ASA OF NEPTUNE

chapter 002 ⚘

CHAPTER 2:

Tree of Asa

Icyln and Wendy stepped into the sacred library of Kai, a place revered by all Finnegans for its connection to knowledge and the natural world. As the door creaked open, a burst of light flooded the entrance. The library, shaped like a massive cylinder, stretched 50 floors high, reaching the surface of the desert above. At its center, a single beam of sunlight shone directly onto the ground, casting an ethereal glow across the room. The colorful glass fragments on the walls surrounding the structure reflected rainbow light everywhere, creating a magical aura that seemed to hum with life.

The two ascended not by the stairs, which wound around the library like a spiral staircase, but by a timber platform supported by vines, acting as a lift. The vines creaked gently as they pulled the platform upwards, taking Icyln and Wendy past floors where students sat in quiet study, their eyes buried in books. The colorful rainbows danced across the platform, and as Icyln stared up at the sun, the light reflected in her eyes, creating a radiant display.

"I have to ask," Icyln began, squinting slightly. "Do they close the oculus at night or when it rains?" Her eyes remained fixed on the dazzling light above, her curiosity as unyielding as ever.

Wendy glanced at her, noticing the rainbow hues flickering in Icyln's wide-eyed gaze. How can she stare directly at the sun?—something that made Wendy pause for a moment, contemplating. Icyln is really something, she thought to herself.

"No," Wendy replied after a beat, as they neared their destination on the 25th floor. "The oculus stays open no matter the weather—night, storm, it doesn't matter."

Icyln tilted her head, intrigued. "Really? What about the books? Won't they get wet when it rains?"

Wendy chuckled softly as the platform came to a halt. "The books absorb the water and create blank pages like how a plant grows when you water them. It's one of those magical oddities that even the people from the city would never believe, not even if they saw it with their own eyes." She giggled at the thought of city dwellers trying to understand Finnegan magic.

"Ah, yeah, well I suppose it rarely rains here anyway," Icyln mused, her voice light but thoughtful.

The pair stepped off the platform and walked through a hallway covered in moss, the earthy scent of damp soil beneath their feet. The walls, arched and ancient, glistened with soft green life as though the library itself was breathing. At the end of the hallway stood a large, round metal door. Carved into its surface were ancient letters and ritual symbols, their meanings long passed down through generations of Finnegans. The door radiated an aura of power and history.