“Gilbert! You must know something. He couldn’t have just disappeared without a trace.”

  A tall woman leaned over a cramped desk, showing her ample cleavage as she slammed her fist onto stacks of papers. A few documents spilled to the ground, yet the man behind the desk merely smiled, unfazed.

  "You worry too much, Gloria," Gilbert said. "He's not a child anymore. Why not let him live his own life?"

  The woman frowned, then scoffed as she straightened herself, letting her long black and gold dress fall back softly in place, accentuating the curves of her body. A luxurious gold ornament held her long black hair in a ponytail, giving the man before her a perfect view of her gorgeous facial features. A bright white jewel dangled from her ear.

  “Easy for you to say,” she said as she crossed her arms and turned to the side, unwilling to match his gaze. “You weren’t the one that watched him grow up until now. He’s still very much a child in many ways—so stubborn and reckless. Who knows what stupid mess he got himself in this time. He may even be dead for all I know.”

  Her fierce gaze grew somewhat softer, but not by much. Gilbert rose from his chair—the green outline nowhere to be seen—then approached Gloria before wrapping her in his arms and holding her tightly. She struggled a bit before relenting, finding peace within his embrace.

  “He’ll come back eventually, my love,” Gilbert replied. “Besides, you already have enough agents scouring the Academy. Something is bound to turn up.”

  "Since when do you call me that?" she snapped back, yet her tone was much softer than earlier.

  “We haven’t seen each other in a while, so I thought it fitting. Don’t you like it?”

  She didn't respond, only burying her head slightly more into his chest. Despite being taller than the average woman in the Imperium, she was still a head shorter than Gilbert, even with the heels on her feet.

  Gilbert chuckled, stroking her head softly, while his other hand went on to firmly grab her buttocks. She raised her gaze, only to meet his, yet her eyes showed her surprise but also a slight frown. She opened her mouth to speak, yet it was swiftly closed by Gilbert's own mouth making contact with hers. For a few seconds, she remained stunned but soon reciprocated the sentiment.

  After a minute or two, they grew apart, yet Gilbert’s hand remained firmly on her rump until she swatted it away, biting Gilbert’s lower lips until she almost drew blood, yet he only laughed in turn.

  “This isn’t the time for this. Why can’t you behave yourself,” she said, seriousness dripping from her words, yet Gilbert merely shrugged.

  “Admit it, you wanted it too; otherwise, you wouldn't have worn something so provocative. This isn't your normal style," he said with a smile.

  She paused; her expression twisted slightly, a mix of embarrassment and condemnation at this facet of her that had been brought to the surface so plainly. Using her thumb and index finger, she pinched the back of the hand on her buttocks and twisted, feeling great satisfaction in seeing Gilbert's expression writhe with pain until he finally removed it.

  He took a step back, shaking his hand back and forth, hoping the ache would disappear, only to be pounced upon. The woman held his shirt with both hands as she pushed him back onto the desk, scattering even more tomes and documents onto the already cluttered floor before mounting him, knees onto the desk, her gaze slightly higher than his.

  Her breathing accelerated slightly, feeling warm on his face. Their eyes locked, desire filling them. Their chests were pressed together. Gilbert could feel their softness perfectly, even through both of their clothes, and couldn't help but make him even more aroused. Still, reason prevailed—for now.

  "We shouldn't. What if someone was to see this. Think of your position," he said, yet his words had no strength. In fact, he was entranced by her eyes, completely unable to look away.

  "Who'd come to see a hermit like you?" she scoffed, yet felt a heat rise from her core, then a slight smile appeared on her red lips. "As for my position, I prefer to be on top."

  There was a silence between the two as the tension mounted. Neither sought for more, basking in the moment. That was until a pair of sharp footsteps echoed from beyond the opened door. In all her excitement, she had forgotten to close it.

  “Major Lancaster! We’ve found some news you might be interested in.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Two women stood at the threshold. One was the same woman whose spirit had attacked Ethan a couple of days prior. She remained largely the same, except that her hair was a deep auburn and that her green earrings had dulled somewhat.

  A more petite woman was to her side, yet her frame was much more sturdy. Despite her black and white military uniform, her toned muscles shone through, unable to be hidden. Her hair was black and short, falling just below her ears, showing a prominent scar running through her cheek, mostly likely made by a bladed weapon.

  There was no earring on her ear, yet her presence alone spoke volumes of her strength and power. She easily rose above any individuals within the Academy, with the exception of the Dean and the Major straddling a man on the desk.

  Gilbert was shocked to see someone else in his office, as were the two women standing at the threshold, except that the short-haired woman showed none of it, merely saluting as she struck her left breast with her fist, her gaze mask of stone.

  "Gloria?" Gilbert whispered as he lightly placed his palm on her cheek, yet she showed no response except for a slight blush and a look of deep embarrassment and terror in her eyes.

  How did she not hear them come in? It should have been easy for her, Gilbert thought, only to hear a giggle from above.

