Vex and Alixa were at a stand still with the wizard in the heart of the grand library of Wavel. The wizard was prepared to attack any second, his face changed, suddenly he stopped and calmed down thinking that the pair was just some rascals, untrained in proper etiquette of book handling.

  "Relax, children. I'm Litero the Wise. Excuse my sudden anger. In my old age the only thing I have left are my tomes, and when I see people disrespecting them, it's hard to control myself."

  Vex and Alixa exchanged a quick glance. Vex immediately went for the bluff.

  “Release us right now. Or we tell King Andrew.”

  Litero, hard of hearing and already half-lost in his own drama, didn’t even register the wrong name. His wild white hair began floating upward. His eyes flared bright blue.

  "You're with the tyrant? EXPOSITION!"

  Litero waved his hand, and the room plunged into darkness, ceiling swirled like a stormy sky. Thousands of books ripped from shelves, floating in the air. Pages snapped, turning into sharp projectiles, flying in a circle around them. They filled the whole room blocking the view of Litero. Pages stopped and turned to them. Vex and Alixa took it as a sign to defend themselves. Vex ducked under a small table, Alixa held up the shadow library to use it as a shield. Pages started flying, some passing through their defenses and making shallow cuts.

  "Vex! We can't hold this much longer."

  Vex answered, gagging on page scraps.

  "Wun to the side woom!"

  They bolted. Pages slapped and cut at them the whole way. Vex tripped over a fallen stack of encyclopedias. Alixa dragged him up by the collar. They slammed the side-room door shut behind them. Pages immediately began sliding under the door gap.

  “Vex, your cloak. Now.”

  "Why mine? Scared to undress in front your fiancee?"

  With no patience Alixa swiftly pulled on his sleeve, ripping it off and stuffed it in the door gap.

  "Whew. Thanks for the help, idiot."

  "You know you're paying me back for this."

  Her left eyebrow twitched violently.

  "The audacity! I saved your life."

  "Yeah, well it's not over your Royal Highness."

  "That wizard is insane."

  "Just imagine how this looks from the outside."

  "Windows! Let's just escape through them. It's better to run away from the guards than to deal with that lunatic."

  "Sounds like work for a strong independent woman, 'mr. princess'."

  "Ugh."

  Alixa grabbed a chair and threw it, quickly blocking her face with her arms. The window broke and the chair flew straight out.

  "Holy... Vex look at this."

  The window was now a painting with a gaping hole punched through it. An endless blue void peaked through the hole.

  Vex Shruged.

  "Ehh whatever. Guess we have to beat him."

  "HOW?"

  “Leave it to your man, little princess. Don’t worry your pretty head.”

  "Ew."

  Vex took off his cloak and rolled it into a ball, he grabbed a lit candle from the table and tip toed to the door.

  "Open it on three."

  He lit his cloak on fire.

  "Thre-"

  Alixa flung the door open, Vex tossed the flaming ball on the nearest pile of paper. The whole place ignited in mere moments.

  "CLOSE CLOSE CLOSE"

  Alixa closed it and tucked the sleeve back in.

  "Brilliant. We're no longer trapped. NOW WE'RE TRAPPED IN A BURNING BUILDING."

  "Shut up for a second."

  Vex pressed his ear on the door. The cracking and popping stopped. Vex grinned.

  "Fire's gone, let's run."

  "Where?"

  "Uhh maybe the main door is normal. You can bust it down with those princess muscles!"

  Vex opened the door, the mess was gone, everything was back in its pristine condition.

  He took one step forward.

  Rip.

  Image of the main hall ripped like a canvas, revealing a blue void yet again.

  “Where do you think you’re going? Haha…”

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  They spun. Litero stood calmly by the window, smiling. He waved his hand again, rage appeared instantly.

  "You dare destroy knowledge? RISING ACTION!"

