After storing all of their arms and training gear, the pair were off. For the next two hours Virtus led Jack from building, to courtyard, to fountain, and more as he ran a running commentary on the history, purpose, and other miscellaneous facts about each in turn. The tour had gone in order of education level. They started off by going back to the academy entrance, where Virtus’ commentary was thorough. Next, they moved on to the next section, then the next, and the next. The commentary seemed to get shorter as they progressed towards the back of the campus where the master courses and grand library were located. It ended at an onyx arch situated in a courtyard at the end of the green. at the top of the arch was an inscription in the imperial language. It read ‘Those that seek knowledge, seek the pinnacle beyond’.

“We have now reached the final step in our tour, the Central Library. Inside are copies of every book, scroll, map, or engraving ever published in the Empire and copies of works from all over the world. There is nowhere better to seek knowledge than here!” Virtus explained with great ceremony. In complete contrast to the rest of the tour, in which he had kept a steady but unenthusiastic commentary.

Jack stared at Virtus with a deadpan expression. When he didn’t crack evea smirk under the pressure, Jack decided to humor him. “That is a pretty arch...but where’s this library?”

At the other man’s prompting, Virtus finally cracked a mischievous grin. “Step through and you will see for yourself.”

“Step through he says, ” Jack muttered under his breath as he stepped into the archway. A cold sensation crept up his body as he passed through. Everything went dark for a second before his lead foot landed on something unexpected. His back foot was still firmly placed in grass but his lead foot landed on stone with a click.

It took him a second to realize that he had unconsciously closed his eyes, so he peered at his new surroundings through slitted lids. The chamber was massive. Light poured in from a massive stained glass dome dozens of meters above his head. Etched gothic arches lined the perimeter, each leading into a room full of bookshelves. Overall, it gave off the same impression as the foyer of one of those ancient cathedrals in Europe. With just one exception, a wooden kiosk straight out of a public library, only missing the motivational posters, was planted in the center of the room. Dozens of people in gray uniforms were speaking to and directing a small crowd that was lined up to one side.

Virtus had already stepped through and was waiting on Jack to finish his perusal before Jack came back to the present.

“I recommend that you pull yourfoot through the portal. People will talk.”

Startled, Jack retreated a step, only to find himself in front of the arch again. He started to examine the stone closely and discovered several layers of runes, cleverly disguised as decoration, covered the entire surface. He stepped back through all the way this time and turned to address his guide.

“How is such a huge building not visible from the rest of the academy?” He asked Virtus.

“We are inside of a folded space, or a small Realm. The old academy library was bursting at the seams and was falling apart. When it came time to rebuild the library a hindred years ago, the founders ran out of space. So the Emperor ordered the most powerful spatial Magi to make more, then build the library inside of it. He commissioned the arch outside and inscribed the message on it personally.”

That last part didn’t make sense to Jack. This Emperor was a well-known dictator, dictators did not encourage their citizens to educate themselves. That just didn’t happen. He was reluctant to continue down that line of reasoning in public, so he changed the subject.

“Why build such a huge library? There is no way you filled a building this large with handwritten books.” Jack didn’t believe a world that didn’t have a printing press could create so many books.

Virtus returned a flat stare and spoke in the tone of one that can’t believe that an explanation is necessary. “Because we are Magi! Look down!”

In his perusal of the magnificent architecture, Jack had failed to notice that the floor was not an even tile. The top layer was made from transparent quartz that served as protection for the diagram that lay a meter below. A giant building diagram spread out in all directions, the scope far beyond anything Jack had ever witnessed. Was he looking at the blueprint for a skyscraper? This place makes Alexandria look like a corner bookstore.

“This is the questing hall. Do you see the little balls of light?”

Jack did indeed see several dozen light balls in each of the rooms displayed on the map, of which the brightness and shade varied. “What do they represent?” Jack asked in reply.

“Each of those wisps represents a Magi’s power, tier, and location. It was put into place during construction to serve as a security measure to prevent espionage Not every room is available to the public and non-Magi must be screened before being allowed to enter. It also serves as a comprehensive map to assist visitors navigate its massive halls. The archway we just passed through scans each person as they come through and creates a wisp that is connected to that individual”

Jack found this fascinating. The more he learned about magic, the more he was entranced with this world. Back home, every wonder and marvel was built on the back of cruelty and exploitation of labor and the environment. As such, the knowledge that he could create wonders with his own hands was more than he ever hoped for. All he needed was knowledge. That thought provoked his first question. The same question map gazers everywhere asked first. “So, where are we?”

