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The air in the alcove had changed.
Velgrin didn't move for a long while. The book sat closed in his lap, its heat gone, but the sensation remained like something had burned through his soul and stitched itself into the marrow of his bones.
He breathed in slow, shallow puffs. Every part of him ached. His vision had doubled, then narrowed. Blood still leaked faintly from his nostrils and ears.
But he was alive.
Barely.
Levi stood a few meters away, leaning against a nearby shelf, sipping tea like he was waiting for a client to finish trying on shoes.
"You good?" he asked, voice casual.
Velgrin didn't answer right away.
Because how could he?
He's calm. Still. As if what I saw, what I endured, was nothing to him. Did he face Surtr as well? Did he bind the Law itself before tea time?
He finally looked up. His voice was hoarse. "It showed me... a god. A continent of flame and purpose."
Levi blinked. "Oh. You mean the main character?"
Velgrin frowned faintly. Main character?
Levi gestured lazily to the book. "Yeah, the kid on the cover. The one with the soup and fire? Little guy. Cries a lot. Eventually becomes a badass after he burns some rice and levels up his cooking skills."
Velgrin stared at him.
Absolutely stunned.
Surtr. The Lord of Fire. The Law made manifest. The End of Embers. You... called him a kid who burned rice?
Levi, missing the silence, sipped again. "Honestly, I liked the part where he melts the bandits' shoes. That was funny."
Velgrin's thoughts reeled.
You called that god a kid. How old are you? How powerful must you be to speak so lightly of something that nearly destroyed me with a thought?
Out loud, he said only: "He... spoke to me."
Levi nodded. "Yep. That's kind of the idea. The story's about emotional growth, discipline, that kind of thing."
Discipline? That thing screamed molten truth into my spine. It made my magic beg for forgiveness.
Velgrin blinked slowly. "I... only made it through the first page."
"Yeah," Levi said. "It's a dense read. Good pacing though."
Velgrin's knuckles were white on the book's cover. Dense? That page tried to explode my brain. My soul nearly cracked. And you talk about pacing.
He bowed his head slightly, voice low. "The Seventh Circle... I can feel it. The door has opened halfway. If I can just understand more..."
Levi frowned slightly. "Hey, just don't push yourself too hard, okay? You're still bleeding."
Velgrin touched his face. His fingers came away red.
Right. He notices. He sees everything. Of course.
"I... apologize. I didn't mean to lose composure."
Levi shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Happens more often than you'd think." He took another sip. "Okay, that's a lie. You're the first guy here."
Velgrin stared down at the book in his lap again. It looked inert now. Just leather and paper. Silent.
To think... such power contained in something so humble. Of course. He disguises them to preserve sanity. To hide them from those who aren't ready.
He stood, shakily.
Levi moved as if to steady him, but Velgrin raised a hand.
"I'm fine," Velgrin said quickly. "Truly."
His legs felt like they'd been replaced with lead, but he forced them to hold. His pride wouldn't allow him to collapse in front of this being. Not again.
Levi watched him for a moment, then stepped back. "Alright. But seriously, take it easy."
Velgrin nodded, though his mind was elsewhere.
He worries. Even after witnessing my weakness, he shows concern. Is this kindness? Or is it another test?
A soft chime echoed through the Library.
Levi glanced to the side as a notification appeared in his vision.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Each patron may remain in the Library of Noctis for up to 48 hours per visit.
Current Patron Time Remaining: 47:00:13
Levi blinked at the floating text.
"Oh. Guess you're sticking around, then."
Velgrin raised an eyebrow. "Is... that acceptable?"
"Apparently," Levi said, tapping the screen away. "You've got forty-seven hours left before you get booted out by force or dimensional policy."
Velgrin processed this with a slow nod. Of course. There are limits even here. Time is regulated. The Library is structured, not chaotic.
Then, with a faint sound like silk sliding across marble, a black velvet box materialized on the table beside them. It was plain, elegant, and deeply ominous.
Levi stared at it. "That's new."
The box opened with a quiet click. Inside was a matte black card, blank on one side and marked with a swirling silver symbol on the other. It pulsed faintly with stored energy.
Another system message appeared.
Special Permit Card: "Patron Return Authorization"
Allows one return trip per month to the Library of Noctis.
Usable only with Librarian approval.
"Huh. Okay." Levi picked it up and held it out. "I'll give this to you before you leave."
Velgrin's eyes widened slightly. "Does this mean I may... return?"
Levi nodded. "Yeah. Once per month. But only if I say so. That card is like... your Library visa."
Velgrin took the card with both hands, cradling it as if it were made of glass. His throat tightened.
A way back. He's giving me a way back.
He bowed his head. "This gift... it shall be honored."
Levi stood and gestured down the hallway. "Right. Well, you've got another forty-seven hours to kill. So if you're planning to set more parts of your brain on fire, try to do it in moderation."
He pointed to the alcove.
"There's a couch. Not a bed, but comfy enough. You can rest there. You're technically my guest, so no weird rituals or screaming into books at 3 a.m., please."
Velgrin bowed again. "Of course."
