Something weird happened when I entered the first boss room through the doorway. Something that hadn’t happened since my time as an archer. The second I stepped through, the world froze and then immediately unfroze. It felt like only a second had passed, but I knew better because instead of walking through the door to the second floor, I somehow walked onto the third floor. Not again. Why can't these gods leave me in peace?

As soon as I entered, chaos erupted. Spells streaked across the air like dazzling, lethal fireworks, and arrows whizzed past, narrowly missing me. The metallic clash of swords rang out, mingling with the desperate screams and shouts of those falling in battle. It was a battlefield—frantic and chaotic. The sheer intensity of it all made me want to stop and take it in, but a sharp, burning pain in my shoulder snapped me back to reality as an arrow found its mark.

"Ah!" I cried out, stumbling to the ground. I rolled to avoid another strike, the cold stone floor scraping against my skin. Panic surged through me. I had no idea where I was or what was happening, but I was clearly in the middle of something big. My breath came in ragged gasps as I tried to process the scene around me.

Through the chaos, my gaze locked onto a woman with long blonde hair, her robe flowing like a ghostly shadow as she moved. The hood of her robe was down, revealing a face that, despite the turmoil, seemed both calm and determined. Desperate for answers, I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder, and ran toward her. Crystal, my ever-present companion, had been eerily silent since I stepped onto this floor—not even a word about the damage I’d taken.

As I got closer, I noticed the woman’s robe was drenched in blood and grime, the original color completely obscured by the stains of battle. She looked like she had been through hell but moved with a purpose.

“What’s going on? Where are we?” I shouted over the din, my voice strained with pain and fear.

“You’re very unlucky, my friend,” she replied with a hint of irony, her eyes flicking toward me. “You’re in the library. In the middle of a faction war. Someone must have disabled Crystals because mine isn’t working either. My name’s Blake. Follow me—I know a place to stay safe during a war like this. It’ll probably last until everyone’s dead now that the second floor is clear. It’s open season, and the factions are trying to seize power. But you don’t have to stay with me if you find one of the other factions more to your liking.”

There was no time to think—I didn’t hesitate to follow Blake, weaving through the chaos. We started in a big open courtyard, but soon, we entered a massive building filled with rows of bookshelves. She wasn’t kidding—it was a library.

As soon as we stepped inside, Crystal’s light flickered weakly, and she finally spoke, her voice distant and strained. [Awful... awful, awful... I can’t believe someone is using that spell...].

Relief washed over me at the sound of her voice. At least she was still with me, even if just barely.

[The Library of Infinite Worlds, Run Eight,] Crystal murmured not even displaying the full text of a zone like she normally did.

“The Library of Infinite Worlds, huh? Sounds like an interesting place... are you okay?,” I said, trying to process everything.

[I'm Fined.] She sneezed. but I ignored her antics as Blake nodded, a slight smirk tugging at her lips.

“It is, but the sad thing is, it’s in danger. A lot of crazy people up in here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, sensing there was more to this place than just the chaos outside.

“Well, it’s a long story,” she replied, glancing around as if searching for something—or someone. “I’ll tell you some other time. Right now, we need to get you checked in.”

“Checked in?” I echoed, confusion knitting my brow. “What do you mean?”

“Duh, this is a library. You need a library card,” she replied with a smirk.

Three excruciating hours later, I finally had the stupid card. The worst part? I’d been the only one waiting.

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“Your ideas for expansion are very important to us. Please be patient; you are next in line,” the automated voice droned on, a monotone sound that grated on my nerves.

An hour later, the same voice repeated, “Your ideas to expand are very important to us. Please remain in line. There are 0 customers ahead of you.”

Fifteen minutes after that: “Your ideas to expand are very important to us. Please remain in line.”

“That’s it! I’ve had it with waiting! There isn’t even anyone here! Why are they doing this?” I shouted in frustration, my voice echoing through the empty room.

Finally, the voice responded, “Mr. Argent, please proceed to the back office. It is now your turn.”