…

It took a few minutes for them to locate and track their locations on the map. The biggest problem was the crowd. It took time to shimmy through the throng and clear enough floor space to get a good look. They found Virtus’ locater wisp, as he called it, first. The bright silver shimmer stood out among the reds, blues, greens, and browns that most others favored.

After some fruitless searching they were going to give up on finding Jack’s wisp when someone bumped into him. All of a sudden, a muddy blue wisp disappeared inside of crimson haze that looked a bit like the shimmer on asphalt on a hot day. In seconds the blue wisp moved back into visibility, only the hue was different. Before, other colors randomly appeared around the edges for a split second before disappearing. Now the shimmers were less frequent.

“I found it!” Virtus exclaimed in triumph. Silence filled the hall as most turned to see the overexcited man. Red rose on Virtus’ cheeks as he shrunk visibly under the stares of his peers.

“My wisp is invisible?” Jack asked incredulously.

“Not invisible,” Virtus replied in a subdued voice. “Just translucent. Like a gas fire when it reaches a certain temperature, It becomes difficult to see in bright light. Now that the mystery has been addressed, I believe it is time for you to study.”

Virtus peered around the room. Then he seemed to spot someone as he waved vigorously. His eyes tracked the direction of the wave of the circular helpdesk. Sitting there, was a scrawny brown-haired young man in his early twenties. He had yet to grow out of the acne stage and his Adam's apple bulged out of his oversized uniform. He looked to be very, very bored until he caught sight of Virtus. Joy overtook boredom on his features and he waved the pair over. Both men grinned.

“I thought you were taking the year off brother, off to serve the Eternal Empire and all that nonsense. What brings you into this den of iniquity and vice.” the young man said to Virtus as they reached the desk.

“I am actually on duty brother. This is the Adjudicator, Jack Hearth. Jack, this is citizen Beevus. He is one of my best friends.”

The other man held his hands to his ears and howled. “I told you to call me Night Razor. That’s my citizen name.” He whined.

Virtus’ face showed just what he thought of that name.

“Wait, what’s a citizen?” Jack asked quickly. He wanted an answer before they started bickering.

“The citizenry are the lawful residents of the empire. When a Magi reaches the second tier, they can apply to become a citizen, much like Beevus did.” Virtus answered.

“What were you before you became a citizen?” Jack asked.

The skinny man just gave him a look that said he asked a stupid question. “I was a commoner, duh.”

Virtus sniffed. “He still talks like one too. We have tried to polish him up, but he insists on speaking informally to everyone.”

Jack tried to get back on track. “I came here to check out a book. Can I do that?”

Night Razor/Beevus returned a look of confusion. “Of course you can check out a book. This is a library after all. What book did you want to check out?”

Jack thought for a second before responding. “The first book is novice runes for my introductory runes class and I also would like to check out a book on Fire sigils.”

“Those are easy enough to locate. Please wait a moment.”

Beevus reached for a silver bell on his desk and rang it. the air above the vibrating bell coalesced into a small, wispy orb that was several sizes larger than the locater wisps. “This is a library assistant, it will lead you to the books you asked for. When you are done, come back here for check out.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“Meh, just be glad I didn’t make you find the books for him. You could probably do it faster.”

The pair chuckled at the joke. They gave their thanks before following the floating orb.

Ten minutes later they were back with the two books. Jack decided on a book of simple Fire sigils, wrapped in red leather, that he had found. The explanations in the book were concise and easy to understand. Though it did wrankle when Virtus pointed out that it was a children's primer. When they put the books on the table, a glowing stamp appeared next to the books.

“Stamp the book inside the leaflet. There is a small box in the corner for it.” Jack flipped the books open and stamped the aforementioned squares.

“Why are we stamping the books ourselves? Shouldn’t we go back to Beevus for check out like he requested?”

“Librarians can be corrupted. This method is the result of multiple sages working together to create the most streamlined archive possible. Beevus just wanted to lord his knowledge over you as he explained this same process. I love him like a brother but he can be a little much at times. That is not important. Remember, never attempt to take a book anywhere without checking it out, the penalties are severe.” Virtus said.

He turned to Virtus. “Oh! Well, I am going to grab some supplies and do my rune homework. Let me know when we have to leave. Is that okay with you?” For some reason, it just didn’t feel right to order him about anymore. Jack had subconsciously thought of him as a tool before but things were different now. They were friends now, after all.

Virtus smiled lightly back at him. “I will be fine. The guardians of the library make violence here impossible. It is one of the few places where one is truly safe. Which makes my job almost pointless. If someone causes trouble, just say ‘i need asistance’, and the guardians will take care of it. Now, if you do not mind I would like to catch up with some of my friends while you study.”

“No problem.” Then they went their separate ways.