Authors note:
Speaking: "…"
Thinking: '…'
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Narrowing his eyes at the man floating before them, Izuku asked, "And who exactly are you?"
The man's smile widened as he began descending until he hovered above the stone map.
"You may call me the Librarian. But let's discuss this in a more comfortable place, shall we?" The man, now identified as the Librarian, explained. Suddenly, faster than either aura user could react, they found themselves sitting in an old wooden pavilion with a medium-sized hexagonal wooden table in the center. Three comfortable chairs surrounded the table, and the view outside revealed the seemingly endless library from a new perspective.
"Spatial manipulation... on a level I couldn't even perceive," Izuku whispered, his voice filled with wonder as he glanced around.
The crimson-haired man emerged from behind them, carrying a kettle of tea. "Before we start our little conversation, what kind of tea would you like?" the Librarian asked, walking up to the empty seat and pouring hot water into three teacups that had appeared out of nowhere.
"Chamomile for me, please," the green-eyed swordsman requested.
"Earl Grey," Katsuki boldly demanded.
As they watched, the hot water in their cups changed color, transforming into their requested beverages. Carefully picking up his teacup, Izuku took a sip, confirming it was indeed the drink he had asked for.
"Ah, it's been so long since I first began observing the two of you. To think I almost slept in when you finally beat Midas. You must excuse me, it's just such a rare occasion to meet two wielders of two... no, rather, four of the Primordial Incarnations! And two sets of intertwined ones at that. They're usually quite picky," the Librarian commented excitedly, taking a sip of his own tea.
"Primordial Incarnations?" Katsuki asked boldly, leaning back in his chair, earning a chuckle from the Librarian.
"Don't tell me you haven't realized it yet," the man said, leaning in slightly closer.
"I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about, Librarian. Nor do we even know what this place is," Izuku replied.
"It seems I need to give you some help. Let's start with the Primordial Incarnations. Haven't you ever noticed something... off about your swords or familiars?"
"Well, only that they're unusually strong. Our swords are the only recorded OCA level 70 items, and our familiars are far more independent than others," the green-eyed man analyzed.
"Exactly! Have you ever heard the story of Aincrad's creation?"
The two swordsmen shook their heads.
"Fine, then I'll tell you..."
„At the beginning of time, the creator goddess, Kira, created the world using her power. It was a place of harmony and happiness, where humans and other intellectual beings thrived by using mystical arts. That was, until the humans, driven by greed, began to use their powers to overthrow other civilizations and races in search of even greater strength.
Wars became common occurrences, and peace was shattered until the other races were nearly driven to extinction. In an attempt to save her beloved creations, the goddess split her soul into eight pieces: Time, Space, Soul, Mind, Reality, Power, Life and Death. Using these fragments, she created Aincrad and invited her creations to this new home, while punishing the humans by taking away their access to the mystical world. The pieces of her soul would later become what is known as the Primordial Incarnations. That is the story written down in this very library."
As Izuku pondered the story the Librarian had shared, a thought lingered in his mind ‚If that story is true, then why do humans still live here with access to magic, despite Kira's punishment?'
The Librarian seemed to sense his thought and waved it away. "Don't dwell on it too much. It's just a story. More importantly, let's talk about the intertwined incarnations. Among the eight, they always come in pairs: Time and Space, Mind and Soul, Power and Reality, and finally, Life and Death. What makes these pairs special is that when the two work together, their power is amplified, and when pitted against each other, they cancel each other out!" The man raised his index finger as he explained.
Both Izuku and Katsuki sat in silence for a moment, before it clicked in their minds.
"That's why we can never win against each other," they said in unison.
"Bingo," the Librarian grinned at their conclusion. "But then, what about Anubis and Shira? They seem more alive than our swords," Katsuki chimed in, leaning on his chair.
"Well, that's normal. The incarnations of Soul and Mind have a more, let's say, prominent ego and will than the others, which is why it's even more surprising that they picked two humans as masters."
"Anyway, let's get back to your other question from earlier. As you may have already guessed, this is the 75th floor, the World Library. Like you know, every twenty-fifth floor is a special one. In this case, it's a library, so no monsters or bosses, just books. The special thing about this place is that I decide who gets to enter and who gets to move on to the next floor," the Librarian explained, a sly smile curling on his lips.
"I'm assuming that's why there was no gate to this place until you brought us here, and why the golden bastard never moved past the 74th floor," Katsuki concluded, his tone calm.
"You are correct. I never let him enter this place, simply because he is exactly the kind of person Kira wanted to eliminate. You, however, are different. Not only have half of the Primordial Incarnations chosen to serve you, but you've managed to unite every lycanthrope tribe and form a stable alliance between the Rukarai and Lyn'ari, who have been in an unstable peace-and-war state for more than a thousand years."
"That's why I'm inclined to let you, and only you two, enter the library as the first ever to reach it. I believe that with the knowledge in this place, you should be able to achieve much greater heights than anyone before you... or at least, that's what I hope," the Librarian said happily, though when explaining the last part, there was a hint of regret in his concealed eyes, a look that didn't escape the notice of the green-haired swordsman.
