As Millie and her group spoke with the dark-haired girl, one thing quickly became evident. The girl had given up—and she wasn’t the only one who had.

The stragglers in the Archive, numbering nearly three dozen even after so many had rushed off, had come here for the same reason the other students had: to find answers. What they’d found instead, however, was a recreation area and two massive, locked doors. It hadn’t taken them long to realize that the place they’d been told to go was nothing more than a dead-end.

To their credit, the students had tried to change that. According to the dark-haired girl—whose name was Okimi—the students had questioned the Servitors extensively, only to be told the doors wouldn’t open until they’d gained authorization. But their answer on where to look for that?

They were told the answers they sought could be found in the Archives.

Predictably, that hadn’t gone well. The more or less peaceful questioning of the robots had grown violent, which scared Millie to hear as she worried about the student’s safety. But, the robots hadn’t fought back. They’d fled, on masse, abandoning the Archives wholesale. That was…odd. Millie knew firsthand how deadly the robots could be. Why would they just run? Were they not allowed to fight back?

From there, the students had ravaged every corner of the Archives they could reach. They even built a battering ram and managed to open the downstairs door. The same tactic failed against the upstairs entrance, however, and ultimately proved fruitless when students venturing below came screaming back up, citing undead and traps.

Those that came back, at least.

Naturally, many assumed this meant there was a riddle. A secret somewhere, hidden in the recreation rooms. There were still students watching through hours of footage, trying to find answers, but they had nothing to show for it. Some began to fear they never would.

As such, many like Okimi had decided to pass time by seeking comfort in the familiar. Reading books, watching shows, making memes of pregnant girls crushing lowlifes (Millie was livid at that one). Several claimed it was ‘until someone found a way forward,’ or ‘to do their part to find the hidden clue.’

But others, like Okimi, were simply more honest about their feelings on the matter. Why bother trying at all when there’d just be another dead end after this one? How many hoops did you have to jump through before you accepted your fate?

So, while many had obviously been excited about the news of the uniforms—perhaps thinking that it was the key to the way forward—it hadn’t been enough to shake the most despondent survivors. Those that felt lost and forgotten. Trapped, even, by a city looking for any excuse to slaughter them. After all, there were many stragglers like Okimi who were alone.

And they hadn’t started that way.

“It’s no wonder so many’re giving up,” Isabella muttered. Millie’s group had huddled near a wall to talk privately, the stragglers in the room watching from afar. If they bothered watching them at all, anymore. Most didn’t.

“I think I can understand why they’re still here at least,” Tanya said. “If this floor offers stuff from Earth it would be more…comfortable.”

“To wait in until the end?” Isabella said darkly, as Tanya nodded quietly.

“But we found the way forward,” Catherine said. “We even stumbled on clues in the books we read. We just didn’t realize that's what they were until my consultation. Them just…giving up would be the same as suicide!”

Her voice pitched and a few students nearby shot them dirty looks in response. The girl blushed as she shrunk back and Millie’s group tightened up.

“We don’t know for sure that something bad will happen again,” Braylon said. “We just have a hunch, right?”

“A very strong hunch,” Millie replied. While many parts of her vision were faint or unreliable, the feelings of desperation—disconnected from her personal goals—weren’t one of them. They’re gearing us up for something, she thought. If I believed anything Strickland said, it's that.

“If there’s even a fraction of a chance something is coming, we need to be ready,” Raj said. “Also, while I think you should keep your voice down, Catherine—” the curvy girl blushed again, “—I don’t think you’re wrong either. Giving up here is the same as discarding your life.”

“Not everyone has the strength to save themselves, Raj,” Katelyn responded. “Accepting that the situation is out of their control and trying to find solace in it isn’t something we should judge them for. If anything we should be trying to find a way to help them.”

Raj shot the tall girl a dark look, but he was interrupted before he could respond.

“And how we gonna do that?” D’marco said with a scoff. “Should we just hand out whatever we find to these assholes?”

“What? No—look, I’m not…” Katelyn paused, before collecting herself. “I’m not saying we should put ourselves at greater risk. I’m fully aware of how tenuous our own situation is. I’m just saying if we can find a way to help our fellow survivors, we should. It's those with privilege that should bear that burden most.”

“And we’re privileged?” Isabella said incredulously, echoing her brother’s scoff.

“If we can find the items and resources necessary to secure ourselves? Absolutely,” Katelyn said, her eyes burning with conviction.

“You can’t save someone who won’t save themselves,” Isabella retorted. She didn’t look pleased to say that, though Raj gave her a solemn nod in agreement. “We aren’t better off than them, just more motivated. Any one of them could be in our place, right now, if they just tried hard enough.”

“That’s—”

Millie began to tune the argument out as it grew more heated. It was clear the debate had begun to revolve around a simple premise: How much do you put yourself out there to help those in need?

It scared her that she didn’t know the answer anymore.

The pragmatic, cold side of her that had been awakened by Magincia’s trials, urged her to simply move on. So what if these people died? They were strangers. They could be out exploring, fighting, trying anything at all to save themselves, just like Millie and her group, and just like so many others. But they were choosing not to.

How was Millie’s group supposed to help with that? Even Katelyn acknowledged the group’s limited resources—she was just assuming they’d reach a point where they had enough to share with these people. But would they? They had no idea what was coming! How could they possibly know how much they’d need in the future? Or, worse, how much risk helping the competition might prove? Did they really want to give a knife to people to stab them in the back with later?

