A Trip to the Great Library

“Madoka! Madoka, stop! Stay where we can see you!” Selena yelled as Madoka bounced down the spiraling stairs. Her daughter paused to look at her then kept going. Selena let out a low growl. “Don’t worry, I doubt she’ll get lost.” Aqua reassured her, but Selena didn’t buy it. The cobbled alleys of Nyxphiria were winding and full of staircases. They were the cleanest and most ascetic alleys' Selena had seen, but they were a maze. She’d never be able to navigate them without Aqua. “She’s an energetic kid; all we’d have to do is just follow the noise.” Aqua attempted to joke. “Besides, Umbria is safe.”

“ I doubt that your idea of safe is anywhere close to mine.” Selena grumbled. Maybe she was being harsh, but she doubted that their host could understand. A world where people were used to all manner of creatures, magic, and supernatural phenomena being woven into the thread of daily life and a world full of technology where believing in magic or monsters would get you locked up in a padded cell were complete opposites. This world wasn’t their home, and it never would be. No matter how distant the possibility seemed, she refused to give up on the idea that they could find a way home. Their world was far safer; after all, it was the one they were conditioned to live in. Even if Madoka was currently okay, who’s to say that that wouldn’t change in a few days once reality had completely set in? Forget death; Selena was also concerned about the myriad of new ways Madoka could experience sensory overload, unknowingly put herself into danger, or get tricked by bad people.

“Heeyyy! Mr. Aqua!” Madoka waved her arms at them as she popped back into view. “Are we almost there yet?”

“Y-yeah, just a few more turns.” Aqua turned bright red. “Also...don’t call me Mr...I-I-I'm only 26...not old...please...” He sputtered out. Madoka looked at him like she didn’t understand. “But you are a Mr though? Cause you’re an adult? And a guy?” Selena inwardly cringed. “Madoka, please be respectful! He doesn’t have to have a reason to not like being called a certain way. And this isn’t our world, remember? Different rules.” Madoka shrugged as she rejoined her mother and Aqua; actually walking with them this time. 

“Wait, you’re 26?” Madoka suddenly asked as they continued their trek. “Seriously? I thought you had to be as old as my mama at least!” Aqua’s jaw dropped. “How old did you think I was?” Madoka shrugged. “I dunno, your 40’s at least?” Aqua cringed and held his head in embarrassment. Selena wished she had hands to clap over her daughter's mouth.

‘Read the room! He’s a sensitive guy; don’t just say whatever pops into your head!’ Selena inwardly screamed at her daughter. ‘He is tall and well-built,, but looking strong and big to you doesn’t equate to being older! We’ve talked about this! Just ask people their ages and don’t assume or comment on them!’ Selena was surprised, though. She had assumed that Aqua was a true adult, not someone who would still be a college student and considered an inexperienced kid in her home country. ‘Still, we literally just ended up here yesterday! We aren’t that familiar with him yet and we’re entirely dependent on him. Now isn’t the time to make him uncomfortable!’

“Ah, well, I thought you were older, too!” Selena chimed in. “It must just be the biological differences between people in our worlds. And you are tall. Our bad.” She did her best to smooth over any annoyance her daughter’s observations might have caused their benefactor. “No, it’s okay...I see why you’d think that...” Aqua tucked his arm awkwardly behind his head. “I’ve always been taller and stronger than most people since I was a kid, and it’s noticeable. It’s not like I’m an adventurer or knight, something where you’d expect me to have that sort of build. I live in a large town, and I grow plants. That’s what I’ve done ever since I was little. It’s not a bad thing, but...It attracts a lot of attention and I’m not the greatest with people.”

Madoka looked at him in confusion. “Why would you say that? We’re like aliens to the people from this world, but you’re still helping us. You’ve been super nice and, maybe you’re secretly a murderer or something and we don’t know yet, but you haven’t come off as weird or anything. You’re kind and you’re acting completely fine.” Aqua smiled. “Thanks. I think you just don’t know better because you haven’t met anyone else here, but that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while. Oh, turn that way!”

As they exited the alley system, Selena breathed an inward sigh of relief. Madoka could be insensitive with how brutally transparent she was, but she could also really make people’s day without knowing it. At least she’d unconsciously been able to even out what she’d said about Aqua’s age.

The three were met with a massive stone bridge that stretched between the street and a massive building planted in the exact middle of the river. It reminded Selena of something out of the fantasy classics she’d read as a kid. A silvery building made of polished stones and metals that she couldn’t identify, with many towers and high windows. Ivy and flowering vines wrapped themselves around the building. ‘This looks like the fairy tale castles I’d imagine as a kid, just without the turrets and all the castle-y things. Nothing nowhere near as heavily guarded or official as a castle.’ 

 “Here it is, the Great Library of Umbria!” Aqua announced happily. “Oh wow, this is so pretty!” Madoka ran ahead, her long pink dress and cape flapping in the breeze. She leaned over the edge of the bridge and looked at the sparkling, turquoise water underneath. It was nothing like the water in their world! The major rivers in her mother’s home country were all seemingly polluted and gross, and all Madoka had seen in Japan was the ocean. “Careful, don’t fall.” Her mother said, trotting up next to her and resting her head on the edge. “It is pretty, though. I can’t imagine anything like this existing back home.” 

Aqua looked at them inquisitively. “I have so many questions about what kind of world you live in.” He shook his head and looked up at the building looming high over them.“Anyhow, if you want to get accommodated to this world, the Great Library is the place to start. The keeper is a dwarven mage of unparalleled magical power and skill. She’s been around for over eight hundred years and has accumulated the greatest collection of books, information, maps and artifacts on the continent. If you want to learn, this is the place to start.” He looked at Selena. “I know Miss Madoka wants to study magic and regain her skills from the game you were playing. I’m assuming you’d be interested in basic information and history about Umbria and the Kingdom of Aetheron, right Ms. Selena?” Selena froze.

Honestly, she hadn’t thought about learning about the place they had found themselves in. It made sense, but that wasn’t what had been on her mind since last night. Madoka had instantly fallen asleep, but all she could do will tossing and turning was think about how to return to their own world. Despite her gut telling her that Diago Watanabe hadn’t been lying about the impossibility of returning, she couldn’t accept that it would be that hard to do. This was a world of magic, for crying out loud!  If this library contained the most comprehensive collection of this world's knowledge, then there had to be something that could tell her how to reopen whatever portal had sent them here. If the library keeper was as old and wise as Aqua was making them out to be, then she would find what she needed here. 

“Yes. We need to know what we’re getting into here.” Selena nodded, pretending to agree. “This world isn’t the same as the one from the game so we’re starting over at square one with our knowledge.” It wasn’t a lie; she would educate herself about this world and town, but just enough to be able to navigate temporarily living here. Even though she knew no one would blame her for wanting to get back home, she didn’t want to seem like she was looking down on this world. There was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn’t her and Madoka’s world. Their lives weren’t here. She didn’t want to stay here and, while Madoka was coping well, she knew the novelty would wear off. This was just a temporary trip, that's all.

“Come on, let's go inside!” As Madoka zoomed off towards the entrance, Selena felt a twinge of apprehension that she couldn’t explain. 'She does realize we're going to return home eventually, doesn't she?'