In the south gate district, a two story apartment stood among its kind. Through its clear windows, one could see the many tenants of the building. In one of the rooms, on the second floor, a young man woke up.
Glancing at his bedside, he made sure that it was still early morning. After shuffling in bed to face away from the light, he slept some more. But not long after, he woke up to the sound of thunderous knocking at his door
"Come out! We're already late!" someone shouted, their voice muffled by the wooden door.
Soon the door opened, revealing a slender young man wearing red trousers and vest. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he looked down to face his coworker.
"What do you mean? The library isn't opening today… Did you get Alzheimer's?" Machy asked as he straightened his collar.
Lilith puffed her cheeks, "No, I didn't you dimwit. It's you who forgot about today's meeting."
Machy raised an eyebrow. "Meeting? With who? Can't they just wait a day?"
Lilith shook her head. "You don't get it, the guy is a True Legacy. More importantly, guess who came to vouch for him. Silver Eye! The Silver Eye!!"
Machy remained unfazed, rubbing his eyes to shake off the residue of sleep. "Alright, seems important enough. Let's get it over with quickly." he waved his hand, gesturing for the short lady to step aside.
Lilith watched as Machy locked the door and walked away. "Hey Machy…you better not get in my way." Lilith warned. Even thinking about it made her want to shout with excitement.
Machy rolled his eyes. "Oh, be sure of it. I'm not getting near any Legacy even with a ten foot pole."
"Oh come on, not all of them are bad. Take Mister Joshua for example. If it wasn't for him, us street rats would've never even known what a burger was."
Machy's frown deepened. "Sure. Believe what you want." He said before quickening his pace, causing Lilith to stumble to catch up.
…
Elyas looked ahead. The library looked more like a cathedral for a god than a place of knowledge. It was made of jet black stone, each of its bricks the size of a man. Three spires protruded from each side of the dome on its roof, serving no particular purpose.
Its iron fencing guarded the empty balcony of the place, from who or what, Elyas wasn't sure. They lead to the raised front, where he was, staring down two gigantic steel gates. On top of the door was a saying carved into the black stones:
"In obscurity evil, in transparency cure. We are the rightful keepers of the medicine."
Elyas looked down, trying to push the heavy gates open one last time. The door didn't budge, making him step back in confusion.
"Was I not supposed to be here today? Did Noah give me the wrong address—"
"Our graves shall smell of ash."
Elyas snapped his head towards the sound's source. In the cover of shadows, on the left side of the cathedral-like building, was a man.
The man's head gently swayed back and forth, his dirty graying hair following his every move. He was currently leaning against the wall of a restaurant near the Library, staring at Elyas with bloodshot eyes.
"Ignore him"
Elyas turned back again, this time, a slender man wearing a set of red trousers and vest was behind him. Standing beside him was a woman wearing the same. Machy was playing with a keychain as he examined Elyas.
Noticing the questioning look Elyas was giving him, he let out a sigh. "That guy," he said, pointing at the gray haired man with the keys, "He's insane. Some sick bastard did something to the guy and he's been like that ever since. So ignore him."
This…is this the trope of an insane guy predicting the future while everyone keeps ignoring him? Having been an avid reader of fantasy in his free time, he had learned to recognize the tropes. Mainly to separate what was worth wasting his time on and what wasn't. He never expected it to become useful in his daily life.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind…hey, do you two perhaps know why this door is locked? I was supposed to have a meeting in the library today." Elyas asked.
Machy' face darkened as Lilith's brightened immediately. "Oh Mister, you should have said sooner! Let me open the door for you!" She grabbed the keys from Machy's hands and rushed to the steel gates.
After a while of fiddling with the lock, she heard a click, making her perk up. "Machy! Come here." The man unenthusiastically moved forward, standing beside Lilith and Elyas.
He raised his hand, placing his right palm on the gate by his side. Lilith did the same with her left hand. Soon, a comforting warmth washed over the three along with the dim orange glow of the sunset. As it did, the steel doors slowly gave way to a tastefully decorated foyer.
The light of the sunset filtered through the high windows lining up the walls, making dust in the still air glimmer like amber.
The two released their hands and walked forward. Elyas followed behind. Just as they stepped inside, the gates shut behind them with a loud thud.
Lilith rushed forward, out of the foyer and behind a receptionist desk at the end of the hallway. Elyas' gaze swept past and over the high walls. The roof stretched so high that its surface had retreated behind a shallow curtain of gloom.
But not long after, his field of view opened to an even bigger area. Hundreds of bookcases. Most were stacked on top of each other, creating walls stretching high into the dark roof of the main hall. The rest hovered in the air, deeming gravity too minor of a rule to care about.
Chandeliers cascaded from the gloom far above. The light of many, due to the distance, appeared like that of a dying star. Some hung further down, their candle light winking at the visitors. Others drooped so low that their heat could be felt on one's skin, the smell of melting wax taxing on the mind.
Lilith glanced at Elyas' amazed expression. A wide, proud smile covered her face. "Mister, I take it that you haven't been to one of our establishments before?"
"...No I haven't. This is amazing!" Elyas was now sure of it. He turned back to the windows of the long foyer. It was still early in the morning. But despite this fact, the windows of the library showed the soft fading glow of the sunset. An obvious discrepancy. Something like that coupled with the size of the Library, led Elyas to one conclusion.
This is a pocket dimension!
He was amazed. The thought of something of this scale never even crossed his mind. Just imagining the idea of having a portable mansion like was exhilarating.
I want this! And I want it NOW! a stupid smile appeared on his face. He knew what his next project should be. If he had to live in the void for half of his life, then why not live like a king?
A castle? No that won't do. I need something bigger, better!
Machy, having been silent this whole time, finally gave Elyas the formalities. "Mister, do you mind telling us about your visit's purpose?"
After seeing Elyas' absentminded look, Lilith echoed her coworkers' question. That finally got Elyas to jolt awake from his fantasies.
Machy observed from the side, leaning against a bookshelf as he waited for their visitor to make up his mind.
Elyas had prepared for this moment. He had the best request ready. One that could give him all the answers he needed. "I want to access the residential records of the City of Fog."