The Library [EverlyxAndy]

[Ethys]

The Library has existed as long as life has existed - not only life on this world, but on any world. As soon as creatures began to write, the Library was formed. Every book, every scroll, every pamphlet that has ever been written has a copy in the Library. Even those books that have been lost to fires or other tragedies. It does not matter if they no longer exist elsewhere. A copy will forever remain in the Library, making it a priceless resource for any who claim to be a scholar in any capacity.

However, there is one slight issue.

Finding the Library itself.

It isn't impossible. Several have found the Library over the course of the centuries. However, there are a few pieces that go along with it. First, you can't get in without the key, and there is only one in existence. Second, the door has a peculiar habit of disappearing. At first it was thought that one would simply get lost and not be able to find it again. However, one explorer decided to mark the tree that contained the door. The next time he happened upon his marking, the door was gone. Apparently it only shows up when it feels like it.. which brings us to the third piece. The door will not allow any inside who wish ill will toward the books or the Guardian of the Library. Even if the person in question has the key, the door will not open.

The forest has adapted to the presence of the Library, in a way. Birds seem to have no problem flitting around in the tree that holds the door, but larger creatures such as deer and wolves tend to avoid the area. While most of the trees in the forest are normal, any that are within half a mile of the door are covered in moss, as though more ancient than the rest.

Seeing the signs is one thing. Finding the Library when it wants to be found is another issue entirely.

 

[Andy]

Jason McCloud was a nice young man of 19. He had short golden brown hair that he spiked up in the front. He had deep blue eyes almost like the ocean especially if the light hit them just right. Jason did what he could to keep himself fit. He participated in a lot of sports but he wasn't a jock by any means. He excelled in all of his classes and worked hard to make sure he got the grade that he wanted to get. He stood at about 5'11" and a half and weighed about 170 pounds. He had a lean but muscular frame from his regular exercising.

His family was well off but they weren't rich by any means. He lived with his father and his mother and his baby sister. His parents had him when they were rather young so they were only in their mid 30's when they had his sister Julie. He had turned 19 a few days ago and his sister was only a few weeks old. For some odd reason his father said he wanted to talk to him about something important. Jason walked into his fathers study and sat down in one of the chairs and waited for his father to speak.

"Jason. You've always done well in school and in sports. Your mother and I have done everything we can to make sure you had everything you would ever need. And now I'm going to give you something that has been in our family for a long time" With that he went to his desk and opened a drawer and pulled out a small envelope and handed it to him. "in here is a special key and directions that will lead you to the door that it opens. Go there whenever you want and make sure you make use of what you will find there" With that his father left the envelope and walked out.

Jason stared at the envelope for the longest time before he finally opened it and read the instructions on how to get there. It wasn't far from where he lived he could easily ride his bike there. His curiosity getting the better of him he ran out and hopped onto his bike and started riding it as fast as he could towards the door mentioned in the letter. It didn't take him long to get there really it only took 15 to 20 minutes. He pulled to a stop outside the forest and swallowed hard. He climbed off his bike and started walking it through the forest. He wasn't going to risk riding his bike through the forest floor and tripping over a root or something and breaking his neck.

He walked for what felt like hours before he noticed that the trees started to show more and more moss on them just like the letter said they would. He knew he was getting close. He noticed that the birds were getting fewer and fewer as he walked as well. "wow..this place is realy hidden back here isn't it?.." He let's out a slow breath and kept walking. All of a sudden he could see it. A large wooden door that looked like it was carved right into the center of a tree.

He stopped in awe and swallowed hard. Why was this door out here in the first place? It didn't make any sense to him nor did he know what was on the other side. He set his bike to lean against one of the moss covered trees and slowly made his way towards the door. With a shaky hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. He looked around slowly to see if there was anyone around. Seeing no one he put the key in the lock and slowly turned it. When he heard the click that the lock had been undone he slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

 

[Ethys]

Something was different. A new person had entered the Library.

As always, the Library itself was aware of the new person. He had been thoroughly assessed before he even came into sight of the door. If he had been found to be unworthy or a threat, the door would have simply disappeared. However, it had remained, allowing him to step over the dirty stones of the threshold and into the mystical place of boundless learning and opportunity.

