Chapter 22 - The End Within Sight

The cool air of the library washed over us as we walked through the entrance again. The people we had seen before had barely changed from when we first arrived, but it became a blur as we rushed up to the library bot. Niko had already pulled out the library card, so I made sure to get my picture and the glue ready for when we would pass it off to each other. I only hoped that this would work.

"We have a card!" Niko said to the robot.

"[AUTHENTICATING BARCODE...EXECUTING FACIAL RECOGNITION...]" the robot stared down Niko while I crossed my fingers, "[PHOTO MATCH...SUCCESSFUL. YOU'RE GOOD TO GO! HAVE A NICE DAY, MISS KIP.]"

Niko sweatdropped, "Maybe we should've changed the name."

I chuckled, "I think it's a wonderful name, Miss Kip."

She snorted as she walked by me, letting me steal the card from her as we moved out of the robot's line of sight. I got to work putting my picture on top of Niko's, making sure it was on there securely before heading back to the robot and showing it the card again.

The robot accepted the card, not bothering to realize it was the same card that Niko used, but I wasn't going to start complaining. I put the card in my pack and we both headed up the stairs to meet with George.

The archival room that we were supposed to find George in was packed from floor to ceiling with books. Crates of manuscripts were scattered among the floor and nearby bookshelves were filled to the brim. We had barely taken one foot into the room when a woman's voice sounded out.

"So! Someone here to see the brilliant George, eh?"

I scanned the room, looking for the source of the voice before my eyes landed on a die that was standing in front of one a table.

"Caught wind of my genius and couldn't help but come see for yourself, eh?" the die boasted, striking a very dramatic pose.

"Um-" Niko started to say but was swiftly cut off by the die.

"Don't answer! Or course you are! What else could you 'possibly' want?"

"Oh, boy…" I sweatdropped.

"Actually, we need your help!" Niko finally was able to say, "Can you tell us what we need to do? I think...we're supposed to go in the Tower..."

"Ah, but of course I can help!" George posed again, "For I...the brilliant and intelligent head librarian George, beholder of all knowledge…...believe you are supposed to go in the Tower!"

I facepalmed, "That's literally what Niko just said. We're wondering how."

"Through the Tower entrance room!" she placed on hand on her...chin? "Alas, going beyond that small entrance room requires forbidden knowledge that eludes even George."

Oh, god. She's speaking in the third person, I thought as she continued.

"...But fear not! If that knowledge happens to be recorded in some cryptic tome in a long-dead language, then know that I, George, am fluent in several dead languages!"

"I...see!" Niko sweatdropped before looking up at me with confusion.

I reached into my pack and pulled out the journal we had gotten all the way back in the Barrens. If anyone could figure out what was written here, it was probably George. I showed the journal to Niko, who nodded in response.

"We do have this book," I said, moving closer to the librarian's, "Neither of us knows what it says, so maybe you could-"

"Aha!" she said, snatching the book from my hands, "An ancient book! Written by no less than the most ancient…" she trailed off as she examined the book before falling completely silent once she opened it, "Wait a minute...this isn't ancient at all! But it's written in a dead language nevertheless." She slammed the book shut, "It's time...for me to unleash my brilliance!" she boasted, "For George (me), possessor of at least one PhD...shall translate this!"

Her slightly narcissistic attitude was giving me a slight headache, but she was willing to help us figure out what exactly was written in that book, "Well, at least we finally have some good news…" I said, rubbing my head.

"This will take some time, however," she stated, immediately starting to work on translating the journal.

Niko had started to wander around the room, looking through the crates of manuscripts, "Wow...there's a lot of loose paper and notebooks in here."

George looked up from the journal, "Oh! I see you are curious about my job...My very important job!" She struck a pose again, "You see, The Author has entrusted ME with all his ideas!" she nodded as if she was answering interview questions, "That's right...The Author sends his manuscripts directly to ME! I am in charge of publishing all of his books that everyone loves!"

Despite her self-centered attitude, I couldn't help but be slightly impressed, "That sounds like a lot of work. I'm surprised you're able to keep up."

She scoffed, "Not at all! As brilliant as I am, I still can't keep up with him! Even AFTER he stopped sending me things, I still can't catch up." She motioned to the nearby crates, "The manuscripts I need to publish just seem to be growing on its own!"

"This 'Author' seems really popular…" Niko said.

"There are literally people lining up to read his works, you know!" She motioned to herself, "They all have me to thank, of course."

I raised an eyebrow at the librarian, "What exactly does he write about?"

She scoffed again, "What DOESN'T he write about? He cranks out those scripts at the speed of light!" she placed her hand to her chin again, "Which is 299,792,458 meters per sec-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I said.

Niko smiled at her, "That's still really amazing, though! Just how much he's written!" she squinted as she lifted up a book, "But why do they all have clovers on them? Does he write about clovers?"

George chuckled, "He does, but not because of the cover! A black clover is the mark of The Author!"

The laptop flashed within my mind for a second as she kept talking.

"Since he never entrusted me or anyone else with his name, we identify his works by the mark."

Niko looked amazed, "So, he really wrote ALL of these books?"

George nodded, "I told you he was a genius! And, by extension, me!"

I rolled my eyes as my focus shifted to the bookshelves that led further into the room. More specifically, the golden books that seemed to poke out from the wall of manuscripts. Opening it up, I was surprised to find what looked like a journal entry from The Author himself, mentioning the Great Prophet, the house that Niko and I both woke up in, Calamus, and someone named Rachis, who seemed to Calamus and Alula's dad. The one that had vanished.

