Sonia moved through the library with practiced grace, her gaze fixed on the rows of books surrounding her. She touched the spines of books on a shelf at her eye level, her gentle fingers pausing on each as she read the titles. She wasn't looking for any specific book but hoped to find something to distract her busy mind from the real world for a short while.
A titled on a higher shelf caught her eye, and she halted her steps. Reaching up and standing on the balls of her feet, she managed to ease the slender tome off of the shelf. It was an older book, its hard cover a faded blue that sported discoloring and stains. Along the spine in faded silver lettering spelled its title, To the Island of Immortal Fire.
Sonia carefully opened the book, its spine crackling lightly with the effort. She carefully turned the yellowed pages, her mind captured immediately by the hand-drawn inked illustrations on the pages. One illustration depicted a young sailor standing in the crow's nest, his body leaning forward, a hand covering his brow as he kept a lookout for land. A small drawing that separated two chapters depicted a great galleon, all of its sails displayed. It was a maritime adventure, and it would certainly suit the princess.
She walked out of the library, her nose already in the book. Normally she wasn't one to walk and read, but this story immediately captured her imagination. She couldn't tear her eyes from the pages if she wanted, and she kept walking and reading until she walked right into a very solid body.
She gasped and stepped back, clutching the book to her chest as she looked up at Gundham Tanaka. "Oh, pardon me, Gundham!" Sonia quickly apologized, although he didn't look particularly bothered. "I should have been looking where I was going," Sonia babbled on. "I was just, well, distracted." She looked back down at the book in her hands.
"You are forgiven, mortal," Gundham responded in his usual manner. "Any mere human would be enraptured with that grimoire." He pointed to the book Sonia held.
"Oh, have you read it?" she asked.
"It holds a dark power," was his response.
"I'll take that as a yes," Sonia said with a smile. "Don't tell me how it ends!" she said, opening the book again and turning to the page she'd left off on. "I'm gonna find out…"
"In this corridor?"
"Shush!" Sonia waved at him. "It's starting to get really good."
"It overpowers even you," he said quietly, then louder, "Take ahold of this." Sonia tore her eyes away from the page and looked up at Gundham holding out the end of his scarf. "I shall guide you until that dark grimoire releases your soul."
Sonia smiled again and took the end of his scarf. "You are sure?" she asked.
"Do not question me!" he declared and walked. Sonia followed, her eyes back on the book's pages, and she let Gundham lead her through the school while she lost herself in the story.