Unfortunately, Millie had other thoughts on the matter as well. Darker thoughts. The ruthless side of her, the side lurking from within her vision that had maimed Goblins and let her child die in order to survive, pointed out the ways she could use these people. These were potential donors for her soul if she could finagle it. They were also potential sources of income if she could find something to sell them. Surely her vision gave her plenty to offer them, right? Maybe even Tarot readings for their doomed futures. Even better, any one of them could be a new ally. Another body between her and danger.

Better they die than her or her son, after all.

I…I can’t believe any part of me would be like that, she thought. The…callousness of it was repulsive. Reviling. She tried to convince herself it was just a dark impulse. A stray yet fleeting thought, like telling yourself to jump when standing on a ledge. You weren’t supposed to listen to those feelings, but everyone had them. It was natural, especially in a desperate situation fraught with danger.

Yet, that didn’t make her feel any less guilty. What if the others in her group had been that ruthless or pragmatic? Millie had only gotten as far as she had because of their help. Without them, there was no question in her mind she’d be dead, right here, right now.

But it wasn’t all kindness, she reminded herself. She couldn’t forget that not so long ago Raj had thrown a stranger to his death, weighing morality with cold-blooded detachment. One life, for many.

Looking back at her group, she could see the pain in Katelyn’s eyes. The glint of reproachfulness. She’d been the first person to try and help Millie. She’d even shielded Millie’s body with her own when they’d been trampled by the crowd. And now she was making the most basic of arguments.

To just try. Not to do the impossible, not to even go out of their way. To just…try.

“We shouldn’t let this place take away our humanity,” Millie said quietly. The heated argument drowned her words out, but she caught CJ’s eyes. He’d remained quiet, watching her. Was he disappointed Millie wasn’t joining in? She’d always advocated for helping those in need. A part of her agreed with his silent admonishment.

But that was before she’d had a son to worry about. Before she’d seen what real danger was like. Before she’d agreed to do whatever it takes.

But maybe…I’m thinking too small.

“Raj,” she said. “Raj!”

The group begrudgingly paused to turn to her as Raj gestured for her to speak.

“Why did you tell everyone about the uniforms?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Because there was a large, angry crowd in front of us. If I didn’t offer them something, they would’ve turned hostile.”

“Better to give something than risk everything?” Katelyn said sourly.

Raj looked at her, before sighing heavily. “I don’t want people to suffer if I can help it. But I won’t throw our lives away either.”

“I get that,” Millie said. “But maybe part of the reason so many are giving up is simply because no one’s shown them that they can succeed. How many even know about the hidden quests?”

He considered her question, but D’marco jumped in. “Why should they know? Doesn’t that kill our chances of us getting shit?”

“Maybe, for some quests,” Millie admitted. “But a lot of it is going to come down to what can be researched, and we can’t win it all even if we wanted to due to the restrictions. We have a plan to open the library—we should make sure everyone knows how to get in. But before you all start up again—”

Millie held up her hands to forestall the argument from restarting. “Why don’t we drip feed the information to them after we’ve gone through?”

This, at least, caught people’s attention.

“What do you mean?” Raj prompted.

“Well, the main argument is that we want to help people, but we don’t want to screw ourselves over in the process, right? So, we set ourselves up to be the spearhead of the survivors. We go in, find what’s there, then share information so others can follow.”

“So we get first pick of the loot and everyone potentially gets something out of it?” Isabella rephrased. She cocked her head, considering it.

“Exactly!” Millie said. “Plus, think of the goodwill that might generate for us.”

“Wouldn’t they be able to watch what we do in the recordings?” Catherine asked.

Millie shook her head. “Only public stuff will be available. The trials we first went under and duels out in the open fall under that, but do you think our consultation is being broadcast? Why would we be sworn to secrecy if it was? If it isn’t public, it isn’t going to be shown.”

“That would fit this place,” Raj agreed, nodding.

“What about those that are jealous of us going in first?” Tanya asked.

“Then they can get off their asses and do it instead,” D’marco said. “Nothin’ stoppin’ people from trying on their own anyway.”

“Right,” Millie agreed. “We don’t even have to make it sound like we’re the only group doing it, we just share like it's the normal thing to do.”

Because it should be, Millie thought.

“What about the dangers to us?” Isabella asked.

“In going in first?” Her brother interjected. “What, are we going to sit around hoping someone else is going to share what they find?”

The two siblings glared at each other.

“It was hypothetical, you ass,” Isabella said. “It's called covering our bases, and yeah, there’s something to be said to using others like a canary in a coal mine.”

“That’s so awful…” Tanya muttered.

“I know blondie,” Isabella replied. “And I don’t even agree with it, but it is something to consider.”

“Yes, but I think D’marco’s right in this case,” Millie said, ignoring the smug smile on the tall boy’s face. “We’re not likely to learn much about people just disappearing, plus if we get enough of the Seed gifts, our group will have a better chance of surviving than others. Isn’t it worthwhile to use that to help people?”

“I get what you’re saying,” Raj said. “It has potential, especially for building a network of alliances. But we could gain more if we sell the information or trade for favors, rather than give it away.”

“Why not both?” CJ chimed in. “We can offer free info on generalized things, and then offer to sell more enticing bits using the stuff we gave away as proof we know what we’re talking about.”

Raj hummed in thought at the suggestion.

“Fuck it, I’m in,” Isabella said, “if just to end this stupid debate. But how are we doing this exactly? Most of the good stuff we know can’t be sold or given away ‘cause of our pact.”

“Well, I’ve got a lot I can offer from my vision to start,” Millie said. “Plus, this would be a long-term thing. Something to help fire people up and encourage them not to give up as we move forward.”

Millie met Kateyln’s gaze as she spoke, seeing the gratitude in the taller woman’s eyes.

