-So, you ready to die?
Once they were faced with the question from librarian Caelix, Yuri immediately gave an answer on behalf of the group and decided to follow her towards the Library of Fate with everyone else.
"Am I too heavy, young man?" Sarah asked Aldi shyly.
Both the elderly were being carried by Aldi, who volunteered for the job. Confidently, he lifted them on his shoulders as they ran with ease.
"Thank you for this." Leonhart was thankful at the bottom of his heart.
Aldi waved his hand even while carrying them. "It's nothing. If this can help you think more clearly, I will carry your grandparents anywhere. Just help us finish this crisis like before."
Leonhart felt the weight of those words, but instead of thinking of it as a burden, he knew it was a job that needed to be done.
"Got it."
Caelix, who was in the far front, then calmly stated, "We're close."
They were running for a minute at their full speed, and the shadows of the library that was peeking through their front just earlier were becoming grander each second.
Halfway through it, their surprises grew wider.
'It's… enormous?'
It needed another minute before they were close to the library, and they couldn't help but show their shock once they were close to its wall.
The building stands alone, withdrawn from its surroundings, as though the land itself chose not to intrude upon it.
The exterior walls are constructed from dark, compressed stones, layered in broad, horizontal bands that resemble stacked book spines when viewed from afar. Each band varies subtly in depth and texture. Engraved faintly along these bands are lines, symbols, or numbering systems, too unknown to be read easily.
They do not glow or shimmer. They simply exist, like footnotes carved into reality.
Those walls, however, had scratches and damage that could only be done by otherworldly entities.
At the road ahead, one of the huge walls moved, before sliding aside and opening the entryway towards the Library.
"If this is a trap, I will not hesitate to kill you." Detective Yuri told Caelix calmly, his resolution to end a person's life apparent through his tone.
Caelix, still carrying the book between her arms, nodded calmly. "You'll be safe here. Trust me and meet the other people from the section that went here to seek refuge as well."
Still doubtful about the existence of the librarian, everyone from Leonhart's group stayed vigilant as they entered the passageway that would lead them to the library's premises.
…
The moment they stepped foot inside the library, it immediately overwhelmed everyone with its presence.
Every wall is a shelf, packed tightly with books from floor to near-ceiling. The shelves are slightly angled and tiered, in a sense that they create depth for the onlooker. Books inside these shelves vary in height and thickness, some so tall they force the eye upward, giving the impression of layers continuing above.
The aisles look like tricks being played in everyone's eyes. Straight corridors are broken up by shelves that stick out, small alcoves, and short staircases, making the library feel bigger and more complicated than it really is. The corners are slightly tilted in or out, creating an illusion of space folding back on itself.
Light is soft and ambient, coming from small, hidden sources along the shelves. Shadows pool naturally, making the aisles appear longer, the corners darker, as the shelves seem to continue far beyond where they truly end.
The air even carries the scent of old paper, dust, and polished wood, giving an overall effect that they were indeed inside a library, a huge one at that.
"Welcome to the Library of Fate. Please quietly follow me. We'll soon meet others who also entered this library."
Still vigilant and left with no choice, the group followed behind Caelix.
Their footsteps resonated inside the library, worrying that a monster would suddenly pop out of one of the shelves or fall from above.
Yet for a few minutes, nothing such as that happened.
That's why Leonhart struck up a conversation.
"We have a lot of questions." Leonhart paused as he arranged his words. "First of all, the sudden coming of the Fall, forcing us to accomplish its crisis. I mean, is it related to giving us powers thirty years ago? If so, how come there's no warning?"
Suddenly, Caelix halted her steps, turning around to Leonhart to face his question. Her expression changed into a quizzical look before asking back.
"Wait… how many crisis did you already accomplish before coming to this library?"
'This again, retorting a question back?' Leonhart mused inwardly as he almost wanted to vent out his anger when Caelix interrupted.
"Judging on your tone, it's probably just a few times."
Detective Yuri, who was on the sidelines, chimed in to clarify, "We did the first crisis hours ago. This is our second crisis."
Caelix knitted her brows before turning around to continue walking as she replied. "You guys are lucky to encounter the library early on."
She paused. "You want answers, then I'll give you one. The Fall, it just suddenly happened. There are no warnings or foretelling what it contains. It happened and fell into us."
Her hand tightly hugged the book around her arms as she continued. "Do you know how many crisis I had to go through just to find this place? I've been in 333 crisis before finally deciding to stay here. This place… it gave me security. I… no, we don't have to fight The Fall."
Those statements alone were enough to quiet down the group to accept her words as real.
Still, 333 crisis?
Does that mean the crisis will never end?
Caelix was someone who endured the crisis, challenging it, and decided to stay at the library after finding that ending the Fall was hopeless.
But Leonhart didn't get swayed by her words, instead, he listened to them very carefully.
'Did she just say we?' Leonhart mused inwardly.
The answer to his new question came when his group was led into a huge hall where other librarians were quietly staying, using the same attire as Caelix.
However, some people seemed to be in the same situation as Leonhart, staying vigilant in the midst of the safe space that the library provided for them.
One of them was even noisy.
"I keep telling you guys! I'm the one who created this world, the author of the novel that came to life!" The woman pointed at herself and continued. "Please, call me God."
Leonhart looked at the suspicious individual who kept blabbering nonsense, disturbing the other survivors from resting.
One thought crossed his mind.
'Is she crazy in the head?'