Adam approached the bonfire cautiously, trying to gather some information about his current situation. As the young hero got close enough to feel the fire's warmth, the old wizard calmly commented:

—You did well, Adam. It took you 3 years, but you finally managed to solve the puzzle posed by the book...

—Three years...—Adam murmured, stunned.

—Yes, it took quite a while, but you completed it with flying colors. Honestly, I thought you would die...—David said, calmly smoking his cigarette —Your godfather helped you a lot, but you were very clever in understanding that the book would give you better clues if they were related to events from your past.

—Was killing you part of solving the riddle?—Adam asked, trying to better understand how his past self had managed to decipher the challenges in this magical adventure.

—No...—David murmured, taking a moment to smoke —I suppose now you'll only understand part of the puzzle posed by the book, and in the future, as you use your ability, you'll be able to better understand the lessons of this magical adventure.

The old wizard looked into the fire and flicked his almost extinguished cigarette away calmly before adding:

—The book presents you with a rather interesting challenge, doubting the information obtained in the past. The book's ability was to see where others died, but if you blindly follow that information, you won't achieve anything useful, just like in the book's loops.

—Would it be futile because my first idea could be false?—Adam asked, realizing that the old wizard was trying to help him better understand the secrets of this magical adventure.

—Exactly, Adam!—the wizard commented with a smile hidden in his beard, taking another cigarette from his case and lighting it from the bonfire —You'll never know how others died; it could have been due to war, betrayal, bookshelves, or any other reason. But if you believe that people died for something that turns out not to be true, then you would put your life at risk. On the other hand, if you avoid a place because someone died there, and it turns out the librarian died due to some stupidity, then you'll never achieve anything, as you'd never take any risks. That's why doubting the past was the key to surviving the book and the key to your new magical ability...

Adam listened attentively to the old wizard. He had also come to this conclusion not too long ago. According to the young man's idea, there were two series of clues: some clues were given by the book to deceive him, pretending to be his past self, and those clues only kept him stuck in the infinite loop. The other clues were given by his true past self and served to escape the infinite loop.

—If you want, we can check that you knew it from the beginning and never thought about it—said the old wizard, standing up.

Once on his feet, the wizard began to pace in circles on the sand as he said:

—Perhaps the book didn't tell you the solution to the challenge when you spoke with it, but the book gave you clues. Think about what the book told you and what you ignored. Consider the details when you spoke with the book!

Adam's mouth suddenly closed. The boy began to cough as if he had choked on something. Then, a ball was seen ascending Adam's throat.

—Nevertheless!—Adam shouted as his mouth opened as if he were spitting out a ball. After saying that phrase, Adam vomited blood onto the sand and coughed a bit due to the discomfort in his throat.

—Nevertheless? Do you remember anything related to that phrase, Adam?—David asked, stopping his circular pacing and standing with both hands on his staff.

Adam looked at the wizard with some annoyance. This ability was incredible, but the feeling of having a ball moving up your throat was horrible and quite painful. Still, the young man reluctantly replied:

—The book told me that it was impossible for me to solve its challenge, then denied what it said and told me that you would help me accomplish it. Then the book denied again that it was enough and said I could die. Finally, the book dismissed its doubts and wished me luck. Now I understand that the idea was to doubt oneself just like the book did, but it was too convoluted to relate it to this challenge.

—Everything has its meaning in this library, especially when you're about to do something important—David replied calmly —As a well-known saying goes: "There are no coincidences in this library."

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Seeing that there were no changes on the beach, the young man asked:

—Did it really all end? Or is this the beginning of another loop?

—You just have to dive into the sea, and you'll leave the book behind—David replied excitedly, pointing to the ocean with his staff —The king of the seas condemned you to die on this island, but now you've defeated him and can go back home, young hero!

—It felt too easy...—Adam said, looking doubtfully at the sea.

—It was so easy that the book tricked you for 3 years...—David commented ironically. —Besides, if I hadn't given you the clues about time and rebirth, you would have been stuck in this loop until your death!

—I guess you're right...—Adam said with some annoyance —It's a shame I'll never know how I realized the infinite loop.

—Memories aren't affected by time...—David said —That's why your godfather was the key to solving the riddle.

—But weren't there no godfathers in your time?—Adam asked —How do you know that biographies aren't affected by time?