“Distribution method?” Raj asked. “It’ll take a lot of free time if you have to keep holding lectures, plus I don’t like the security risk.”

“There’s recording stuff here, isn’t there?” Millie said. “We can, I don’t know, start a podcast or something.”

Raj looked patently offended. A few others looked at her incredulously before Tanya stifled a laugh that CJ quickly joined her in.

“What? I thought it was a good idea, okay?” Millie said, flushing.

Before her two laughing friends could say anything, however, Isabella stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Shit, that’s not a bad idea. I’m kind of pissed I didn’t think of it,” she said, mock glaring at Millie.

“Fuck, this ain’t going to be like your stupid Youtube channel is it?” Her brother asked her. Isabella turned to look at him before, predictably, punching the hell out of his arm. He fell back wincing. He never learns, does he? Millie thought with a smirk.

“Alright, just to be clear then,” Raj spoke. “We’re going to offer bits of what we learn and distribute videos on it, hoping that can help motivate and guide the others here. Anything truly big, we sell or trade. Correct?”

The group nodded in tandem.

The older muscled man actually harrumphed. “Fine. It’s going to be up to those more technically savvy to handle the recording and distribution, but I want us all to have to agree on what gets shared if it's group information. Anything personally gained, like Millie’s vision, should be ultimately be that person’s decision, with the group just acting as advisors. Does that sound good to everyone?”

Once again, the group agreed.

“…a podcast,” he said, practically groaning the words. Millie just lifted her finger to her lip and pretended to snuffle at him. The look he gave her was priceless.

----------------------------------------

The great secret to accessing the Archives in their entirety was as simple as it was stupid. Like most things in Magincia really.

In this case, you had to get a library pass.

Of course, the process of getting a pass was the real struggle. Unsurprisingly, you had to speak with the person in charge of the Archives. The catch though—it wasn’t something your average Earthling would stumble across. According to many of the books the others in Millie’s group had read, Spirits were commonplace in Magincia, right along with the Servitors and Magi.

And according to the Headmaster in Catherine’s consultation, it was a Spirit they had to talk to now. But that necessitated knowing how to commune with Spirits.

Not exactly something high schoolers are taught in home economics, Millie thought. Still, without that Spirit’s aid, they couldn’t enter the Stacks, which was apparently the name of the upper floors. The lower area, according to Catherine, was called the Collections. While this sounded weird to Millie, she was told—vehemently by the curvy girl—that this was actually rather standard terminology.

What wasn’t standard, however, was the mural they now stood before. On the ground floor, there were many auxiliary bookshelves and dozens of doors leading outside or into the recreation rooms. And aside from the two large doors leading either to the Stacks or to the Collections, there wasn’t much more that would draw the eye. Or at least, it wouldn’t if you’d gotten used to Magincian decoration standards.

Practically every square inch of the Academy was covered with murals, paintings, statues, and other gaudy displays. They were as common as trash in big cities. Do you want a solid gold mural detailing the birth of the universe and the ascension of Magincia? Try the men’s room down the hall—it has two.

So it felt natural to Millie that the large mural they stood in front would be overlooked. It was literally one of dozens in the room! In fact, the realistically textured tree it depicted wasn’t even unique. If anything, it was even less eye-catching than most versions of it they’d come across. Specifically, Millie had seen a grander version of it in the Headmaster’s office, and even a few other places besides. Hell, the only thing I’ve seen more of in this place is school banners, talking about ‘conviction, wisdom, and ambition.’

“So, ah, this is the spot where you commune with the…” Millie paused, looking around to make sure no stragglers were eavesdropping. “The you know what?”

Catherine looked up at her, before back at the mural. “I was told it is, so…yes?” She seemed confused by Millie’s question.

“So what do you need?” Raj asked her.

“Oh, I got everything in the market when we were there, so I’m ready now,” she said, slinging her satchel to the floor. Most of the group carried similar bags to hold spare equipment. Millie’s held a self-made spool of rope, a spare war club, a few of her stakes (just in case), and several pairs of socks. Her father had always insisted on keeping clean socks handy, so she did so now. If just to make herself feel better.

“Alright, we’ll cover you so you can work in peace,” Raj said, before nodding to Braylon as the two stepped back. The rest of the group followed suit, forming a half circle around the curvy girl while she pulled out a bowl, incense, and a few other herbs and twigs.

Then they stood by awkwardly when she pulled out two stones and, kneeling next to her bowl, stubbornly hit them against each other. Small sparks flew out, but nothing caught.

After a few adorable moments of her trying to light the offering muttering Bible quotes like curses, Raj cleared his throat.

“Do you need a light?”

The curvy girl looked up, glaring as her face flushed enough that she probably could have lit the incense with the heat of her cheeks alone.

“These are iron pyrite that I was able to get free samples of. They should work just fine!”

Raj smiled gently, before walking over to the smoldering desk nearby, fishing out a mostly blacked stick with a red hot end. Returning, he carefully handed it to the girl before standing back in line.

“Ah, that, ah…works,” she said lamely, before prodding her little offering with the stick. The herbs quickly went up, and surprisingly, so did the rest in short order. Catherine looked at the hungry flames, small as they were, and then back at her stick. She knelt there, unsure of what to do with it before Raj stepped forward to take the stick back.

“Thanks!” She said, before re-centering herself before the bowl. Raj just threw the stick back into the nearly burned-out pile.

Catherine paused again, however, looking torn before letting out a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” she muttered, before standing up, taking a step back, and then bowing deeply but slowly. A beat later, she stood straight, only to bow slowly once more.

