An Open Book

As her steps took her away from the flower field, the sky changed colour around her. She ended in front of a rose arch, overgrown by the strangest flowers that looked both welcoming and hostile. Without slowing or increasing her pace, she made it through the doorway, the dancing sky now replaced with a gentle pink of the eternal sunset. In front of her was a cliff with a steep drop underneath it. And just beyond, floating through the sky, stood the Library.  
Know the name that others call it. There is a reason they call it with such reverence. Familiarise yourself with that reason, then make sure you never fall for the same trap as they.
  She stepped forward, over the nothing that separated her from a fatal fall. Not that she would have cared normally, a fall is easy to avoid when you have wings. But here, it wasn't needed. The air supported her as if it were ground. A parlor trick to the unknowing, just the way the world worked for those that understood.   Inside, she could hear the clamoring of researchers as they argued over findings and conclusions, the silent footsteps of those here to explore, the wordless deep thoughts of those trying to figure out their next move, or their previous one for that matter. Her senses brought all those sensations to her, while her mind pushed them aside as irrelevant.   She followed her, well what was it really. Not instincts, not a gut feeling or hunch, not a deliberate following of a trace. Her knowledge of what was to come, perhaps, or what may have passed a thousand years before. All that could be told, was that her steps never changed pace as she moved through corridors and across bridges, up and down stairs, sometimes even across thin air itself.   Around her, the Library twisted, a non-Euclidean being that followed no laws but its own. Even for this world, a wonder of magic, it was a peculiarity none properly understood. It felt like a strange Threshold with its own laws of nature, but it was inside a world, not outside them. Perhaps it was the Echo of a Threshold long lost.  
It matters not. Understanding will not help you control it. Misunderstanding will only bring you harm. Do not waste energy on something that simply Is.
  While only her footsteps were present to the senses of others, she kept moving forth. After a lengthy trip of over two hours, her steps repeatedly returning on her old path yet with different tiles under her feet still, she halted at a bookcase. This, she knew, was what she was here for. She took out a book and opened it, wonderfully chaotic drawings greeting her.   A smile came to her lips as she understood the drawing, the truth it was hiding from the world. She quickly leafed through it, then placed it back in its location. Mere seconds later, the bookcase disappeared from view, moving to another location far away yet oh so close. The Library protected its secrets, the knowledge of a million worlds hidden within its depths.   She mentally thanked it before turning. In front, it left her a doorway, ever so polite. Without hesitation, she moved through the air and arrived elsewhere.

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Jan 9, 2025 08:55

Congratulations on completing chapter 3 of "The longest journey". Here is a little memento to remember your story by:

Our journey continues in the final chapter "Beyond the horizon" Hope to see you there!


Sit down, my friend, and let me tell you of Aran'sha . A world where the sands shift and the stars sing, where the wind carries secrets and the twin moons keep silent vigil over it all.