The History of Tottaus
Lucian had scoured every book in the library. He had read them all, and every new book to arrive, several times. He had memorized their pages long ago and now in the daylight hours only read them to pass the time. He was busy offering Lord Jasne advice that morning, and did not make it to the library until hours later than usual. Although perhaps today he should have altogether skipped this part of his routine, he chose instead to stay late. He plucked a title from the shelf and settled into a chair. Even the librarian had already gone, and the library itself was quiet.
"Argh! There's something missing!" shouted a voice. "It just doesn't make sense!"
Well, it had been quiet.
With a frown, Lucian bookmarked his page and looked in the direction from which the voice had come. He raised his head just in time for a book, soaring through the air, to smack him in the face. When the book fell, it revealed a scowl and Lucian muttered some colorful words.
"Ah!" the boy gasped, and sputtered, "I... I didn't know there was anyone else here! I-I'm sorry!" Behind a large, thick pair of glasses, his wide eyes fixed on Lucian's.
Lucian realized he had not fallen back to his stoic demeanor when the boy sputtered a second apology. "You should not be so careless with these relics," he scolded, and reached down to the floor beside him to recover the abused volume. Before his fingers had reached the cover, he caught a glimpse of the title. It was a record book—one of many journal-like volumes of The History of Tottaus. He snatched it up and set it on the table before him.
"Are you okay?" the boy murmured, shuffling closer.
"Fine," Lucian muttered. He set down the book he had been reading and instead flipped through the volume he had so painfully acquired. His eyes did not stray from the pages as he asked, "What is your name?"
"Genius," the boy replied. "Genius Weissheit."
Lucian peered skeptically over the edge of the volume before returning to its contents. "How old are you?"
"Twelve."
"Do you understand the runes in this text?"
"Yes, milord."
"You've a fitting name for such a young and able reader."
Lucian closed the book and set it back on the table. He shifted in his chair to face the child. The boy wasn't much to look at. He wore bulky garb that made him look large, but there was nothing to him beneath it. Although his cheeks were still plump with youth, what Lucian could see of his neck and arms had hardly any mass at all.
"What doesn't make sense, Genius?"
"Why can't we live in peace with the fairy creatures? Why is there so much animosity between the humans and the non-humans?"
"It's a war as old as Tottaus itself."
"But we have to stop it! If we don't stop it, and soon, it'll destroy humanity!"
"You are a very intelligent young man," Luican remarked, placing a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. "If you had the chance, would you stop the fighting?"
The boy nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh."
"Promise me you will try."
"I am trying!" Genius spat, crossing his arms and turning away in a huff.
Lucian smiled. "I wish there were more people like you in Radiata." He picked the volume up off the table and offered it back to the boy. "But promise me you won't throw anymore books."
"Ah—!" The youth turned scarlet at the shame of his impulsive actions. "Y-yes milord." He accepted the volume and shuffled off to find its place on the shelves.
When the boy was out of earshot, Lucian's smile widened. "There may be hope for humanity after all..."
Author's Note
A gift for a friend around DeviantArt and LiveJournal after I got a surprise gift meme that was going around. Anyone who commented on the journal would get something but what was up to the journal poster. And, of course, commenting and gift-receiving was at the cost of re-posting the journal. xD Since I've already posted this to dA and LJ, I figured I should share it with the FFNet community, too. Feedback is appreciated, but not necessary. Thank you for reading!