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  "So, where to go?" Nurina asked.

  "Apocrypha!" Jon replied with delight.

  "I know we’re going to Apocrypha but where would we go to reach Apocrypha, you dolt."

  "Oh…… nowhere to be exact. Just let’s sit and open the book together. It will envelope the reader with some Hentai tentacles and send his mind to the Realm of Apocrypha."

  "So it’s a trip only for one?" Nurina seemed unamused.

  Jon’s eyes gazed sideways.

  "Kin……da?"

  "You don’t know?"

  "Can’t you just make an Astral Mind connection and link with me?" Jon asked, "You’re the head of Mysticism Department for crying out loud."

  "Alright alright! Let me check how that one used to work."

  Nurina went up and started rummaging through her books and scrolls in the corner of her room. Nurina is messy by nature and the way she organizes her personal things is scary. No one knew how she used to run an orphanage as a hobby but it seemed that she could get organized if she wanted to.

  She came back with a book and a staff then recited an incantation and cast a spell towards Jon.

  The two had their consciousness blackened out for a second before returning back again.

  "Oh…… that’s…… interesting!"

  Jon looked towards his hands to see them much smaller, darker, and he was holding a staff he was familiar with. Just beside him was…… well…… him. Jon checked himself by touching his chest to feel it rather soft. On the other hand, the other Jon was checking his own muscles as if shocked by the terrifying physical power he felt.

  ""Hey!""

  They finally understood what happened and Nurina hurriedly cast the spell back to reverse what just happened. The two returned to the way they were and realized what went wrong.

  "Why is there such a spell to begin with?" Jon asked.

  "Beats me…… actually, I think I need to do some gymnastics from now on."

  "Good…… I learned nothing important by the way."

  The two decided not to bring up the matter ever again and would kill anyone who may know about it just in case.

  The spell worked by the second try and Jon could feel Nurina in his mind. It was a higher form of telepathy that is very obscure but can connect people together even across worlds.

  "We are ready now." She said, "Just remember, do not get lost in Apocrypha or I’ll be lost with you as well. We need all the Knowledge regarding the Divine Script and the Varliance to translate the knowledge on the Eye of Magnus."

  Jon nodded and let out a sigh, in front of him were three Black Books all under seals. During his expedition to Solstheim a few years ago, he managed to acquire four of the six Black Books of Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Forbidden Knowledge. He managed to read the easiest one in the past and learned the iconic Bardic Knowledge spell from it but that book was less evil compared to those three. Even now, he wasn’t sure he could conquer those three books in one go.

  That’s why Nurina was here.

  "Alright, here goes nothing……"

  Grabbing the first book randomly, Jon read the title as he opened the first page.

  "Filament and Filigree. I stared at my reflection in the metal, wondering if my face had hardened to match my inner mood. I had been working the piece for days, and the forge’s swelter was taking its toll. I always came to the metal shop when the dark swam over me, and today was no exception. In the midst of……"

  Nurina watched Jon as he read, the words written were neither poetic nor a masterpiece of literature but rather generic and normal yet every word he read put her and his mind to a strange state. Their consciousness started fading and Nurina could see strange tentacles growing from the book wrapping themselves around Jon…… and everything went dark.

  ***