Chapter 20. Library of Babel

I quickly set my hand on my chest plate see if any injuries were there. I was left confused to see that there were no cracks in my armor, but this pain in my chest was almost debilitating. I leaned against a shelf of books before taking a deep breath due to my legs almost buckling from the pain itself.  I then attempted to dull my pain by not focusing on it, but instead focused on my breathing. After doing this for a while, I was met with little success though. Nonetheless it wasn't completely useless as the pain my in chest was dulled enough to where my legs weren't buckling anymore. I put my hand down, and pushing myself off the shelf of books.  I was finally able to start exploring this massive maze made of book filled shelves.  

Whichever path I choose to take, it was all the same; just endless shelves filled with and endless assortment of different colored books. So I did the only thing I could do, and I walked, I walked for hours, using all logic to try and navigate through this place to the best of my abilities. It was mind numbing silence for the most part. The only thing keeping me together at this point, was the fact that I could hear my armor clanking and against each piece of itself. I honestly was never able to hear it till now, as my  ears strained desperately to hear anything within this place, so I suppose it's a light sent gift as I'm seemingly alone in this endless place.

Eventually after traveling for so long I even had the chance to bared witness to three different phenomenon happen while traveling here. The first being that an the ground would violently rumble for a while. Yet all the books on the shelves wouldn't even move an inch while walking around here a new shelf would form front of me, from the ground up. What kind of wood or wood like material the shelves made from, I couldn't say for certain since even after hours of inspection, I end up stumped and move on. 

Eventually sometimes after a couple of these shelves erect themselves from the ground up. Suddenly out of nowhere an uncountable amount of papers start to fall upon seemingly every inch of this place. The pages would fall for seemingly hours upon hours before, finally stopping once the papers collective height of the papers that met the ground was around my mid thigh. Within moments of stopping the pages would start to glow bright vibrable colors. The colors glowed so brightly it was as if i was peering into some forbidden secrets of the world. Truths and knowledge that one man alone shouldn't dare peer into. Mere seconds after daring to look into the light, I lived a millions lives. 

So many scenes, so many faces and words all pouring into my skull at such a rate that I was paralyzed by it all. I was helpless, forced to bare witness to the countless joys, and burden that all these memories were poring into my overloading brain. I pleaded for the Light to give me the strength needed to cover my eyes. One man shouldn't have bare witness to so much. I used all my strength and force of will to move my body. Finally after what felt like minutes of me losing myself to these flash lifetimes I flung my arms in front of my of face to covered my eyes. I then dropped to the ground, passing out from the external stimulus and laid there for however long I was there with my helmet covering my eyes and shielding me from any more of that "nightmare". 

Upon sleeping, my mind wondered through the fragments of the seemingly endless lives that were poured into my noggin. I dreamed that I was a women that being violently eaten lives by viscous animals of Fortis Gelu. My blood curling screams landing on deaf eats within the raging blizzard. I couldn't feel a thing since I had lost that sensation due to my frost bitten body.  Yet I screamed and pleaded for a savior that wouldn't show up as my body was taken from me piece by peace. Finally I was given piece from my suffering with one of the beasts biting upon my neck, and crushed my windpipe with a sickening crunch. I looked to the sky one last time before my vision went to black.  

My mind then flung me into another unknown soul's memory as then dreamed of my family being violently killed by another man that we brought into our home. He seemed like a pleasant man just wanting some shelter and a bit of food. However he freaked out and started to rampage when my mother brought up carrot soup. I had to watch as this massive, monster of a man started kill them all one by one while laughing. I would've been next but was saved by a man wielding a massive sword gaining the crazed man's attention. The two men proceeded to clash against on another outside of my destroyed home, however before I was able to see the conclusion of this battle. I was finally starting to awaken from my slumber as the pages around me stopped blowing. 

