Nova gulped. His hands started to get sweaty. His entire body became stiff. Uncontrollable thoughts spread into his mind as he watched a woman reading through a few pages of his manuscript. He diverted his attention elsewhere; he stared at a white ceiling with a hanging light. The walls were a beige hue and in good condition, but he could see some pencil marks around the edges. The desk in front of him was a dark brown wood color that he wasn't too sure what it was made of. His simple sneakers were resting on top of dark blue carpet. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere.
The woman in front of him was a stern looking woman with bright blue hair styled in a pixie cut. Her thick wrinkles and pointed glasses gave her an experienced look. Her expression did not budge, so he had a hard time understanding if she liked it or not. Anxiety came to him the more he waited for a response.
Due to the popularity of book publishing, it has become a competitive industry. Each country had their own publication regulation. For Plasma, aspiring authors have to take their manuscript into the publishing house and get an appointment with an agent in order to pitch it. If they think it's good, they will accept it. Once accepted, the agent would then have to discuss with the higher-ups to see how many copies would get made. Once the number is settled, they first make a sample copy to give to the author and then make the rest in a span of one or two months, depending on the length of the manuscript.
The publishing process in Plasma was considered the easiest of the three countries, but that only made the competition more fierce due to the possibility of authors about similar topics that could be mistaken for plagiarism. Nova knew no one had published a book about Souhait and his lore, so he had an advantage of getting accepted. Yet, he knew the topic was so niche that it could be rejected. The uncertainty was what made him nervous the most.
He jumped a bit when the woman gathered the papers and organized them neatly by using the desk top to align them. She then placed them in front of her as she adjusted her glasses to look at Nova.
"Tell me. What was your name again?"
"N-Nova, ma'am…"
"Nova, if you don't mind me asking… Why write about the lavender dragon?"
Did she not like it? Regardless, he wanted to be honest, so he decided to explain his ties to the Loreseer Clan and his duty. The woman's expression did not budge once as she took in the information.
"Honestly, your story about the Loreseer Clan and your duty almost sounds too surreal."
"I'm not lying, ma'am…"
"I can sense you're telling the truth." She then took off her glasses, revealing a friendlier pair of eyes underneath the lenses. His impression of her quickly changed.
"I apologize for interrogating you. I was only asking because publishing a book like this would have its risks. It might not sell well."
"I am aware," Nova remarked. "I don't mind about the reception as long as someone reads it, whether it be one or a hundred. This is why I am taking those risks."
The woman was intrigued by his words. She then gave him a sullen expression. "I'm sorry to inform you of this, but we actually are not accepting new publications right now."
Nova, shocked, asked, "Why not?"
"You see, there has been news of book burnings going around for a while now. A group of hooded individuals go around stealing books from people to burn them or they burn down publishing houses and any place that stores or sells books. We've gotten word around that they're in Plasma, so just to be safe, we're not accepting any submissions."
He felt conflicted. On one hand, he understood the reasons for his rejection, but on the other, a part of him felt awful for not being aware of the news. Living in an isolated forest away from human society had its merits, but it made him feel ignorant and naive. On top of that, none of the other apprentices ever bothered to update him on the happenings of the world as they were the ones often leaving the cottage.
Do they think little of me?
"I understand…" His voice had a sense of dejection that he couldn't control.
The woman then suggested, "How about I bind your manuscript and turn it into an unofficial book?"
"You can do that?" A small flicker of joy came back to him.
"Yes, it's what we do to compensate budding authors who come here. Carrying around a stack of papers will only be a hassle, so we bind them as a way to let them know that their efforts are not in vain. Come back tomorrow and I'll have it completely bound!"
With a wide smile, Nova thanked her. She only giggled in response.
"By the way, I need a name for the person who wrote this book. Do you want to use your real name or an alias?"