Despite being several floors below the door that had been opened, the Guardian of the Library looked up from the book she was reading. She tilted her head a fraction and began to move toward the new presence. In the time that it would take her to get there - which, admittedly, was only about the span of two minutes - the Library welcomed the newcomer in its own way. All that truly meant was that the door vanished from behind Jason as soon as he was inside, the entrance replaced with a tall bookshelf that was covered in hundreds of dusty tomes that did not appear to have been touched for decades.

In fact, the entire Library looked that way. The floor was a dark-stained wood that never creaked, yet it was in need of a good sweeping around the corners of shelves where a few spiders and a particularly stubborn brown mouse had taken up residence .There were several bookshelves in sight from the newcomer's vantage point, and it was obvious that the aisles extended endlessly backward. The Library was certainly larger around than the tree it was stuck inside. A few tables were also in view, each one containing an oil lamp in the middle. They were all lit, the flickering flames adding light to the dim space. There were windows, of course, but they were dusty and allowed only a filtered sort of sunlight to stream in and offered no view of what was outside.

The Guardian finally arrived, stepping into view around a towering bookcase. She paused for a moment, eyeing the newcomer with an open curiosity. Her green eyes flicked over him with the obvious practice of somebody who made a strong hobby out of observing others. She was trying to understand who he was, or where he had come from. His sudden appearance was marked with no flicker of magick that she had sensed, and there was no door nearby. The door that Jason had come through would not reappear where she could see it - which was good, really, since she was unable to pass through it.

"Hello," she said after a moment, satisfied with her examination. She gave him a smile, moving a bit closer to allow him the same courtesy of looking her over. Her clothing was out of place in the modern world, but not so insane if one was fond of renaissance faires - a long, dark green dress with trailing sleeves and golden embroidery that laced up the back. Two books were tucked into one arm, while the other hand remained open in a clear sign of peace. She carried no weapons, as a rule. They were not tolerated in the Library, no matter the occasion.

"Are you looking for a book? I would be happy to assist you. The Library can be confusing," she offered in a kind tone.

 

[Andy]

Jason's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as he stepped through the door and saw the endless amounts of books that were staring at him. Where the hell was he? One minute he was in a forest the next he was..In some kind of library? There had to be over 10 billion books in this place! Looking at one of the shelves that was right to his left he could have sworn he saw something that was written in hieroglyphics!

He took a small step back and expected to step through the door again but what he met was only a book shelf. His face paled instantly and he spun on his heel to try and find the door. What the hell was going on?! where was the door? was he trapped in here!? No..he couldn't be trapped in here. His father said that this place was a secret right? That would imply that he had been here before didn't it?

It was then that he heard the voice from behind him. He spun fast enough he could have given himself whiplash. He stared at the woman before him with wide eyes. When he saw the woman in front of him a part of him was stunned by her beauty which brought a small pink tint to his cheeks. He quickly shook his head as he tried to keep himself from thinking that. He had no idea where he was, who this woman was, or how to get home and he was wondering about how cute she looked?! Man he had issues.

He slowly looked her up and down before he swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak but unfortunately no words came out. His mind was running at a million miles a minute as he tried to make sense of everything but he was having no such luck. He closed his mouth but continued to stare at her. Was she the only one here? and if so why was she here? Was she some kind of librarian or something?

He rubbed his throat and opened his mouth again and finally was able to get the words that were on his mind out although they came out so fast it would have been hard to catch any of them "where am I? what is this place? who are you? what are you doing here? where'd the door go? am I stuck here? how do I get home? what is with all of the books? How many books are here? there must be more then 10 billion books here. How is all of this possible?"

 

[Ethys]

The newcomer seemed.. unsettled. Alright, that was unfair. He was downright panicked. She watched him, a bit worried for his safety when he spun around so quickly that she was certain he was going to just keep going until he did a complete circle. Thankfully he stopped himself, and she accepted his staring with no problem. After all, she had stared first. It was only fair. His confusion seemed to get worse, she noticed. She wasn't sure where he was from, or more importantly, when he was from. His attire was bizarre and he didn't seem to understand where he was at all. Her suspicions were confirmed as he finally responded and rambled off a long list of questions.

