Random short stories

The Infinite Library (Part 2)

Lisa's mind was racing with doubt and bewilderment as she stood in front of the mysterious person known only as the Archivist. She was completely confused to learn that she would be taking over as the Archivist's heir and the new tenant of the Infinite Library. Why her? Why was she deserving of a job this important?

Even more confused after hearing the Archivist's explanation. She was selected by the library itself, a location that even its present caretaker finds mysterious. The archivist admitted that she had no idea why Lisa had been chosen by the library, only that her tenure as its keeper was coming to an end and someone had to take her spot. To carry on the duty of protecting the library that inhabits innumerable records of these realities and to never allow this place to fall into the wrong hands.

Lisa hesitated and doubted, but she could not turn down the Archivist's offer. There was a peculiar pull, an unexplained affinity to the Infinite Library that she was unable to resist. So, reluctantly but determinedly, she consented to assume the role of the Archivist's replacement. The woman looked pleased, relief rather. It may have been her imagination but Lisa saw a small smile on the woman's face and disappeared as soon as it appeared, returning to her stoic image.

The Archivist then gestured her hand, telling Lisa to follow her. She and Lisa moved across the shelves that numerous archives of realities that Lisa dares not to imagine resides. Together, they journeyed deeper, arriving to see a large glowing orb that was twice as big as a disco ball floating on a podium with strange eldritch-like symbols swirling around the bright blue glow.

The Archivist spoke, "This, is the heart of the Infinite Library—the Codex. It is the very thing that keeps this place intact and its connection to the alternate universes. Without it, the library will collapse and everything in here would be destroyed alongside the universes." She added on, "Its connection to realities is not simple. As new worlds are formed, so does a new archive, the two are one of the same coin. If a book containing a world is destroyed, that world would be destroyed too."

Lisa listened intently to the woman's words, absorbing every word. She then returns her gaze to the glowing orb. The Codex was glowing ever so brightly. Despite its dazzling brilliance, Lisa was captivated to it and felt compelled to get closer.

She stretched her hand out to touch the Codex, and a dazzling burst of light shot out of the orb. Lisa felt a deep shift happening inside of her, and her heart raced as she closed her eyes from the intensity. She opened her eyes again and was surrounded by a bright blue glow, her senses sharpened, and the power and knowledge of the Infinite Library infused into her being. There was so much knowledge being imbedded into her mind that the mentality started to age rapidly. The power that has been given to her did not just change her personality but it also made her mortal body immortal.

Lisa became aware of the magnitude of her new responsibility at that same instant. She had assumed a role beyond that of a mere librarian, becoming a defender of information and the many secrets kept within the Infinite Library. She accepted her fate with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity, prepared to take on whatever obstacles that lied ahead. Unbeknownst to her, the Archivist, her now predecessor has vanished.

Lisa realised that her adventure had just begun as she stood in front of the Codex, her eyes gleaming with resolve. As the new Archivist, it would be her responsibility to protect the Infinite Library for future generations and make sure that its mysteries were permanently recorded in the annals of time.