[Floor Eleven]

  Anima: one’s raw soul.

  ***

  In a cave alcove, Lodio slumped against the rough, stony wall. His head angled to the right as he stared at the ticking clock. Ten seconds. It went down every time he blinked. His wound burned and pulsed as if it had a life of its own.

  Raw Anima?

  He stared out at the trees.

  Father, I am just a fish egg in a sea of sharks.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You passed [Floor Eleven]! Now moving to [Floor Twelve]!]

  The same routine: dissolved into mist.

  Instead of finding himself in a room, he found himself in a vast library. Looming bookshelves on each side with different-sized books. Wooden ladders lined up against the shelves, leading to a second floor. Arched windows lined uniformly framed by a reflective marble. Above, a chandelier hung, casting kaleidoscopic shadows.

  The air carried the scent of nutty, old books.

  Spread around, other people filled the wide hallway; some were injured, while others had a daunting look on their face. But Lodio didn’t care about them. No. Instead, he looked for them…

  No avail.

  “Ladies and gentlemen!”

  That voice… again.

  “Welcome to the twelfth floor!”

  Lodio’s eyes followed the hovering screen’s subtitles.

  [Congratulations to the hundreds of you! Now, where’s your Gilds, you may ask? Well, it’s being processed as we speak! Enough of that; you must be itching to know about the goal. Well, the goal is to wait seventy-two hours. Yes, I said that right, seventy-two! Why? There’s thousands of books… you might find some useful, hint, hint! And also. Do. Not. Fight. Good luck!]

  Ding!

  [Awarded [?500] + [?500 x 1.0x]: ?1,000!]

  Ding!

  [Goal: Wait 72 hours (0/72)]

  Lodio stared.

  Why so much?

  Taking a step, he winced, his wound pulsing.

  I really took a beating.

  He explored the library: people chattered on oak chairs while others brooded against the bookshelves. A Twog sat on a chair, ankles crossed as they read a book, glasses skewed. The book cover read, “The Wandering Swordsman.”

  Makes sense…

  Materializing in front of him hovered a winged blue orb. Then, it morphed into a tiny human.

  “Hey-ya! Name’s Poppy! I’m an assistant in this library! Here to help!” Poppy flashed a wide grin, eyes crinkly.

  Lodio stared at their pointy ears. “What the hell are you?

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Brushing a finger under their nose, Poppy smirked. “I’m a fairy-ya! From Faehelm!” They chuckled. “I know, I know, it’s hard to believe that fairies—“

  Lodio moved on.

  “H-hey! I’m a fairy! F-a-i-r-y! Don’t you know! Like like magical!” Poppy waved their arms.

  I don’t need to worry about some ‘fairy’ or whatever they’re called. I need to learn about Anima.

  “Oi! I can help ya!” Poppy called out as they followed Lodio. “A book! Ask me for a book! I can find you a book!”

  Lodio stopped.

  Turning around, he said: “Book?” Then stepped forward. “Anima. I need a book about—“

  “Aha!” Poppy cut him off with a raised finger. “Anima, ehhh? Don’t-ya worry! Follow me!” With that, they flew.

  So fast!

  He squeezed through crowds and ducked under other fairies. Finally, he stopped. Due to his wound, a sharp exhale escaped.

  Poppy sat on a jutting book, their legs swinging. “Here!” With surprising strength, they carried the book down and set it on a table.

  Lodio’s gaze landed on the book. It had no title—just a simple red cover with gold engravings. His hand inched closer to the book and flipped the pages.

  “Anima flows from the soul, a finite but a self-replenishing well. Extreme usage leads to Anima Depletion, causing internal ruptures, numbness, or even lose one’s self.”

  He stopped reading.

  On the table, Poppy lay on their stomach—elbows propped—with their cheeks on their palms. Behind, their legs kicked back and forth. But their face? Their face held a smug smirk. A smirk that Lodio wanted to punch.

  “What.” Not a question, but a statement.

  “Nothingggg~”

  Turning his gaze toward the book, he continued reading: “Individuals often have the affinity for Internal or External Anima, but masters can learn both. Affinity can be shaped by personality, culture, and trauma—can you stop humming?” Lodio gritted his teeth.

  Too much words.

  His head pulsed.

  “Looks like you’re having trouble here, hmmm~” Poppy’s eyes crinkled.

  “Didn’t you help? Why are you here still?”

  “‘Cause I want tooooo~ There’s not reason at all!” A giggle.

  Lodio stared at Poppy. His face was blank like a slab of stone.

  “How can someone so pretty have a face like that?” Poppy propelled upward and squished Lodio’s cheeks with their tiny hands. “Doe eyes! I’m going to call you… hmmm… Doey!” Poppy flew back down.

  “Don’t call me that…” Lodio shook his head. “My name is Lodio—not Doey.”

  “What—ever, you’re no fun, Doey.” Poppy’s cheeks puffed out, wings flattening on their back.

  Ignored.

  “The material and history of an object can affect Anima efficiency. A cherished heirloom holds better than a random stick. Living things are more responsive than non-living things.”

  “These are known as the three principles.”

  Lodio stopped again.

  Biting the inside of his cheek, he pressed his palms into his eyes. Resting his hands beside him, he could see Poppy holding that smug grin. Now, they sat with their legs crossed.

  As if sensing his gaze, Poppy waved with a wide grin.

  That fairy knows something…

  “Hey,” Lodio started. “Do you know about this?”

  “Glad’ya asked!” Poppy hovered in the air. “I can teach! But first, you have to say please.”

  “Please.”

  “Good enough, I guess. Anyway! Let me take you inside of the book!”

  “What—“

  Their bodies warped into the book.

  Blinking rapidly, Lodio found himself in a limestone arena surrounded by high walls. Mountains peeked over them. The sun beat down.

  Is this inside?!

  He whipped his head left-right-left before staring at Poppy.

  Rubbing their hands, Poppy opened their mouth: “Welcome to Anima Basics! First lesson: close your eyes and concentrate to access your Anima.”

  Following their instructions, Lodio closed his eyes.

  First a trickle.

  The voided floor rippled from an aura droplet.

  Then a current.

  Aura surged through his veins.

  By the end.

  It expanded.

  A waterfall.

  Opening his eyes, he let out a deep exhale. An aura engulfed his body like an oil-fueled flame. It crackled and pulsed.

  Poppy’s eyes widened. “Ah! You’re an External user! Look at your body—see how your Anima swallows your body?” They gestured at him.

  “I thought it was invisible—my father couldn’t see it every time I used it! Or I couldn’t see his!”

  His heart thumped.

  “‘Cause that’s the hard part… when a user’s Anima is too strong, even a normal human can see it! But a Anima user could see it better than humans—for example, you could see how the air warps around their body or a subtle steam,” Poppy explained.

  “To see a user’s anima… you need to concentrate Anima into your eyes, butttt~” They paused for dramatic effect. “For External users, you need to coat your eyes… we call this Coating. It’s an advance technique.”

  What?

  Poppy giggled. “You look confused! Don’t-ya worry! I’ll teach you the basics first! Currently, you’re Flaring, a process where Anima engulfs your body. But… how did you figure out Flaring?”

  Lodio didn’t answer at first. Instead, he stared at his palms.

  Flaring? That seems simple enough…

  “I see a droplet of Anima…then I feel it surging through veins, it’s hard to explain. It expands,” Lodio answered.

  To show them, he unsheathed his sword, letting aura coat it. “It expanded to my—“

  Poppy’s jaw dropped, eyes widening. “YOU KNOW COATING TOO?” They blinked rapidly.

  “For these three days, I will help you enhance your Anima!”