The Head Elder of the elves personally took Ren, Lyra, and Elara to the Great Library. His fear and respect were so great that he bowed his head every time Ren looked at him. The other elves they passed in the city also bowed. They had all heard about the human boy who had scared the Council of Elders with just a look.
The library was not a normal building made of stone. It was inside the biggest tree in the city, the Mother Tree. The rooms were carved from the living wood of the tree. There were no candles or magical lights. The light came from glowing moss on the ceiling and from big, open windows that looked out into the green forest. The air smelled of old books, fresh flowers, and clean rain. It was a very peaceful place.
An old elf with a long white beard was the keeper of the library. He was the Loremaster. He had lived for more than a thousand years and had read every book in the library. The Head Elder whispered to the Loremaster, telling him what had happened in the Council Chamber. The Loremaster's ancient eyes opened wide with shock and awe as he looked at Ren.
"It is an honor to welcome you, young lord," the old elf said, bowing deeply.
Ren felt a little awkward. "Please, just call me Ren. I am here to learn."
"What knowledge do you look for?" the Loremaster asked.
"Everything," Ren said. "Everything you have about the System, about ancient wars, and about any beings who were called 'gods'."
The Loremaster's face became very serious. "That is the oldest and most secret knowledge we have. It is kept in the Heartwood Chamber. No one has been allowed inside for five hundred years. But for you... the door is open."
He led them to a special part of the library. The door was made of a single piece of silver-colored wood, and it had no keyhole. The Loremaster placed his hand on the door and whispered in the old elven language. The door glowed and then silently swung open.
The room was full of ancient scrolls, stone tablets, and books bound in wood and leaves. Ren, Lyra, and Elara began to search. Lyra was very organized. She made neat piles of all the scrolls. Elara could read the most ancient elven words, words that no one else knew anymore. Ren used his mind. His brain, powered by his high stats and Mythical rank, could read and remember information much faster than any normal person. He scanned the old books like a living machine.
They worked for many hours. Finally, Ren found something. It was a very old stone tablet. Much of it was broken, but some of the words were still there.
The tablet talked about a time before the System. It talked about a great "Primordial War." It said that the first beings in the world were not gods. They were "Shapers of Reality." They were beings of great, wild, and chaotic power. The tablet said the Shapers were defeated by "Thieves from the Void." After the war, these Thieves created a "Cage of Worlds" to control all life. The tablet called this cage "The System."
Ren's heart beat faster. He had found the first piece of the puzzle. The tablet was broken, but at the bottom, one last line was clear. It said that the greatest temple of the Shapers was hidden in a place called the Sunken City.
He now had a name. He had a place to look for. He was one step closer to finding the truth about himself.