Life really comes full circle. How long has it been since he was in this exact situation? Of trying to find a book that was to his liking? He remembered wandering around just like he was doing now. Trying to find something that he could actually get to the end.

And yet... so much had changed.

Looking around, not only was he now only surrounded by shadows, but by people, but even he was different, both in strength and in his internal being. Before Frozen Crown, he always relied on others, not being the one to take the lead. Even inside, he gave the majority of commands, but Elpis led the team.

..

Look at him now, being the leader of a personal team, and a whole rebellion at that.

The Withered has had a rebellion before this, done by a Harbinger. How he reached that point, no one knows, but he was powerful, very powerful. He had beaten five Harbingers by himself, and he was close to actually doing something with his rebellion. Before...

Keres stepped in, of course.

Even with his young age and recent awakening, Keres was a freak of nature, one that, if he weren't restricted by the world, he would have already climbed to the top. Some even believe the Codex put the Breaker rule to stop him.

A stupid theory, that doesn't make sense, but a believable one to some when you see his strength for yourself.

After the death of their leader, the rebellion fell. Leaving behind a gift for the Withered, to help them be independent from the Blue Rose, even if, at this time, it didn't help that much. For a whole decade, the Withered was left alone.

Which was why the first rebellion, even if it had been annihilated.

Their leader must have been pleased to have caused a change.

...

It made him wonder what success would mean. Did he also wish for a chance to make the Withered independent, to prove that he Withered wasn't just a marketplace... he wished.... he knew his reasons were selfish, after all, he wanted to destroy the Blue Rose, this rebellion was a tool for him, not something he cherished.

He wanted to have honor, just like the knight he used to read about, those heroes who always save others and sacrifice themselves.

And yet... he knew that wasn't him.

He was in no way a hero, and neither did he think he was one.

But he did wish to be one... to fulfill the wish of his child self.

....

[Name- The Library of Lost Sounds]

[Class-Reader]

[Knowledge rank- Fragment]

[Description- "A mischievous sound escapes one book and spreads chaos through the town: whispers, laughter, and storms that won't stop. The librarian must restore the sounds to their proper pages."]

...

[Name- The Floating Market]

[Class-Reader]

[Knowledge rank- Fragment]

[Description- "The floating boats begin drifting too far from the town, and the merchants risk being lost forever. The townsfolk must learn to control the market's strange currents."]

...

[Name- The Boy Who Painted Clouds]

[Class-Reader]

[Knowledge- Fragment]

[Description- "The boy paints a storm that refuses to dissipate. He must learn to paint a new kind of cloud to restore the sky and prevent the village from flooding."]

...

'What the heck are these books?'

In what part of the Library were they? He wouldn't have entered these stories even if he wasn't where he was, not even the him that was searching for a story before he found Frozen Crown would have entered these types of stories. They were known by all, they were really short and easy, but hardly gave any sync, so you could just enter them and gain sync, but it would be slow, but they aren't harmless, you can die in them, like you can in any book.

He was getting a little frustrated, since he wasn't finding anything, and he didn't have that much time. The others hadn't found anything either, so they had more over wasted a lot of their time.

He sighed, deciding to stop it for the day. After all, he was hungry and tired, and he knew the others were also, and even if he wasn't a great leader, he wasn't going to let his people starve.

Leaving the Infinite Library, the others began to eat whatever they had left, but Aether noticed their reserve was getting low, so he needed to buy some food. The thing was, he was... kinda broke... like he didn't even have a bronze coin.

That meant he couldn't send someone to get it for him.

He needed to find a way to get money and buy food.

And while normally, if he sent Riven to get it, maybe they would give a discount, or for free, since for them, he was still their leader...

He did need some time for himself, so he left alone.

...

In reality, getting the money hadn't been hard at all; after all, he had been scamming people for almost half of his life, plus he had also learned to steal. Together with his earring, it was easy to steal money.

He had just wanted to think alone, with no one to bother him while he thought about what to do, how to find a book for himself and his party. Any other good leader would have already known what to do by now.

Which made him realize how much he still needed to go.

It wasn't enough to make himself a leader; he needed to prove himself first.

He didn't have a lot of time, and he knew that. The Withered was already starting to show signs to the party sent to find him, so it isn't going to be long until they either retreat or act. The former is the most plausible, but that doesn't mean it's over. When that happens, the second part comes into play, where they advance and stop the Blue Rose from doing anything inside the Withered. He had to be strong for that part.

The King can get angry at any time and send someone to kill them, or worse, come himself to do it. After all, he knew he was somewhere here, and what better reason to step away from your throne but to stop a rebellion, and also find the Vessel of the Abyss.

He wasn't in the situation he was before, where he had all the time world, well... did he? Keres had recognized him that day, when he killed his teacher, so at that time he thought that he was going to say it to the King, and they were going to come and find him.

Even if it seems like he has already forgotten his face. He didn't know if he knew his name; he hadn't known his, he only learned it recently from a shadow, and later confirmed by Lyra, but he hoped he didn't; he didn't seem to react when Iris called him by his name, so that was good.

So while he had all the time in the world, he didn't feel like he did... So what drove him to find a worthy book?

...

"Desperate hope...!"

At that time, he was desperate to get stronger; he wanted to get his revenge, to change himself, which he considered he did, even if he still had to work on that. But many other books could allow him to do that. But what drove him to Frozen Crown, he was led by the shadows and chained to it by some random chains.

But he wasn't forced to enter.

...

He had expected because he was desperate to be stronger...

Right now, while he hoped to do so, to prove he was a leader... he wasn't hungry for it.

...

"Is it because... I don't truly believe in this myself... is that why Voidpierces said my plan will fail? Since, unlike last time, I don't fully think I achieve what I want..."

Last time, he had nothing, and now he had everything. That was the difference...

He gritted his teeth...

"Then if I don't fully believe myself that I can do it, I'll just have to prove to myself that I can."

...

He rushed between the endless rows of books, with his whole team following behind. He hadn't told them anything, so this was weird. After all, from what they remembered, they were going to continue tomorrow, and yet Aether had come back without the food and said to find a book again.

This was strange, and he knew that, but he just couldn't wait until tomorrow.

Images from his past appeared in his mind, guiding him to the place where Frozen Crown used to reside, and yet, it wasn't there anymore. He searched around, yet none of his books fit his taste.

But after throwing away a book that he didn't like, he found another behind it. With its bright yellow cover, sparkling with light, it didn't have a title written on it. But a book can't be without a name.

...

[Reader Aether! Would you like to enter this story?]

[Name-The Kingdom of Glass Heroes]

[Class-Reader]

[Knowledge rank- Titan]

[Description- "Our deeds shape us, yet they can be hidden, those who have wronged can live as normal beings.... That shall not be, not under His ruling, our deeds shall be shown to the whole world, that way those who have done good can be honored and those who have wronged, purified."]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.