The warm air and glowing light of the library felt like a welcome from an old friend, and honestly the place was one of a sort. The princess of Hyrule had long since fallen asleep behind the receptionist's desk, her head gently lying atop a thick book of laws and codes as though it was the softest pillow in the world. Flowers were blooming from atop the rafters, a curious sight the first time one sees them but a sure sign that their master was somewhere nearby. And sure enough, a peculiar chorus of chirps and cheeps sung out from a few rows down as a book slowly crawled across the floor in a sea of multicolored little creatures. All too often the tiny things cowered in the face of others, so between their efforts and the sleeping royal, it was for the best that they not disturb either of the parties present.
Quietly they walked down the aisles of books as they worked their way over to the desk they had chosen for their personal work. Though none of the stories here were their purpose today, their eyes still skimmed one title or another out of curiosity. These were mostly works of fiction, not usually their area of preference. They had often been encouraged to broaden their horizons, however, and so from time to time they had poured over the pages of one tale or another. Perhaps it was just as well to do so, as even in the depths of fantasy something about the world it was written in could be gleaned.
On the far end of the room their little corner came into view, hidden by a massive bookshelf from the outside but practically crying out for attention to itself once one entered the aisle it was centered in. The much cherished globe they had chosen to assist their work was now nearly choked in old historical texts. A tupperware container filled to the brim with unidentified venison still sat proudly where it had been placed earlier in the day, a worthy meal if one that would bring less confident diners to their knees. And the corkboard they had carefully selected for their work still hung with pride behind the clutter, parchments and notes and images of strange monsters and floating. . .saucer bowls. . .tacked up carefully so as to give everything room to be seen and read.
It was here where their study continued ever ceaselessly, a daily routine they felt better not to inform the others of. It's not that they couldn't, assist, mind you, in fact the rest of the organization were likely the only ones that could help. It was simply a matter of not wishing the others to become concerned, either for their own sake or because of the very things that kept them up at night themselves.
The rain outdoors pattered on the rooftop as they hunched over the scattered papers. Some would take such weather as an ill omen, but truthfully all it did for today was make things rather wet. Or perhaps some god above with a touch of humor saw what they intended to spend their hours looking through today and decided to set a bit of a mood. Whatever the case, it was nothing more than a mild distraction from their work to make them worry if they had waterproofed their clothes enough for the journey back to their room later.
It all started not long after they arrived here, really. The thrill of meeting famed warriors of the past and unknown lands slowly melting into a faint yet ever nagging question in the back of one's head. Or perhaps it started before then, in a way. In a sense the entire story of their continued sense of self led up to the biting concern that made the nights feel ever so slightly colder than they should. The feeling of utter helplessness as the eldritch coils of madness and death dragged them into the depths, with only the desperate calls of those who cared most to save them from being trapped inside a monstrosity for all eternity.
It was this pair of realities, the existence of endless worlds and possibilities and the presence of forces of madness and darkness ever looming and undying, that planted the seed of their concern. If one world could only be saved by the sheer chance of a desperate attempt to change the course of events of another, one that had in fact been wiped out by the original course of events no less, then how many other worlds must be on the edge of collapse and disaster?
Indeed, upon their initial investigation it seemed that the defiance of events otherwise inevitable was a recurring theme for those chosen to come here. Gods and horrors only overthrown through an equal mix of skill, teamwork, and utter chance. No one truly fought alone, but it always fell upon the shoulders of one to land the finishing blow.
But though forces of immense power fell one by one, a burning question still emerged, brought to light by the very nature of their own experience. The Fell Dragon. . .Grima. . .though it could be slain by the holy blade Falchion, it's purging was merely temporary. It's power had grown so strong that it had seeped into the fabric of existence, vulnerable to nothing but it's own power and left to doom the far future as it gradually dragged itself back to life. Had they not exploited the fine details of it's sole weakness at the risk of their own existence to slay it, even victory that day could have been certain disaster for some distant one.
What if one of these immense forces had merely been staved off for some short time? They skimmed every document, every legend, every holy book they could find. To locate every threat that might resurface in the future, so that none would have to live in fear and despair the way the children of that dying world had.
