Aleister swallowed the lump of saliva in his throat. “I will not disagree with you, but I don’t even know where I am, let alone how I even got here.”

“You have entered Kuthbay’s Atramentous Athenaeum,” the black-robed man spoke.

“Of course,” Aleister said with a nod. “I should have known.”

“There is no conceivable manner in which someone of your stature would know of such a place.”

“What if I told him about it?” Syn said, appearing from behind Aleister.

“A Contract Spirit, yet the Contracted is not yet a Weaver. How—curious,” the man said while he stroked his shaggy beard. “Your existence does indeed contradict my previous statement now, but not when I said it, as I had not considered such a possibility. But, that only leads me to question, why would you mention such a dangerous location in the first place?”

“She didn’t actually tell me about this place,” Aleister said. “I found this place on my own by following that delicious smell. Speaking of which, where does that originate from? I can still smell it, yet it doesn’t come from here.”

“The source of your smell emanates from a distant room within the library,” the man spoke.

“I thought as much,” Aleister said. “How do I find that room?”

“Within these walls, there is no such concept as, find,” the man uttered with a somber profoundness. “You can only wander. And as you wander, learn. And as you learn, adapt. And as you adapt, wander some more.”

Aleister scratched the back of his left hand. “So if I cannot find the room, I could still wander upon it?”

“Yes,” the man said with pursed lips. “However, you do not possess the skills nor the ability to survive.”

“I know as much,” Aleister said with a shake of his head. “But, was this my only chance to come here?”

The man scoffed. “How could infinite knowledge be limited to such a mundane occurrence?”

“Then—how do I get back here?” he asked.

“Your Contractor knows,” the man answered.

Syn tapped her finger across her, folded her arms and said, “The librarian is right, you shouldn’t even know of this place’s existence, let alone be standing within its entrance.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I will give you your answer when the time comes in order to prevent you from visiting soon,” Syn said.

“Fine,” Aleister said. “Then, how do we leave?”

“Sure you don’t want to explore a little before you leave?” Syn asked.

Aleister thought about it. “You said that there are different layers to this place, correct?”

The man nodded. “The number of layers is infinite as it catalogs all major or minor events that have taken place since the creation of our universe.”

“Then which layer are we currently one?” he asked.

“The zeroth,” the man said. “This layer holds most of the entrances to the Atramentous Athenaeum. The next ones appear on the one-hundredth layer. And for what they hold—I will let you discover for yourself.”

“I assume the danger levels increase each layer I cross?” he asked.

“In theory, but it created not all rooms equally,” the librarian said. “You might stumble across a room in the tenth layer which carries much more danger than one on the fiftieth even if such an occurrence is uncommon.”

Aleister rubbed the back of his head before asking, “So then, if I enter the door behind you, will I still be on the zeroth layer?”

“No. Each additional room you enter is one on another layer,” the man explained. “The next room you entire will be one on the first layer, and the next one after that will be on the second layer.”

“And then once I’m done wandering, am I able to come back?” he asked.

“Each time you take a door to the past room, you will enter a unique room on that previous layer.”

“So if I enter the door behind you, it will take me to a room on the first layer, and if I choose to come back, it will take me to an unfamiliar room on the zeroth layer?” Aleister asked in order to confirm his understanding.

“Correct,” the man said.

“And until you reach the hundredth floor, you will always need to travel all the way back in order to leave?”

“Correct,” the man said once again.

“Where does the door behind me lead to?”

“To the library that you entered from.”

Aleister let out a deep breath. “Alright, I think I grasp the basic concept of how travelling within this place works.” He paused for a couple of moments before asking, “Are there other librarians in here?”

“Seven sects, each created to serve a different purpose within the Athenaeum.” The man ruffled his cloak. “A distinct colour denotes each sect. Indigo robes such as I maintain the pathways between each room, allowing for movement between them.”

“Ask them yourselves,” he said, tilting his head forward.

“Alright,” Aleister said. “Is there anything else that you are able to tell me that I should know?”

“You should know none of this now, but since you are here, I will tell you about the most common creature within these walls—phantoms,” the librarian said. “Apparitions created from the dead souls of those who were unfortunate enough to meet their end. It has stripped them of all humanity and emotion, leaving only a husk that contains their old memories. Unable to think, they simply wander about able to move freely throughout every room and layer than their body is nothing more than creamy wisps of smoke.”

Aleister let out a low whistle. “All of this makes me question how and why such a place came to exist.”

“Most would tell you they created this library to be a bastion for those who seek knowledge,” the man said. “And while the reason is correct, the true purpose of collecting all of this information is to calculate an answer.”

“An answer for?” Aleister asked. “What’s the question?”

“Only Kuthbay knows.”