Chapter 68: World Tree (3)
I crossed my arms and stared up at the massive tree that just casually decided to have a conversation with me. It said I’m inside it. Did it swallow me? My mind was clearly trying to avoid that topic.
Something tells me that if I know more, I won’t be able to escape this situation. Like I will be forced into doing something, maybe a librarian job...? Well, honestly, it’s a dream of mine, but not in this kind of library.
The joy of watching people’s faces break into many faces while reading a book, the superior feeling you get when you hiss at someone being noisy and see them buried their faces in the book they’re holding, or the feeling of sitting at the highest seat surrounded by books you love, is incomparable.
Wait... is the reason I love reading because it runs in my veins? Being this... what did he call it again?
I grimaced. As an aspiring librarian, I sure have a poor memory. Or, maybe I was just in denial.
It had been a solid five minutes since it dropped the biggest bomb of my life, and I was still standing here, waiting for the punchline.
"...uhm, sorry. Can you repeat what you said?" I finally said, raising an eyebrow.
"You are the Ancient Keeper."
Silence. I stared. Blinked. Then, stared some more.
Once my eyes were dried and strained, I let out a long, tired sigh and massaged my temples. "Yeah, see, that’s what I thought you said, but I was hoping I hallucinated it."
I looked back up. "Because obviously, I’m not an ancient anything. I’m just a regular guy who got dragged into a vortex, nearly killed by my own father, or roasted by a molten rock monster, and now I’m having deep philosophical discussions with a... tree belly. Am I in your belly?"