In the library at Kamar-Taj, a young man in plain-colored clothes held an ancient book in his hands, reading it closely.
The young man looked about fourteen or fifteen, an age that should have been full of youthful energy, yet he seemed remarkably composed. Perhaps it was because he had spent so many years immersed in books.
This was Xia Zuo. Several years had passed since Mordo had last lured Kaecilius into causing a disturbance in the library. Xia Zuo was now twelve, though he looked a little older because he had grown quickly.
After Mordo had been captured, the Ancient One had kept her promise and opened her private collection to Xia Zuo for study. Only then had Xia Zuo learned how vast her true private collection was.
Xia Zuo had originally assumed that the Ancient One's private collection consisted of the books secured with iron chains in the library. But when she opened her collection to him, he realized he had been wrong. It far exceeded his imagination, and the forbidden books chained up in the library were only a tiny part of it.
This was only natural. The Ancient One had lived for many years and witnessed many things. Her life was an extensive history of magic in itself, so her collection was enormous, far larger even than the library's holdings at Kamar-Taj.
It could be said that the Ancient One alone surpassed the entire library. This was no bad thing for Xia Zuo, since he needed a vast amount of magical knowledge. But for that same reason, this period of study lasted far longer than his earlier time in the library. It took him several full years to absorb her private collection.
"Mage Xia Zuo, the Sorcerer Supreme has returned. She would like you to come