Ah, questions. The seeking of knowledge. This was something she could actually be helpful with.

"You are in the Library," she began with a smile. "This place is an institute of learning. My name is Eirian. I am the Guardian of the Library. I am not sure which door you're speaking about, but you are most certainly not stuck here. You may leave at any point that you wish. The path home is the same as the path that brought you here. There are currently four trillion, nine hundred and seventy-three billion, seven hundred and sixteen million, eight hundred and one thousand, six hundred and four pieces of writing in the library, including books, scrolls, and all other pieces. This is possibly because it simply is and always has been."

Once she finished answering all of his questions with ease, Eirian fell silent and waited. If he had more questions, she would answer. That was what she was there for - to assist visitors to the Library, as well as to protect it. As Jason was obviously not a threat of any sort, her presence was merely to guide him. She hoped that he was in search of some sort of literature, as she wanted to be able to point him in the right direction. Since he was so bewildered, though, she doubted he wanted a good book. He didn't seem to even know what the Library was. How strange.

The light streaming in from the windows was slowly beginning to dim as though it was nearing twilight outside, though it had been mid-afternoon when Jason stepped into the door from the side located in his own world. It was obviously a different sky, though it remained obscured by dust on the glass panes. As it began to fade, the oil lamps on the tables automatically grew brighter, the flames growing to a more cheerful glow that reached all but the furthest corners of the aisles nearby.

 

[Andy]

Jason stared at her with wide eyes as she answered each of his questions so...effortlessly. It was an amazing feat while at the same time it was a bit disturbing. But his amazement over that would fade when he heard about the number of books that were held here. Did..she say Trillion? He felt his stomach drop and his legs get weak as he leaned against one of the shelves for support. He almost instantly regretted it as he accidentally knocked a stack of them off the shelf.

"oh crap!..i'm..i'm so sorry..I..I didn't mean to..do that" he instantly dropped to the floor and started to pick up the books. The things were so old it amazed him that they didn't turn to dust at his touch "how..how is that possible? for that many books to be here you would need to have a copy of every single book that had ever been written in known history." He quickly put the books back onto the shelves as neatly as he possibly could. Some were in the wrong spots but he didn't notice.

He then turned his attention back to her. It was then he noticed that the sun was going down already. "W..what the? it's night already?! what the heck is going on here?! when I came inside it was just barely past noon! that much time couldn't have passed already! i haven't even been here for 10 minutes!" His head was swimming and he felt like he was going to faint.

To avoid knocking over more books he made his way to one of the tables and sat down in one of the chairs which gave a loud creak underneath him. He was just glad the thing didn't break underneath him as soon as he sat in it. He put his face in his hands and let out a slow breath and rubbed his eyes as he thought about what was going on. So...she was some kind of guardian of all these books? Why did they need a guardian? and why did his father have a key to this place?

"ok..you..you said your name was..Eirian right?. I don't understand your the guardian of this library? what does that mean? and are you here by yourself? Surely to protect all of these books you'd need more then one guardian..it'd be impossible to oversee all of them by yourself. You'd..you'd be dead before you even read every single one of these books..much less learn where they all go.."

 

[Ethys]

Eirian blinked as the newcomer seemed to grow weaker before her very eyes. Did he have some sort of condition? Perhaps he was allergic to dust, or had not eaten in a long while. She watched him with concern as he stumbled around himself, picking up the books that he had managed to knock over. They were all from the American Revolutionary era, with hand-written pages and faded leather covers. All first-hand accounts of what they had seen, books that had never made it to a printing press before they were found and torched. She gazed at Jason, a bit confused as he questioned the amount of books.

"Yes, that's right. A copy of every thing written from every world," she confirmed, not understanding why he found that so hard to believe. Before she could question where he had come from, he was panicking about the time. She glanced at the window, noting the sunset, then looked back at the strange newcomer as he sat down. The poor dear was overwhelmed. She gave him as kind of a smile as she could.

