Elias jerked up from his seat, almost spilling his tea and flipping over the table in the process.

He looked towards the still calmly seated scholar with wide eyes, struggling to accept the implications that came with such a grandstanding revelation.

Even if Elias wasn't really clear on the specifics of the topic, he somewhat still had a general understanding of what the term 'Divine Sanctuary' meant to the orthodox religious churches.

The canon gospel of the Grace Church talked about a small but distant garden, the final resting place created by the Benevolent Mother for all of her faithful followers and believers after death.

This mysterious meadow was also referred to as a Divine Sanctuary based on the scriptures, a place most notably referred to as the Garden of Eden by all of the saints and missionaries of the past.

Elias initially harbored some doubts about the existence of such a place but coming from an individual like Noa El-Lah—a man held in such high regard for his advanced knowledge as well as having the position as a saint of early years, most of those doubts had been instantly cleared on the spot.

This was why he was so shocked, as he knew of only one of the five divine deities that could be referred to as the Eternal Ruler of Knowledge while also having a Divine Sanctuary that existed in the form of an all-encompassing library.

It could only be The Librarian at a Corner, the presiding deity over the authority of sapience and knowledge!

Immediately this thought popped into Elias's head it was like a red switch had been flipped, causing him to frantically look around the library with a mild expression of both fright and anticipation.

Noa El-Lah noticed this and chuckled lightly, continuing to enjoy his steaming cup of tea.

"You don't have to be so weary, as the 'person' you are looking for isn't here. I've been here for more than a decade at this point, and even I haven't come face to face with 'him'. You can be at ease."

This poured cold water over Elias's tense and stiff nerves, causing him to heave a sigh of relief. He couldn't say he was ready to come face to face with a god, as that would most likely lead to both his mind and soul getting ripped by a minor fleeting glance.

Elias relaxed and was able to think about the situation critically, noting that something was odd.

"But isn't the Divine Sanctuary supposed to act as the home and dwelling place of the gods? If 'he' isn't here, then where on earth could 'he' be?"

The Benign Philosopher shrugged his shoulders, signaling his puzzlement at the situation as well.

"That's also what I've been curious about. 'He' wasn't here by the time I got here, and all my efforts to try to reach out to and contact 'him' have proven futile so far.

"I just resigned myself to waiting, no matter how long it might take, as there is but a slim possibility that anything dire could have happened to 'him'. He is a deity after all."

Elias thought over it, feeling like it made sense.

If anything had happened to The Librarian at a Corner, it would have been almost impossible for the Echelon of Sapience to produce new Disciples and Apostles over the years, as the Wisp of Blessings is said to come directly from the deity itself.

If what the Benign Philosopher said was true, and the deity had been 'missing' for almost more than a decade, the fact was it didn't seem to affect the Church of Truth whatsoever, as they have continued to produce new followers bearing apostolic abilities within that time frame.

This was more than enough evidence to prove 'his' safety, which would also explain why the church of True Scholars wasn't publicly freaking out about the disappearance of their presiding god.

Elias slowly reigned in his thoughts and went to take his seat, bowing his head in apology for his embarrassing display.

Noa El-Lah simply brushed it off, showing that it didn't bother him in the slightest.

This gave Elias the opportunity to raise a question, something he should have done since the beginning.

"If you don't mind me asking sir, what's the reason for summoning me here? I'm sure you didn't just want to enjoy a cup of tea with me."

Noa El-Lah leaned back into his seat, his voice both calm and wistful.

"What if I did? I've had to spend ten whole years isolated away from the rest of the world with no way to go back, not experiencing a single human interaction within that time.

"Humans are social animals young man, so maybe I just wanted to experience what it meant to be human one last time. Laughing with each other, sharing in each other's happiness, having a simple conversation over some tea. These are things that make one feel alive, and are aspects of life that one shouldn't take for granted."

Elias listened attentively, similar to the mood he adopted during lectures in the academy.

The scholar noticed his and nodded inwardly, feeling like he quite liked the young man.

He stood up from his desk and set down his empty tea cup, before gesturing for Elias to follow him.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

As they walked across the spiraling staircase, shelves upon shelves of illusory books came into view, fading in and out of reality in quick succession.

Noa El-Lah observed the library with a characteristic expression of leisure, only speaking once they got to the next level.

"You said your name was Elias right, and the one existing within you is Lars? Tell him to come out, I'd like to have a talk with you both. Please humor this old man."

Elias nodded his head, relaying the request to Lars who had already been listening. His form slowly faded into reality, looking a bit blurry and weak as he wasn't yet used to the unique environment of the library.

Noa El-Lah noticed this, clapping his hands which then caused a book to slowly float from one of the lower shelves, hovering in front of Lars with its pages open.

"It appears that the distorting ether within the Sanctuary is too much for your spirit body to handle, as it is your first time experiencing such a thing. This is a book which deals with the act of spiritual solidification, read it and it will help, at least for a short while."

Lars nodded, thanking the philosopher before glancing through the contents of the book.

The knowledge contained within it suddenly came to life within the pages, burrowing itself into the mind of Lars before either he or Elias could react.

This forceful implantation of knowledge made Lars instantly understand its contents, leading to his previously hazy body taking on a more solid and rigid form.