"Ah, and that brings me to the last thing I wanted to talk to you about: your challenge."
"Challenge?" both aura users asked in unison.
"Yes, you see, to advance to the next floor, you must complete the challenge I'm giving you. And it's a rather simple one. Your challenge is to reach your full potential!" the Librarian explained.
"Our full potential? You mean we're not in our prime yet?" Katsuki exclaimed excitedly, stopping his casual lean and placing his hands on the table, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Quite far from it, actually."
"Then tell us how to get there, and we'll have it done in no time!" the silver-haired time user stated eagerly.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. That is for you to find out yourself. This entire library will be open to you, and if you have any questions about where to find certain books, I'm always open for a chat," the red-haired man said before all of them suddenly found themselves standing before the giant stone table in the middle of the library once again.
"Alright then, let's not waste any time, Kaachan. Librarian, could you please direct us to the history section?" Izuku asked politely.
"Just follow this orb, and you'll reach it," the Librarian instructed with a smile. A red orb of energy appeared in his hand and began floating into the library, with the two new visitors following closely behind.
‚I'm sorry for not telling the whole truth, but I'm not the on who should be telling you about that', the red-haired man thought as the smile on his face briefly disappeared, before rising again as he began floating back to the pavilion.
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One Week Later
Izuku's Birthday
Izuku and Katsuki's Apartment
"Happy birthday, Izuku sweetheart! Seventeen years old already. Time sure flies," a happy Inko Midoriya congratulated her only son with a big bear hug. The young Bakugo and his family, along with Inko and Satoru, had managed to keep the secret that they were throwing a surprise party for Izuku. They made sure not to tell Luna, as not to alert him through the bond they shared.
It was a fairly small party, with only the Bakugos, the Midoriyas, the Daigos, and all members of the Eight Rings in civilian clothes. Satoru was responsible for catering.
"Thanks, guys, I appreciate it. This day just keeps getting better," the green-haired teen said as he briefly glanced at his girlfriend, noticing a hint of embarrassment through the bond and watching her eyes turn black. She stood up and gave him a kiss just as the white-haired butler brought in the cake.
"Looks tasty," Shoto commented as he took a sip from his drink.
"Sure does," Hitoshi added, leaning against the heterochromatic teen. They then watched as Satoru, with tears in his eyes, began cutting the cake and distributing slices to the guests.
"Master... sob... you've grown so much in the one and a half years I've known you... sob... I'm so happy to be by your side... sob," the white-haired butler said to his master in between cries.
The party went on as intended, with some sweet moments, like Kasai giving Izuku a drawing she had made of their family. Later, when the little angel was already asleep, there was a funny moment when Shoto and Hitoshi sang a drunken duet of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.
"Are you enjoying your party, Izuku?" Asahi asked his stepson while sharing a glass of wine with him.
"I am. It's really fun, and it just shows me how much my little family has grown over the last couple of years," Izuku replied, glancing at his two drunk friends and Katsuki, who were having a blast playing Mario Kart.
"Well, it's getting late. We should head out and bring Kasai to her bed, she can't continue sleeping in your room tonight," Asahi explained before finishing his glass. He headed straight to Inko but stopped briefly, saying, "Oh, and by the way, my present for you should arrive sometime tomorrow," before fetching his daughter and wife and heading home. Mitsuki and Masaru left shortly after, as Mitsuki had passed out drunk.
After the adults were gone, the party continued for a few more hours until four in the morning. Shoto and Hitoshi were passed out, and Luna was close to it. Satoru, having refrained from drinking, was still in perfect condition. Katsuki and Izuku had drunk some but had much higher tolerance due to their time partying in Aincrad.
"Satoru, can you bring Shoto and Hitoshi back home? Make sure they get there safely," the green-haired swordsman instructed his butler.
"As you wish, Master," the white-haired servant replied with a bow before leaving with the two boys.
"Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. Don't you dare wake me up, I'm sleeping in big time tonight," Katsuki said, yawning, before heading to his room and leaving the couple alone.
Looking at his drunk girlfriend, Izuku couldn't help but smile as she struggled to win against a CPU in Super Smash Bros.
"Ahh, that thing cheats... hic... no fair," she complained.
Walking up to her, he gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Come on, Luna, let's get you to bed."
"But I don't wanna... hic. I challenge you to a Smash duel. If I win, we party longer!" she proposed drunkenly.
"And if I win, you go to bed. Deal?" he countered, earning a nod. Moments later, he absolutely crushed her in the game.
"Nooo, no fair! You big cheating dummy... hic," the moon girl whined, tackling her boyfriend to the ground.
"I'm not going to bed," she insisted, pinning him to the floor.
Izuku sighed and used his awakened aura to float her into the air.
"Whoa, the world is spinning..." she muttered before he used a bit of presence to make her fall unconscious. He placed her in their double bed, changed both of them into their pajamas, and lay down next to her. Feeling her snuggle up to his arm and mumble, "Good night," he patted her head, and they both fell asleep.