Fionn stood at the top of the staircase that led to the library complex. Turning to the right, he squinted slightly to better see who had joined Sibius and Solveig, Aisling's two mentor-partners, in conversation.
"Ah, that's Lyra," he recognized one of the girl's former mentors.
"Still, it's strange. What kind of force just filled me up here, on this height?"
He now fully closed his eyes to once more feel that strange sensation of power. His thoughts and emotions seemed sharp and compact. And yet, they flowed freely around him. As if they could be projected anywhere. As if anything in the world could be controlled with them. Or rather, as if anything in the world could be destroyed with them.
"Well now, if I keep going like this, I might join Aisling and Rhys's storytelling creative circle. Though I have neither the inclination nor the ability for it."
When Aisling arrived through the holo-gate at the library complex, Fionn was already waiting at the top of the stairs. At the top of the staircase that, as some city dwellers often complained, had no real justification for being this steep. It could have simply been transformed. Yet the complainers were always reminded of the old analogy: the path to knowledge is indeed a strenuous one. So the staircase, despite all complaints, remained untouched from generation to generation.
If one turned right at the top of the stairs, in the direction Fionn was now glancing, they reached a pleasant park area. Visitors could chat at tables here, or stroll along paths lined with flowers, shrubs, small fountains, and statues, debating topics of the humanities or the sciences. This was the shared space within the library complex.
If someone climbed the stairs and continued straight ahead, along a path paved with ochre and crimson stones, they arrived at a two-storey beige building surrounded by heavy white marble columns. Medicinal herbs were planted alongside the walkway. The pediment of the building was adorned with carved stone portraits of humanity's great scholars. This was the library visited by those wishing to expand their knowledge in the sciences. Ulf came here for botany, Baalit for ornithology. Velia deepened her knowledge of marine biology in this building, and Sophia visited it for geology. Nearly everyone had a reason to come to this library.
To the left of the stairs, at the end of a square paved with marble slabs, stood the Ulpia, also a two-storey, beige-colored building surrounded by columns. On either side of the path leading to this library were arcades with statues and benches. On the pediment of the building, inscribed in bronze letters, stood: BIBLIOTECA VLPIA. This part of the library complex was visited by those wishing to deepen their understanding of the humanities.
Each field of knowledge had its own building, emphasizing and equalizing their importance. Most citizens of the city had reasons to research in both buildings. It was rare to find someone whose inclination and abilities tied them strictly to just one of the two. Aisling and her fellow classmates were just such exceptions. Their talent and inclination for history and historiography always called them to the Ulpia.
"I forgot to put on my pendant," Aisling thought guiltily.
In her dressing room, she had seen the white cat, Astra, then remembered Lady Lívia's reproach from the day before. Then the story of Daphne and Granny Larthia had distracted her. And then she already had to leave for the library complex.
"I'll ask Fionn to put it on for me. He might even be happy about it."
She walked toward the stairs with graceful steps, without hurrying in the slightest. She kept watching Fionn until the boy noticed her. It felt strange to hold eye contact with him. She pretended to adjust her shoe, then hurried to reach the top of the stairs as quickly as possible. She didn't understand why she had gotten flustered over a simple moment of eye contact. She didn't understand why she felt so vulnerable and unsure of herself.
"Hey! I saw that Solveig, Sibius, and Lyra are in the park too, and Baalit actually came here with Fabia."
Aisling took a moment to catch her breath after the climb. She glanced toward the park.
"Ulf and Thana are sitting on a bench, talking. Velia is nowhere to be seen," she noted silently, surprised. She hardly noticed the others.
"Great, we'll catch up with them later at the Thousand-Year Oak," she then said calmly.
"Alright, let's head to the Ulpia right away," Fionn agreed kindly and was already about to start walking toward the building on the left side of the stairs.
"Wait! Would you put on my pendant first?"
The pendant in the girl's hand shimmered with the colors of balanced happiness. She turned so Fionn could fasten the necklace for her.
In the room, light had already been replaced by semi-darkness. The objects' colors had turned into dark, solid outlines. Mirael stood with her back to the man and waited for him to put on the pendant. She would have preferred not to go to dinner at all, to spend the entire evening here with him.
"I'll never be able to do it," she thought, when the looming thought of her upcoming departure surfaced once more.
"I love him!"
Fionn was only slightly surprised by the kiss. He was more surprised when he looked at the pendant.
"Whoa, I didn't know Aisling felt this way," he thought with great satisfaction as he saw the fiery red color of desire.
"Let's go to the Ulpia," the girl proposed instantly.
They walked hand in hand toward the library. One of them content, the other a bit embarrassed by the passionate kiss.
