The calm before the storm are moments worth remembering.

The old man floats steadily in mid-air. "And you don't." Grendel replies, then he looks closer at Luminous. "Are you sure you are Luminous?"

"Yes. I am. Couldn't you recognise me anymore?" Luminous asks, plainly hurt by the words. He had spent time with Grendel every once a while back in the days. Grendel is wise, and has extensive knowledge about magic and a great many things regarding the arcane symbols and the ancient world. Apparently, he can never leave the room, now called the Magic Library. He never revealed why, but Luminous suspects it is a great limitation curse placed by someone, or something, that even this ancient mage could not figure out how to free himself. One thing is for certain though, Grendel looks the same even after so many centuries.

"I'm sorry, your aura has changed so much. It has been a few centuries since that battle with the Black Mage. I didn't know you had survived, or that you can survive from that curse. "

Luminous holds his Shining Rod tightly. "To be honest, I am not sure that I did survive."

Grendel gazes at him with his ancient eyes for a long moment. "You can control the two powers within you. You have the strength. The Darkness may be overwhelming right now, but can I see that your Light is recovering ever since the split."

"Is it really?" Luminous sees a glimmer of hope. "Can the Darkness be banished, then?"

"Luminous, you have to accept that your soul is already broken into two halves that are both polar opposites of each other. It is unmendable. If you banish the Darkness, you are essentially killing yourself." Grendel says firmly.

Luminous considers his option. On one hand, he thinks it is for everyone's sake that he disappears because of how hazardous he is to others; on the other hand, there are still many questions left unanswered, and he will find out what is happening. "... I am not going to die just yet. Even if it goes against my own oath to protect and proliferate Light to the world. There must be a reason why I am here at this point in time. "

"A very logical decision, much like the Mage of Light that I knew." Grendel comments approvingly. "Although, it is not really that accurate to call you by that title anymore..." His voices slowly trails off as he realise that Luminous's face turns grimmer. "Oh..."

Luminous asks dejectedly, "What am I now? What will you call me? I don't even know myself."

Grendel strokes his long beard. "Unfortunately, nothing within the category of mages that I instruct matches you. You are a very special case. No mages can withstand the corruption of Darkness for more than a few days. But you, the Darkness becomes part of you, and you managed to maintain your Light and your mental stability. It is nothing like I have ever seen, or heard of for all my living years, and mind you, I live a long life."

"I don't doubt that, Grendel. I suppose it's not possible to put me in a clear category. Now, I have to ask for your advice on the next step. Because I fear that my soul will be corrupted further as I use spells. The Darkness had already taken me once, I don't want it to happen again."

"Let me think... Do you still remember Aurora?"

"I do, I was a member, along with... It was disbanded, after..." Luminous's thoughts wonders to the past. It is a painful memory to him.

"Good, you still have that memory. Now, do you remember how to go back to Harmony?"

Harmony. That was his home. He tries to recall the way to reach there, but his mind draws a blank. "I am unable to remember."

Grendel lets out a short sigh. "Okay, this will be difficult then. I think I have a book that shows the way to Harmony. But the thing is, I don't know where I kept it." He smiles sheepishly.

Luminous scans the library with his eyes, and sees mountains and mountains of books laying around the place. The shelves were disorganised and dusty. This Magic Library is in chaos. No wonder no one pays a visit. "You need to clean your place, old friend. How long has it been?"

Grendel shrugs. "Time loses its impact in this place. I had a few helpers over the decades, the last one is Lolo, if I remember that child's name correctly."

"What happened to him?" Luminous asks.

"That's the thing, he was missing since last year. The fairies said he might have left the town to go to Henesys or Kerning City, but I know he did not. He would have told me about it."

Luminous feels a jolt of Darkness within him; a slight sense of satisfaction. He quickly suppresses it. "What was his last errand?" He begins to worry something is not right.

"I believe I sent him out to the forest for collecting some unique leaves to create a spell. He came back with the leaves, and I asked him to pick more whenever he is free. And after that, I lost contact with him."

Luminous takes a few moments to consider. "That is worrisome. Should I have a look around for you? It has been quite some time, but I can still try to find some clues."

Grendel nods and says, "Your help is very appreciated. You know I can't leave this place, so I can only rely on you. The fairies rarely come in here, and they give up too quickly."

"Tell me where is his house and the place you asked him to find the leaves, we can start there." Luminous says.

"He lives in one of the east houses on the upper vines, number 24. It is near the exit. As for the forest, find a tree that glows when the sky turns black. The leaves light up in bright aqua colour when it is in the dark."

"The tree that glows in the dark? I didn't know it still exists."

"It is the last one in the world now, Luminous. That is why I have to get more samples while I still can, but that's beside the point. We'll make a deal. I'll help you to find the book that brings you back to Harmony, and you help me to find out what happened to Lolo, or even better, bring him back here if he is still alive."

Luminous thinks that is fair. "Deal. Just don't get your hopes too high about that child's chance of surviving."

Grendel is saddened. "I understand."

And so, Luminous heads out of the Magic Library, and begin searching for clues that lead to Lolo.

More to come.