Her question caused some hesitation and then anxiety in Nova. He wasn't sure if he should reveal his name to the public or if it could fit on the cover. "Can Loreseer Nova Cosmos even fit on a hardcover?"
"Honestly, that's too long, even for us."
"Then…can you just put Loreseer?"
"Sure thing! Come back tomorrow and I'll give you your binded manuscript!"
"Thank you…um…"
"It's Faye!"
"I'll see you tomorrow, then, Miss Faye."
~
The next day, Nova spent his morning looking through newspapers, past and recent, to see if there had been news about book burnings. Faye's words were right; book burnings had been a thing for a few years now. It all started around five years ago; the ones who orchestrated it were hooded figures and the first happenstance occurred in the Ilacian capital. The books that were burned were mostly books that focused on extraordinary topics like the possibilities of planets beyond Terrenter and the creation of the world.
It saddened Nova the more he read. "Why would they do this?"
"It's because the people of this world do not like the idea that the world could be created by dragons and that they believe it's their right to choose how they live," A stout man at the newspaper stall responded as he blew a puff from his large cigar. "It's understandable from their perspective, but burning books is a bit much. Ideas are the reason why people are able to think. If people control what others can or can't think about, why bother living?"
Nova could tell the man's words were full of wisdom. It made him feel slightly better, but the somber feeling still stuck to him. He put the newspaper back in their respective stalls and thanked him for allowing him to read as he started walking away.
He's right… The world is created by Souhait; the people here exist because of him. But…the more people learn of this idea…the more they want to pull away from their chains and want to be free. Is that why wishes aren't as prevalent in this world anymore? Is that why books on these topics are burned?
He stopped and got out the lavender scale that Robin gave to him when he came to visit during springtime. Is this why he gave this to me? Because I still believe in his existence?
Suddenly, someone shoved his shoulder as they ran past him. He had dropped the scale, but was able to retrieve it quickly and put it back into his bag. He was confused about what had happened as he looked over to who had collided onto his shoulder. The running figure was getting further away but squinting helped him decipher that it was a hooded figure.
"Wait…"
"Someone, stop that person!" A frail voice yelled out.
Nova turned around to see Faye staggering before stopping to catch her breath. He rushed towards her. "What happened?"
She slowly looked up to see him. "Oh, it's you! Please catch that hooded individual! They ran off with your manuscript!"
He couldn't believe what he had heard. In a flash, Nova found himself chasing after that figure who was still running in the same direction. He started staggering as his stamina was quite weak and his feet started hurting from his shoes. In an act of desperation, he took off his shoes and resumed his chase. He felt himself going faster without anything tying him down.
Why would this person take my manuscript?
Realization came to him as he slowed down and stopped. Wait a second…a hooded figure… My manuscript is about Souhait's lore… Is this related to the book burnings? Is that person going to burn my book?
Dread came to him when he realized he had lost the person's trail due to self-distraction. He cursed under his breath as he ran again without a lead. He didn't care as long as he could find that person. Fortunately, the townspeople were kind enough to let him know the direction where they ran off towards.
One man, in particular, had been charmed by Nova's graceful appearance that he stormed off after Nova had asked about their whereabouts. All he could do was follow him while amazed what his own looks could do to someone. The man was like a rampaging bull and ran much faster than Nova could ever do. Nova then witnessed the man lunging forth when he caught sight of the person who had stopped in an alleyway to catch their breath and pinning them down.
"What are you doing? Let me go, you perverted brute!" The voice belonged to a woman.
The big man turned to Nova and grinned. "I caught the person for you, miss!"
He thought I was a woman… Oh well, it's not the first time this happened…
Nova clasped his hands together. "Thank you, kind sir! I owe you!"
With this golden opportunity, Nova slowly approached the hooded woman. He reached a hand out in an attempt to unveil her, but he hesitated. I know this voice…
He gritted his teeth as he grabbed her hood and pulled it off. Platinum blonde hair cascaded.
"Why are you doing this, Penelope?"