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Amidst a dim hall lined with bookshelves infinitely tall and indefinitely unending, Pavolia Reine walks in awe while searching for the resident who invited her to this… “library”. The sole illumination comes from mystical runes filling the air, flying in and out of the books shelved haphazardly along the walls.
“Hi Reine-senpai, how nice of you to come by,” a voice greets from the far edge of Reine’s vision. Seeing the image of her new kouhai, sitting on a makeshift stool of a pile of books while reading a book, Reine hastens her pace towards Shiori.
“Phew, glad I found you. Well, I guess I am lured by the promise of a place where I can literally read anything to my heart’s fill. Besides, I believe as a senpai I should properly greet you with a welcome to the family,” Reine replies gently. “But what exactly is this place? I followed your instruction to reach here through my dreams… This place, it doesn’t exist in the physical plane, does it?”
“Heehee, you are indeed correct. Welcome, to the library of lore, the infinitely expanding archive of every story that has occurred, is occurring, and will occur throughout the history of the universe,” Shiori bows in a welcoming gesture, one hand under her head and the other spread wide to present the unending expanse of shelves behind her.
“Wow… that is something else… But how does this place work?” Reine asks with inquisitive curiosity.
“Great question, but one that needs some complex explanation that I will heavily simplify. The physical realm that we are used to reside, in its truest nature, consists of naught but a collection of these symbols and texts that weave its… fate, yes, not exactly accurate but that is the human vocabulary closest to it,” Shiori explains, spinning her forefinger through the air. “By deciphering the symbols and texts stored within these books, every secret, every odyssey, is an open book to me and anyone I am pleased to invite.”
Reine stands still in a mix of awe and confusion, Shiori’s explanation was a hard-to-digest meal for her comprehension.
*Chuckle* Shiori chuckles seeing Reine’s confused face as she continues. “The pitifully narrow-minded humans have been attempting to decipher the inner workings of the world’s lore. Through mysticism when they knew no better than common beasts. Through beliefs in the invisible forces of a higher plane, when they submit themselves to the mercy of the world. And now, through elementary calculations, as they thought they have wrestled control of the universe despite remaining its chained slaves,” Shiori monologues. “Throughout my years in imprisonment, I have seen how humans pitifully struggle to wrestle control over their fate, only to fall by their hubris. Julius Caesar dragged off from his podium by the fangs of his most loyal hound. Alexander the Great, fated to never see the great coast in the west. And ▪▪▪▪, remembered by history as a bloody dictator in his struggle to deliver his people from strive.”
“But You, my dear senpai, are an anomaly.” Shiori stands up from the pile of books she was using as a stool. Closing the book and casting it aside, she shuffles towards Reine. Her eyes wide open, with their yellow pupils as bright as the full moon on a starless night, not allowing any secrets to escape into the shadows, shine her gaze across Reine’s entire frame. “Your entry in this database shifts ever so slightly every second, it is as if the library struggles to predict how your story will unfold,” Shiori presses her hand on Reine’s chest, just above the heart. Reine gasps from having her bosom touched without a warning, yet unable to move as if petrified by Shiori’s mystifying gaze. “I wonder why…” Shiori continues, “Could it be due to the fact you came from another world? Even then the library should begin its record on you the moment you cross the boundaries. Mayhap it is the winds sweeping across your being, carrying the hopes and possibilities beyond the common humans.”
“To be frank, this has happened a few times during my confinement. One man breaks away the chain of cause and effect tying all creation. Another performed miracles that broke the inner rulings of the world. Alas, I could do naught than to observe from my cells, unable to study them closely. But You, senpai! Is right here in front of me.” Shiori traces her fingers across Reine’s body, her arms, chest, belly, and legs. Where her skin lies exposed, Reine can feel a chilling numbness.
“Ah~ How I desire to make you mine, a part of my collection, just like the insects I pin onto my glass displays. I want to display you naked in a glass cage while I observe your every movement. I want to break you apart, analyze every nook and cranny of your body and mind before putting you back together.” Shiori’s face twitches and contorts, forming a wide lunatic smile, a smile Reine is familiar as that of the witches in the visual novels she used to play. Shiori’s twisted expression seems to twist the surrounding environment along the peripherals of Reine’s vision.
Reine’s breathing turns rapid and shallow. Hyperventilation prevents her from screaming and moving. “Oh, scream all you like, your gods can’t hear you,” Shori proclaims as she senses Reine’s panic.
“But how I jest. Keeping you in a cage will achieve the exact opposite. I can only study you as you fly free, swept by your winds of possibilities,” Shiori releases Reine from her touch, as quickly as she began. Relieve takes over Reine’s body as she collapses, fainting.
“Ah, perhaps I was being too rude to my guest. But you will likely forget this event ever happen as you wake up. I will invite you again in the future to read what this library has to offer… Till then, bear me your all… and I look forward to reading the ending of your story.”