her sigh more than a few times as it illustrated the part where Amy and Lyra were getting Crow's shirt off for the blood ritual connecting him to the Academy's barrier. It was at that compromising moment that Iris and Lain walked in, attracted by the noise of their conversation.

The manga gave Iris's reaction an entire page—just her surprised face, rendered in obscene detail—and then dropped into the hostage-plan argument Amy remembered word for word and skipped as fast as she could… except for one thing. During her own speech, the part where Iris had caved with suspicious speed—"Your plan is actually kind of genius"—the manga gave Iris a thought box:"I need to keep an eye open for her." Amy—the current one—frowned at the suspicion directed at her, just as she had with Lyra.

For some unknown and completely incomprehensible reason, which she absolutely did not understand in the slightest, everyone was suspicious of her constantly. Being mysterious at first was fun and all, but it was getting quite old now that she was interacting truthfully with them. Really, what was there to be suspicious of? She just hid some information here and there, not a big deal…

Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw Libris—who had moved from behind and was now sitting next to her—shaking their head with a smile, as if they could read Amy's thoughts. That's right, they could always tell what I was thinking despite stating multiple times they could not read my mind. Amy, expressionless, held Libris's gaze silently as a wave of sudden numbness started washing over her. Libris's smile slowly dropped as the seconds kept ticking.

Then they turned their gaze away; at the same time, the red book Amy held began trembling as if seeking her attention. Amy only bit her lip before going back to the manga chapter. The conversation among the four of them continued. Amy shared her plan, and they were discussing how to proceed until someone else arrived—it was Zayd, carrying Ash. It was then that the perspective shifted once more, this time to the past.

The next section opened in the teleporter chamber, showing Zayd alone with an unconscious Ash, with a text box indicating it was minutes after everyone else had left him behind. The manga showed him kneeling beside the platform, tracing the rune-lines with one finger while his other hand held a teacup. His internal monologue ran along the bottom of the panels.

"The activation matrix accepts remote resonance, which means anyone with the correct frequency can trigger it from anywhere. Miss Stake claimed she left me to guard the entrance, a strategically sound assignment. However, it is not optimal, as shown by past events; if we want to leave this place successfully, we will have to stay together as much as possible. Can I do something about this?" What followed was a montage: three failed attempts at rewriting the matrix, each one shown.

On the second attempt, the feedback magic lashed up from the runes toward him, knocking him onto his butt; he then stood up and cleared his throat after making sure Ash was still asleep.

"That's…" Amy muttered, then closed her mouth, stopping herself. For some reason, seeing Zayd fall in such a comedic way felt almost illegal. What was worse was that it happened three more times. I will be erasing this memory from my recollection entirely, Amy thought. The manga continued with Zayd finishing the modification, standing, and looking down the corridor where the others had gone. His text box read: Being led by emotions instead of logical thoughts is a foolish way to meet one's demise.

Yet despite that, I cannot help but feel confident about our odds of survival. Amy Stake, whatever your motives are, I hope they align with mine. Because for the first time in my life, I will blindly follow someone—even if it is only for a bit. Amy read the last line with a faint smile on her face.

"Finally, some trust. And from Zayd, out of everyone."

"Not a wise choice by Zayd, I would say." Amy glanced sideways at Libris, who was watching her with a teasing smile, then rolled her eyes. The manga continued and ended with the page showing everyone reunited and debating the plan, as well as the steps to follow. Amy lowered the book slowly. She opened her mouth, found nothing useful in it, and closed it again. Then she looked at the person beside her, more specifically at the cracks on their skin.

"I'm fine," Libris said before she could speak.

"Next chapter. Amy, next chapter." Amy didn't budge. She kept her eyes locked on the fractures tracing across Libris's skin, outlining a face that was a mirror image of her own, only shattered.

"You're not fine," Amy insisted, crossing her arms.

"And honestly, you should really stop copying me in the worst ways." A soft chuckle escaped Libris.

"You're right, lying when you are obviously not fine is definitely your worst trait," they murmured.

"I'm serious," Amy said, leaning in closer.

"I'll ask again, Libris. Tell me what's actually happening. No deflections. Are you alright? What is bothering you?" Libris stared at her for a long beat, the amusement fading from their red eyes, replaced by a weary sort of resignation. Finally, they exhaled a heavy sigh and leaned forward.

"The contract with the Goddess is broken," Libris stated flatly.

"After what happened in the cabin... using my powers in a completely prohibited way to save you, and then being pulled back and healed from basically being dead... the shackles are gone. I can use my power exactly as I wish now." Amy blinked.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is. It's a really good thing… But funnily enough," Libris interrupted, a self-deprecating smirk tugging at their lips, "now that I can finally use my power to turn into a human, I don't have nearly enough energy to sustain it properly. This cannot even be called a body. It's so fragile and temporary right now that if you were to hug me a little too tight, I would literally break into pieces." Their smirk thinned.

"And on top of that, just keeping it in existence causes a rather... unbearable amount of pain." Amy's heart dropped. Her jaw tightened as she looked at the hairline fractures on their hands.

"Then why in the hell are you using it right now…?" She demanded, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible.

"Change back." Libris didn't answer right away. Instead, they leaned slightly closer, a small, gentle smile gracing their cracked features. They reached out a hand, one of their pale fingers caught a loose strand of Amy's hair, slowly turning it around.

"No," Libris murmured softly. Amy froze, and her breath caught in her throat. A wave of warmth and overwhelming frustration hit her all at once. She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a single syllable, Libris gently let go of her hair and tapped the edge of the book.

"We still have a manga to read, Amy," Libris reminded her. Amy stared at them, her chest heaving slightly. She bit her lip hard. She wanted to yell, she wanted to force them to stop, but the look in those red eyes told her it was completely useless. With a sharp, reluctant exhale, she forced her gaze away from the fractures on Libris's skin and lowered her eyes back down to the pages in her lap, continuing to read.