The staircase leading down was narrow and unremarkable.

Or at least, it would have been unremarkable if Quinn discounted the fact that the stairs themselves, the walls, and the ceiling - which she was fairly sure was far above her head - all had pinpricks that looked like stars dancing around on them.

The beauty of the universe was something she could get very used to.

Aradie cooed from up above as the door closed, shrouding Quinn in darkness. She couldn't come with her because the vault was specifically attuned to Quinn's cosmicisodracus frequency.

Or something...

It made Quinn feel oddly alone. Right then, there was complete and utter silence in her head. She couldn't even feel the presence of the Library around her. After months of being in constant proximity with so many mind-reading creatures, Quinn suddenly felt vulnerable.

I am here, Quinn the Library said. The timbre of the voice had changed. It was more regal and echoed slightly through Quinn's mind. Everything around her felt the same, very echoey and not at all like Quinn had expected. The stairs appeared to go on forever and Quinn was a little confused.

"I don't understand," she said. "Aren't we directly above the filtration room?"

Not exactly, the Librarian said. And while we're in here, you can call me by my real name. Drevicia. If you'd like to, that is.

"Really?" Quinn said.

Well yes, or I wouldn't have offered.

"Sorry," Quinn said, cringing slightly as she continued to pick her way down the stairs very carefully. "I just, you seemed quite irate when Uncle Hal decided to use your name and I wanted to make sure I wasn't overstepping my bounds in any way."

My name holds power, and reverberates through the universe when spoken. When Hal used it, he could have set off a chain reaction that summoned my siblings, whether I wanted them here or not. However, when you say that name in this space, you help keep that power alive and strengthen it, especially through our familial bond, if you understand how this all works.

"Oh, I don't understand it at all," Quinn said. "Literally, not at all. But it's okay, I don't need to understand it, to realize that it's a very good thing and that I'll bet it'll all make sense soon."

Drevicia, or the Library, snickered slightly.

"You seem more tangible in here."

Just you wait, we haven't even reached the proper memory vault yet.

A few more steps, gingerly taken. Quinn frowned. "Who all can get into this place?"

You and I.

"You and I as in us, or as in cosmicisodracus in general?" Quinn was curious.

Ah, yes, my siblings would be allowed to enter if they ever entered the Library space. However, there are checks and balances in place, and even they can't come in without my explicit permission.

Quinn pondered that for a second before asking: "Can it be coerced?"

The permission? The Library mulled that over itself. Technically. Or if I'm dead, I guess. But I don't think they'd get that desperate. At least... not all of them.

"Did you have a falling out?" Quinn asked.

No, not like you're thinking.

"I wasn't really thinking at all, I just sort of wanted to ask." Quinn took another step, and still couldn't see an end. "How much further down is it and can I teleport out of here?"

Nope, you haven't read the right texts yet.

"I'm rectifying that tonight," Quinn said.

The Library chuckled. Just wait a second, when we get there, it'll be a nice surprise.

Quinn wasn't entirely sure about that. Suddenly, the steps stopped and the floor flattened out in front of them. There was another door. This one, in the pale starlight, looked like one of those massive arched wooden doors with the wrought iron studs all around the outside of it.

Place your hand on it, it's another lock.

There was a slight prick against her finger again and the door shimmered and vanished. Quinn walked through and gasped. This room was big. Not cavern big, like the core room that powered the entire Library.

No, no, no. This was simply a room. It was probably the size of a football field and in it were books that weren't books. They didn't have pages but instead there held starlight within the covers. It streamed out illuminating the entire space in a light of wonder.

These are the histories of myself, the Library and my people, Drevicia said, her tone soft and slightly melancholy.

"Are you here? Can I see you?" Quinn asked, excitably.

Oh no, Quinn. I made a sacrifice when I became the Library. I can never take my personal corporeal form again. The Library is my form now and while I can change it and shift within it and adjust it and project myself, I sadly won't ever be able to be myself again.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Oh," Quinn said, a sudden pang in her chest making her eyes water, "that's very sad."

It is a bit, isn't it? I thought so, too. But it is what it is, you know. I made a choice. It was something that, at the time and even now, I don't regret. There were few options available to us at the time that would enable the same result - preventing the immediate destruction of all things in creation. My siblings helped me. They fused their power with mine and we created something new. My primary power is water. Hence, I am a luna dragon. Though, as you know, we all possess fire.

Quinn took in the information. "So, the Library was a collaborative effort between you all?"

Yes. The Library sounded somewhat wistful as it continued to speak. Initially anyway. We all worked in synchronization to imbue me with the power to become the Library. The concept itself was fantastical, barely doable, but considering we sort of coaxed our oldest brother into helping. It was the space affinity he had that enabled this possibility to this extent.

