As soon as the doors closed behind him, the boy allowed himself a moment to breathe. He had held his composure as best as he could but his mind was at capacity right now.
First, there were the strange Trials, ending with him having to fight. Not only that, but he suspected the Maze was planning for the last fight to be a one-sided beating.
But not only did he not bleed today, he also learned that this world held secrets he was not even allowed to think about.
Then the damn Maze went and passed everyone, a surprise to be sure, but a welcomed one.
'I did ask it to, but I never actually thought it would pass EVERYONE.' The boy thought.
The initial plan was for his boys to team up with Clara's girls, and together to cause a distraction so Ciaran could pass. The fire should have been limited to objects. The chili was meant to make everyone who went near the flames feel some heat in order to keep the illusion that the building was actually burning.
It had all been flipped on its head, but it worked out he was here.
'If only I wasn't such a coward and actually told Clara from the start.' Was all the boy could think at the moment.
The burning of his fellow students and the capital offense he was committing right now didn't really matter all that much to him, not anymore.
'She looked so hurt, so insulted, I have a lifetime of apologizing for my stupidity in front of me, don't I?'
He was so lost in his thoughts; he didn't even notice the room he had entered had begun to shrink. It shrunk and shrunk until it was barely big enough to contain his small frame. Even, with the drastic change, however, Ciaran did not notice. His tendency to surrender himself to his thoughts had won once again.
"I don't suppose the second level has an answer about how to appease a woman you have wronged." And finally, his thoughts surfaced to reality once again.
[No, sir. The Second floor is meant to serve students in their pursuit of magic and martial might. It holds the knowledge of the initial stages of both journeys. It also holds beginner information about economics and politics, as well as up-to-date information on small matters the Sixth year and up are expected to handle.]
A slow, emotionless, mechanical voice spoke to him, startling him. The boy looked around, and not only did he not see anyone, but he also saw less room than there was before the mind gymnastics had taken his attention.
The boy was scared, curious, and overwhelmed. He was on the verge of tears but managed to keep himself together albeit barely.
"Can you please introduce yourself; I don't seem to be able to see you very well." He asked the voice as politely as he could.
[I am the Librarian; my purpose is to maintain the defense of the Library, also known as the Tower of Knowledge. I also serve as a Guide and an assistant to the master of the tower. As for your question of why you are unable to see me, sir, I am sorry to inform you that it is fundamentally wrong, to begin with. My body is the Library, and the voice you hear is directly transmitted to your mind.]
Ciaran was weirded out, but the thing that brought him the most distress was the way this thing had addressed him.
"And who, if I may ask is your master? " He asked, hoping to be wrong.
[There can only be one master at any given time. The current person responsible for the role is Archmage Grayhound, also serving as headmaster for the Academy.]
'Ok, that's good, for a moment there I thought that I bit way more than I could chew. ' The boy was relieved. It was one thing to take a peek at the second level, or the Second Floor as the Librarian had called it, and another to get ownership of one of the Empire's most prized possessions.
'First thing I need to do is cover my tracks.'
"Do you keep logs on what everyone is researching here, and can you delete mine after I am done for the day?" The boy asked the anxiety in his voice obvious. If they found out he knew about magic, the consequences may just jump in intensity for him.
[Every action taken on the Second Floor and up is recorded, and no records can ever be deleted. TO DESTROY DATA IS A SIN. One option you are presented with is to make your record private, only for your eyes and for the Library.]
Ciaran didn't know what to be creeped out more from, the emotion in this thing's voice that it let slip or the way it had worded that. Nevertheless, time was of the essence, and he had to get a move on.
"Are there any books on for whom and why magic is restricted?" Ciaran finally asked the question that burned in his mind, which drew him in, like a moth to a flame.
[Certainly, it's the most asked question of all newly initiated students. Would you like the reading materials or a short explanation?]
'I don't really have time to go through all the books do I?'
"Give me a short explanation; go over the most important parts. You have a time limit of ten minutes. Begin!" The boy ordered.
[To begin the explanation, first, we must know that there are eleven martial ranks, but only six magical ones. With the exception of the Novice rank, corresponding to the Zeroth, all other ranks have a two-to-one ration. Example: Rank one and Rank two of the Martial Path correspond to the Apprentice Rank.]
[The decision for all things magical to be hidden from most children below the age of twelve, exceptions to be made for children of talent no younger than eight years old, was made by the Supreme Council. It is an organization made out of all the rulers of this world, every Rank Ten, and the Magi.]
[The two major reasons given were that, unlike the Martial Path, which is relatively safe, especially in the beginner levels, the magical one had a ninety-six point three present chance to lead to death. The Magical path requires one to have perfect control over their soul, a feat most children are not equipped to deal with, and as such led to the death of many children.]
[At first, the ban was less strict, but as time went on, and more and more children kept breaking the rules, more extreme measures had to be taken. Today, all magic is hidden. Children are lied to about the very nature of society. All who disobey this restriction are met with death.]
At its words, Ciaran's blood froze. This thing had clearly told him he was a dead man. If anyone found out about what he had learned here, he was dead. If he inspired more disobedience, the consequences were obvious. Statistics showed that it would mean more children dying.
[The second reason was that Mages as a whole were stronger than their Warrior counterparts. Even with a ratio of one to a million, magic was supreme. As such the Warriors and the Rulers of the world wanted to put a leash on all new mages. Mages in turn wanted more new blood to be added to their ranks.]
[Today every new mage has to give an Oath of Loyalty to their country of origin. It binds them, and limits the carnage they caused on their path to knowledge and power.]
"So in essence it was all about benefits. The Magi probably wanted more colleagues to help them with their research. If they are anything like the scholars I know, they should also follow the Unite school of thought. Basically, only idiots never shared, and no man could do everything alone. They needed fresh perspectives, and they banked that quantity would top quality."
"As for the others, that's even easier. No one wants to have someone so strong living among them. Especially people who are used to having control, power, and influence. Everyone wins, in theory at least."
"Tell me, how close am I to the truth?" Ciaran asked.
[Your thought process was accurate sir. It's important to note that the Magi took a slight loss on that deal as since its formation, there have been very few new Archmages and no new Magi. The magical side however prospers as a whole, as with the presently boosted numbers, the lower ranks have a relatively easier time finding their way to the middle.]
Before Ciaran could ask more questions, the Librarian politely informed him that ten minutes were up. The boy wanted to curse but knew he had run out of time. Now it was time for some damage control. There was no way for him to deny going to the second level, but there was a way to lie about what he had learned.
"Take me to the economics section of Floor Two. It's time to learn about the family business.