The night god of one world had been the greatest concern for a time, shattering the world in a rampage of destruction only to fall to slumber only after being subdued by it's counterpart. But it's rise and defeat had long since slipped into the cycles of the world itself, and it's last awakening had been premature no less, set off by an egomaniac that caused far too much chaos for one man. The beast would take so long to return that even Grima's rise would be but a distant memory on that timescale.
Perhaps more related to what they knew of these sorts of matters was the eternal cycle of the three spirits, the warrior, the wise, and the dark power. Indeed, the wise was the very woman who had fallen to slumber a stone's throw away. The holy blade of that world, passed down from the goddesses and the mark of a true master, could but seal the eternal hatred that threatened to destroy all in it's path. Strangely enough, however, the place they had found themselves in had determined it's own solution to the eternal dilemma. Rather than banish the beast of power, the force that ruled this place saw fit to seal it into it's most mortal form and bind it among the ranks of those here. The king of evil hardly saw fit to complain of his lot, and at the same time he could do far less damage this way than if left to degenerate.
But for todays concern. . .they found themselves pouring over ever older descriptions, each less helpful than the last. Were it not for some clever discussion and a champion's loose tongue, the true nature of the situation may have never come to light. But indeed, after endless death and destruction had worn on and countless battles had been fought, one world had managed to do the unthinkable. They had managed to slay a primordial being through sheer force. To imagine the utter power that it must have taken to even attempt it even after luck was taken into account was disturbing. But moreso than that, there seemed to be a sense of unease that those responsible refused to admit, either to others or to themselves. A sense that something was left, still looming, still watching, surging back to existence faster than anyone could prepare for.
"Maybe a couple of decades at the most. . ." They mumbled.
"You OK, Robin? You seem to be kinda spacin' out there." Someone said from behind them.
They whirled around as much as their thick leather cloak could allow, the books they had picked up nearly tumbling out of their hands in shock. They had assumed they would be uninterrupted at this hour of night, for the Exalt had long since turned in and few others bothered to ask them questions about their routine after the sun had set.
"Ah, it's. . .hello Sonic. I didn't expect to see you here at this hour." Robin said.
"Eh, just had a book that needed to be returned. Shakespear seriously needed to lighten up, holy cow. Anyway, Zelda's kinda stiff and Olimar doesn't talk much, so I figured I'd check and see what you were up to." Sonic said.
Robin shuffled awkwardly in their cloak, trying to both hastily cover up their work and not call too much attention to it. The light of their desk candle wavered awkwardly as they placed down their books, the cherished globe spinning slightly as their arm brushed against it.
"Just catching up on some reading. You know, the usual thing one does in a library." Robin said awkwardly.
Sonic ignored them and stared past them at the arrangement on their corkboard in fascination. Robin winced as they watched the strage hedgehog creature's ears fold back ever so slightly as a small frown appeared on his face.
"Is that a copy of the Gaia Manuscripts you got up there?" Sonic asked.
". . .Perhaps." Robin blushed.
Sonic looked down and brought his hand up to his face to think. Robin on the other hand was rather more preoccupied with staring at their own feet and trying not to think so much about the new development, almost finding themselves trying to retreat into their hood. Eventually Sonic glanced up and saw their condition, looking concerned for a moment and then flashing an encouraging grin.
"Look, I get why you're worried about this kinda stuff. And if things were a little more stable around here, maybe I'd tell you to knock it off and get some fresh air, but hey, this place is pretty crazy, someone's gotta care. So, you got anything interesting off of all that? I could use some tips on who I should kick in the face of next." Sonic said.
Robin slowly looked up and sighed. Their secret was already out, they might as well make use of it.
"Unfortunately the only place where I could discern for absolute certain that there's a problem might only cause more problems if we tried to enter. I think I might have a few hotspots that might give me an idea, however, and you're certainly more fleet of foot than myself. . ." Robin said.
"So you need someone to do a field trip for you, eh? Is this gonna be boring or do I have some fun to keep a lookout for?"
"If there were no. . .'fun'. . .I would not ask it of you. I know full well what sort of missions you prefer. I must warn you, however, that if you find anything there, you must not under any condition let it latch onto you, lest it. . ."
Sonic cracked his knuckles and grinned his usual michievous grin. This was clearly something more to his liking, and perhaps that was for the best.
"Say no more! So where am I gonna be dropping into for this?"