My footsteps tapped against the hard marble floors, echoing through the halls as I passed by the ancient sign separating the magic theory hall and alchemy hall. Acrid scents stung my nose from whatever poor failed experiments that had lingered for thousands of years. I could be more silent if needed, but I was all alone, with only the crackling enchanted torches as my company. Their warm glow cast subtle light over the stone walls, and the heat they produced made the air balmy and comfortable. 

Over the balcony I saw the familiar alchemy hall, with its roof of marble and rows of bookshelves, each with little flags at the ends, denoting what lay on the shelves. With the books I needed to return firmly in hand, I leapt over the railing onto the top of one shelf with a muted thud. Hopping on top of the rows was a fun way of getting around the hall. The shelves were practically made for it, and while it earned me stares from the guardians, it wasn't against the rules. Probably because no one else would fathom doing such a thing.

The row I needed came up, and I hopped off, landing like a rogue sneaking through a castle. Scents of paper and ink wafted into my nose as I put a book back onto the milky white marble shelves. Sounds of padded feet approached as the guardians came to readjust the book, while I made my way toward the home of the other book in my arms.

Finding the places to put the books back wasn’t too much of a pain, as all I had to do was go by subject and title. “Anonymous” wrote far too many books to use an author’s name. It was just such a long trip between every section, and my private room had far too many books, so I had to return the books I recently finished back every week.

There were many books from my room that needed to go back, but I was taking my time to return them two at a time. I had read everything there was to read here. My mind wandered, revisiting the past. It had been many years since I had first come here to escape from my troubles. A family friend who was an important wizard had brought me here after my mother had died. He had done this as a sort of apology for not being there to save her. It wasn’t his fault, but I was still so lost. Then I became mad at the world for many years, but after reading many books and talking to other patrons of the library, I learned life comes and goes at random and there is little we can do. 

Taking a detour, I went to the front entrance of the library and found a book sitting on the front clerk’s desk. This was odd because no one had been in the library for many years, so how had this book gotten here? The powerful wizards that came here couldn’t have left a timed spell. I doubt one of the nobles had snuck in. I couldn’t see or smell anyone and there were no disturbances in the mana field. The book looked ancient even by the library’s standards, which is saying something because the library had been around for about ten millennia. Its edges tattered, the black scaled cover was peeling off. There was a certain aura emitting from it; it felt like it locked onto me, drawing me towards it. Tensing up, my mind flashed to the evil grimoire that wanted to take your power for themselves. But once I read the title a wave of relief washed over me. Written in gold the title was  “Mysteries of a Great Librarian.”

Hurriedly I dashed back to my room, holding onto the book, excited that there was one last treasure to read and it was a mystery at that. Stacks upon stacks of multi-colored books lined the walls, reaching towards the ceiling. Stretching out onto my S shaped reading chair where the cushions hugged me, I began finishing the last book in the library.

Every page I turned in the book felt like it was bringing the end of an era for me. There had been many people I socialized with in the library, but as time went on, they all stopped coming and at one point, it came to a final halt. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I kind of started missing people, even if we did just have passing pleasantries and suggested new books to read. There would be no new books to read, because there was no one to bring them. I could go about writing my own, but they would just be a retelling of other books I had read or even summaries. What I needed was to find out new things about the world, have my own adventures, which terrified me.

I reflected on the fun quirks of the library, such as the auto translator, that made every book appear to be written in your native language. There were golem guardians that would bring you books and food upon request. You could even eat over a book and spill because of the magic of the library. No book could get ruined, the pages were indestructible and couldn’t be changed or manipulated. The guardians were large fluffy tree-bark-brown bear golems like stuffed animals made for children. No one could remember who made them, but it was assumed that the creator had made them because of their abilities. The golems would take care of anyone causing mischief, which is really cute to watch human size teddy bears armed with spears push people out of the entry gate. When someone was forcefully removed they were banished from the library permanently.

It was a wonder to me that anyone would risk trouble in a place where you did not age while you read to your heart’s content. There were private rooms, open study areas, a cafeteria, and even a battleground to practice what you had read in the books. It was almost like a full school, but without teachers. It was probably the closest I would ever come to going to school though because while my mom was a private tutor to a baron’s son; we had little income after Dad had passed.

There were lots of skills I picked up while reading. Books like “Alchemize Diaries” taught me advanced magical concepts, parallel thinking, and alchemy. One of my favorites was “Lady Moonstar’s Guide to Overthrowing a Nation by Becoming an Archlich”, which taught me a lot about leadership, death magic, and making pacts with evil deities. There were so many influential books that taught me so many wonderful things. Though I had the body of a teenager and the wisdom of one, my intelligence was far beyond my years. I still felt like such a child when compared to the heroes I read about. Sometimes I even felt like a young princess waiting to be swept away by a gallant hero. I would travel about the book aisles prancing around like a forest spirit. I guess others picked up on that because people around the library called me “Spirit of the Bilbilo Eternium”. The name stuck and everyone who was a regular started calling me such to my dismay. 

