It was a busy day in Valhß, the city bustling with activity. Oliver was scouting the richer levels of the markets as assigned, he was ordered to eye-out the wares and report or take anything of value. He was the only member of Heron Gang that was never caught once, thanks to his stealth and scouting skills. So usually, he is the one assigned to jobs like this.
While going on his usual routine, a conversation piqued his interest. It was about that cursed place, or rather how someone was able to return alive from it, and by the way they described the person Oliver knew who they were. It was a scoop that not even the boss was going to pass up on hearing, so he followed and listened the story.
"Have you heard? Someone from the lower merchant class returned alive from that cursed place."
The man, in shock could not muster up any words against that knowledge.
"I heard that after that merchant returned, she rose to upper class overnight! She is now a renowned performer, owning her own troops." Even though he tried to whisper, he could not contain himself and captured the eyes some other scouts in the area as well.
"Keep it down, man! You know talking about that place is a touchy subject among all. You might get yourself in trouble!" The man covered the others mouth so his voice would die down.
Oliver took a deep sigh as he noticed more eyes on the couple, now the info he found would be spread over in their competition as well. To inform his boss fast as possible he abandoned his mission and headed straight back to base. When he arrived, he was greeted by the bitter face of Karry.
"You are back way earlier than normal. What happened? Got your tail sniffed up?"
He could not bear her; he especially hated her "I'm superior to all of you" attitude.
"I got an important intel that boss needs to hear as fast as possible. Don't get in my way!" He snarled back.
Karry was not happy about this response but if the intel he had was truly valuable, she would be in trouble for not letting him trough. So, she let him through with a warning.
"Next time maybe cooperate with your team, maybe then we would have no problems, no?"
Oliver said nothing and just went past her to boss' office. He knocks on the door and enters when allowed.
"Olie you are early, much earlier than usual. I hope this is important." His voice was of concern and a bit of anger.
"I'm sorry for not fulfilling my assignment thoroughly, but I have come across an interesting intel that may benefit us." He was trying to keep himself composed he was nervous about the consequences if the boss found his intel not worth his time, "But he has to, right?" he thought to himself.
"An interesting intel you say. Well, I'm all ears boy." Though his angry demeanour was still present his voice was softer.
"While on duty, I came across a couple that was talking about someone who came back, and the riches she brought with it. And h -" before he could finish the boss interrupted him.
"Olie, my boy, returnees are not impossible you should know that. Surely you did not just interrupt my work and left your assignment just for that." The softness in his voice was starting to disappear.
"No, of course not! The way that couple described her and how she rose to riches, I might know who she is." He pulled himself together, not wanting to anger the boss more he cut straight to the chase.
"You might or you do? Decide." By this response Oliver knew that boss was interested. So, he continued.
"Yes, in fact, I helped her slip past some enforcers near our territory. And since she owes me, she might help us establish more power over more domains. Even if she refuses to help us, I can still get some information out of her that will be to our benefit."
"Interesting indeed… Then I'll not hold you here for long. Come back with satisfactory results." The boss gave Oliver a cold glare.
"Of course, boss." He replied.
After he left the room, he fell to his knees in fear. "I can't believe I almost messed up." He thought, trying to calm himself. Karry came to check on him and seeing him like this she immediately mocked him.
"You seem like you survived by the skin of your teeth." She was trying so hard to keep herself from laughing out loud.
Seemingly annoyed at her Oliver retaliated by just saying that he was assigned to a special mission. Making a smug face. Karry was shocked, her jaw nearly dropped. After composing himself, he just left after waving goodbye to Karry.
He felt strangely free at that moment, even though he had a mission, it was thanks to himself that this even happened. "Maybe if I do good enough, I'll be able to feel like this more" he thought, as he completed his preparations, he set his eyes on the upper levels where the rich merchants and mayors alike live.
But once he was nearing his destination, he realised the big issue. He does not know where she resides or even can be certain that she remembers him. "The latter can wait till the former is taken care of." He thought. Immediately moving in the tight alleyways. Thanks to his small stature he was able to move fast in tight spaces, that makes the alleyways a perfect place to take cover from prying eyes.
As he was moving through the alleys, he came across a fancy doll store, for some reason he was inclined to come in, it was almost like he was being dragged there, inside was a man that seemed to be around his age and an what seemed like his mentor. He thought of this occasion to be a good opportunity to ask about the woman he was searching for.
"Oh! A visitor. How may I be of assistance to you."