"I am the Guardian, yes. I remain here alone to stand watch over the books of the Library. I have read every article in here, except for the two books that arrived since you and I began speaking," she explained. She gestured to the bookshelf that he had bumped into, a simple wave of her fingers causing the books to start shifting around and going back in to their original slots. The two books in her arm flew off as well, taking care of themselves. She wanted to focus on this visitor, as she suspected he would likely have a stroke if she did not, and she couldn't have somebody brought to harm on her watch.

She walked over to the table that he had chosen, pulling back the chair across from his and taking a seat. Once they had a table between them and were both in chairs, she felt that he may relax. They seemed to be on the same terms now. Sure, he still looked as though his eyes might pop out of his head, but at least she wasn't hovering above him like some sort of menacing vulture.

"Which world are you from?"

 

[Andy]

Jason rubbed his eyes and tried to calm down a bit but he wasn't having any luck in doing so. His mind felt like it was in a vise and he just wanted to get out of here. But..he couldn't help but stay he was fascinated by where he was and he wanted to learn about all of it's secrets. "You..you say you've read every single book in here? that's impossible..for me to do that would take twenty lifetimes probably even more then that. There's..just no way you could have done that.."

He shook his head and rested it against the cool wood of the table. He let out a slow breath and closed his eyes. He was starting to calm down a bit which he was thankful for the last thing he wanted to do was freak this...guardian out. "I'm..I'm sorry if i'm freaking out or anything..I'm ok though really..i'll be ok..this is just..Where i'm from things like this..they don't exist"

When she asked what world he was from he paused and looked at her. What did she mean? did she mean what planet? He was from earth of course there weren't any other forms of life forms out there. "I'm..I'm from earth..just like you are..well..except we don't wear clothes like that on earth we wear..well..things like what I'm wearing...unless by your question you mean something else entirely which i'm failing to understand"

He paused again. He was only just now realizing what she had said about her being here alone. A part of him felt like an idiot because he was only repeating the things she said and then asking the same question a few minutes later just worded differently. He couldn't help it though from the shock of being in this place "wait..so your here..day in and day out without anyone else? no one else to talk to? to keep you company? that's..that's maddening..how can you stand that? Surely you get lonely in here without anyone to talk to."

 

[Ethys]

As Jason repeated what she said and rambled on a bit, Eirian simply stayed quiet. He seemed to need a few minutes to process things. Perhaps he was slow. No, she quickly decided that was not the case. He was simply overwhelmed and seemed very young. The way he was dealing with everything reminded her of a child. She watched him carefully, tilting her head a fraction as he explained that he was from the same place that she was. The assumption made her blink and she finally realized why he was having such an issue. When he fell silent, she smiled at him, relieved that she now understood.

It also helped her to figure out what he had been talking about with the door that was not there. Jason was from Earth, which was not a world that had an open door to the Library. She knew the legend of the Earth key. There was only one, and it had been lost for some time. She knew there had not been a visitor to the Library from Earth for several centuries- at least, in Library time - there were records of the last time somebody had entered. From what she could recall, they had been just as dazed and confused as Jason was.

"I am not lonely. The Library has many visitors, and I have the books," she explained, then she slid her arm over the table. On top of the dark wood formed several twinkling lights. They were joined by several more, then larger and brighter ones until it looked like the night sky, with little planets revolving around several solar systems.

"I am not from Earth as you are. Earth is what we call a Fenced World. Your people have not yet chosen or gained the ability to 'peer over the fence', as we say. As far as your world is aware, there is not another world in existence that contains intelligent life. It is a selfish outlook, but it is not your fault. Your world is young and has much to learn," she explained, pointing to Earth, then gesturing to the rest of the planets. "There are hundreds of worlds with life. Not all are advanced enough yet for writing, but they are getting there. Less than half of the books in the Library are from your world. Most of the other worlds who have advanced enough to write tend to be more compact and condensed with their writings, which lessens the number of books that they produce, but makes them far more useful and longer."

She gestured once more and the sparkling display vanished, leaving an empty table between them once more.

"I know this is a lot to take in. Come with me, I will show you the section from your world. Perhaps it will be of comfort to you," she offered, standing and offering her hand to him as she picked up one of the oil lamps in her other.