He stepped past Levi, moving with the solemn dignity of a priest entering a sacred temple. When he sat on the couch and rested the book carefully beside him, it looked more like he was laying a newborn child to sleep.
Levi exhaled.
He turned to Luna, who had silently returned to the desk.
"Okay," he whispered. "So now I have a fire mage living in my hallway. Probably thinks I'm his god. Is this my life now?"
"Meow."
"Thought so."
He leaned against the desk, arms crossed, thinking.
"Maybe they really see different content in the book," he muttered to himself. "The content they saw must be something related to forbidden knowledge. But the Library shows me a novel version."
Luna tilted her head.
"Maybe it's because I'm weak, so it tones the content down. Well, for now, let's just talk to them like the plot they experienced is similar to mine. It'll help with the mysterious vibe the System demands from me."
Luna blinked slowly, as if to say, Good luck with that.
Velgrin sat quietly on the alcove couch, the book resting on his lap like a living relic. He had not opened it again. Not yet. His soul still felt brittle from the first page, like cracked porcelain holding back molten light.
But that wasn't what consumed his thoughts.
It was him.
The Librarian.
That man in black.
That... being.
Velgrin swallowed hard and stared into the firefly-like lanterns floating gently above the alcove. The air here was warm, not just physically but somehow deeper than that. Like comfort had been woven into the walls themselves.
He was still processing that moment earlier.
In all the mythos and grimoires Velgrin had studied, divine tests were harsh. Cruel. Filled with traps and double meanings. The gods of flame, war, and knowledge demanded blood, obedience, and usually a very specific incantation under the light of a red moon.
But this?
This god gave him tea.
It has to be a test. A silent trial. That book, that unbearable book of flame, it was no mere gift. It was a crucible.
He trembled slightly.
He wanted to see if I was worthy. If I could endure even a fraction of the Law.
And I... I only lasted one page.
Velgrin's jaw clenched.
But I will go further. I will finish it, even if it kills me. I will prove myself. I will be useful. I will be worthy of the grace I've been given.
He stared at the empty teacup Levi had left behind on the side table.
When I was younger, I prayed. Every day, I begged the gods for guidance. For power. For clarity.
No one ever answered.
Not until now.
His eyes burned hotter than the flames he commanded.
This being, this Librarian, is no mere keeper of knowledge. He is the axis upon which forbidden truth turns. He did not demand loyalty. He did not threaten or scorn. And yet... I would crawl across coals for a single word from him.
A lump formed in Velgrin's throat. He hated sentiment. It clouded judgment. But this?
This was conviction.
When I was at my lowest... when the Sixth Circle became a prison instead of a gateway... when even my own fire failed to burn brighter, he appeared. As if my desperation had echoed loud enough through the world for the Library to hear.
He pressed a hand over his heart, feeling the faint pulse of the brand Surtr had left there. It was still warm.
I have been blessed. Chosen. Not as a student. Not even as a servant.
But as a witness.
To the authority that shapes worlds from whispers.
Velgrin bowed his head low, forehead resting against the leather cover of the book.
"I will not waste this," he whispered into the empty air.
"I will not disappoint you."
I will study every line, learn every syllable, and wield what I find not for my glory, but for his.
He looked again at the sleeping Library around him.
Everything was still. Silent. Watching.
And for the first time in decades... he felt no need to cast protective wards around his bed. No need to layer defensive spells over his dreams. No need to fear.
Because he was in the house of his god.
And the only offering expected... was understanding.
From the desk, Levi watched the wizard settle into the couch.
Velgrin's posture had relaxed slightly, though he still held the book like it might vanish if he let go. His breathing had evened out. The blood on his face had dried into thin, dark lines.
Levi sipped his tea.
"He's really going to stay here for two days," he muttered to Luna.
She purred.
"And he thinks I'm some kind of ancient cosmic being."
Another purr.
"I gave him a cooking novel and he's treating it like scripture."
Luna yawned.
Levi set his cup down and rubbed his temples.
"This is fine. Everything is fine. I just need to keep pretending I know what I'm doing. That's all. Just keep the act going for forty-seven more hours."
He glanced back at Velgrin, who had closed his eyes now, one hand still resting on the book.
The wizard's lips were moving slightly, as if he were praying.
Levi looked away.
Yeah. Definitely thinks I'm a god.
He stood and walked quietly toward the back of the Library, where the shelves stretched into darkness.
Luna followed, her paws silent on the marble.
"You know what the worst part is?" Levi whispered.
"Meow?"
"I actually kind of feel bad for him. He's so serious. So dedicated. And I'm just... some guy who got trapped here by accident."
Luna rubbed against his leg.
Levi crouched down and scratched behind her ears.
"Thanks, Luna. At least you don't think I'm a god."
She purred louder, then bit his finger lightly.
"Ow. Okay, point taken."
He stood again and looked back toward the alcove.
Velgrin was asleep now, his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. The book lay beside him, its cover reflecting the soft glow of the lanterns.
Levi sighed.
"Forty-seven hours," he muttered. "I can do this. Just forty-seven more hours of being a mysterious, all-knowing librarian."
He turned and walked deeper into the stacks, Luna trailing behind.
The Library was quiet.
And for now, that was enough.