A faint scent of wood mixed with the dry smell of books lingered in the air. Candlelight flickered softly from rows of golden stands mounted on the walls.
The room stretched into rows of shelves, each packed with large, heavy tomes.
"Woah," Code whispered in awe, his eyes sweeping across the endless spines of books.
"Is this… a library?" he asked, picking up a book so thick with dust it made him cough.
Through the haze, he squinted at the faded title.
"Naza," he murmured.
"You could say that," Nara replied from behind him, stepping closer to the opposite shelf.
"But the books here are ancient—nobody uses them anymore." He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know why Van bothers keeping them. If they were mine, I'd burn them… or sell them for a fortune." Nara blew dust from a cover, revealing its title: Causality and Tenebrous.
"There are a lot of weird books here," he muttered, sliding it back into place.
But to Code, these weren't junk. They were treasures.
Back at the orphanage, he was rarely allowed to read, and even then the library had only a fraction of what stood before him now.
"This place is the real deal," he said, carefully tugging at a massive tome that dominated nearly half the shelf.
"Dude—what the hell?" Code staggered backward, pulling the book with both arms.
Nara turned, eyes widening, and quickly stepped aside as Code struggled.
"Why's it so huge?" Code muttered.
The cover was drenched in dust, its lettering so tattered it was barely legible. Clearly, it had lain untouched for countless years.
Nara frowned, trying to recall something. Then it struck him.
"Yeah!" he said, clapping his hands.
Code glanced up.
"It's the Aethric Tenet," Nara announced.
"The Aethric Tenet?" Code repeated, raising a brow.
"Exactly. If I remember right, it contains three thousand and seventy-four verses, plus their sub-verses."
"Oh… so that's why it's so big." Code traced the cover with his hand. "But… what's the Aethric Tenet doing here? Isn't it one of the rarest artifacts in Tenebrous?"
"Yeah," Nara nodded. "So rare you usually only find it in Regional Libraries."
Code knew that well enough. A Regional Library was the largest in a given region, archiving knowledge from every discipline. Eldrid's own, the Aristarchus Library at Eldrid University, was named after Sir Aristarchus Stein, the famed historian (638AA–704AA).
Still, none of that explained how the Aethric Tenet ended up here.
Nara noticed the confusion on his face and sighed.
"It's a long story," he said, lifting the book.
Code leaned closer, curiosity burning.
"But I'll summarize. The reason it's here… is because of Hina."
"Huh?" Code's eyes widened.
"She made Van buy it—even though the price was ridiculous."
"Why would she do that?"
"Because she's a believer. She was born one," Nara said simply.
The candlelight flickered as a faint draft crept through.
Code frowned. "But you told me she was a Zero. How?"
"I don't know," Nara admitted, raising his hands. "She doesn't remember much of her past, or how she became a Zero… but she's never forgotten that she's an Aethralist."
"You mean after all that, she still worships Aethrauzon?"
"Apparently." Nara nodded. "She refuses to forsake Him, no matter what."
'Even though Aethrauzon has forsaken her?' Code thought bitterly. Aethralism demanded purity. Demons were seen as corrupt. Possession by one was worse.
And yet… Hina still stood by her faith.
"Is that why…" Code recalled the look in her eyes when Van revealed she was also a Zero.
"Woah," was all he could mutter.
"Let's put this back before she comes," Nara said, hefting the massive tome. "She's pretty touchy about it."
"Right." Code grabbed the other end, and together they shoved it into place.
"Three thousand and seventy-four verses… that's insane," Code exhaled.
"Tell me about it," Nara grunted.
But as the book slid into its slot, another fell loose.
Thud!
It landed squarely between them.
"Huh?" Nara muttered, lowering his gaze.
"What's this?" Code asked.
Unlike the previous tome, this one was ordinary in size—no larger than a standard book.
"Probably another of Van's," Nara said, stooping to pick it up.
But when his eyes caught the title, he froze.
"Dude? What's wrong?" Code asked.
Nara didn't answer. He just swallowed hard.
"This… this is…" he stammered.
Code bent closer, peering over his shoulder.
"What's got you—" His words died as he read the title. His breath caught, and a bead of sweat slid down his cheek.
The book's author was unmistakable: Vladimir Vexar.
Its title: The Hollow.
"The Hollow?!" Code exclaimed.
Everyone knew that name.
Void Amaranth—the Hollow.
"What's a book like this doing here?" Code whispered.
"I-I don't know. I've never seen it before," Nara admitted, still stunned.
Vladimir Vexar: the pioneer of Voidism.
This book wasn't just rare—it was forbidden. Every copy had been gathered and burned. Not even Regional Libraries kept it.
And yet… here it was.
Its date of production read: 608AA.
Before the Revolution Age, dates were measured "After Aidra"—marking the years since Sou Aidra's attack on Tenebrous.
"So… a copy still exists," Nara breathed.
"We could be executed for even holding it," Code muttered.
"Yeah."
The two of them stared at it, hearts pounding.
Then the same thought crossed their minds.
"Should we open it?" Nara asked, smirking.
"Were you reading my mind?" Code grinned back.
"Heh." Nara chuckled, reaching for the cover.
"Who knows what's inside?"
Code's eyes widened as Nara's fingers brushed the book.
But just as he was about to open it—
A voice boomed from behind.
"You don't want to touch that."
Both boys jolted, spinning around. Van stood in the doorway, a massive tome in his arms.
"We—we weren't going to," Nara stammered. "Right, Code?"
"Y-yeah," Code forced a nervous grin. "We were just about to put it back."
"Good grief…" Van sighed, stepping forward. "That book is off-limits."
He bent down, scooping it up.
"Why?" Nara blurted, unable to help himself.
"Let's just say… it's reserved for gods." Van's tone was light, but his gaze was sharp.
"But it's forbidden! How do you even—"
"Boy, oh boy…" Van muttered. "Forget it, Nara. This is one of those times where ignorance really is bliss."
Nara opened his mouth to argue, but Van clapped sharply.
"Alright, Code! Time for your training."
"Oh—right," Code nodded, though he couldn't shake his curiosity.
"I finally found it," Van said, lifting his tome. "This one's on sorcery and tenzonology."
"For real?" Code's face lit up.
"Yeah."
Together, the two walked off—leaving Nara behind.
His eyes lingered on the forbidden book. His lips curled into a grin.
"Hehe…"
But just as he prepared to sneak forward, a hand clamped his collar.
"Ugh—!" He froze.
"That includes you too," Van's voice growled.
"Naahhh!" Nara wailed, clawing at the air as Van dragged him away.
"I don't wannaaa!"
***
To Be Continued...