After walking in the endless space, they saw a door in the middle of nowhere. Lady Aria stood before it while everyone else thought this was their destination.
She approached the door, removed one of her gloves, and placed her hand on it. She spoke in a language Avon and the others didn't understand:
"Ianva... lacturas... vellgaia... himsveia."
The door began to glow, then slowly opened.
Ianva means honor. Lacturas means pride. Vellgaia means eternal knowledge. Himsveia means humanity.
When the doors were fully open, Lady Aria turned to them, smiling. "What are you waiting for? You need your answers, right? Come, I will show you everything that I know." She walked through the doorway.
Excited, they all followed her.
Once inside, they saw a luxurious, long corridor with ornate chairs and shelves that reached to the roof. Every shelf was filled with books on every conceivable subject: magic, strategy, history, and more. They were all in awe.
As they walked to the end of the corridor, they noticed doors on every side. They looked through the doors and saw rooms even bigger than castles, filled with endless shelves of books.
Avon stopped at a shelf and picked up a book about making food. It was massive, with over 80,000 pages. He was shocked. "How can someone even be able to read all this? It would take a lifetime to complete it."
"I mean, if it has so many pages, I bet it's important, right?" Arcadius said.
Avon closed the book and showed the cover to Arcadius. "Brother, this entire book is about cooking."
"WHAT?!" Arcadius said, his eyes wide in shock.
Meanwhile, Lady Aria chuckled at them. "Every book here has its own story and secrets. If someone had that book in your hand, he might end up the most successful cook in all sixteen continents."
"Wouldn't that take most of his life to read?" Sara asked.
"Just four pages of this book are enough to make anyone an important figure among the nobles," Lady Aria replied.
Avon looked at the book with a look of anger and hatred, whispering to himself, "Nobles... laughable."
Lady Aria's eyes widened. For a moment, her gaze became empty. The others didn't notice, as they were still looking around. She kept looking at him from the corner of her eyes, a strand of hair falling onto her cheek. She brushed it back, then turned and continued walking. "Come... we're almost there."
Avon put the book back on the shelf, and they all followed her. After a while, they reached the end of the corridor. In the center was a massive pillar with books stacked all over it. Around the walls, stairs formed a spiral.
"I present to you... the Royal Library of the Order Empire," Lady Aria said grandly.
"Is this how the Order Empire used to build things, or is it magic?" Arcadius asked in awe.
"In this place, there is no such thing as magic," Lady Aria replied. "What you see in front of you was purely built by our ancestors. These are called mechanical engineers."
In front of Lady Aria was a button. She pressed it, and one of the bridges began to descend slowly. Once it reached them, a small gate opened, and they stepped onto the bridge. The gate was about to close when a few teenagers—two females and a male—came running toward them.
"Hold up! Don't close the gates!" the male shouted.
"We're almost there, come on!" the first female said.
"C-coming..." the second female panted.
Lady Aria held the gates open for them. The teens got on the bridge, out of breath. "Thank you guys," the male said, taking heavy breaths. "We almost missed the ride."
The two females sat on the ground, still panting. The male teenager noticed Lady Aria and immediately stood up, despite his exhaustion. "M-my lady! I-I am so sorry, I-I didn't notice you. Please accept my... our apology."
"What are you talking about?" the first female said before seeing Lady Aria. Her eyes widened. "L-Lady Aria?!"
"Did you say... Lady Aria?" the second female said.
They all stood, looking at her as if she were a legend. Lady Aria got close to them. "At ease, children. No need for formalities."
Avon and the others watched them, a look of sadness and confusion on their faces. The teens were filled with energy and optimism. Avon looked at the second female, who had a similar look to Sara. For a moment, he imagined Sara's face on her, thinking how different life would have been if their village hadn't been attacked, if they hadn't been born nobles. He looked at the ground, then glanced at Sara and saw her smiling. Avon had almost forgotten how Sara smiled. His soul shattered at that moment.
Sara is smiling... he thought. When was the last time I saw that smile on her face? Ah, yes, 15 years ago. I swear I will protect you and your smile, dear little sister.
Without thinking, he reached out and gently rubbed her cheek. Sara looked at him and saw the sadness on his face. Her smile faded. "Brother? Is everything okay?"
As soon as her smile disappeared, Avon snapped back to reality. "Y-yes... I am," he said.
Arcadius and Vernara noticed them. Vernara knew what he was thinking.
"Are those your new students, my lady?" the first female asked.
The male teen approached Arcadius and offered his hand. "H-hi, nice to meet you. I'm Rayun, from Class A-4."
Arcadius looked at him and shook his hand. In that moment, Rayun noticed something different about the group. They weren't smiling. They weren't happy. Sorrow and guilt filled their eyes. As soon as his hand touched Arcadius's, he knew they weren't normal.
"The pleasure is mine," Arcadius said.
The other two females also noticed the sadness in their expressions. Vernara saw the books they were carrying and gave them a hard look. Rayun backed away slightly, looking scared. "Excuse me... I... I will go now."
"Sure," Arcadius said.
Lady Aria watched their interaction with her arms crossed. The first female whispered to Lady Aria, "My lady... who are they?"
Lady Aria gave her a small pat. "Our guests. Once I'm done showing them the place, take Rayun and Rollana to the dining hall this afternoon. I'll explain everything to you... and then I'll give you a mission."
The females nodded. Rayun backed away until he bumped into Lady Aria's chest. She gave him a small hug. "Oh, giving me some love, I see. You're too young for me, you pervert."
The male teen was almost suffocating. "I didn't mean to bump into you like this!"