From the arcaded entrance hall, two doors led to separate rooms. One room was the scriptorium, where Ulpia's visitors could read and take notes. In the other, the bibliotheca, they could request reading material from holo-mentors. From the entrance hall, stairs also led up to the gallery, where one could look around. That was where books, papyrus scrolls, parchment, and clay tablets were kept. Even the white marble slabs of the wall, edged in red, had arched niches in them, niches that preserved the accumulated human knowledge of the humanities. From there, the dark blue coffered ceiling was also visible. Some coffers were painted with golden floral motifs.
When Aisling looked at one of the floral motifs, it was as if something deeply shook her...it reached her as the kind of emptiness one feels when they sense they should know something, when something is in front of them, but they cannot make it conscious. After looking at the ceiling motif, Aisling felt terribly stupid. This feeling had been becoming more frequent lately.
Hand in hand and in silence, they stepped into the space of the bibliotheca. They requested two books and four papyrus scrolls. Aisling's exam paper didn't need much expansion, but gathering information from multiple sources was necessary. Fionn took the papyrus scrolls, Aisling the books.
"Well, well! Nabu, Azita, and Artina are here too," Fionn exclaimed happily upon entering the scriptorium and seeing Aisling's classmates.
"I hope they'll announce they're a couple before the Feast of the Martyrs," Aisling mused aloud, gossiping a bit about Nabu and Artina, Azita's twin sister.
Fionn just murmured something incomprehensible. His thoughts were elsewhere, occupied by that kiss.
As they got closer, Aisling heard Nabu talking about Azita's exam topic.
"Well, well, Azita showed her notes?" she marveled.
But Azita hadn't even brought her notes. They hadn't come here because of her. Nabu and Artina, now less secretive, were holding hands beneath the table. Anyone who cared to notice could see.
"I'm guessing they'll announce it before the Feast of the Martyrs," Aisling now said more confidently.
"Hey! You wouldn't even need to expand your paper. It's great as it is," Nabu began to praise as soon as he noticed Fionn and Aisling.
"I'm glad you think so. Many times I felt like I wasn't reaching any conclusions," the girl replied sincerely, clearly delighted.
"But your conclusions are the best part. You didn't stick to anyone else's explanations."
This was the place where Nabu truly felt at home. In the library, among the gentle company of books. Aisling knew that once the school period ended, she would most often run into the Babylonian boy here.
"And I especially like that you used Celtic knowledge too," he continued praising her research.
The library complex preserved the knowledge of all peoples, except for the Celts. The bards had refused to write down their wisdom, even after much pleading. To learn Celtic knowledge, one had to visit the bards now residing in the creative quarter. Of course, a bard didn't have to be Celtic. Anyone with a talent or inclination for storytelling could be a bard. The bards still hadn't committed their knowledge to writing, but they happily shared it with anyone interested. By now, no one pestered the bards anymore to write things down. If people were curious, they would seek them out in the creative quarter.
"Thank you. Your opinion means a lot."
This wasn't just a polite phrase. To Aisling, Nabu was what Sophia was to Ulf. Now that the boy had praised her research, she felt like she could take the exam immediately.
Seeing the honest sparkle in Aisling's eyes, the others quietly smiled.
The next half hour passed for the girl in quiet note-taking. The others continued talking softly about those centuries when the Gauls tried to unite all the tribes. Then the topic shifted back to Aisling's exam paper. Fionn, proudly, touched the girl's hand above the table.
"How many forms will you take to steal my jewels again?" Aisling heard the sharp question from somewhere, from some distant place.
She couldn't see the person asking, nor the surroundings. But she knew that this time, she was Aisling, not Mirael.
She was deeply outraged by the question. As if it wasn't enough that he was probably the one who attacked Mirael and Kaelen at the bridge. No, that wasn't enough. Now he is the one accusing.
"Whoa, she got really mad at me for interrupting," Fionn thought, seeing the pendant glow with venomous green colors. He quickly pulled his hand back.
"Sorry for disturbing you."
"Sorry?" Aisling's thoughts returned to the present.
"I see you're angry."
The pendant once again showed the gentle colors of love.
"Of course I'm not angry. I've finished my notes anyway."
"Strange," thought Fionn, but he didn't mention the pendant's earlier angry hues again.
"Strange," thought Aisling. "Maybe I start sensing strange things even when Fionn touches me?"
"We could head to the Millennial Oak if you've finished your notes," Nabu suggested.
Even though they had borrowed the books, papyrus scrolls, parchments, and clay tablets from the holo-mentors in the bibliotheca, it was from the scriptorium that they sent them back to their places via the holo-tabs at the desks.
"We can go," Azita said after sending back the many books in front of her.
Aisling took Fionn's hand.
"Nothing strange is happening now. Maybe these extremely strange things operate completely illogically," she mused.
Outside, the clouds had dressed in blood-red colors. Dusk had come. Aisling felt terribly foolish. She felt like she should know something, that something was right in front of her, she just couldn't see it.