After she stood up, she then clapped loudly with exaggerated motions once, twice, and then thrice. Keeping her hands together as though in prayer, she stepped forward and knelt on both knees before the bowl. She said nothing, however, as she silently waited, the smoke of her offering gently drifting around her. A long minute passed before she finally spoke.

“Spirit of the Archives, I, Initiate Magus Catherine Brown, greet you and beseech you for your wisdom. Please grant me and mine the honor of your presence!”

She then bowed from her kneeling position, before reaching into her satchel to pull out a small bell. She struck it, letting the loud chime ring out in the room, before setting it on the ground. Then, she resumed her prayer-like posture and continued to wait.

By now the focus of the crowd was more evident. While a few had watched them from the start, it hadn’t been with much interest. Now, that scrutiny had notably intensified as it became clear their group was up to something.

It was made even more worrying by the occasional set of new students entering the Archive. While none of them sported new uniforms, it was clear many students still had plans to check the Archives out today, and those newcomers ended up joining the onlookers, asking what was going on. Thankfully, they all at least had the courtesy to not interrupt what Millie’s group was doing. It probably helped that Raj and Braylon were not so subtly flexing their giant muscles as they stood there like club bouncers.

A flash of light caught Millie’s eyes, drawing her attention back towards Catherine. The offering bowl in front of the curvy girl flared with energy, its smoke curling like branches around her, before twirling and twisting into the air. A soft breeze came out of nowhere, snagging the smoke, drawing it in towards the mural. Then, Millie heard something like a whisper, though it was too indistinct to make out.

“A name?” Catherine said in confusion. “But I wasn’t given one to—wait, you what?”

The curvy girl cocked her head as she spoke to the air. Millie cast about, looking to the others, but it was clear from their confused expressions that it wasn’t just Millie who couldn’t hear the entity Catherine was speaking to.

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“How am I suppose to…? A…tree?” She said quietly, before lowering her head. “I…I guess I could if that's really something you need. Are you sure that's okay? Um, can you tell me what kind of tree it—wait, it's the what!?”

The girl shrieked and almost fell over at whatever the entity had said. She looked immensely disturbed.

“You can’t be—is that real? Is…is that why the Headmaster laughed at—huh? Are you really—um, yes, okay I can name you, I guess? But stop talking so—yes, yes, okay. If you’re—I’m not stalling! Hey, why are you being so mean?”

The smoke flew into Catherine’s face and the curvy girl coughed.

“Fine. I name y-you Eden! The keeper of the T-tree of Knowledge! Now grant us your guidance!”

The what.

“What did she just say?” Katelyn muttered.

“Oh shit,” D’marco added with a chuckle.

The smoke churned, flying into the mural which burst into flames. Millie and her group took a step back in shock, but no heat emanated from the picture. Instead, parts of it began falling away, sluffing off from the heat. A second later, Millie realized that the well-textured tree branches shown in the mural were actual branches, just fossilized into stone. They shouldn’t have even been burnable, but they caught like butane anyway. As the pieces fell, a new sprout of green grew over the mural, transforming it into a living work of art. Once it was done, the picture split in the middle, opening like a door.

And a white portal greeted them.

----------------------------------------

The mural-door closed behind them. On the other side, Millie and her group stood on a wide, circular platform that hovered in the air. Seats lined the sides where a mostly transparent wall marked the edge, and the stonework floor was oddly rough and natural-looking. But all of it paled in comparison to the sight in front of them.

In the distance, spanning the horizon itself was a tree larger than any mountain on Earth. It stretched miles into the air, its branches stretching far, far above them, but its surface was a light grey and it was denuded of leaves.

It's dead and petrified, Millie realized, just like the mural. Yet, even from their great distance, Millie could make out the faintest hints of green. Small vines were valiantly attempting to grow around the massive plant.

To the sides of the tree, and thus surrounding them, were astronomically huge metal structures, built into a hexagonal shape. While the metal was dull and dark, the areas between were filled with roughly textured gold. It felt like they were inside a small hexagonal moon. Millie noticed an oddity, however. The walls of this enclosed world went down a great deal, as though the base of the tree was only the halfway point. Did it cover the roots as well?

She approached the edge of the platform, the others joining her, and placed her hands against the translucent wall. She’d been…wrong, it seemed, about what lay beneath.

Underneath the great tree was another tree. It was the mirror of the one above, though it had petrified into a much darker stone. Where the two trees met, the surface of the ‘ground’ was like rippling water, but their roots blended together, feeding into one another. It was impossible to tell where one tree ended and the other began, despite the stark color disparity.

“Thats…the Tree of Knowledge,” Catherine said quietly. Millie looked over to the curvy girl, seeing the complicated expression on her face.

“Of Good and Evil?” Katelyn whispered. “That tree?”

Catherine looked at her with a pale face, and nodded.

“Yup, that’s me!” A new voice chimed.

Startled, Millie turned around along with her group to see…a little girl?

“Oh no. Oh hell fucking no,” D’marco said. “I ain’t dealing with little girl shit!”

Half the group, including Millie, turned to look at him oddly. Isabella just sighed.

“I knew letting you watch horror movies was gonna bite me in the ass,” the Navarro sister muttered.

D’marco glared at her, but Millie could somewhat understand his apprehension. The little girl had pale green skin and long brown, dreadlocked hair. Her plain form was unclothed but oddly textured, as though parts were peeling off like bark. Her pupilless eyes, however, were a mix of white and black, boring into them with an unsettling awareness.

Which was made all the weirder for her blatantly chipper attitude.

“Aww, are you scared of little ol’ me? Or, little young me,” she said, before breaking out into a childish giggle. “Well, I guess I could change my appearance if you’d like?”