 

[Andy]

He looked at her as she started to explain the about other worlds and civilizations. About people who were only just learning to read and write and how that things weren't exactly as they appeared here. It made little to no sense to him but ever since he had walked through that door nothing was making sense so he didn't expect any of it to start making sense now. A part of him was relieved to hear that the library got visitors and that she wasn't lonely but..he still couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"can't you leave though? I mean..I know you have all the books and that..but..surely you can't or don't want to stay here forever though..don't you want to leave and..I don't know..get married and have a family one day? You can't do that if your here all the time." He knew that he wanted a family one day. He knew that if it came down to it there was no way he could give up the idea of having a family in the future not for anything.

When she offered to take him to a different part of the library he paused for a moment. He wasn't sure whether or not to take her hand. He figured she meant him no harm because if she had she would have hurt him already because after the little light show she just put on he knew she had the means to do so if she truly wished to. Hesitantly he took her hand and stood up and then looked down into her eyes. They were such a bright and shiny color he couldn't help but compare her eyes to emeralds and the thought made him blush.

He shook his head again to try and get rid of the blush but he wasn't having any luck so he gave her a small smile and rubbed the back of his head "i..I think that would help a bit if I was surrounded by some books that I could at least...recognize I wouldn't be so..jumpy or nervous" He gave a small weak chuckle before he swallowed hard "so um...lead the way Eirian.." He paused for a moment before he realized he had never told her his name "oh..my name is Jason. Jason McCloud by the way..sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner"

 

[Ethys]

"That's alright," she assured him, laughing a little. He was very clearly nervous, affirming her suspicions that he was young. Perhaps a bit too young to be taking in the idea that everything he knew about his world was wrong, but it was too late to take it back now.

Eirian guided him through the tall bookcases with ease, going past several before they reached a winding staircase in the exact center of the Library. It went both up and down and was made entirely out of stone. Each step was easily fifteen feet across, with a thick railing running up the side to keep anybody from falling off. If Jason chose to look over the edge, he would find that the center of the staircase was nothing but a black abyss in both directions - it was impossible to see the ceiling or the ground from their current level.

"Your world is three levels down," she explained, taking him down the stairs carefully. Though she was not truly lonely in the sense that Jason assumed her to be, she did have to admit that it was nice to have somebody to speak to for more than a minute or two. Normal visitors to the Library would ask a question or two, or request the location of a particular book, then be on their way. The entire place was normally silent except for the soft whisperings of turning pages. Nobody was allowed to take any piece from the Library out, so people would sit and read, occasionally take notes. That was it.

Once they reached the Earth level, she released his hand and gave him a smile, hoping that it would make him feel at home. There were hundreds of bookshelves, with several maps along the tables showing different ideas of what the world looked like - from the first map, to more updated ones showing the States. A glowing model of Earth sat in the center, made of enamel and gemstones, the sea a brilliant sapphire. Along the shelves were all of the classics such as Shakespeare and Poe, but also several works that most on the world would claim had been long lost.

"Is this better, Jason?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

 

[Andy]

Jason slowly followed the woman through the library. If she was speaking to him he hardly noticed her words he was way too focused on staring at everything they went past. The way everything was organized, the art, the decor, all of it was just breath taking. A part of him could see why a person might not have wanted to leave the library. Besides all the books there it was a beautiful building...tree..place.

When they got to the earth world level which is what he assumed it was called he felt his breath catch in his throat. To see all of the books that were from earth made him tear up a bit. All this knowledge..all these books that were thought to have been lost forever. Something about the sight of them made him sad and amazed at the same time. When she let go of his hand he used the same one to wipe the tears from his eyes before he gave a small smile.

He found himself wandering towards the model of earth made from crystals and gemstones. He wanted to reach out and touch it and the look on his face could clearly state that he wanted to but he didn't want to get in trouble for touching something he shouldn't have. He paused when she asked her question and then turned to her and gave a small smile and a nod "yeah..I feel a lot more comfortable now that I'm surrounded by things that I recognize.."

He wandered over towards a bookshelf that was filled with fiction and fantasy books. He skimmed the titles and smiled a bit. He could tell just from the titles that they were about dragons and other things. A few of them he had even read before. "..you really have every single book that has ever been written don't you?.."

