library

She remained near a small café by Auralia's public square while Yol approached the great gateway built into the middle of the tree.  

From outside, it looked like a huge metal wall with edges decorated in special gold. Strange designs covered the entire door. Yol tied the ticket to a thread and wore it around his neck like an identity card. When he reached the door, he extended a hand to open it. His hand sank naturally into the metal, as though the wall were a gigantic holographic image.  

Yol continued forward and entered the World Tree. The first thing he saw was an empty white space in which there was nothing. At that moment, an enormous quantity of information poured into his mind, so much that he felt his head would explode. He seized it with both hands and squeezed it while closing his eyes.  

The phantom pain soon vanished, and Yol slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in a vast space filled with towering bookshelves and staircases that rose upwards as though they reached the sky. There were more rooms, annexes and floors than he could count.  

Yol was astonished the moment he saw the place. It was beyond anything he had imagined, like entering an enormous maze of books. What amazed him most was that he knew the paths, the passageways and the number of shelves. He even knew the name of every book and where it could be found.  

Yol walked through the library, looking around at its complex geometric design. He enjoyed the quiet atmosphere for a while. After glancing at the books around him, he headed towards the place containing the book he had already decided to take.  

He climbed one of the staircases beside the shelves and reached for The Memoirs of 362 Days. At the moment his hand touched the book, another person touched it at the same time.  

When Yol looked at him, he recognised a face he knew very well. That missing eye and sly smile could belong to only one person.  

Yol looked at the man in disgust.  

"What a coincidence, finding you here, Highest Minister Hiroshi!"  

Hiroshi returned the same expression Yol was wearing.  

"What a pleasant coincidence. Is this not Haizaki, commander of the Suicide Squad? Who would have thought someone like you would receive an invitation to a place like this?"  

"Stop calling me that. And let go of this book. I put my hand on it first."  

"Why don't you let go? I bet an idiot like you could not understand this refined literature even if you wanted to."  

They both tugged the book towards themselves, trading insults like children. Before long, the staircase began to shake violently beneath them.  

"Where is your respect for someone older than you? In a situation like this, you ought to be a good child and hand it to me with proper respect."  

"I do not want to hear lectures from someone like you. Just shut up and give me the damn book."  

Yol kicked the staircase beneath Minister Hiroshi. Hiroshi lost his balance and fell hard, and several books around him toppled onto his body and covered him. Yol ignored what had happened and continued on his way with the book in his hands.  

"Haizaki, you bastard! Is this how you treat the Highest Minister and your former superior? Prepare yourself for punishment when you return!"  

Hiroshi pushed the books away and hurried after him, but at that moment he noticed a nearby book that caught his interest. He abandoned the idea of pursuing Yol.  

As Yol walked through the narrow passages of the library, he was captivated by the beauty of its interior design. He enjoyed looking in every direction.  

After the sun had set and the darkness of night approached, Yol left through the gateway of the World Tree. Before he realised it, the ticket around his neck had disappeared. What he did not notice was the red question-mark tattoo that had appeared beneath his left eye, with a small wing-shaped ornament beside it.  

He hurried to the place where he had left Wendy waiting. When he arrived, she was not there. He searched the square, but there was no sign of her. He went between the buildings to follow her trail.  

As he passed quickly through a dark alley, he caught a glimpse of that distinctive golden hair from the corner of his eye. He stopped and turned towards the girl standing in the middle of the dark alley. A large pile of books blocked the way in front of her, and she held two books he had never seen her carry before.  

She turned quickly when she heard Yol call her name and welcomed his return with a calm smile.  

"You came back sooner than I expected. Are you sure you did not choose a random book when you entered?"  

As she spoke, the strands of hair covering her right eye had turned red with blood. Blood ran heavily down her right cheek. Her strange glasses were broken and lay near her feet. Her elegant hat was nowhere to be seen.  

Yol was deeply alarmed when he saw Wendy in that condition. Yet her extreme calm and unsettling smile frightened him as well, leaving him unable to speak for several minutes.  

Wendy watched him with a smile. After several silent minutes, she turned her gaze towards the sky and said, "Have you heard this rumour? They say there was once a powerless boy who wished he could change the world. But the fact that he was powerless could not be changed so easily. When he realised he could not change reality, he decided to create a dream world in which he would be the main character. Some people say he is still asleep at this very moment."  

The concern disappeared from Yol's face, and his usual weary look returned to his pale features. Wendy turned her eyes back to the person standing before her, that smile still drawn across her face, and continued in a calm, clear voice.  

"Tell me, Yol. Can you believe that this world is merely someone's dream? Can you believe that we are only fragments of mixed memories born inside an unconscious mind...?"  

Yol interrupted her with a single sentence.  

"Wendy. Can I know who you really are? First, is Wendy really your name?"