Before anyone could say anything, the little girl bent over and vines erupted from her back. They writhed like worms—smelling about as pleasant too—before they wrapped around her body. She seemed to absorb them, her arms getting longer, her legs taller, and her body more mature. After the vegetation finished merging with her, she stood up with a dramatic flourish, looking like a beautiful teenage girl.

Albeit one who was naked and very much anatomically correct.

“Ah, m-miss?” Braylon stammered. “You, um—”

He gestured at her even as he looked away, and the teen-Spirit looked down at herself before looking at him in confusion. Then she snapped her fingers, comprehending his problem, and waved her hands over certain parts. While she didn’t grow any clothing, she was suddenly as real to life as a Barbie doll.

“Sorry, I’d say I forget how these things go, but I technically never knew to begin with,” she said, laughing as though it were a joke.

“R-right,” Braylon said lamely. His face was redder than Catherine’s had been when Millie had walked out of the bathhouse in her birthday suit. Speaking of, Millie spared a glance and confirmed that, yes, Catherine appeared to be in an impromptu contest with Braylon to see who could glow brighter. They were currently neck and neck.

“I hope it's not impertinent of me,” Raj said, squaring his shoulders even as he stood warily. “But, are you the one who will be helping…guide us?”

The teen-Spirit looked at Raj with amusement. “Initiate Kaul. You begging respect? My, maybe I should tell the servitors to strip down in front of you. Maybe then you’d be a bit nicer to them, eh?”

The Spirit laughed as she teased Raj, who looked taken aback. “You know—”

“Of course I do,” the Spirit interrupted. “I know everything in this place.”

“B-because you’re the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?” Catherine asked.

“What? No, I told you I’m one of its Avatars Cat. Look behind you for the Tree itself, silly.”

“Oh, ah, right,” she mumbled back, winning the contest of who could turn more red in the process.

“I know what your question is, Cat, it’s okay,” the Spirit said warmly. “Now's not the time though, especially since I believe little Trieaties gave you directions on where to look?”

Little Trieaties? Does this Spirit not think much of the Headmaster?

“What are you talking about?” CJ interjected. “None of us were able to hear what you were saying to her earlier. Is that really the Tree of Knowledge? Like from the Bible?”

The teen-Spirit sighed. “I can answer your question but it wouldn’t make sense, CJ. So please just take my word that this is something that needs a bit of a lead up too, okay?”

CJ stared at the Spirit, before stepping back. He looked uneasy with her suggestion, even if he begrudgingly accepted it. Millie didn’t blame him. They’d grown up having the Bible thumped against their heads—any indication that it could be, well, real in some form or another would be unsettling. Especially given how CJ was treated for coming out.

“Now,” the Spirit said, “let's start by touching on a few questions I’m sure you all have. First—yes, Raj, I will be offering you all guidance about the Archives. That won’t, however, contain any information on the location of Spell Formula or Attainments. I doubt any of you are surprised to hear that though.”

Millie certainly wasn’t.

“Secondly, I’ve also been tasked with offering you a bit of clarity. I’m going to be telling you why the Archives are the way they are.”

“You will?” Raj asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “Just like that?”

The Spirit nodded. “Yes. The goal of the Archives is to help foster wisdom, as such context is important!” She said, thrusting a finger into the air triumphantly. “But lastly, I will also be telling you what I am to you and the city. Once again, for context if nothing else. But, before I begin, does anyone want any snacks?”

With a quick gesture, a banquet table coalesced out of light nearby, covered with a heaping pile of food. There was more than Millie’s Class could eat in a week on it.

“Wait! She’s a Spirit, so we might not be able to eat the food,” Catherine warned.

The Spirit tisked in response. “Now, now, Cat, you really don’t trust me? And after you gave me such a cute name too?”

Catherine leveled a finger accusingly. “Y-you said really mean t-things, Eden, so no!”

The Spirit, Eden, sighed. “I said you had a backside that wouldn’t quit. That’s not exactly mean.”

“I-it’s h-highly i-inappropriate!” Catherine retorted. “P-plus you s-said you’d h-hit me if I didn’t h-hurry up!”

Millie slowly facepalmed. This was…not the interaction she’d been expecting.

“I’m sorry if I offended you by saying I’d smack your rear into gear,” Eden said. “But I was just impatient! My previous incarnation died ages ago, and I’ve been waiting around for my turn, you know? At least it gave me a chance to soak in your culture.”

Oh god, she really is a teen spirit, isn’t she? Millie silently bemoaned.

“That’s…why you n-needed a name?” Catherine asked cautiously.

Eden nodded. “Yup. I needed one so I could be born anew! Technically, due to restrictions, I was one of the few Spirits that couldn’t be resuscitated without Magi assistance. Thankfully, I’m perfectly functional even while dead!”

The Spirit smiled with smug triumph. Millie…wasn’t sure if that was really something to boast about, but figured it was something noteworthy, at least.

“But let’s get back to it, shall we?” Eden said. “To start, I and my other Avatars are, in essence, expressions of the System you’ve been relying on. I’m pleased to finally meet you!”

“I thought that was the Governor?” Katelyn said.

Eden crossed her arms in an X as she vehemently shook her head. “Ugh, First save us no! The Governor just uses me to get things done. I’m the actually Source of everything in the City.”

When the group looked at the Spirit in confusion, it sighed dramatically.

“So, you’re all very new to the dynamics of things. To give you a quick run down, there are essentially three types of servants that Magi might use. Number one—people. Long ago, slaves were the go to choice in Magincia, but when the Manastorm took the Throne for a Day, he outlawed the practice leaving only the other two options.”