 

[Ethys]

"Yes," Eirian confirmed immediately. "As soon as a book is written, it appears here. There are new pieces arriving on a constant basis. I would estimate that the Library receives at least one thousand new additions each day, most days there are more. Earth produces many, though production has slowed from your world. It seems people are not writing books by hand any longer, and the new style of book publishing takes more time? I am not certain the cause," she admitted. She disliked not knowing things, but she could not control it if the knowledge was not found in a book that was in her Library.

She walked over to the model of the Earth that she had seen him admiring moments before. It really was a beautiful model. The emeralds and sapphires glittered along the golden inlays. She observed the coastal lines and faint traces of the mountain ridges. Very interesting. This was home for him. It certainly looked nice from this angle. Of course, she had seen Earth before. Never in person, but in books. Photography books, atlases, simple novels about the world. There were many ways for her to experience it without actually going there. In some ways, she would dare assume that she knew more about his world than even Jason did.

"Eirian! I thought I saw you walking by a few minutes ago. That scroll was very helpful, thank you! I couldn't remember where you grabbed it from, so I wanted to make sure you got it. I know how you are about being organized," a voice said, seemingly from nowhere. A few seconds later a young woman stepped into view from around a tall bookcase, a delighted smile on her face as she approached the Guardian. She had long hair that was as blue as the sea, with eyes to match and pale skin. Her dress was tight yet somehow flowing at the same time, giving an odd but pleasing optical illusion as she handed a rolled up scroll to Eirian.

"I'm glad it was helpful to you. The techniques should be much easier for you to master now," Eirian said with a smile, accepting the scroll as the woman nodded in eager agreement.

"I already tested them out," she admitted. "Watch!" she added, twirling her fingers about and seeming to pull a ball of water out of nowhere. She tapped it and it quickly turned into a hollow ice sphere, which she tossed up in the air with a giggle. After she caught it again, she squished it between her hands and made it vanish. "You're the best, Eirian. I'll be back tomorrow!"

"Be safe," the Guardian said with a smile, watching the woman skip off to the staircase once more.

 

[Andy]

Jason smiled a bit at her comment. What she said was true. People weren't making as many paperback books any more because they had moved on towards a more technological advancement of reading. "In a way your right. You see..people are still writing books the thing is that people aren't printing them on paperback copies anymore. Books are now being written and published electronically so your not going to find as many paperback books appearing in the library from earth. If you want..I could show you the device we use to read books now"

He wouldn't get an answer from her however as another girl with blue hair and blue eyes showed up. He didn't think much of her at first he figured thinking that she just dyed her hair like that. Her outfit was interesting though. He didn't say anything and turned to look back at the book shelves but he wouldn't make a full rotation before he saw what the girl did as she summoned a ball of water and turned it into ice.

He gave a small gasp and jumped back and fell into one of the chairs that had been left pulled out. He stared after the girl with wide eyes and a pale face as he tried to figure out what he had just seen. But no sensible explanation came to mind. He didn't know of any kind of magic that could do that. Unless...it was real magic or something like that. He was inside a tree that had every book that had ever been written since the beginning of time itself..so he shouldn't be as shocked as he is but..he couldn't help but be shocked.

When the girl left he looked at the guardian and swallowed hard and opened and closed his mouth a few times before he was able to croak out a few words "w..who was that? and what the hell did she just do? It..defies..all logic..it defies the laws of physics in every way..there's now way she could summon a ball of water and then turn it into ice like that..it..it's just.." He stopped talking and leaned forward and rubbed his temples "oh...my mind is going to burst at this rate..."

 

[Ethys]

Eirian was normally quite good at staying calm and maintaining her composure.. in this case, however, she failed. She started laughing when Jason babbled on about logic and physics. He was bent over as though he was going to vomit everywhere, but that did not diminish her amusement. She quieted and smiled to herself, trying to keep from giggling again.