Elias watched all this with amazement, looking forward to the man walking calmly in front of him.

"So cool. It's almost like you are the new owner of the library, the books even follow your will."

Noa El-Lah didn't look back, continuing to move forward with a soft smile.

"You learn to pick up a thing or two when you've been confined to a place for so long. The library relates to my Echelon of Faith after all, so It was easy for me to form a temporary relationship with it."

'I'm sure that you are the only one, sir, who will think that it's easy to be in a relationship with a Divine Sanctuary, something that transcends the limits of the mortal world.'

Elias thought this to himself but didn't say it out loud, as he didn't want to get on the bad side of such a lofty figure.

Lars floated beside him, curiously scrutinizing every part of the library before posing a question.

"Didn't mister say he wanted to speak with us? All we've been doing is walking around for some time now."

Elias shot Elias a glare, feeling like his tone was quite rude and informal.

Noa El-Lah didn't seem to be bothered by it as he continued walking, speaking as he navigated through the dense maze of shelves.

"It's okay, you don't need to look at him like that. I rather like straightforward people, they are usually the most honest after all."

'How did he know that I was glaring at Lars? I didn't see him turn back, so how did he notice? Does he have eyes at the back of his head or something?’

Noa El-Lah suddenly stopped and turned around to face the duo, startling Elias's thoughts with a mildly spurious smile.

"Tell me, what do you both think is the essence of the authority of sapience? Is it knowledge or is it truth?"

The question was so sudden and unexpected, leaving the two teenagers with the inability to speak.

They both hadn't seen the need to previously think about the Echelon of Sapience—or any other Echelon at all, as they had other more urgent matters to deal with.

This led to them saying the first things that popped into their mind, regardless of whether they thought it was true or not.

Both of their answers were relatively similar in context, having the underlying principle that knowledge must hold the essence of the authority.

Noa El-Lah smiled at their responses, before continuing his walk.

"You see before I was transported to this place, I actually 'saw' the event happening, which led to me putting plans in place to help with my eventual escape. Unlike the Echelon of Possibilities which can predict the outcome of an event through the use of fate, a concept which isn't usually fixed and defined, sapience deals with seeing the truth, as truth will always be certain and without flaws."

They turned into another section of the library, moving in deeper and deeper.

"Truth and knowledge differ in this regard because unlike the former, knowledge can indeed be tainted and deemed to be untrue because it is decided by processes put in place by those who are ultimately lacking. Every form of truth can be said to be knowledge, but not every form of knowledge can be deemed to be true. So with this, isn't it obvious that the essence of Sapience lies in truth, rather than knowledge which may or may not be impure?"

Elias and Lars listened on, pondering the meaning behind such a lengthy message.

Noa El-Lah stopped to let them digest his initial statement, before carrying on once again.

"Truth is the essence of the world itself, because it holds secrets even we may not know, remaining true to itself regardless of the views and opinions of others, even the gods. What is true shall remain true, and what is false shall also stay false. There can be no two ways about it.

"So we Apostles of Sapience deal with looking at the truth of the world, which is the pure form of knowledge that can be deemed as omnipotent and omniscient."

The trio finally came to a stop in front of a neatly arranged shelf, located deep within one of the middle levels of the library.

Noa El-Lah pulled two books out from the shelf, before handing one each to Elias and Lars.

The book existed as both a spiritual and physical object, its form illusory yet solid, fading yet firm. Its cover was ordinary and plain, with nothing but a name scribbled neatly in the middle.

The names surprisingly belonged to both Elias and Lars, causing them to peek at its contents curiously.

Noa El-Lah took the opportunity to take a seat not too far away from them, resuming his talk.

"You see just as I was able to predict my confinement and put together a means of escape, as well as how I was able to see you glaring at your brother without needing to look back, the pages of these two books hold the truth to both of your lives, a testament to the journey you two have walked on thus far.

"Each page is a silent witness to the events of your individual stories, as The Infinite Library exists not only as a collector of a vast amount of knowledge but also every single verified truth presented by the world."

The Benign Philosopher's voice rang through their ears, as they hurriedly turned the pages of the books held within their hands.

Each page recorded every single event of both of their lives, leaving no stone or secret unturned. It detailed everything from minor events like what time Elias woke up from bed daily, to much more major ones like when he was admitted into the White Helm Academy or when he became an official Apostle.

This kept on going until Elias finally got to the last page, a good chunk of it still blank and clear as the book continued to record what he currently was doing.

Both Lars and Elias dropped their books in fright, feeling like their entire lives had been exposed and unraveled before their eyes.

Noa El-Lah smiled leisurely, snapping his fingers and willing the books to float on over to him, before rising to slot them back into their shelves.

He turned towards the frightened duo, his expression still looking quite calm and casual.

"As I said before, The Infinite Library exists as a truth collector, so only truth is permitted to remain within its walls. All you saw was the truth of the life you've lived thus far, documented without omitting a single word, so what's the reason for being so frightened?

"It's not like you have such a big secret you'd prefer to keep hidden."

He gazed at the duo, his next words sending shivers down their spine.

"Isn't that right... our new Apostle of Irregularity."