“The Manastorm?” Catherine said.

“Throne for a day?” CJ asked.

“I’ll leave it you all to research history if you’re interested,” Eden said with another giggle. “Anyway, the last servant types you’ll find are Servitors and Spirits. Of those, Spirits come in two varieties. Positive and negative. There are plenty of subtypes available, such as Demons and Undead in the negative category, but Magincia prefers Servitors in most cases for their versatility and the ease in which they can be controlled. But that doesn’t mean they can get away with using only them. After all, Servitors can’t generate Magic, hence why the Governor needs a Spirit like me to bully. I give them all their power.”

“And the Governor is a Servitor?” Millie asked. While it made sense, it also seemed odd. The way it was talked about by the Headmaster made it sound like it was so much more.

“Bingo!” Eden said. “Though technically speaking he’s an artificially created and maintained Gestalt Super-Consciousness that oversees the autonomous functions of the City.”

“So he’s…an AI?” Millie said. Okay, that makes more sense than just being a random robot.

“What? No! He’s the Autonomous Infrastructure, that’s not the same thing at all!”

Millie stared at the Spirit, which looked offended up until it broke out into a smile, laughing.

“Call him whatever you want, but in order to prevent me from being ‘opinionated’ as the Magi fear, he’s essentially the control to my engine. Everything in the City draws from me like your ecosystem draws from the sun.”

“He’s the CPU to you being the PSU, got it,” CJ said.

“Eh, I’m really more of a Motherboard that generates infinite power, but sure!” The Spirit replied. “Regardless, that’s what I am to you. The System that supports you. However, back to Cat’s earlier comment, she isn’t wrong to warn you about the food. Spirits aren’t mortals. Even if we can get along, a common Spriggon might feed you fertilizer or inadvertently poison the food because they think it tastes better. In my case, I know enough to work around that problem, and I swear upon my name Eden, that the food before you is offered in full Hospitality.”

“Are there bugs in it?” Millie asked flatly.

“Perhaps~~” The Spirit said mysteriously. Millie just eyed the damn thing as it broke out into giggles.

“Oh you’re no fun,” she tittered. “But let’s move on. To access the Archives, you’ll need two things. First, the doors will need to be re-connected to the Stacks and Collections.”

“Are they not already?” Catherine asked. “People said they’d been going downstairs though?”

The Spirit shook its head. “We had a sign saying do not enter, but students managed to get in anyway. Right now, it just leads to a waiting area filled with a small horde of skeletons and a couple spare traps. Just leftover bits from the earlier Trial.”

Leftover bits from that hellish experience? Millie thought, shivering. What joy that must be.

“Now that I’m back up and running, I can take care of that part just fine. However, the upstairs door held better because it did have something the other didn’t. It requires a Library Pass, the other door was just barred.”

And here it is, Millie thought. What stupid restriction comes next?

“Anyway you can pick one up on the fourth floor of Collections.”

The group stared in disbelief at the Spirit.

“What?” Eden said in confusion.

“And…is there a trial for it?” Raj asked. “A puzzle or a test?”

The Spirit laughed. “The Trial is just getting to it. The first three floors of Collections are designed to test your basic magical knowledge, to make sure you can make use of what you find in the Stacks later.”

There it is, Millie thought.

“Why do we have to go down into Collections just to be able to go up into the Stacks?” Catherine asked.

“It's the nature of the design, Cat. Both directions go for a hundred floors, covering every topic imaginable. However, each book and each shelf in the Stacks is protected by riddles, puzzles, and magical tests you’ll have to solve to access the information, which is made harder by the fact that each book’s label is obscured. In order to know what the books are about, you’ll have to go into the Collections and search through the relics, monuments, graves, and tombs located within while dealing with the traps and guardians laying in wait. However, the information below corresponds directly to the information above.”

Millie groaned. That sounded absurd. It was also exactly the kind of stupid thing she expected.

“Why would you make it like that?” Catherine said with a huff. “This is a library, isn’t it? Why can’t we just read what we want!?”

Eden held her hands up placatingly. “Now, now, I did say I would explain that. I just wanted to go over the basics of the Archives before I got onto that last topic. Does anyone have any questions about how the Archives works then?”

“You said traps and guardians, correct?” Raj said. “How dangerous are the Collections?”

The Spirit shrugged. “They can be approached in many ways, several of which are dangerous, but they don’t necessarily have to be. Otherwise, the difficulty will go up the further you travel, much like…ah! A dungeon crawl,” she smiled, before glancing directly at CJ.

“Wait, the Archives are a giant dungeon?” The scrawny boy yelped.

“Yup! Congrats you found a dungeon!” The Spirit jumped in the air gleefully. “I know you were annoyed when the Headmaster hinted at them but deflected questions on the matter.”

CJ facepalmed. “Great, so that means expeditions are really, what, open-world exploration?”

“Hmhm!” The Spirit agreed eagerly. “I’m pleased you like it. Technically, some of the similarities are just coincidental, but we have worked hard to ensure the curriculum matches your generation’s expectations!”

CJ gave her a look that was anything but pleased. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome~~” The Spirit sing-songed, before breaking out into giggles. “Any other questions?”

When no one spoke up, Eden nodded. “Good, then let’s get the last piece of the puzzle out of the way. Why.”

At this, the air of the sprightly Spirit grew more solemn. “There are, in truth, a multitude of ways in which someone, anyone really, can gain power. If you travel the Multi-verse, you’ll find nearly endless examples of the way Magic can be expressed. I’m sure a lot of you have wondered—for all our power, why haven’t we simply given you Spells and Magic? Surely it's possible—just look at Millie. Didn’t her gift give her just that?”

