Chapter 135

After a while of scurrying around, looking, and thinking, William made his move. He glanced at some notes describing the Academy. Then he realized its details were quite barren and more opinionated than normal. It revolved around the Outside perspective about the Academy, and how its creation shifted the world, Walkers, and many lands.

Some parts sounded positive, but most were extremely negative because the creator of the Academy considered Walkers as apostles of new ages, and how they should stick together and work as some sort of clan and guild. Then, the one who wrote it detested the creation, criticizing a lot of the Academy's methods and history.

Describing it as something sensitive was fitting. The writer definitely wasn't part of the Academy and made many assumptions and mistakes. He or she drowned in emotions. Simple as that.

Putting the book back, William didn't get too much out of it, so how to take this shelve as best as he could? Though more research? What was better read, or forgotten? It was a true archive about people and Walkers, written by both, broadened by the library, and holding a lot of knowledge. A collective effort to put ideas and beliefs on paper like this wouldn't become lost history. William learned a valuable lesson today, even if nothing shocking came out of it.

Something big might be here, however, waiting in a pile of unknowns. The big stuff might wait for the upper floor, or he should be patient and fish in these abundant texts.

Nothing crazy about Darks was here, though some notes and comments did come out of some texts, and mission reports that were those weirdly named booklets. Personalized notes, diaries, and thin texts were most mission reports, or they were about the experience and the military. Weirdly, a lot of Walkers wrote what they saw or had done over the years.

Ellie secured some ideas next, helping him to make a choice. “Just set your expectations right. This room is as useful to someone as one wants. It's not a big lesson, so you shouldn't dwell on every little thing. Most reports are one way to look at narrative events. Written by non-Walkers, they are usually crude because of scribes. Then, there are recordings and archives of wars, many efforts, or people in general. Walkers are in many ways involved in these books like normal people, but their acts aren't like that at all. Talks of wars are especially tough, so read between the lines or see what they hide.”

“Hide... How to do that. Wait, no. I can see that. Outside is kind of the same.” William argued, pausing his reading for now to look at her. “It sounds terrifying. Outside knows almost nothing about this. Rumors and history mixed and mashed, and I don't even know if it's even that bad. Surviving is bad. History isn't important out there. Not to everyone.”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, some stuff is subjective, and I don't know what texts have what. You might discover some shocking things inside of some for sure, but this archive is large. There is no order in it besides what their main content is about. Some depict missions to detail, efforts of Walkers, or consequences of wars and losses in recent years, or way back. Some stuff about the System, Arcana, or Darks is also around, though scattered in comments, or notes.”

“No. I mean, I won't feel bad about reading anything. I will gladly read what I can get out of them, so don't get me wrong.” William said, nodding to her side.

“That's good. Think about my methods, information, books, names, and some words as layers and list them accordingly. Make it work and traceable. I won't be helpful to you forever, you see.”

“But, the reason some things are locked is because of those... efforts, right? Or is this like this because of something else? How is it fair for the dead people who protected or got this going? Someone came and worked with this lot in the past, so what does that mean? I bet they would feel rather angry if they knew their records aren't open for the whole humanity.” William described a pressing idea after hearing Ellie's reasonings.

The whole premise of history sounded like a big important lesson. Archives ensured more lessons and learning. It was about collecting important pieces. It shouldn't be very confusing, nor locked.

So where was some line of sense and reason? Was it the same as those credits and payments that one grew onto, or how some things worked because it was reasonable? Unwilling to realize the truth, William was already familiar with the real reasons. It was like in Outside, where some might know the truth, but not everyone was the same, while some did not care about anything.

In Federation, and even around the Walker societies, what this room depicted was nothing miraculous or luxurious.

Thus, his reasons were half-correct and came out of him with a surge of emotions and Outside. Ellie wasn't surprised by any of this, even if it sounded righteous. It wasn't as if the Federation locked and created something for nothing and nobody.

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William wasn't convinced; he was just confused because this situation was much more complex than he could think.

Who needed this archive and texts? The current humanity had very little time and people. They needed assurance, power, and resources. Walkers were the same, as their fate and powers didn't seek the past. Not always. Not entirely.

Out in a hundred or thousands could have some interest, willingness, or need for this. William ended up as one of them because it was choice and willingness. Nothing was forcing anyone here. Perhaps time was why? That was a brief sentiment, for this place was fixed and kind of old-fashioned.