I placed the book back on the shelf and moved to the next one. This one wasn't a journal entry but instead seemed to be various drawings that The Author had made. I froze when I saw mention of Silver. I recalled that Kip had said her friend, which was no doubt The Author, had helped out with Silver, so I guess seeing her name here just made sense.

The last book sticking out was an entry about the black clovers themselves. I wasn't much of a plant guru in the first place, so I didn't much care for most of what was written, though it was interesting to learn that they could survive practically anywhere.

I heard a yawn closeby coming from Niko, causing me to place the book on the shelf and go back to check on her.

"Oh? What's this? You are sleepy?" George said, looking up from the journal.

Niko's eyes drooped as she stood up from one of the crates and nodded, "A little…"

"Fear not!" George boomed with yet another pose, "Because I have read a book on hospitality before and thus, have prepared for this exact situation!" She pointed down the hall where I had come from, "...Guest room's in the attic down the hall."

Niko hummed in acknowledgment before turning and bumping right into me. I chuckled and held her steady, kneeling down to her height, "Need some help?"

"Mmm…" she mumbled out.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said before lifting Niko into my arms, her slowing breaths indicating she was close to falling asleep. I thanked George for letting us stay in the guest room and turned to make my way there.

After a flight of stairs, I reached the room. A few boxes of incomplete manuscripts and loose paper sat at the foot of the bed with another black clovered journal nearby. I tucked Niko under the covers, taking off her hat as well just so she'd be a little more comfortable, and turned my attention to the book.

It was another journal entry, albeit different from the one I had read before. This one seemed to talk specifically about George, given the entry talked about a "her" plus the sketch of a die along with a simple question: "There are six. Which one did you encounter?" I chuckled and closed the book.

"...Alan?"

I looked back at the bed to see Niko awake, her cat ears fluttering around.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" I asked.

She yawned, "Not really..."

I sat down on the bed next to her, "Well, you should get some rest. We're gonna be entering the Tower soon and it'd be better to be fully rested before then."

"Are you going to sleep on the floor again?"

That caught me by surprise, but I smiled, "Not if you say otherwise."

She grabbed onto my jacket sleeve and lightly tugged. I took that as confirmation and shuffled around to lie down on the bed. Once I was comfortable, I turned over onto my side, facing her, "Better?"

She smiled and nuzzled into my chest, making my face burn up, "Definitely warmer."

I laughed which only made Niko start to giggle. She looked up at me, her eyes shining brighter than usual, "It's nice seeing you like this. Happier, I mean."

I had to admit, she was right. Ever since I told Niko about me, it's felt like a weight's been lifted from my shoulders. I felt like I could actually look forward to the next day, especially when I went back to my world.

Back to my world…

The realization hit me like a train. I could feel myself grow tense as I finally processed that once we brought back the sun…

"Alan? What's wrong?"

Niko's voice brought me back from my reverie, but it did little to calm me, especially when she was noticing how pensive I had become, "S-Sorry…I just...realized something."

"What is it?"

A pit had started to grow in my chest, "Once we enter the Tower and return the sun, you'll finally be able to go home…"

She looked confused, "I...would have thought you'd be happy about that."

I shook my head, "And I am. I'm unbelievably happy that you'll be able to go back home and see your family again, but..." I only then started to realize that I had begun to tremble. Anguish coursed through me as I tried and failed to control myself.

Niko said nothing, only hugging me tighter as I struggled to say what was threatening to tear me apart.

"When you leave, I...I-I'll never...see you again…" I finally told her, my eyes beginning to sting from the tears that were aching to escape.

It was a truth that I didn't want to admit. Niko would go home and I would go back to being on the run, forgotten…

Alone.

I felt Niko's sleeve wipe away the tears that had escaped their cage as she gazed up at me. She knew what I've been through and understood what I was feeling, but I think, deep down, she knew I was right.

She nuzzled deeper into my chest as I started to compose myself, the bitter taste of the truth still resonating throughout my body.

"I wish you could come with me...so that you didn't have to go back…" she muttered, "I know you said you weren't comfortable with it...back in the Glen, but...you've kind of been like an older brother to me...and I don't want you to leave either."

I let out a breathless chuckle, "Honestly...I'm okay with you seeing me that way now." I ruffled her blue hair as I began to feel my eyes get heavy, "Just...promise me something, okay Niko?"

I saw her look up at me one last time, "Yeah?"

"When the time comes, don't say goodbye."

I hugged Niko closer to me, letting the sound of her breathing lull me to sleep as my eyes fell shut.

It didn't feel like time had passed at all before I opened my eyes to find myself back within the dreamscape of Niko's village. Everything looked the same as the last time: the clock tower, the fountain, the surrounding houses. It was all the same, but...something felt off.

I could hear the laughter of Niko and her mom nearby in the same house as before. I made my way towards it and looked inside. Niko's previous plate of pancakes had now disappeared, the crumbs serving as the only indication of their fate. She and her mom were laughing together, though I didn't know what about.

I walked inside and Niko instantly noticed me. Her eyes radiated a warmth that she never failed to deliver, but I still couldn't shake this overwhelming dread that seemed to stay with me. Something was definitely wrong.

Niko's gaze soon moved away from me and to something off to my side. Whatever she saw, her eyes went wide and she gasped in fright. The entire area started to become darker and darker. The dread I felt became worse, as if there was something pressing down and choking the life out of me. I slowly turned towards whatever Niko had seen...and stopped. My entire body froze as my blood ran cold.

There, sitting on the floor, was the lightbulb…

...and it was shattered.