multi-dimentional librarian

Hours passed. Liam finally had a breakthrough, a new sensation, a dizzying blend of wonder and frustration. Kairus was a demanding, relentless teacher, pushing Liam to perceive the mana not just within himself, but in everything around him – the plants, the air, even the faint hum of his old refrigerator. He was learning to feel the world in a way he never had before, a subtle tapestry of energy weaving through reality. But the isolation was heavy. How could he explain any of this to anyone?

The mana—this strange, shimmering energy Kairus had taught him to see—now pulsed at the edges of his vision, threading through the walls, the air, even the half-empty coffee cup he'd forgotten on the counter. Three days since the layoff, and his world had already split in two: the mundane life he'd known, and this terrifying new awareness humming beneath it all, though he mana is invisible, yet it presence wasn't invisible 

He was so absorbed in tracing the mana's currents through the peeling wallpaper that he almost didn't hear the knock. 

Clara stood on his doorstep, her arms crossed against the evening chill, her usually bright eyes shadowed with concern. 

"You didn't show up at the café as planned," she said without preamble. "heard what happned to you,Why didn't you tell me?" she said feigning anger

Liam's throat tightened"hu am sorry, didn't want to bother you, and I was gonna text, but i got kinda busy" he lied, stepping aside to let her in. looking around she realised his apartment was a disaster: takeout containers, job applications covered in crossed-out lines, and, most damningly, the notebook open on the coffee table. "Mana sensitivity exercises," it read, followed by frantic scribbles about "energy signatures" and "precognitive flickers." 

Clara's gaze lingered on it. "What's all this?" 

"Nothing. Just… stress-doodling." He snatched the notebook away, but not before she caught the tremble in his hands. 

"Liam." She stepped closer, her voice softening. "Talk to me, what wrong." 

The words clawed up his throat before he could stop them. "I've been seeing things, Clara. Not hallucinations—not like that. More like… flashes. Of things that haven't happened yet." 

Her eyebrows shot up. "Like… visions, hehehe, do you remember you told me such things do not exist and are only a replay of what we've gone through, so did you perhaps hit your head somewhere?" 

"_"

"don't tell me you are actually serious"she said seeing the insane look on his face 

" i know it sounds insane, belive me, I know it does. But it's real." Desperation edged his voice. "And Clara—I saw something about you." 

Her breath hitched. "What about me?" 

He forced himself to meet her eyes. "Tonight. On your way home, i saw that you had an accident,there's a blind turn on Elm Street, near the overpass. A truck's going to run the light. You'll swerve, but it'll clip your back bumper." His hands fisted. "Please. Just take a different route." 

Silence. Clara stared at him, her expression unreadable. Then, with a shaky laugh: "Okay, what? noe i'm sure you hit your head when they fired you?" 

"I wish I was making this up." He raked a hand through his hair. "But if I'm right—if you humor me just this once—you'll know I'm not crazy." 

She studied him for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. I'll go down Maple instead. But Liam?" Her voice turned stern. "If this is some weird ploy to make me text you later—" 

"It's not." The weight of it crushed his chest. "I just need you to be safe." 

---

Later That Night

"ahhh" he muttered as he slumped on his bed, thinking about how his life had really gone from bad to worse, his job, his life, the company which he has dedicated his life to sent him packihng 

he was still brooding about his life when his phone lit up with a call. Clara's name. His pulse spiked as he answered. 

"You knew," she breathed, voice raw and ragged "I—I changed my route like you said, but I drove past Elm on my way home. There was a truck. It ran the light so fast it flipped a minivan. If I'd been there…" A shuddering inhale. "How did you know?" 

The mana swirled around him, luminous and insistent. No going back now. 

"Come over," he said quietly. "I'll explain everything."