Chapter 49 Arkanum Veritas (10)
Rinoa's footsteps echoed strangely in the corridor of the Archive of the World—a forbidden place for ordinary people, where even the royal magus hesitated to tread.
She navigated through rows of shelves that held not books, but fragments of worlds. Pieces of memories, neglected ideas, and the laws of reality that had once been attempted and failed. This was not just a library; it was a museum preserving what could have been.
The air around her lacked the familiar scent of ink. Instead, it felt cold and metallic, steeped in an overwhelming melancholy. Rinoa found herself uncertain of which direction to take.
But it was the room that guided her.
Then the voice emerged.
No visible source could be detected, but its essence felt familiar and strangely relatable.
"Are you looking for me?"
The voice was neither human nor that of an otherworldly being. It was akin to an echo created when two disparate ideas collide in silence.
Rinoa turned around, her eyes captivated by the figure waiting for her.
The Librarian of the World.
A tall figure cloaked in mist, its face composed of countless fragments of faces. Each time it spoke, its expression shifted, as if trying to experience Rinoa's form while connecting with her.