《The Knower》Chapter 7 - The Knower and His Library - Oli
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An Elvish 18th birthday is not usually a super important date, Elves get their title at 15 like all other races And then attend school or work in villages till they are 25, and then they are treated as fully-fledged adults. The longer lifespan of an elf changes how people view maturity in the elven world.
I knew my body was still resting and though I sat in my heart space, I could feel the stinging pain of my headache that The King said I would have when I woke up. It took Ronik and my father holding me down to get Ronik the chance to force me into my heart space.
I was laying on my side under the scorchingly bright light that was my essence and gasped for air even though the heart space was energy-based and it didn’t matter if I breathed or not.
“Get up Know-It-All, You are literally a Know-it-all now and the pain will fade shortly after ya get off yer sorry ass.”
Ronik forced me to sit up and for the first time, I caught a glimpse of an open door that led to the vast library of my 9th training. Above that door, in a language that I could not read, in glowing golden letters was written: “The Knower.” Reading it was easy as if I had known the language for decades and was picking up a book for the thousandth time.
The generosity library that the village and likely any library in the world was not as vast as the one on the other side of the door.
Ronik placed a hand on my shoulder. “Through that door, the vast knowledge about literally everything there is to know is stored. Technically, the reason your brain is hurting is that ya learned every bit of information that lies in that room. You know every language there is to know, everything about the earth beneath your feet, and even personal information for people you have never met.
“It is all represented as books and only you can walk through that door.” Ronik gave me a hard look in the eyes. “Know this Know-it-all, ya may know literally everything but that does not mean you can suddenly swing a sword in a style you have never studied or built-up muscle memory with. All it is is knowledge. In fact, when you try to speak other languages, your tongue is going to stumble for a long time. But you will always understand what you are hearing.
“The purpose of the library is to help ya sort through information. There is a lot of stuff that is entirely irrelevant that ya now know. If you are trying to find something specific about someone, you will really have to dig through tome after tome. You can assume that whenever you meet someone new that you will know their name but that is about it. You’ll still have to come to this library to find the information that is stored away inside of it. If you want to search your library for something specific, just think about what you want to find and the room will change to show you what you need to know.
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“As soon as ya walk through that door yer headache will go away as well. Now get off your ass and go.” Ronik shoved me forward, forcing me to my feet.
My steps were slow but I was the happiest that I had ever been in my life. I finally had my Title. I had access to everything that I would ever want to know and more. I crossed the threshold of the door and the pain I was feeling completely disappeared.
The Library that was in my second to last vision was in front of me. Rows and rows of books neatly lined the shelves. I thought to myself about wanting to see maps of the world and they appeared in front of me. Each was rolled up like a scroll and needed to be spread out. The moment I thought about needing a table, one appeared before me just like the maps.
The map was beautiful when fully rolled out. Names of countries that I had never heard of, much less visited, suddenly filled my head. Cultural phenomena such as holidays, signature foods, family structures, everything there was to know about each city that I looked at on the map ran through my head.
“Know-It-All, your family is waiting for ya. I know that all of this is new to ya but they need to know that everythin’ is fine.” Ronik shouted from the doorway.
“Oh, I totally forgot, Thanks for the warning.” I felt a little guilty getting sucked into the books because I knew Ronik was right.
Just like when I was at the village library, I started to clean up and to put things back but the moment I reached towards the map I had been looking at to roll it up, It magically rolled itself back up and flew out of my vision back to its storage with the other maps.
I ran back out to Ronik and we both willed ourselves out of the heart space only to see the worried faces of my family. Their worry for me always affirms my knowledge of how much they love me and I crack a wide smile.
The worry on their faces disappears and is replaced with smiles similar to my own. My excitement overcomes me and I leap out of bed and lunge toward Seri. Her yelp doesn’t stop me as I throw her over my shoulder. “You're not the only one with a title now,” I yelled joyfully. I spun around a few times. Her pounding on my back or her yelp doing nothing to stop me from tormenting her a little more.
“Set her down Oli.” My mother smiled gently at me. “We made your favorites for your Birthday today.” After I set Seri down she walked forward and gave me a hug.
“Congratulations on getting your title.” She was crying a little bit and my dad had joined in on the hug giving me a good squeeze between my parents. “I’m so proud of my little boy. Actually, I don’t think that it is fair to call you little anymore,” My mom pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I am going to struggle to see you as anything but my child.”
