III - The Story of Love: The Survivor
Indeed, it was an intimidating welcoming party.
To be in front of a towering door, with knockers way bigger than one's own self, one would think a giant was on the other side.
For Alvieha, it mattered not. With one raise of a brow, the two gigantic metal rings raised like paper. With a flick of her finger, the enormous wooden panels gave way, revealing more rows of shelves. Only this time, the sizes had an upgrade.
Slowly, the caster ushered herself in, still airborne. More books welcomed her as she inched from the entrance.
In terms of quantity, the room below faded in comparison. And, this time, to her judgment, each bound work of knowledge had sizes too large for any of her friends to hold.
It wouldn't come as a surprise if a giant was, truly, in there.
She continued drifting, not straying from a straight path, as the monumental entrance slowly shrank into the distance.
A few more minutes in the air and she spotted a giant, wooden pedestal. On it was an open book.
Her floating form slowly moved towards the oversized tome, but as she was about to descend to get a closer look, she was blown off-course. Something her eyes hadn't laid on pushed her away.
"Who goes there?" A stern and deep voice boomed.
Once she stabilised her flight, Alvieha scanned the area. To the shelves, to the tables, to the pedestal. Even to the direction of the door. There was no one in sight.
"W-Who's there?"
"So, you're a telepath. A rare skill. If it wasn't for your trespassing, we could've considered sitting together while drinking tea."
Orbs of precious hue continued to search the area for any life, but to no avail.
Laced with amusement, the disembodied voice continued. "You won't see me where you're looking. To your left."
When Alvieha moved, a figure that wasn't there before was standing on an immense, wooden table. The lady hovered closer, her eyes not leaving the first life form she has seen in the room.
Immediately, she noticed hair that resembled silk and almost reached the wooden furniture. The person was wearing too much cloth, white in colour, that it gave the mage the impression of a nun. As she closed the gap, several markings on the face came to view.
But what gave her a slight shock were two pointy appendages sticking out of the stranger's lengthy hair.
"Y-You're an elf..."
"And you're a human. Now that the externally obvious is out of the way, who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"
"My name's AlviehaLaghda, and the place you have here is very wonderful–"
"And off-limits to humans." the elf interrupted. "Turn back now and return to where you entered this place from. Anything you've seen here mustn't be shared to anyone. If you don't..."
"I thought elves were peaceful creatures. Can you at least give me a tour of this place before I leave? I enjoy reading books from time to time."
She was instantly shot down. "Leave. If you got yourself into this room, you can get yourself out."
"That maybe, but the fog outside says otherwise. Are you the one behind this?" She got a monotonous grunt as a reply. "In that case, I request you remove it first."
"Those outside cannot function well because of zero visibility. They can't look for food, get water, or even go out of their homes safely thanks to this fog.
"And why would I do that," the elf turned to his back. "I don't have any obligation to do such thing. The fog is there to protect this tower. Come. Walk with me. I believe I have to tell you its importance."
As the elf continued to distance, Alvieha's head began to spin.
I thought this one wanted me gone. Now, he's giving me a grand tour?
The woman quickly caught up with the fully dressed elf and talked with every step. When both reached the edge of the table, Alvieha suspended herself in the air, and so did the other.
"This library was created through the collaboration of giants and elves many years back. While the lower floors catered to us, this floor served as the giants' retreat and knowledge hub."
"I didn't know there were giants in Clover Kingdom..."
"There weren't. This tower moves from place to place to protect all the information hidden within its walls. When the giants disappeared from the world, all that was left were the elves who helped keep this place from falling apart."
And the elf suddenly came to a halt, prompting Alvieha to freeze on her feet.
"And, when this tower appeared for the first time here in Clover Kingdom, my brethren were enticed to attend a wedding we were yet to witness – a bond between an elf and a human."
Ah, the White Wedding.
"Did you attend?"
"If I did, I won't be here," serious eyes darted to Alvieha. She knew the history, yet, oddly enough, the orbs directed at her weren't as clouded as she thought. "I was the youngest of all the elves that ran this place. They left me behind because of a mountain of tasks they threw at me."
"If I think of it now, it was a good thing they were lazy and slowpokes." Golden orbs revisited the mage. "Perhaps, you're wondering. Why didn't I avenge my fallen friends? Why did I detain myself in this paper prison?"
"I sort of am now, actually..."
"With all the knowledge I have in this place, those barbarians could've easily fallen. Any book in here contained spells, incantations, and arts impossible for mere humans to avoid, much less, deflect."
"So... why... didn't you do it?"
"Bloodshed did not cause this library to exist. Nor did hatred and violence. It was patience."
"A previous senior of mine once said, 'Time, as it ages, teaches all things. And although time is gold, knowledge is power. That's why, ever since that day, I shrouded the tower with fog. To deter anyone who'd come here, attack, and plunder the wisdom and knowledge accumulated here for eons."
Behind the elf, Alvieha was all ears. Not one letter escaped her.
She was a fresh sponge to the flow of words. She took it in, none got out. The lady squeezed her eyes, processing the thought as she nodded occasionally.
"And if I left this tower then, or maybe, this forest days ago, I wouldn't have met someone who'd seriously listen to me."
"C-Come again?"
And two golden orbs rolled. "Oh, come on. Do you want to borrow my ears?"
"N-Not that! I wasn't expecting you to say something like that. I mean, you wanted me gone earlier, and now, you just practically said you're happy that I didn't listen to you."
On the elf's face, a small smile appeared. "I, indeed, miss these kinds of bantering."
"In that case, if you want to, I can go back here anytime. It's not a problem for me, as long as I can function outside of this place. The fog is disabling my magic."
"In that case, follow me."
"Where?"
"To the main entrance. Let's remove the fog."
"H-Ha?!"