Millie chewed on her lip. “I…do have Frost Bolt on my list.”

“You could have more too,” the Spirit said, nodding. “I could grant you healing spells, destruction spells, utility spells. Anything and everything. With a snap of my finger, you could be gods among men. So why don’t I?”

“Because you’re mean?” Catherine said petulantly. The Spirit giggled at her.

“Probably to some, but not in this case. The truth is, if I gave you that power and you returned to Earth, you would quickly find yourselves powerless.”

Millie frowned until she caught onto the implication. “Because the power comes from you and Earth is technically in another dimension than the city?”

“Exactly,” the Spirit agreed. “There are methods to circumvent this, of course. But gifted powers are also the easiest to disrupt. Not to mention, what happens if you displeased me? What stops me from taking away what I gave? Can you imagine, given your experiences so far, someone like little Trieaties bowing to the whims of another, especially someone like me?”

That almost made Millie smile. She couldn’t imagine the Headmaster being polite, let alone showing deference to someone. To say the alien was deeply unpleasant company was the understatement of the century.

“But where do you get your power from?” Catherine asked. “You said Servitors get their power from you, like what you just described. But what do you draw from?”

“Very insightful, Catherine,” the Spirit said sweetly, making the curvy girl blush at the praise. “In my case, I too draw from something larger: the Universe. You see, Universes naturally proliferate Magic. That energy comes together and takes shape, creating Spirits over time like gravity creates stars in your Universe. Hierarchies form as a result, with a Spirit’s position directly influencing the amount of power they are able to channel from that Universe. They can share it with Mortals, but they still suffer the same fundamental problem. Were I to be taken outside of Magincia, I too would be all but powerless.”

“So you’re not really the source, as you put it?” CJ challenged her. “The Universe is?”

The Spirit smiled. “A Spirit makes no distinction between themselves and that which they exist as a manifestation of, and many Universe’s have Spirits that are, in truth, Avatars of it. Though in your case, I believe you would normally refer to these types of Spirits as Gods.”

“Y-you're a…” Catherine asked, jaw dropping.

Eden sighed. “Technically yes, though I don’t care for the term. It carries a lot of baggage, you know? Besides, it's quite common for Universes to have one or more deities.”

“I thought you said you were the Spirit of the Archives though!” Catherine shouted.

“Well, yes. The City of Magincia is the current Universe you are all in, and the Archives are one of the most important parts of it. It's like the Soul of the City, and it's where the Tree resides. You know, there are many who would argue that the Academy is the true City. After all, long ago that’s all there was. A place of learning that grew into more. A few buildings propped up around a dusty old tree.”

The Spirit’s eyes filled with a distant look of nostalgia before she turned her attention back to the group. “Regardless, as you recall the goal of Magincia is to spread enlightenment to beleaguered Realms. This necessitates that Magi have a source that can operate fully regardless of what Universe they find themselves in. So for this, and the reasons I just mentioned, gifted power won’t work. Which is a shame, Universes with Levels and Skills are quite fun!”

“Is…that an actual thing?” Millie asked.

“Of course,” the Spirit replied. “I’d say it's more common than you might think, but the Multi-verse is very large, and it's easy to fall into confirmation bias. Scanning through the various existences works best when you have something specific in mind, you see. But we can discuss extradimensional Divination another time.”

“O-okay…” Millie wasn’t even sure where to start with that one.

“What about cultivators?” CJ asked. “The Alchemy pills seem ripped off from them. Do they exist?”

The Spirit made a face. No, more than just a face. Her features practically scrunched up so tightly it was like her eyes, lips, and nose were trying to retreat into her skull to escape the situation. It was horrifying, yet strangely fascinating.

“Ugh, I hate cultivators. But yes, you are correct. They do exist and we have drawn on many of their methods. To cut to the chase, however, while they do contain their own power as a result of their methods, they also are more vulnerable to fluctuations in Universal magic systems. Their strategy is to literally drink in the power of the Universe they settle in, so they have to be very careful as to not poison themselves. As a result, few ever leave the Realms that meet their needs.”

The Spirit shuddered as though recalling something unpleasant. “That aside, let me just also say there are methods of encapsulating power, like condensing the Magic of a Universe into an item. Technically, that’s what Magincia as a City has done to itself so that it can travel. But let’s just jump into what method you’ll be using, okay?

“To understand the power of a Magi is to understand the Soul. Which, is more difficult than you might think. For all their power and wisdom, Magi know as much about the Soul as you Earthlings know of your own Mind. However, for this explanation, I’m going to ask you all to turn around.”

While that wasn’t the most appealing prospect, after a little bit of grumbling, the group did as they were asked. Suddenly, the transparent walls shimmered, transforming into a light, sandy brown limestone. The crackle of something behind Millie made her jump, and almost turn around, until the Spirit chided her a few others, telling them to focus on the wall.

It quickly became apparent that the Spirit had lit a small campfire. Wood popped as the flames burned merely, but with the light came shadows. Their group’s silhouettes were cast onto the walls. Then, the shadow of the Spirit’s hands joined them.

“Tell me, what do you see?” She asked, as her fingers intertwined, forming—

“A horse?” Catherine said.

“Correct. What is this?”

The Spirit made a cat. Then a dog. Then a bloody house. Improbable and impossible, yet nonetheless she made more and more shapes of random things and places.

“This is Plato’s cave, isn’t it?” Tanya blurted out.

“It is. So tell me, what is this?”

“Its a dagger?” Tanya responded.

“It is, but this time I’d like you all to turn around.”

