Arc One: Awakening

Chapter 15: The Compendium

"Are you completely sure this is a library?" Lilith asked, drawn to the oval-rounded layers of The Compendium. The structure widened gradually from the central nerve centre and climbed up the mountainside like a scattering of teacup saucers on grassy shelves. Most of the windows were dark, but a few on the lower floors were illuminated by a mild, azure hue. "Looks more like a city to me."

"I suppose it is. A city of knowledge and learning." Bartholomew twirled his cane as they walked and inhaled the musty, earthy aroma of the mountain forest. A flock of tiny birds chirped to one another and skipped between the boughs on the outskirts of the landing station, their vibrant feathers peppering magic onto the branches with every vault and swoop. "It was designed and built by my brother as a birthday gift. He hoped that by creating a centralised hub of all the information in Myriad, it would allow the worlds to learn from each other."

Lilith noticed the nostalgic tone in his voice and wondered what it was like to live for such a long time. To see what he had seen and experience every development and decline within the nine realms. She imagined it would wear down the soul considerably after a while and gradually distort his perception, changing him in a way that few would ever understand.

"Does your brother know you're awake?" she questioned.

"No. I have not quite had the opportunity to contact any of my siblings. I cannot even be sure if any of them are still..." The professor shook the thought away, his lengthy coat crinkling as he squared his shoulders and straightened his posture. "Ah, that reminds me. I must inspect the landing pads and ensure they are free of any obstructions before I reopen the ship lanes. As a precaution, I closed off all space travel when I shut the gateways and made it impossible for anything to pass through a world's atmosphere, you see. Crafts from centuries ago may not be functional anymore, but they are easy enough to build, given time. People will soon want to venture out, and splitting the routes in the past proved beneficial."

While curious about his family and the history he carried, Lilith sensed her questions would not be well received, and so she stayed quiet on the subject and let him ramble about his ideas for the reopening.

Entering the lower building, her light footfalls reverberated, rippling and repeating around the expansive hall. She lifted her gaze and fastened to the sound, craning her neck to take in the rising levels.

Beneath the first floor balconies, water streamed in sheets and flowed through narrow grates. As Bartholomew made his way to the entry desk, the watery installation beckoned her closer, and she followed the trail to a holographic map of the library. Each section was labelled according to their category. When she pressed on them, they expanded to display sub-groups, shelf occupancy, and provided directions to any desired book or text.

"Lilith?" the professor called, the corners of his mouth curling into a pleased smile. He waved her over and gestured to the grey creature seated at the desk. "This is Bodvan. He is the curator of The Compendium. Nothing around here would run half so well without him."

The mage offered him a courteous bow of her head, and the stony being huffed out a scraped grunt, engrossing himself in the documents piled up on the shelves behind him. "Has he been here on his own for three-hundred years?" she asked quietly.

"Gargoyles prefer their own company," Bartholomew said. "Have you ever seen a pair of gargoyle statues that look happy?"

"No."

"There's a reason for that: they hate each other."

"But how do they-?" Lilith's brows drew together. A wave of her hand silenced the professor before he could utter a sound in response. "Actually, I don't think I want the answer to that."