—In my time, there were apprentices and masters...—David said, looking at the sky as if remembering the past —Which was much better than a book, but of course, there were memories in the library. However, it was rare to see people using biographies in the citadel, where almost everyone ascended or were useless slaves who couldn't read.

—And how did the secret not affect you?—Adam asked, suspiciously —Or why do you remember the path of the wizard? When my past self asked me to attack you, that was the first problem that came to my mind, and even now, I think you're part of the book and not an ancient wizard.

—Because you're also a wizard, and I never died: I ascended!—David replied enthusiastically, taking another drag from his almost extinguished cigarette and lighting it from the bonfire —If I recall correctly, I mentioned this to you before, but I guess you didn't understand what I meant... The body you see now was my wish for future generations. My idea was to help wizards; it makes sense that I remember the path of the wizard. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to help anyone... think a little, young man.

—Yes, it makes sense... when you explain it to me...—Adam muttered with some annoyance —Do I just have to swim to get out of the book?

—You don't have to swim, you have to submerge your body in the water—David replied, pointing to the coastline with his cigarette.

Then, David raised both hands to the sky and shouted with all his lung power:

> —Submerge yourself in the water and be reborn as the man who defeated the king of the seas!

Adam looked at the wizard with confusion at his change of attitude, but he ignored it and went to the shore. The young man walked until the sea reached his waist. However, as he was about to submerge his head, he noticed that the old wizard had walked to the shore and was looking at him from a distance.

It seemed like, for the first time in his life, Adam had met a librarian who expected to be dismissed. Awkwardly, due to lack of habit, the young man raised his hand and waved, shouting so the wizard could hear him from the shore:

—Goodbye, thank you for the help!

The ancient wizard did not wave back. Instead, he took a drag from his cigarette, which was about to go out, and looked at the young man with some sadness. Without releasing the smoke, the ancient wizard shouted:

—You've been born in significant times, young man! Important times! Horrible times for a wizard! After the peak of wizards, the citadel will only activate if our race is on the brink of extinction throughout the library: not just on your floors!

Adam stared at the wizard, feeling bewildered. But the wizard ignored the young man's confusion and took another drag from his cigarette, seemingly only one puff away from extinguishing it. Still holding the smoke, the wizard shouted again:

—Everything is cyclical, like in this loop! The era of the ancient librarians is next! The bookshelves will die and have to start from scratch! Everything will return to its true beginning!

Adam continued to gaze at the wizard in the distance, now even more confused. He couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind the wizard's cryptic and fragmented sentences. But the way the wizard delivered the information made it seem as though something terrible would happen if he took the time to explain his concerns in detail.

As Adam pondered the wizard's words, he noticed David waving goodbye to him from a distance.

—Goodbye, lad!— the wizard yelled, taking one final drag and flicking the cigarette into the water. Then, he opened his mouth, and an excessive amount of smoke poured out, enveloping his entire body.

As Adam saw the wizard disappear into the smoke, he submerged his body in the water. However, just as he was about to dunk his head, the hidden wizard in the smoke let out a loud shout:

—When the time comes, don't ascend, Adam! You are living through the end of our race! Descend, and you will have a chance to start anew at the right moment! Never...

Adam lifted his head at the wizard's interrupted scream, but to his surprise, the smoke surrounding the wizard had turned blood-red, with black ink-like spots scattered across its surface.

Adam tried to communicate with the wizard again, but he noticed that the red smoke with black spots was expanding, forming a giant head.

The giant head glared at Adam with hatred, and its mouth opened wide as if to swallow him. With speed, the head began to approach Adam, while murmurs and cries of agony could be heard from within the smoke forming the head. It sounded like hundreds of people suffering, hidden behind that smoke, and as the head approached, the screams grew louder and louder.

Afraid of being swallowed by the giant head, Adam threw himself backward into the water and submerged himself. But nothing happened. He stayed under the water for a while, in case he had done something wrong, but the murmurs and pleas only grew louder. Seeing that nothing changed while he was underwater, the young hero surfaced with desperation to see how far the giant head was.

—Aaaah!— Adam screamed in fright at the sight of a stone face.

—Aaaah!— the eyeless old man screamed, startled by Adam's unexpected appearance in the cave's lake.