"Jason, forgive me for laughing, but.. How is it that you find Kiana's abilities to defy logic and physics, yet you expressed no objections when I made books fly or created the starscape for you earlier?" she asked, genuinely curious about his odd reactions. From what she knew of Earth, it lay in a dormant state. Magick existed, yet it was not fully exposed. She had no doubt there were those that lay in hiding working their craft, but for the most part, nobody knew it was there. That would explain poor Jason's shock, but why had he only reacted now and not sooner? Was he used to what she had done, but not what Kiana had done? She wanted to know. Having unanswered questions was not a feeling she was used to.

"Kiana is an Elementalist," she added, for clarification, as he had asked.

She moved closer to him, nudging a chair up behind him so that he could sit down and not pass out. A fall on these floors from an upright position would be quite painful, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to pick him up or not. Best not to risk it. She eased him down into it, then stepped back to allow him breathing space. At this rate, he was not going to be used to the Library for years. She pondered that, wondering if it would be better for his health to send him back home.

 

[Andy]

Jason looked at her and gave her a small smile. Yeah he knew he was probably acting a bit strange and that his reactions were a bit comical but he didn't know how else to act. She did make a good point though. He had seen her do a bunch of things earlier and he hadn't reacted but that was because she was a guardian of some kind. In all the books he read guardians always had special powers or something like that.

"I found her abilities strange because well...she looked like a normal person..not that you don't look normal mind you but..your a guardian and in almost every book I've read the guardians that are mentioned in them have special powers. So..when you said you were the guardian of the library it didn't really surprise me that you would have powers. I'll admit I was..in awe when I saw you doing the things you did but..I wasn't expecting something like Kiana just did."

He gave a small sigh and rubbed the back of his head "I guess I'm acting like a fool aren't I? I mean..here I am in a library that is located in the middle of the forest in my world..I'm seeing all kinds of unbelievable things and yet I'm still jumping a bit at the sight of it all." He shook his head "I'm really going to need to get used to all of this if I'm going to be coming back here to read these books.."

He looked up at her and gave a small smile again "..Thanks for..helping me out here Eirian I'm sure you have more important things to do. and I really appreciate you taking the time to help me get more comfortable here and showing me what this library really has to offer. Call me crazy if you want but I have a feeling that this library holds more then just books. I'm sure it has plenty more secrets to discover in time"

 

[Ethys]

"The middle of the forest? Interesting.."

Eirian smiled and nodded as he thanked her. She knew that he needed more time to process, but he seemed to be signaling that he was ready to attempt it on his own. Perhaps he would be alright. If not, she would know. She was not worried. There was not much around that he could harm himself with, as long as he didn't launch himself over the railing of the massive staircase.

"You are very welcome, Jason. If you need anything, just say my name. I can hear you anywhere in the Library, and I will come back to you. Remember, the best way to get home is to go back in precisely the same manner in which you came here," she said, nodding once and giving him a smile.

She turned and walked away, heading for the stairs and leaving him alone on the Earth level. If he chose to explore and read, that was fine. The lamps would all stay brightly lit for as long as he chose to remain. If he went back up to the original level that he had walked on to, the door would be standing there waiting for him along the back wall. Any books or other pieces of writing that he attempted to take with him would simply vanish from his hands once he left the Library, reappearing back into their places. The door would close behind him once he was back in the forest, vanishing from sight as if it were but a dream.

Eirian wandered down the stairs with a smile, thinking about the new friend she had made in the Earthly visitor. How thrilling it was, to get a visitor from a world that had not come to the Library in so long. She was pleased that she had the opportunity to meet him, to educate him on what truly existed. Perhaps he would go on to be a great scholar, to share his knowledge with the rest of his world and open their eyes to the magnificent possibilities.

Or, maybe, they would all simply think him insane.

 

[Andy]

Jason watched her go and swallowed hard. Either she was just done talking to him. Or she thought that he would like to be alone to study the library a bit more in depth. He looked around slowly as he once again took in the vast amount of books that were at his disposal. He knew he would never be able to read all of these books. However he wanted to read as many of them as he could.

