While Edward was struggling to escape the grasp of the pedestal, the light coming from the bottom of the pedestal finally reached the top, where Edward’s hand was placed with the pendant. There was a flash of light, and Edward stopped moving, his eyes still opened but unfocused as if they were gazing at something intangible.

“Hey, are you alright?” Adrien tried to call him but there was no response.

***

I am in the library, lots of adults are around me, some just passing by, others floating in the air to pick a book from the ceiling, once they find one to their liking they go down and choose one of the reading rooms to have some tranquillity reading it. I like this bustling activity, in my race, the Damkinans, they are lots of scholars. We specialize in magic, and to progress in magic, it can very helpful to have the research and experience of peers. It can show you where to improve, or simply open a new way of thought that you hadn’t seen before to find inspiration for the creation of a new spell. I’m surrounded by members of my race doing different activities, and yet it is so calm, that I feel part of a whole. I am left alone to my own thoughts and yet at the same time the individual next to me shares the same thirst for knowledge, the same excitation of learning something new, and maybe one day adds one’s own recollection to the ever-growing library of knowledge. I am still young but I am shown respect here, this is where I belong.

***

I stopped a youngling trying to smuggle one book out of the library. Why do they have the need to take books out of this place? We provide lots of reading rooms so you can read in peace without being disturbed, we never push readers out, once you are in a room you can stay as long as you want. Some mages spend whole nights in research here, they know they will have free access to the books and that they can do their research without being bothered. Taking a book out of the library is taking the risk to lose it, or that the person who borrowed it never gives it back. Each book is invaluable, knowledge should be shared and not lost or keep for some people only. I look, at the book, the youngling was trying to snatch away, ah ‘The recollection of Aeghad part II’, of course. Aeghad is a notorious adventurer, it is said that he has traveled most of this world, and more importantly he also took part in the portal expeditions to other worlds. It is said that in one of those worlds he encountered a fairy with skin as white as the moons and with an unparallel beauty, sadly it was still the start of the Otherworld explorations, and he only stumbled on this world by chance. He couldn’t record the coordinates of this world and never found it back, it is part of his legend, and some attribute his strong determination to explore new worlds to this particular encounter. Of course, this book is the one where Aeghad related in vivid detail his encounter with this attractive fairy. Under my scolding, the youngling gives me back the book while bowing his reddening head in shame. I am now one of the librarians and I am responsible to keep the library in good order and ensuring that everything is running properly.

***

I am now the main guardian of the library, with the corresponding tree amulet that shows my role and my responsibility. I should be proud, and yet I can’t repress a feeling of sadness. The library where I used to spend all of my days since I was a youngling has changed. Before it was a place breathing tranquillity and fulfillment, yet now there is only worry and fear. Ever since the door to the Andherian’s world was opened, things are going from bad to worse. The expedition who went inside was lost, then one day after, we lost control of the door and some kind of black miasma came out. Ever since that time, we never took back the door and the miasma never stopped expanding, we tried to send people to close the door but they never came back and nothing changed. Now the library is almost deserted, I am one of the few staying here, the only other ones staying here are in research of solutions to close this door, to see if anything like that ever happened in the past. Sadly, I have read most of the books stored here and I have never heard of anything similar.

***

Edward shook, grunting before falling to his knees, the pedestal opened and Edward’s hand was freed, falling limply at his side.

“Hey, are you okay? I called you but you weren’t reacting, it was as if you were in a trance or something, I thought I had lost you.” Adrien told him.

“Mmmm, I’m having a huge headache, I feel like my head is about to burst,” Edward answered him, putting his hand against his forehead.

“Just a headache, ok, it could be worse. So, what did this thing do apart from giving you a headache and holding your hand?” Adrien asked him.

“I don’t know, I think it’s some kind of storage device. I saw flashes of memories, I think I was that Damkinan librarian that we found dead in the other room.”

“The what? Are you sure you are okay?” Adrien asked worriedly.

”I told you I’m not okay, damn this headache makes you regret the one you get after a hangover. At least when you have a headache from a hangover you know you had fun before having it. This thing just loaded packages after packages of memories into my brain without even checking if I could take it.” Edward complained

“Okay…So…You saw anything useful to get out of here?” Adrien continued.

“I don’t know, I saw nothing about those monsters, the memories were mainly focused on the books and on the library,” Edward answered him. “I did learn some things thought, this race, the Damkinans, they were specialized in magic, lots of their members were mages. Also, they seemed to have done some kind of exploration of other worlds…Wait, that’s crazy, how advanced were they? Is it something common here to be able to go to another world?” Edward exclaimed.

“As we told you back in the village, you are not the only one coming from another world, it happens from time to time. But I have never heard of the possibility to travel directly to another world, the folks that end here are probably like you, having no ideas how they ended here. The only thing I have heard is that sorcerers are able to summon demons from another world, but I have always thought it was only a story to scare children.” Adrien explained.

“Ok, so that doesn’t help us much in our situation. The way where we came from is still close, so I think our only choice will be to go forward to find another way back. Unless you want to stay here of course, but I don’t see how that will help us. Let’s just hope those monsters went back from where they come from.” Edward said dejectedly.

“I guess, we don’t have a choice, heh. We will have to be careful, those monsters just destroyed us, if they find us, we are basically dead.” Adrien answered him.

Edward got up and picked the medallion from the pedestal, it could still be useful later. That librarian was the equivalent of an admin on a computer, he should have all the authorizations, his amulet would probably help them to bypass security measures installed in those ruins.

Edward and Adrien slowly and quietly came closer to the entrance of the room. The door cut in half was providing them an opening at the bottom where they could see the library without getting seen. The library was still basked in the red lights provided by the stars on the ceiling. There was blood everywhere, even pieces of mangled flesh were sprayed here and there. The scene was of incredible violence and savagery. Edward felt like throwing up and Adrien was as white as a piece of paper. They stayed like that for a few minutes, the time to regain their senses. At least, the beasts were nowhere to be seen, only the carnage they brought was left in this place.

If that librarian saw the state of his darling library, he would be thoroughly mad. It’s not a place of knowledge anymore, only death is left now. At least, only the spine of the books has been soiled, since the books are still stowed in their sockets they should still be readable, even though there are probably no Damkinans left in this world. Edward was looking at the different books, Advance treaty of matrices stabilization, A life of worlds explorations, How to create your first own spell…Wait…I can read their language now. How!? Is it because of that pedestal blasting me with the memories of that librarian? I can’t see any other explanation.

“Adrien...” Edward whispered

“Yes, what?”

“I can read their language, I think it’s because of that pedestal.”

“So that thing wasn’t utterly useless after all. Do you see any emergency exits mentioned?”

“Adrien, those are books, not a map of the building,” Edward replied slightly exasperated.

“What? I’m only trying to help unless you feel like reading right now.” Adrien responded.

Edward looked around. Actually, those books could be useful. If I manage to find some explaining magic for beginners, this could at least add some tricks up my sleeves. I should come back here once I am strong enough. But first I need to come back out of here alive. With how things are going, it’s not done yet.

The two of them left their hideout and came inside the library. They tried to avoid walking in the blood, to avoid making noise, but mostly because if felt wrong. Those had been their comrades a few hours ago, and now, that was all that was left of them. It was a grim reminder for Edward that this world wasn’t as peaceful as the one he came from.

Now we only have to find another exit without getting blown to pieces by bloodthirsty monsters. What a great day…