Millie and the group did so, to see the—

It fit in her hand, yet its surface stretched further than the Tree under Millie’s gaze. Perfectly level in ways her mind couldn’t name, it curved space itself until it reached an edge that spoke of cutting and of severing in absolute terms that caused physical pain in her mind. It had no decoration, and yet she saw a multitude of them. Every shape, every design, every motif, every abstract, and every material, composite, alloy, or even stone that could make it. She saw…a dagger.

No. She saw The Dagger. The image that all daggers could possibly aim for. The concept of it. The idea of it. She—

Fell to her knees screaming. She remembered every dagger she’d ever seen in every movie that’d ever been and in every moment in her life she saw every edge of every knife, and every image she’d ever conjured and every thought that’d ever wondered, to every book she’d ever read and every story she’d ever said, overlapped and overwhelmed as her doubts were all unhelmed, the purest essence of every version diluted with mad perversion—

The sounds of others shouting and falling told her she wasn’t alone in this.

“Well, that was a bit more dramatic than expected,” the Spirit said playfully. “I’ve put it away, so please stand up.”

Millie breathed heavily, glaring up at the Spirit. It just smiled jovially as it waited for them to recover. Warily, Millie finally complied, getting help from Braylon to stand. She wasn’t hurting anymore, at least, but she felt immensely mentally drained.

“Tell me, Millie,” Eden said, “you remember how to cast Frost Bolt, but can you imagine making a dagger version of it?”

Millie furrowed her brow. What was she playing at? What was her angle? But as her group looked at her, Millie sighed, before shrugging and closing her eyes to concentrate.

The ability to imagine Runes and her one known spell was extremely difficult. It felt more like reliving a dream than anything else, and yet…something about the Spirit’s question stood out to her. As she considered it, she realized, she could imagine something like that. Something like a—

Frost Dagger, she thought. It made sense in her mind. Of course she could change the shape from a bolt into a knife. It was only a few Runes difference, and she had an idea in her mind now of a new Rune. One she hadn’t known before, one that just came to her as she considered—

“Rune of the Dagger,” she muttered out loud. She’d never been taught it but she knew it now. Or at least had a good idea of it.

The Spirit smiled knowingly. “Undoubtedly all of you will have an understanding of it now, though only Millie knows the context of what that means. What’s important here, however, is that understanding. You know the nature of a Dagger in a way you never did before, and yet in truth, always knew. I could show you a thousand daggers and you would know them for what they were. And now, with Magic, you know its shape and design.”

“What’s this all mean?” Millie asked.

“There are things considered Universal Truths,” the Spirit explained. “These are Concepts that exist between Universes regardless of the myriad differences between them. The Source of a Magi’s strength is in their ability to channel these Concepts, often through encapsulated knowledge. In this case: Runes.”

“And these work in all Universes?” Raj asked her.

Eden smiled sadly, before shaking her head. “No, few things are truly absolute. However, by their nature, these Concepts are imprinted and accessed in your Soul. That makes them incredibly difficult to disrupt or take away from you, and it gives us the means to transform foreign Universes to fit our ideals. That is part of what sharing enlightenment means. And, the more Universes that believe in these Universal Truths, the more powerful a Magi can potentially become.”

There was something about that statement that unnerved Millie, but she wasn’t sure what. “So Runes are an expression of Concepts that are woven into a formation to cast Spells,” she said, mostly repeating knowledge she’d gleaned from her vision, but this time with more understanding. “And this is why you teach things the way you do?”

“Adversity is the mother of wisdom,” she replied. “And understanding, true understanding that allows you to weave miracles of Magic, cannot be forced onto you. You may recall even your Spell listing shows errors with your Frost Bolt. You don’t yet understand it as you should. The more you learn and experience, the more you can grow. Your soul will quite literally expand the more you use it. Forcing the matter would kill you.”

“Is that why its so hard to get Attainments?” Raj said. “To stop us from gaining something that would kill us if gained too quickly?”

Eden nodded. “Yes, but its only dangerous if forced on you. At worst, you’d simply be unable to understand what you found. Still, that’s why every scrap of knowledge you gain will be hard-earned. This ensures that by the time you receive it, you’re ready for it. It’s also why if I gave you all a million resource credits and let you buy whatever you wanted, you would turn out to be the worst Magi of your generation. You’d quickly hit your limits and become stuck. It is those who struggle most that will reach highest.”

“Then why give us gifts?” Millie said, frowning. “Why let some regenerate from any injury, or others be immune to bullets? Doesn’t that work counter to your goals?”

“My goals, yes,” Eden agreed. “But there are other influences at play, and I can’t discuss them. Instead, all I can tell you is that when it comes to the Seed Gifts—they each present their own unique challenges. Drawbacks and advantages in equal measure. And those with greater strength will find themselves with greater obstacles.”

Millie wasn’t sure why, but that last part sounded distinctly like a threat.

“So how much can we learn?” CJ asked. “Is there a way to know?”

“Sadly no,” Eden replied. “The best we can do is detect when your Soul starts becoming strained. As it is, however, most of you have experienced a great deal in your lives and shouldn’t have any issue learning as many Runes, Spells, and Attainments as you want so long as you keep to the curriculum. Trust me, if you start hitting your limit, you’ll know.”

“Couldn’t you give us some free things until that point then?” Isabella asked.

The Spirit laughed. “What do you think these ‘hidden quests’ are doing, Issie?”

The beauty grimaced in response.

“Exactly,” the Spirit said. “Now, any other questions?”

Half the group lifted their hands.

This is going to take a while, Millie thought, letting out a deep sigh.