  Five tomes behind his back floated to the front and snapped open. Letters poured out, forming into mass that shifted into ink creations. First to materialize was a tiger. The beast stretched preparing to pounce on Vex. Alixa saw a bucket used for cleaning, she grabbed it, preparing to attack the wizard. In the same instance the tiger jumped, Alixa threw the bucket and Vex dropped on the ground. The bucket hit the creature right in its face, splashing a small amount of water on it. Vex flipped, surprised how he didn't become kitty food. The tiger was frozen mid-air, melting away. Alixa shouted.

  "It's just ink, a drop of water and they're gone."

  In front of Litero an array of spears and snakes were forming.

  Vex complained.

  "You used up the water."

  "I SAVED YOU."

  "Fine. I've got an idea. A stretchy hero of mine gave it to me."

  "Stretchy?"

  "Alixa throw me your dagger."

  "Ohh I get it! I'm not missing a chance to hurt you myself."

  With newfound strength Alixa dashed towards Vex and cut his wrist with a swift half-circle motion. She threw the shadow library at him.

  "Use this as a shield."

  Vex caught it with his healthy hand and dashed towards Litero, splashing incoming spears and snakes with his blood, protecting himself with the book. Every creation melted and fizzled away with a miniscule amount of fluid. Ink creations were gone. Three steps away from Litero he charged, using his book as a weapon.

  "Eat this, nerd."

  He slammed the heavy book right into the old man's chest using his shoulder. With an exhale of air Litero flew back and hit a shelf, leaving him slumped. He started shaking out of fury.

  "You... You dare... CLIMAX!"

  Lighting in the room started flickering between day and night, a tome descended from the ceiling. Alixa read the title, it was a popular book among noble children, praised for its humor. Vex looked back at Litero, but he was gone. Suddenly they heard.

  "COMEDY"

  The tome opened and a circus music started playing directly in their heads.

  First came the banana peels, they materialized everywhere, dozens of them, yellow and begging to be stepped on. Vex's legs moved on their own to complete the gag. He stepped forward and hit the first peel. His foot shot out and the rest of him followed in an unnatural turn mid-air. Arms flailed with crazy sound effects and he crashed ass-first into a bookshelf, then as a ball bounced to another, still rolling like a cartoon, he crashed into a third shelf and books dropped on his head in heavy thuds. Vex showed a dizzy smile several teeth missing.

  Alixa tried to avoid the peels, but one peel moved by itself right in her way. Her heel landed on it, her legs split wide mid-air. She slammed chin-first into a reading table. The table grew out two cartoony hands and punched her back, launching her into Vex just as he was standing up. They collided hard, chest to chest. She bounced off him flipping in the air, and they both hit the floor. Vex lay on his back and Alixa sat on him, his face pressed somewhere he didn't mind.

  They started hysterically laughing. Then their laughs became helpless wheezing snorts, suffocating them. Tears of joy ran down their faces non-stop.

  "Stop! Stop laughing you idiot!"

  Alixa gasped, barely managing to breathe, constant chest movement making them shake. She tried to lift herself up but her hands just turned into noodles. Everything she said just sounded like trumpets to Vex.

  "Look at you now, riding me like your personal mount."

  Vex wheezed and cracked. His words sounded like an accordion to Alixa.

  "I don't mind dying like this. hehe."

  A powerful voice flooded the room.

  "Looks like you're enjoying this a bit too much. HORROR!"

  Furniture stopped moving. Every object turned back to normal. Alixa jumped off Vex. Vex boasted.

  "How was I?"

  The room turned dark and a shadow ran past them.

  "What was that?"

  Walls started turning black, shadows circled around them. A children's choir played softly. Crows flew around, constantly cawing. Alixa gasped, jumping to Vex, unconsciously hugging him tightly.

  "Well well well."

  "Shut up you idiot. I just hate this stuff."

  Vex thought about it.

  "I guess these people never seen horror movies. This shit is not that scary."

  Whispers echoed in Litero's shaky voice.