I looked around once up to verify that I was really safe to continue walking around in the place. Fortunately I was able to bare witness to this place's third phenomenon with the pages on the ground being blown up into the air as if whirled up as if caught in a storm's wind. After a short moment the airborne pages condensed themselves into a many different decently sized stacks of seemingly random nonsense. Upon the completion of each stack many differently colored spines and cover form around the each stack making newly formed books. Once the books were complete, they'd each are enveloped in a light blue hue before the books would be placed upon the newly formed shelf. 

Upon the realization that there was someone else here that was putting these books around of their shelves. I have to admit, it was the first once of hope I felt in a very long time..

"So there really is someone else here, that's a bit comforting I suppose, but where exactly would they be? This place...it's endless and I don't have time to check everywhere.."

I immediately took off and started to run into the labyrinth of shelves, taking random corners ever so often before going into long strides taking the straight path. Minutes seemed to past and before the I knew it, those minutes turned into hours and then even the hours going by turned into seemingly days. After the first few days I felt like I was making progress as I started to hear the scribbles of writing and the turning of paper, but no other fruit bore from my trail and errors. Between that, the ever changing paths, and pheromones that came and went as I travelled. I-It made my heart waiver for a single moment, I knew where I was and I didn't want to admit it, I wanted to deny my fate but alas I've come to my breaking point.  

I suppose the Light works in odd ways and rewards those of persevere through struggle.  For, just when I thought my fate was set in stone , I heard an old man's chuckle within ear shot. I got up and followed the noise as best to my abilities as possible before I see a massive clear opening behind some shelves. It was the first time I've seen a clear area within this place. In the center of the cleared area stood an extraordinarily long wooden table with stacks of books piled along down it with a man in a bright blue cloak looking down into one of the books at the end writing in it with blue quill.  I threw caution into the wind, and began speaking to this stranger, usure if even he knew how to get out of here, but my heart couldn't help but profess. 

"Excuse my Great Scholar of these endless isles. I am in great need of your assistance. I need to get back everyone....I was entrusted by my lord, and i cannot bring myself to face him knowing I failed my task."

I waited for minutes as the man kept writing for several minutes before giving me a glace of non concern and continued to write. My heart pounded as the all that could be heart was the scratching of his quill, writing upon the pages of within the book in front of him. The heart pounding silence broke as he finally gave his much delayed response to me. 

"I am "The Weaver" of this place...I see many lives come through my station within these endless isles. Some have glory akin to your adoptive Lord's own, along with his brothers in arms. Meanwhile some have great tragedy and know nothing but struggle and strife. Whenever I deem my intervention worthy, I stroke my quill along the pages and slightly alter the course of their life. Though they may still have many paths that could lead to ruin, I think it's fair that everyone is allowed one favor based on their life's path till the moment I see worthy of shifting. What makes your tale so different? Tell me why I should even bother to raise my head and give you more of my time?"

Hear the gruff voice of this man and know he's at least fifty years my senior, and knowing his duty to this place of endless tales. I kneel to this stranger and lower my head to him before pleading. 

"I see my story as nothing special Great Weaver, but I beseech you consider my request. I...I have people that need me, what will my Lord think of me if I have failed those who have been entrusted to me by him?"

The man slowly lifts his head to just reveal his long beard with specs of white in it before he closed his book. He takes a breath in before exhaling with some effort, he eventually removed himself from the chair and walk over to me. The man's cloaked flowed around him as the raw power from the Gift of Magic erupted from this man, making the cloak gain countless, ever changing  glyphs of powers. I kneeled still, as this titan of primordial power got ever closer to me with each glyph gaining more intrinsic designs  as their powers growing to heights untold. Finally he stood over me and said in a calm voice, now holding a faint warmth to. 

"Truth be told I had already read this moment a million times over, i just wasn't sure how'd I'd react to seeing you. Yet you have shown yourself to be humble and a man of great integrity....You my now raise your head, Avorion."

I do so slowly as I peer up the man's cloak, and for some reason...my heart sank into my chest. The man however just gave a soft hearted smile and spoke. 

"It's good to see you again....my wayward firstborn."