There was a light swirl of lights that encompassed the room before the Library continued speaking. This is where the majority of the history of my people is. I can't give it to anybody else. You can't share this with anyone. There are heavy magics that will prevent you from speaking about anything you witness here. But for your own safety and preservation, you need to understand exactly what went into the Library's creation. Are you willing to let me show you?

Quinn gulped. She didn't really think she was ready for this but if the last fight had shown her anything, she knew she had to know more to become the type of powerful she needed to be. How were they supposed to fight what was coming if she didn't even understand what happened to get them here in the first place?

If she didn't even understand herself?

Will you, Quinn?

Quinn nodded. "Yeah." She didn't really think she had a choice but at the same time, she knew for a fact that if she said no, the Library wouldn't push her any further. Drevicia wouldn't push her. And that, that held a weight for Quinn that mattered.

"Is this somewhere that Korradine could have gotten to?" Quinn asked, suddenly worried.

No. The Library said Everything in here is as it should be. There are no gaps. There is nothing missing. This, this is impenetrable. Unless you've somehow gained my genetic code, which you have, there's no way for you to get in here. Even the code of my brethren would set off alarms.

Quinn chuckled. She looked around the beautiful room. There were no pillars in sight. It just felt like she was walking on a floor of stars and nobody was here to interrupt her. She could just close her eyes and imagine herself floating out there through the galaxy. She paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "You said you sacrificed yourself."

Technically, I suppose. I mean, what other dragon has this wealth of knowledge? I have a hoard of books, of magic, of mana, of everything. And I can share it with everyone without it ever having to leave, without ever having to give it up. And even better... I can share it with the universe!

Quinn laughed at the pure joy in the Library's voice. "You don't like it when your books go missing, do you?"

Definitely not, Drevicia said. Definitely not. But it's inevitable that others will covet what you have, even if what you have is something that you share with everybody else.

"You're very right."Quinn sighed and paused..."So you just wanted to, you didn't want me to see anything, tell me any histories?"

Well...When we performed this miracle, we were 100% on the same page. But as time passed, my siblings may have, as you've already witnessed, changed their minds. I don't know who is in cahoots with whom, or what Dravishk is even thinking.

Quinn wanted to know what he was thinking more than anything.

These books are bound to me. They cannot be removed. But you can read them.

Quinn stood in the middle of the room and closed her eyes. She could hear a very faint thrumming, like a beat of a soft drum. She'd heard it before in the Library. The very first day when she'd been pulled through that damn door and into here, Lynx had asked her if she could feel that beat.

"Is that your heart?" Quinn asked softly.

In a way, the Library said, that wistful tone back. It is the idea of my heart. It is my life force. And my life force is everywhere in the Library. It is me. I am it. Where it begins, I end. And where it ends, I begin. It sighed, but it sounded like a happy sigh.

"Drevicia, why am I down here? Why did you bring me here?" Quinn asked.

I wanted you to understand where you come from, or what you come from, how vast the power that you have at your fingertips is. And in the same vein, you need to understand that you have abilities that can be triggered.

"What do you mean, abilities that can be triggered?"

All dragons possess fire. We develop our other abilities as a way to temper the fire from devouring us whole. Your power has been locked away for most of your short life. When you have no magic to feed on, the fire has nothing to combust with, and has no fuel. But the moment you stepped into the Library, your wellspring began again. Hal was right. The Library sounded oddly irritated by the fact.

"Back up." Quinn said. "Uncle Hal is right? You want me to tell him that?"

The Library chuckled. Please don't. He's insufferable enough. The tone turned serious. But he is right. You are still a whelp. Too young for the power you're going to need to wield. And yet... we have to do what must be done.

Drevicia made a breeze blow through the room. I want you to dig in deep right now, and pull out a flame that was in that very first book that you read. Recall the information in Bright Light Starters. But I want you to concentrate on it, make it hot, make it blue, and imagine it is protecting you.

Quinn did what she was instructed to, and clicked her fingers. Instead of the tiny flame that popped out from her clicked fingers the first time, Quinn summoned a hot blue flame. But that wasn't all. Even as the flame summoned it triggered her scales, and they sprang up fluidly to coat her upper body, shielding her from potential danger in a white hot way that felt like coming home.

"Oh," she looked down at her body. This... this was new.

Very much oh. The Library said gleefully. And now... we should really begin your training.

"Training montage time?" Quinn asked, suddenly very excited.

The Library paused. I don't understand the reference. But if it means it's time you learned more about your true self? Then yes, it's training montage time.