  "Books preserve eternal truths... You children cannot... ahahahahha..."

  Alixa eeked. Vex was unaffected.

  "Pffft. Is that supposed to scare ME? The Shadow Emperor. Listen to your own voice old man, you're scared yourself. Need a nappy change?"

  Litero answered, even more enraged.

  "Fine. I'll show you something scary. TRAGEDY! The first thing that happens will cause a tragedy. I was only playing before, but now It's serious."

  The room got back to normal. It started raining outside. Vex thought to himself.

  "Playing?"

  He looked at his hands. He didn't notice when but the cuts and bruises were gone.

  "Alixa, his magic isn't real!"

  She suddenly realized the shadows were gone and forcefully pushed away Vex. After gaining back her composure she asked.

  "So?"

  "We need to cause a tragedy before he can."

  "I've got an idea. If we're careful no tragedy will happen. Unless he shows up."

  Alixa moved with precision, even a minor slip could become a tragedy, breaking her neck. She put a few books on the ground and lit them with the same candle. Books instantly ignited. Alixa exclaimed.

  "Here's a tragedy for you, Litero! Enjoy the tragedy of watching your library of precious books burn down."

  Litero entered the room.

  "STOP! I'm cancelling!"

  The rain stopped. Windows and doors became normal. As Litero was running to stop the small fire, Vex grabbed a book and punted it.

  "Please don't miss"

  It hit Litero straight to the chin, knocking him out. The pair exhaled loudly. They never have felt this exhausted. They put out the fire with a suddenly refilled cleaning bucket and dropped to the floor. Vex asked.

  "Does that deserve your praise, my princess?"

  Alixa stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

  "I can't lie, didn't expect surviving this with you."

  "Wanna award me? Hehe."

  Vex's cheeky laugh made Alixa lift her torso, suddenly she got a little more serious.

  “Vex. Do you understand how relationships actually work? A girl is not going to sleep with you just because you saved her life. If she does, I say she’s a whore. Women can show thanks in other ways. Like how I’m showing thanks right now by not killing you.”

  Vex’s brain flashed through every classic anime rescue-romance scene he’d ever seen.

  "...but they always fall for the hero..."

  "Enough yapping, let's tie this old fool down."

  ?????

  Litero opened his eyes, jaw still aching. He stared at the shadow library laying on the floor. He read massive red ancient runes spelling out it's name.

  "So the tyrant decided to use the ultimate weapon now..."

  Vex smacked back.

  "Who are you calling a tyrant? I am the gale sent from the shadows to conquer your world, star lord emperor Vortex, the unyielding."

  Litero blinked slowly. Pieces clicked. Adam would never use an idiot like this without brainwashing.

  "Just checking. So you're not working for King Adam?"

  "Obviously. Me and this chick came to the capital to overthrow him."

  Litero relaxed his shoulder, sagging slightly.

  "Ah, I'm relieved. But how did you get the shadow library?"

  "Your traps were a joke, gramps."

  Vex felt Alixa's sharp glare, making him remember every time she saved him. She asked Litero.

  "Mister, did you attack us because we took this book?"

  "Ha! No, I saw you dropping it and mistook it for an ordinary book. I prize them very dearly, but this one? It's basically indestructible and technically not even library's property."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  “It belongs to whoever completes the maze and claims it. Years ago dozens died trying. Nowadays everyone’s too scared. It was already here before my time, so the traps aren’t even mine. When I was your age I found a similar looking book that described the Shadow Library, it claimed that it was hidden right here, the ultimate weapon for the pure-hearted. Didn’t explain how it worked. The legend alone was enough to drive people mad.”

  Vex cut in.

  "Looks like you also want to stop the king."

  "Of course, he plans to export and sell all my precious tomes."

  Vex tried to give a polite smile. It came out slightly unhinged.

  Litero understood where he was going.

  "Consider me your Ally, I'm Litero the Wise."