The world phased into view around Viktor. A lush green forest of vibrant leaves and perfectly dark dirt beneath his feet. Almost immediately, he collapsed to his knees as a piercing pain flared throughout his chest. He felt himself dragged through the world until he came to rest in front of a white tower. A short man with a bird head stood in front of it. Vincent realized he was screaming in pain and forced himself to stop. The monster man stood there, impassive.

"Greetings, Newling," His voice radiated power, "You have been... unlucky. Whether forgotten by the One True God or destined to be powerless by Fate, you shall not fear, for I have taken you under the wing of Thoth. You have been conscripted as a Librarian of Thoth. Your soulheart has been branded, your Path restructured to end here. You will be safe in the tower. You will be a keeper of knowledge, a resource for those at forks in the road.

Lacking in affinities, you will find yourself outpaced by others, unable to even protect yourself with basic weaponry in the future. Instead, I offer you safety. You will tend to the books, you will learn their contents, and you will offer guidance and wisdom to those you encounter. Should you leave, your memories will fade and you will find yourself helpless. So stay in the solemn sanctuary of my Library, and do not stray far. This knowledge I impart onto you, Newling. The first of much.

Its words finished, the bird-man, Thoth, faded from view. The pain in Viktor's chest faded and he found himself walking up to the tower and opening the door. As he stepped inside, he regained control of his muscles. He turned around to walk back out and a red line flared into existence 10 feet from the entrance. He felt a sense of impending doom as he stepped forward, and he quickly retreated back inside of the tower.

The inside of the tower was luxurious: burnished wood flooring with gorgeous bookshelves lined with, obviously, books. Immediately in front of him was a small table, on which sat a comfortable-looking outfit of white cotton. Viktor took it into his hands and felt how soft it was.

"Y-you should put it on, you know. it'll make us all match," A voice startled Viktor out of his reverie. He looked over to see a skinny, pale man wearing the outfit from the table. He looked like a librarian.

"It seems... comfortable," Viktor said cautiously. "Who are you?"

The man fidgeted nervously, wringing his hands.

"I-I'm Timothy, one of the other librarians." Viktor got the feeling that his starting a conversation was not a frequent occurrence.

"Nice to meet you, Timothy. My name is Viktor," Viktor introduced himself, reaching out and offering his best smile. After a moment's hesitation, Timothy took his hand and gave it a feeble shake.

"How long have you been here, Timothy?" Viktor asked.

"Just a few minutes, actually. Maybe ten? I really didn't like the old clothes, so I changed quickly," Timothy answered, looking around at the Library. "It's really amazing here, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah it is," Viktor answered honestly. The Library of Thoth was a beautiful structure from the outside, but from what he could see, it was already even more beautiful on the inside. Timothy nodded along in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to exploring the archives. Hooch is exploring currently," Timothy said. Then, noticing Viktor's look of confusion, he continued, "Oh! Uh, Hooch is the other Librarian. There were three outfits set out, so I think it'll be just us for the next ten years or so..." He trailed off. "Gosh, that really is a long time, isn't it?"

Viktor wasn't sure how to answer. Luckily, he didn't have to as a hulking man squeezed out from between two nearby bookshelves. His arms were corded with muscle, and he was easily 6'5". His skin was tan, like a farmer who worked in the sun. His eyes were a deep brown and he had brown hair swept over his face. He gave a bright smile as he saw his two fellow Librarians and waved.

"Hi! I'm Hooch!" He said in a loud and cheerful voice.

Viktor recovered from his dumbfoundedness and introduced himself.

"So... Hooch. That's an interesting name. First or last?" Viktor queried. Hooch nodded like this was an interesting question.

"My name is Turner Hooch. I'm Librarian, like you!" He smiled gleefully. Viktor stared.

"Your name is... Turner... Hooch. Your actual name?" Viktor finally asked, and Hooch nodded again, still smiling.

Timothy leaned closer to him. "I asked the same thing, but I think it's gotta be coincidence or something. He's from like 10 years ago or some time they didn't have Turner and Hooch." Viktor sighed inwardly. Fuck. Am I seriously going to have to navigate the intricacies of polite conversation with people from different time periods? He smiled and nodded.

"So, any idea what it means to be a Librarian?" Viktor asked the other two. Timothy responded, pulling out a small pamphlet.

"This thing outlines a bit more, but we basically just read all these books and when someone comes along to the Library, it will demand a fee for the knowledge they seek. If they pay the fee, they'll be able to step onto the grounds and we're supposed to help them find what they're looking for and offer safe lodging for 24 hours. After that, they'll be ejected from the Library. The undertext is that because we don't have whatever those affinity things are, we'll never survive on our own. The Library is supposed to be some way for us to stay safe," Timothy explained, looking saddened by the last part. Viktor's blood rushed through his ears as he listened, heart pounding.

So. Right after I'm told that the only way for me to see Claire again is to get super mega powerful, I'm told that I am destined to be powerless for eternity.

Viktor considered this for a moment.

But... This wasn't random. Mephisto looked at my soul. He said I have potential. Would a soul with no potential have potential? No, that wouldn't make sense. Something happened, something went wrong. But there's got to be some way out of this predicament, even if Mephisto didn't know I'd end up here.

"Uh... Viktor? Are you okay?" Timothy interrupted his reverie as Hooch wandered back into the archives. Viktor cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just... a lot to digest, you know?" Viktor replied, mastering himself. Timothy seemed content with his lot in this second life, but Viktor wasn't. He'd find a way out of the Library, not just with his memories, but with all the knowledge he could get from the archives inside.

"I'm going to go explore, yeah?" Viktor said, trying to get some time to himself. Timothy nodded, seemingly understanding his desire, and vanished into the archives as well.

Viktor walked over to a staircase and checked out a plaque on the wall.

1: Purgatory and its System.

2: Classes of Purgatory

3-10: Monsters

11-20: Alchemical Knowledge [Floor 11 Available]

21-30: Magical Knowledge [Floor 21 Available]

31-50: Crafting Knowledge [Floors 31-35 Available]

51-70: Recorded History of the Purgatory Planet #3901 [Floor 70 Available]

71-80: Languages of Purgatory [Locked]

81-99: Histories of Other Purgatories [Locked]

100: Divine Knowledge [Locked]

What the fuck does it mean, locked? There was so much that Viktor didn't know. It was time to start fixing that. He walked away from the stairs and into the Archives, picking a direction at random and delving into the bookshelves there.