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Seri punched me in the arm. “How does your title feel? My own title is a little weird and Piper is helping me understand my abilities but If it’s anything like mine, I assume it is confusing.”
“It feels wonderful. It really isn’t confusing for me and now that I am thinking about it, I realize that Ronik wasn’t joking about me knowing literally everything there is to know. It’s a little hard to sort through all the information but I think that’s the purpose of the Library. I am so sad I can’t show you, mom, and dad the library where I meditate but It is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen.
“You're a Seer, the books in the library describe your title as both a powerful fire mage and someone that gets glimpses of the future. It’s kind of a doubt entendre. The previous knower was married to a seer and because knowledge of the future is not something that I have access to, I can assume that your title and mine are meant to commonly work together so...” I gave her a little brotherly jab in the side. “Looks like you might be stuck with me.”
Seri rolled her eyes at me but cracked a big smile. “Like I could ever get rid of you anyway. With how much you rely on me, I might just end up carrying you through life.” Her sarcastic jab in return for my physical jab made my parents snicker.
Dad pushed us towards the door, “food is going to get cold if you don’t hurry up. Let’s eat.” He gave me a light shove from behind.
We went downstairs as a family and ate mom’s delicious cooking.
After eating I returned to my room so that I could explore my library. Random facts about the empires of the world had filled my head during the meal but they were commonly not strung together. The previous life of the Knower emphasized that with practice, this can become something more focused and that I’ll be able to recall the vast knowledge that I have access to the more often I try to access that information.
I figured the best thing would be to start preparing basic information about nations and races. I ended up going down a rabbit hole of kingdom lineages and histories for the four races of Gaia.
Humans are the third most centralized race of the four, They are split into two Kingdoms that trace back to two half-brothers. Both were plentiful and bountiful in their rulings and founded large schools for the advancement of technological advancements.
The younger brother founded the nation of the Isa empire and is credited for the largest records of history ever kept on the planet. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that they can trace an individual's history back to the founding of the Kingdom. They are also credited with the creation of common print and the mass creation of books.
The older brother founded the nation of Mael. An empire accredited for its vast arts and poetry. They commonly set the standard for fashion on the continent and maintain some of the largest silk trades in the world.
Both nations hold most of the open earth of the central lands of the Supercontinent.
The Dwarves are the second most centralized power occupying a sole mountain region that spans the northern border of the supercontinent. Literally built into the sides of the mountain, they are known for magical metal constructs that revolutionized heavy work in forges. They are one of the most physically able and well-armed races on the continent. They are credited with a non-magical powder that quickly combusts in their weaponry. They commonly are one of the least magical races on the planet because of their over-reliance on technology.
They are united under one Parliament of Elders. Each of the 25 specializes in a different field and no more than five occupy similar fields of study.
Holokin, a rather decentralized national identity more akin to an ethnic identity, is a race that looks remarkably like the central humans except for their often darker complexions and animal features. Many different groups occupy small islands and one large coastal region on the eastern edge of the supercontinent.
The vast wetlands and tropical environment of this area give their commonly stronger physiques an advantage in maintaining their lands.
There are too many different variations of Holomen to classify but there are some that live underwater and can traverse both land and sea. They are also known for their very caring and commonly eccentric behavior when it comes to caring for or adopting anyone that they perceive as destitute or in need.
Lastly, are the elves, the most centralized race on the continent, occupying the Great Forest of Solom, a forest encompassing one-sixth of the supercontinent. United under the Solom Congress, the elves are best known for their colleges and medical advancements.
All nations of the world send individuals to learn at elven colleges and it is a privilege to be a speaker in any classroom. Medical technology has also saved many past monarchs throughout history.
Being from the edge of the forest places us firmly as commoners and if we visited the city we would be viewed differently because of our birthplace outside of the city. However, that does not stop the elves from expressing their wealth through generosity as politics and civil servants are commonly filled by those that can show the most generosity to those in need.
Interesting facts about magic and cultures raced through my head for hours before Ronik yelled from the Library door. “Lad, you gonna come to eat yer dinner or you gonna zone out for another hour?” Ronik had a snarky grin on his face.
Have I really been here for eight hours? “I guess I am coming to eat. I didn’t realize that I had been here so long.”
After exiting and returning to my family, I had the last meal with my parents before fires and screams filled the village.
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