Take the time before the Dawn for one example. The average person had various opinions and perspectives because of nations, families, cultures, and even continents. They didn't know what had happened everywhere, so a whole lot of people cared about the present, themselves, and less about the distant past, future, or others. They were in the middle of incredible technological advancements, as well as in a different time altogether. It was an ongoing effort of humanity to continue advancing, even if was irregular across many lands and very rapid.

In a time when prosperity and living conditions were better than in the further or forgotten past, one didn't seek out thousands of years of the past, nor cared too much about something ridiculous, or not important for them. Most people didn't look for that sort of thing. Perhaps looking a few decades into the past was fine, but nothing too much, or meaningful, would come out of it.

Simplicity in ignorance and continuing advancing was part of history, and some people were invested enough to keep some matters afloat and not forgotten. Every age and era had them. Without them, there would be no eras or years, let alone civilization to speak of.

The time before the Dawn was above and beyond some imaginations. The people were clever and science was like a different kind of magic. The space was already opening. Moon had its steps. Stars had their maps, and complex tools began to cruise beyond the sky. Perhaps in a century, humanity would live beyond the stars. That was entirely possible if it wasn't for the Dawn.

Then, everything broke, humanity included.

In just a span of a few centuries, just what could've happened?

Some curious and clever people gave this history some eyes and ideas. This library was about opportunity and curiosity, and William was having a weird time because of his Outside perspective.

In a time when the world cracked apart and where humanity lost its rise, something was lost and regained because of new curious people. That was the essence that William was seeing for the second day, though his skin was thick and his mind not ready for it.

No one knew the name of every historian before the Dawn, but they existed and guided words in a great era for those interested. They knew that history shouldn't be forgotten. Knowing the further past, they wouldn't let the future lose it. Throughout history, many records were either forgotten, intentionally destroyed, not archived, or written down. Or it might be just a controversial craziness to see some point in it since many eras had many characteristics.

Who in their right mind would collect history and knowledge, hoping it would last centuries in a broken world? What were some unknown time periods but memories of insignificance that the broader future would disregard? Not many would care, perhaps, because every culture had its presence and focus.

In a time with fewer people, history crawled back anyway because some people couldn't help themselves, nor wanted to forget what one was, or could be.

The Federation did not become a messiah. It was a home, and people wanted it, and some Darks did not stop it enough. Perhaps it was fear. Perhaps it was self-interest that described conditions and locks that history always had. It was like with hobbies and jobs and people. Some had them, or they showed scorn at them.

William was thinking about it wrongly. This library was just a hobby not meant for everyone because it wasn't supposed to be here for that.

He glanced past this Walker-related shelve and took note of further history. Post Dawn depicted what he wanted to know the most, so what about what was further? Going from row to row, many books revealed it.

He couldn't read them all, but he could get to know enough.

“Hm. Again this thing?” William stopped himself before books describing something terrifying.

World War 1 and World War 2.

“Oh, interested in the crazy sequences of the twentieth century?” Ellie asked behind him, speaking with open interest.

“World Wars? Are you serious about this name?” William asked and knew he had glimpsed at this topic before, but couldn't think about it. Now, he did, and knew the world and the description of wars, but... those two words added together eclipsed something horrible. Within the Dawn, many wars occurred and countless lives were lost. It was terrible. Terrible thing.

So what was this about? It was long before the Dawn happened.

“Wait. You've never heard of these major wars that involved wars and advancements in chemistry, physics, and technology? Sure, it led to millions of deaths and many conflicts, but that is what humanity is.” Ellie asserted a rather creepy point of view, which ended up surprising William.

“Are you serious?” he glanced at her, yet she remained serious and concerned about this argument.

She pointed to one particular book in one corner.

“This one. Read this one. It is a collection of historians of that time period, while the second half describes the following decades until the start of another century. Just how much world shift after these wars? Can you guess it? You can judge it for inhumanity and argue however you want about losses and reasons. They are horrid, yet it had happened and some Dawn is what? You might even find it funny if you may.”

“F-funny? Wars?! ”

“It led to better tomorrows and shittier days than many of them added together, and it wasn't even a work of humans. Isn't that nice? We hadn't ended ourselves. How nice. I sometimes thought that was what awaits us. Wild. Terrible. Sinful time. Wars are stupid.”

“W-what...” William never felt this confused. Why and what was she talking about? Was it a good thing or bad?

Ellie had a strange expression as if she mocked him, and hadn't enjoyed his expression and topic in the slightest.