  He raised his gaze slightly and noticed a green outline dancing in the sky above, creating a melody of sounds meant just for him. In fact, all three women heard none of this. They didn't even realize its presence.

  You’ll pay for this...

  The spirit’s giggle grew slightly as it rushed into the distance before disappearing into the illusion of a starry sky shining above the Endless Library. Gilbert sighed and shook his head but felt his palm grow slightly warmer. He looked upon her visage, only to find it was now deep red. She gritted her teeth, almost as if to shatter them.

  "Honey?" he whispered, yet she did not hear him.

  Barely a moment later, her white earring glowed with incandescent light. Something seemed to emerge from its depths, yet Gilbert couldn't look directly at it as it threatened to burn his retina. He closed his eyes, but even then, the light pierced right through his eyelid as if to imprint itself straight into his brain. He turned his head to the side and covered his eyes with his palm, but even that was pointless.

  A blinding light covered the room, rising far into the sky, forming a giant pillar that could be seen from all recesses of the Library. All turned to face its majesty but could only turn away soon after, unable to bear its sight.

  The two women standing near the door faced the worst of it, shielding themselves with their forearms, yet had to turn away to not lose sight. But even then, the light seemed to burn their skin, prompting them to take refuge on the other side of the massive bookcases that served as walls for this ceiling-less room.

  The pillar remained for over a minute, illuminating the sky like a miniature sun, spreading its heat over the entire Library. If not for Gilbert's quick intervention, pulling Gloria's neck closer into his embrace, he feared the various ancient manuscripts littered close might burst into flame from the light alone.

  Feeling the change, Gloria snapped out of it and quickly cut her mana supply, swiftly making the light recede. The pillar faded until the blackened sky returned, yet an uproar rose within the Library, wondering what had just happened.

  Many stood in awe of its power, but others felt dread despite the distance. Most were only students, barely cognizant of the limits of their own contracts, while few were mere librarians, unaccustomed to battle, unable to fathom the amount of mana expended for this one eruption of light.

  "What kind of monster did this?" one of the librarians said to his colleague standing next to him, mouth slightly agape.

  The second was completely stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened as he waited for his sight to recover, until a third, a woman, stood next to the duo.

  “Look in this direction,” she said as she pointed to where the pillar had disappeared, “Isn’t that where the Head Librarian’s office is located?”

  They all exchanged a glance, unsure whether to rush to its origin, but after a slight reflection, they chose to ignore it, merely returning to their own works, believing that if something had happened, the Head Librarian would be enough to handle it.

  As the light faded, Gloria pushed herself from her husband's embrace and climbed down from the desk before straightening out her slightly wrinkled dress and tucking a long hair strand behind her ear.

  The light remained, if only barely, forming a bright halo on her back, almost as if she was a goddess descended from the Heavens—a mark of her divinity—while, in fact, it was but her spirit clinging to her back as if to protect her. As for its form, there was no way to know. It might as well be light itself given form, not for anyone to gaze upon it but its own contractor.

  Despite it all, Gloria showed no signs of exhaustion. In fact, she seemed as fresh as ever, even more so than usual, as if this display of power couldn’t scratch even the surface of what she was capable of. She glanced at the doorway and saw it was now empty, yet she could sense the two women hiding behind the mass of woods on either side. She took a deep breath before turning to face them.

  “Corporal! You can come in,” she barked in a tone of steel.

  Less than a second later, the woman in a military uniform stepped through the opening, completely unfazed, yet Gloria could see that she had yet to recover her sight completely. Nevertheless, she stood straight and faced Gloria as if she hadn’t seen anything, offering another salute.

  On the other hand, the auburn-haired woman only peeked from the bookcase, locking her gaze with Gilbert. Her eyes seemed to inquire something, yet Gilbert only made a simple gesture over his neck, telling her not to ask before quietly shooing her away, which she did, almost post-haste.

  Gloria turned to face him, eyes slightly narrowed, yet he only smiled in return before pointing to the sole woman standing at attention. Gloria scoffed before turning back forward.

  "You had something to report?" Gloria inquired, unwilling to mention what had just happened, while the woman also didn't ask.

  " Major!" The Corporal said as she slowly lowered her hand before crossing them behind her back, standing as straight as an arrow. "After a preliminary search, we found witnesses that might point to your brother's current location. He was last seen leaving the Academy last night, headed toward the nearby forest. There were no reports of him ever returning."

  “Your eyes seem to tell me this isn’t everything,” Gloria said, eyes narrowing further. “Spit it out.”

  The Corporal hesitated slightly before steeling herself and replying, "Ethan Lancaster isn't the only one missing. A first-year student also hasn't reported for class today. While this isn't unusual, rumours are circulating within the Academy."

  “What sorts of rumours?” Gilbert asked, feeling something was strange.

  “They blame the Major’s brother for the student’s disappearance.”