"Pervert," the second female said with a disgusted look.
"Hey, it's not like I'm enjoying this, you know!" Rayun protested.
Lady Aria put on a sad face. "Oh, rejected by my own student. What a shame."
Avon got close to Arcadius and patted his shoulder. "All good, brother?"
"Tell me, brother," Arcadius said, looking at the teens. "If the village never got attacked... would we, in any way, be like them?"
"In another lifetime... probably," Avon said.
"Once we get everything we need, I swear... none of them shall know mercy," Arcadius said, looking at Avon. "That is my promise."
Avon nodded in agreement. The first female noticed Arcadius and felt a sudden sadness fill the air.
The bridge finally stopped and opened its gates. The teen students left, saying goodbye to Lady Aria and the group. As the bridge rose again, the students watched them, seeing a glimpse of a girl leaning over the edge, looking down at them. It was Sara.
"They aren't students, that's for sure," the first female said.
"I know," Rayun replied. "Ever since I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing but emptiness, yet it was filled with hatred and agony."
"Scary," the second female said, hugging her book.
"Do you remember the rumor from last month?" the first female asked.
"They found the descendant of the Order Emperor?" Rayun said.
"Yes, and the other one..." the second female added.
"That they found them," the first female said. "Exactly. I bet they're the ones the rumors were talking about."
"Damn," Rayun said.
"Real scary stuff," the second female repeated.
"Lady Aria told us to meet her in the dining hall this afternoon," the first female said.
"Wait, what? This afternoon?" Rayun asked.
"I guess it's about them," she replied.
"Class... hurry... no time... left," the second female said, poking them.
"Oh, yeah, the class! I almost forgot! Let's go, come on!" the first female said.
On the rising bridge, Lady Aria said, "These kids will one day grow to become the greatest Guardians. They might as well be your own."
Avon had mixed feelings of anger and confusion. "What are you implying?" he asked in a serious voice.
"Soon... you will find out," Lady Aria said with a knowing look.
The bridge finally reached its destination at the very top of the library. The gates opened, and Lady Aria was the first to walk through. "My dears, I welcome you to the Royal Library!" she said, raising her hands.
The top of the library was something out of this world, beyond anyone's imagination. The elegance, the beauty, the emotion, the history... The group walked through and saw something they would probably never see again.
"This place has everything!" Lady Aria said. "Everything that you seek. The birthplace of knowledge. This is the birthplace of the Order Empire."
The books in this royal library were different from any others in the entire tower. These books, she implied, would determine the future of humanity.
Arcadius's jaw dropped. "If this is what it takes to rebuild what our fathers built... then it's worth every damn minute."
Vernara smiled, a mix of sadness and happiness. "I can't believe it... after all this time... oh, Mother, oh, Father, oh, Sister! I will make you all proud."
"No time to waste, Lady Aria!" Avon said angrily. "I know you have questions for us, many to be precise. So ask away."
Sara stood beside him. "I apologize in advance for our rude behavior, but we've noticed something since we met you. You don't trust us, not in the slightest. But if the future of our kind rests on the four of us, then I believe we must have a mutual trust."
Lady Aria looked at her and Avon with a proud expression that they saw right through. Arcadius and Vernara were confused, looking from Avon and Sara to Lady Aria.
"Well done," Lady Aria said in a serious voice. "You saw right through me, didn't you? Sigh... no matter. But what you said is true. For the sake of our kind, we must have mutual respect and trust, and I believe we will have more than that."
"Oh boy, I am speechless," Arcadius said to Sara.
Sara looked at him with a smug expression. "Oh, just you wait." She was implying he wouldn't be able to open his mouth the next time they revealed something, and Arcadius understood immediately.
"You little...!" Arcadius said.
"That is indeed impressive," Vernara said.
"Please follow me upstairs," Lady Aria said.
They went upstairs on stairs made of pure, shiny, rare iron. In the top center of the room was the structure of a planet, the same one they were on, and it was rotating.
"Is this thing... our world?" Sara asked Lady Aria.
"Indeed it is," she responded. "And it's a live one."
"A live one? As in, alive?" Vernara asked in confusion.
"You are not wrong. Our planet is indeed alive. But what I meant is that everything happening right now, anywhere around the world... it can be seen here. For example..."
She moved her hand toward the planet, and it rotated until she stopped at a volcano eruption. "This volcano is real. Everything you are seeing is real. Later, I will teach you how to use it."
"This is... aha... impressive," Arcadius said. "Here I thought that volcano was blue. It was orange all along."
"This is just amazing," Vernara said. "If this object truly resembles our world, then I dare say our world is so beautiful."
"I agree," Avon said. "This world is indeed a beautiful one."
Vernara looked at Avon and smiled; he smiled as well. Everyone was amazed by the volcano's beauty.
As they continued walking, they finally reached a floor that looked like a house, with many rooms, a kitchen, and all the features of a fancy home.
"This is where you are going to sleep," Lady Aria said. "I know you are tired, and I have many questions for you, my dears. But for now, rest or explore. Today is your free time. Tomorrow, we shall know each other better."
She smiled at them. Arcadius pushed Avon and ran into one of the rooms to claim the best one. Avon followed him. Sara and Vernara laughed, and so did Lady Aria.
Lady Aria looked at Sara and smiled. Sara noticed her eyes were shining, almost like a star. Lady Aria went downstairs and looked up at them as they ran around.
"Despite the grudge they have... they remain kids on the inside," she said to herself. "I can't wait until I see you grow... What am I saying? I am immortal, just like them."
She then left the room.