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“Holy shi—”
“Shh!”
Sajyn shot G’raha a look. He winced, then quietly gestured to their surroundings, where several scholars glanced over with various annoyed expressions.
“Sorry,” Sajyn whispered, rolling her eyes. “I’ve just never seen this many books in one place before. And I thought the Great Gubal Library was big…” She glanced down at the railing on her left, and her eyes widened at the sight of a series of downstairs levels that looked to stretch on forever.
“This was its predecessor, after all,” G’raha remarked, keeping his voice low. “Here, you can find information on quite literally anything. Provided it isn’t in the restricted sections, of course.”
“Really?” Sajyn raised a brow. “So, if I wanted, say, a book on the history of dragons in Eorzea—?”
“Historiographies. Level 4, subsections A through D,” G’raha recalled instinctively.
Well, color Sajyn impressed. “Theories on the Void.”
“Non-biological phenomena. Level 19, subsections F through G.”
“A record of every known monster in Eorzea.”
“Bestiaries. Level 32.”
“Subsections?”
“All of them.”
Sajyn huffed out a laugh. “All right, you really know your stuff.”
G’raha’s ears flicked down, and he gave a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck. “W-Well, I spent quite a lot of time here during my studies. This place is quite easy to get lost in, and in time I…found enjoyment in getting lost.”
Sajyn smiled for a brief moment, before darkness fell over her expression as she took in the sheer volume of texts she could see, made all the more daunting by how she knew that this was only a fraction of the library’s total stores.
“You think something in here might be able to help us?” she wondered.
G’raha’s expression grew serious, and Sajyn recognized some semblance of the Crystal Exarch in his stance. “Noumenon is the largest reserve of knowledge in all of Eorzea. If there is any knowledge to be gained regarding our plight, it shall be here.”
His words didn’t reassure Sajyn as much as she had hoped they would. She kept thinking back to that evening in Ala Mhigo, when that twisted mockery of Bahamut sailed through the skies and set the Royal Menagerie ablaze.
Fandaniel and the Telephoroi sought nothing less than total annihilation for the star and its inhabitants. The Ascian was so radically different from the likes of Emet-Selch, Elidibus, and even Lahabrea it was almost terrifying. Not to mention what he had already achieved—the construction of those twisted towers that tempered anyone who drew near, which had all seemingly sprung up overnight across the entire star.
This man had an understanding of how the world works that Sajyn could barely even begin to comprehend. Despite her earlier jests, she genuinely hoped something here in this massive library would be able to help them. If there wasn’t…
She shuddered, her thoughts turning to Lyse and how she must be faring in Ala Mhigo. With the advent of these towers, the new government was in chaos, and while Sajyn understood why Lyse needed to be there to help M’naago and Raubahn keep a handle on things, she couldn’t help but wish she was here with her.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see G’raha staring at her with a calm smile.
“We will find something. Have faith.”
Sajyn stared at him for a while, then closed her eyes and breathed a weary sigh. “Yeah. We will.”
“Now come on,” G’raha grinned, gesturing with flair behind him. “Allow me to give you the grand tour!”
“Shh!”
G’raha jumped as several tables of scholars all shushed him, and his face turned as red as his ears, which themselves flattened against his head.
Sajyn resisted the urge to burst into laughter, grabbing the poor boy and dragging him away before the humiliation caused him to combust.
“Were you always this hopeless?” she grinned.
“...No?”
Sajyn snorted.