"no time like the present to get started." He closed his eyes and reached out to the shelf that was right beside him. The first book he set his hand on he pulled off the shelf and set it in front of him. He smiled a bit and opened it. It appeared to be some kind of dragon dictionary or something like that. He paused and looked up in thought. "..if magic is real in this world and in others..does that mean dragons and other fairy tail creatures in my world are real in other worlds?" He shrugged and looked back to his book. It was definitely something to ponder

He sat in his spot quietly as he read his book. It fascinated him to learn about dragons and things like it. He loved fiction and fantasy more then anything. Maybe that was also a bit of the reason why he was so nervous and excited to see all of the magic and things that surrounded him at the moment. He only stayed to read the one book before he decided that he had stayed long enough. He got to his feet quickly and put the book back and made his way back up the steps to the floor he had walked in on. He looked around slowly for any sign of Eirian but saw none. He gave a small sigh. He had hoped to see her one more time before he left.

He made his way to the door and smiled a bit when he found it where he had come in just like she said it would be. With one final look back he softly whispered "..thank you Eirian for showing me this wonderful place. I'll see you tomorrow and maybe I can teach you a thing or two about my world" With that he turned and left the library shutting the door behind him.

 

[Ethys]

Eirian was sitting on top of a bookcase, trying to force a spider demon out of the corner when she heard Jason say her name. She blinked and looked up, then smiled as she felt him leave. He would return, she was sure of it. Until then, she would simply wait until tomorrow. She thought about that for a few hours, deciding to collect some books that she thought might interest him from other worlds. For now she stuck to basics and things with a lot of pictures so that he could see the differences between worlds. She set them in a tall stack on the table he had been using on the Earth level. They would be waiting for him the next day. She smiled to herself, nodding once before walking away and leaving them there to be found.

The next day in Jason's world, the tree remained, but the door was not there. All of the signs were in place - the moss, the birds, the lack of other animals. But no door. Even the steps were gone. They would not return for quite a while. Days stretched into weeks, weeks into months. If Jason did not cling to his memory of the Library and of Eirian, it would likely slip from his mind and be chalked up to a very elaborate dream. Perhaps he would forget, perhaps not.

Either way, the Library and the door would both be waiting for him the next time he was ready, whether he found it on purpose or not.

 

[Andy]

Jason rode home his mind a whirl with the knowledge of the library and the many secrets that it held. How many secrets? who could say only Eirian could and maybe even she didn't know the exact number of secrets that the library held. He smiled a bit at the thought of the guardian girl. She was very intelligent and beautiful for that matter. He couldn't help but blush as he thought about her. Why was he feeling so...weird on the inside when he thought about her. He shook his head. Maybe he was just tired from all the excitement he had endured that day.

The next day he had returned to the spot where the door had been before bright and early and ready to learn more about it. But..there was no door there. "where...where did it go? I know it was here!" He searched frantically for any sign of the door but could find none. Everything was exactly the same as it had been the day before but there was no door. Why? where did it go? He set his hand against the trunk of the tree and rested his forehead against it as he closed his eyes "..I won't forget you Eirian..i swear it..I'll come back to see you some day.." With that he turned and left again.

He came back every day waiting for the door to return. He knew he hadn't imagined the door and the library. He definitely knew he didn't dream about Eirian. If he thought hard enough he could still feel the softness of her hand in his won. As days turned to weeks and weeks into months he had started to lose hope that he would ever be able to return. He knew he hadn't imagined it but why wasn't the door coming back? He didn't understand. Was he doing something wrong? Was there some kind of code or something he needed to do? He tried everything he could think of but nothing ever worked.

Two years had passed and every day he had gone to the same old tree to try and find the door again. Jason was now 21 and in his final years of college. Not once had he given up on seeing Eirian again. Every time he thought about her he felt something flare up in his chest. What it was he couldn't be sure but he knew that one day he would see her again. Today was actually the anniversary of the day he had first entered the library.

He didn't know if it would be there but he hoped it would be. He had long since given up his bike and had gotten a motorcycle that he now drove to the spot. No longer did he have as much of a teenager like look about him but he was a grown man. Strong and handsome and ready to take on the world. But he wasn't going to do so without the knowledge that he could gain from that library. He walked his bike down the wood floor towards the tree. The many days of him traveling along the path had worn it down and was now as smooth as a forest floor could possibly be. As he got closer he preyed that the door would be there today "please...let it be there...I want to see it again..even if It can only be one last time I want to see it again..to see her again.."