I looked around the empty waiting room, filled with rows of vacant chairs and sterile walls, and reluctantly moved into the office. Given how mechanical the voice had been, I don’t know why I expected a human, but I certainly hadn’t expected what I saw.

I stared, slack-jawed, at the creature behind the desk. It was oddly adorable but made absolutely no sense to my eyes. It had the head of a puppy, with soft features and kind eyes, a human-like torso, and—no joke—dragon-like wings tucked around furry, human-like hands.

The creature looked back at me, clearly unamused by my gawking.

“What? You’ve never seen a kobold before?” the kobold asked, its voice gruff despite its cute appearance. It shook its head, sighing. “We were the dominant species on Equiem for millennia before humans came along. Don’t tell me—you’re from Vezwincourt. Blasted racists never let non-humans into their city anymore.”

I nodded, trying to regain some composure. I’d heard of kobolds before but always thought they were humanoid dragons or dogs. I didn’t know they could be both.

“Sorry for staring,” I mumbled, embarrassed.

“It’s okay, let’s just start over. My name is William Lazseryk. I hear from a reliable source that you’d like to become part of the Librarians.” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for my response.

“Well, I wasn’t waiting for my health. What even took so long?”

“I guess you’re wondering why I had you wait so long,” William said, leaning back in his chair, his wings twitching slightly. “It’s because there are multiple versions of the library. I’m quite curious how you came through, as you’re the first to arrive through the Aurentum Entrance in over a decade.”

“Wait, seriously? What about Thomas?” Anxiety bubbled up within me as I recalled the last time I saw him. Had my ice attack been enough to stop him?

“I’m waiting,” William said, tapping his quill against the notepad with a hint of impatience.

“On what?” I asked, confusion lacing my voice.

“For you to tell me how you made it here and why I should let one of Aurentum’s penitents assist in preserving the library.”

“Well, I made it because I beat the Djinn and then beat Kingsley twice. Which was pretty easy,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

“The Djinn? The secret boss? How did you manage that?” William sat up straighter, quill at the ready, eager to take notes.

“A series of relics on the floor probably require a group to normally gain access to. I gathered all three, and it removed the Djinn’s protections. Still took everything my group had to beat him.”

“And where is this group now?” William asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Gone.” The urge to lie surged within me, but I bit my tongue hard enough to taste blood.

“Gone where?” he pressed.

“Well, you see...” I began, but before I could finish, time froze.

I leaned on the desk and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Can’t you people leave me alone?” I muttered.

Aurentum appeared, looking noticeably different than the last time I saw him—less pale, with more magic swirling in his eyes. His gold and blue robes shimmered with renewed vibrancy, and the piles of gold around him seemed even larger. He held a golden, shining apple in his hands, which he took a bite from before speaking.

“Oh, don’t mind me. Just go ahead and tell him you worked with an agent of Malikap. Let the whole world know you’re tainted.”

“Tainted? What is this? Assuming someone is evil just because they came into contact with one of the other gods is ridiculous,” I shot back, frustration tinging my words.

“It’s not ridiculous,” Aurentum said, his tone matter-of-fact. “It’s exactly what’s in our purview. You should know the corrupting power of the other gods. You shouldn’t tell this librarian about Thomas’s betrayal; otherwise, you may find yourself without allies. And that is the last thing you want in this place.” He took another bite of his apple, crunching loudly before continuing with something seemingly unrelated.

“You know, this is such a delicious apple. Shame humans don’t have these trees on Equiem. I had to go all the way to another realm to get this. Golden apples are steeped in mythology, you know. When penitents first became a thing, humans used to paint apples with gold as a sign of wealth and status. Of course, they used lead paint instead of gold, which wasn’t a bright move. I didn’t know what to do about this for the longest time, so I had a snack with lead. Did nothing to me, of course, as a god, but you can’t beat the taste of a real golden apple.” He took one final bite, savoring it, and then vanished.