Dimensional Librarian

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 on a polished railing, 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 to steady him.

"I'm fine," Velgrin said quickly. "Truly."

Velgrin had just finished handing over the fire cores. His body trembled faintly not from weakness, but from the residual pressure of the Law. His hands still clutched the book like it might vanish, or combust, or start whispering in flame again.

Levi leaned back in his chair and stretched. "You should probably sit down, or lie down. That kind of reading can be a little… intense."

Velgrin shook his head slowly. "I still have strength."

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 notification.

"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 shhkk, 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 sigil on the other. It pulsed faintly with stored Law.

System Message:

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. "this is a permit I will give it to you before you leave"

"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 bowed his head again. "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. "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."

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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 conceptually. Like comfort had been encoded into the bricks.

He was still processing that moment.

In all the mythos and grimoires Velgrin had studied, divine tests were harsh. Cruel. Infested 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.

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 burning leather of the book.

"I will not waste this," he whispered.

"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 runes around his bed. No need to ward his dreams. No need to fear.

Because he was in the house of his god.

And the only offering expected… was understanding.