The family friend that had brought me to this marvelous place visited me awhile back and told me he would move on soon. He wished me a happy future and told me I should leave this place someday and go live life, not just read about the lives of others. The thought of leaving this place terrified me. So many unknowns existed outside of here. The culture changed, the people changed, the language changed, and heck, even the maps would be different on a geographical level. 

The book I was reading was coming to a close, and I felt anxious, almost apprehensive about finishing it. There’d be nothing new to read. The only option would be to reread everything, but at some point I had picked up the skill to memorize the contents of the entire library that I had read. Then when I read the words “The End”. Everything went silent and dark upon finishing the book. A glowing blue light came into my mind. It grew into the shape of an older dragon kin woman. She was wearing a long moonlight blue dress. 

At first I was terrified, but then I recognized her from some paintings on the walls. The really old ones in the front entrance.

“Oh, would you look at that? Someone managed to finish every book. That was rather unexpected after so long. I thought no one would finish them all,” the dragon kin said to me.

“Hi ugh, who are you? I know you’re of the Dragon race, but what are you doing in my mind? My name is Astrid Dearbhail.” The dragon races were wise and long lived so she could have been around since before the library’s creation. 

“Me? I’m nothing more than a memory of the creator of this pocket dimension. Left here with specific instructions to pass on to the one who finished every book. You are special, so I have decided to grant you administrator privileges. This means that you can reorganize this dimension however you wish. You can banish whomever you please, invite people you meet. I can tell that your love of books will drive you to add more to the selection. I ask that you leave here for a while and bring in new books.”

It felt like my mind was racing. There was no information of something like this happening when you read every book. There wasn’t even a mention of whomever had created this place. Then my mind sank, realizing that I would have to deal with people, real people, not just bookworms like me. I wanted new books, but there were just so many unknowns.

As if reading my mind, the dragon kin spoke, “I understand it may be scary, but a bookworm like you can still make friends with normal people. If you can get them to lend you a book, you can create a copy that will be sent into this library. You have a lot of abilities now. Bring your friends that you meet here. It has been quiet here for some time. The library is a place for people to read, not just you.”

What she said to me felt empowering and sort of like she was scolding me at the same time. If the person who created the greatest library ever in the world trusted me, then I had to try. I wanted new books anyway, so why not make this my mission? I gathered up my feelings and replied, “This is really an honor. Thank you for believing in me. I will try my best to bring new people worthy of the library. Though I am not exactly sure how to run a library properly, especially one this size.”

“Didn’t you just finish reading ‘Mysteries of a Great Librarian’? It has stories I wrote that should handle all the information you should need. Think of yourself as the great librarian and the spells will be there for you. Well then, off you go, young one. I have prepared clothing and supplies for you. They will be in the main lobby next to the portal. I will go for now. Good luck. The library is yours.”

At those words, the dragon kin woman faded away. I could see I was still in my room. The thoughts of leaving this place rushed through my mind. I flipped through the book I was reading again and she was right. This book was essentially an employee handbook on running a library. 

 I took one last tour of the library, wandering through every section, petting the adorable bear guards. I gave the guards instructions to clean up my room and put the books back in their original locations. As I neared the front entrance, my body tensed up. There were so many things I was uncertain of, so many unknowns. The knowledge I had gained through reading could probably keep me safe. There were stacks of clothing, food, potions, and other miscellaneous supplies. That was a nice thought, but I could use the creation magic I had learned from “Hecktra’s Crafting Something From Nothing”. I loaded the supplies into my pocket storage dimension that I learned from “Fetgell’s Traveling Merchant Life”. A bear guardian approached me holding a long, shimmering sea-foam green dress with midnight black pearls laced throughout it. It was absolutely gorgeous. I recognized it as something royalty would wear in many hero romance books. There were even matching shoes and gloves to complement the outfit.

I got changed into the form fitting dress and cast a barrier spell that the “Shield of Noria” would be jealous of. The shield blocked low to high tier attacks whether they be physical, magical or mental, but the mana upkeep is high.  A swirling blue mist grew in the front entrance, connecting me back to my original location. Though the thought of leaving the library scared me, I was determined to get more books. I took one last look behind me, then stepped into the portal to return to my homeland and braced myself for something new. It was time to make the unknown known.