"Well, I am looking for something. But you must be able to keep a secret for me to tell you" Oliver replied to the man.
As he finished his sentence the old man left for the back. Oliver got suspicious because of the timing but the man reassured him that he went to the back for the "thing" he was searching for. Oliver began to be even more suspicious asked the man:
"How does he know something that I keep in myself?" he asked.
"Master has many ways to see one's soul." He replied, "That's how he knows what you are looking for."
Oliver, shocked by his ability, asked the man if he has something similar. But sadly, he said that he is still a pupil and even sceptical that he will be able to acquire something like that. He was a bit sad, if he has something like that as well, he could try to persuade him to work for his boss.
"So how long does the man take to finish?"
"It will most likely be finished in noon I reckon." Replies the man behind the counter. "If you have time to wait, I can bring some tea and desserts."
Strangely Oliver felt the urge to take the offer, but he declined.
"My apologies, I must decline your kind offer. But I am curious about the thing that the old man will make. So, I'll be back in noon time."
The man gave him a warm smile.
"Then until we see each other again." The man did a little wave as Oliver left the shop.
When he left, he made sure he stayed far away from the shop as possible until the time comes. Something strange was in the shop, everything except that man behaved and seemed inhuman. As much as he hates to admit Karry would be really helpful in this situation. But he is alone right now, and he needs to consider everything that could happen when going back there. As he went over every possible outcome he could think of, the time was soon upon him.
He went back to the shop, in it there were a lot of people waiting and or looking around. When he approached the counter only the old man was there.
"Hey, old man, I'm back for the "thing"."
"Oh, yes! Your order is ready. Please wait a moment as I go to fetch it."
The old man left for the back again. And with that the unsettling feeling returned. He was sure he is being watched but could not tell who was watching. Still, it was strange that he was feeling this way when the old man is not present. "Maybe his powers go way deeper than peering into one's soul." He wondered.
The old man returned with a doll; it was considerably smaller than the other ones on the shelves and weirdly had snake motifs on the dress. But the scary part for him is that the doll looked like that woman. Not being able to cover up the shock on his face the old man spoke once again.
"Oh, deary me! Looks like you are searching for the returnee lady."
"Please keep it down, I need to be subtle about it." He gestured the man to stay quiet.
"If you are searching for her, I suppose you are not from the upper crust."
Oliver just nodded in response.
"Then, if you wish to find her go to the central theatre. She holds plays there most of the day."
Hearing this he thanked the old man and moved towards the door after paying the dolls price. But just as he touched the door knob the man spoke.
"Be careful dear, the more you go up the more ravenous they get. If you are not careful you will be gobbled up in seconds."
Deeply disturbed, Oliver just left without saying anything. He knew something was up with that place and wished to never go back or near it again.
"So… The central theatre huh? Guess she really became what she wanted." He thought to himself. "Too bad I never asked for her name. It would come in handy right now."
He moved through countless alleyways and finally reached his destination. "Not so central huh?" he was talking to himself, annoyed. The theatre was nearly by the outskirts, near the Taitri border. Giving the structure before him a better look; the theatre was quite well; it is nicely constructed it looked like some form of mayoral building. He saw some people that looked like guards before the gates as well. Before going inside, he looked around for her name "Surely there would be posters around with her name on it." He thought.
After some looking around, he found people who were carrying posters and trinkets. It looked like they were preparing for a big event. And then he finally spotted her, she was among the crowd overseeing the preparations. To not get too much attention he stayed put until the crowd died down and only, she remained.
"Finally, the crowd left. We can talk one on one now." Oliver spoke up.
Upon hearing his voice, she flinched.
"Sorry, sorry. I did not mean to scare you, boss lady." He let out a laugh.
"You sound familiar… Show me your face then we can talk."
Hearing this Oliver jumped down to the ground.
"I believe we met, though I never got your name." He greeted her.
"Oh, I remember you. You are the rascal that helped me escape the enforcers."
"Yep! Yep! My name is Oliver but most of my colleagues call me Olie, a pleasure to meet you again."
"My name is Velma; I am the owner of this theatre."
After the introductions the pair fell in awkward silence, then Oliver got straight to the issue he came here for.
"Lady Velma, I came here from the lower levels to learn about your endeavours in *that* place."
Velma's face was twisted with horror after the mention of the library, she tried pick herself up again but was struggling to do so.
"I am sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about mister Oliver." She replied with a trembling voice. She stopped making eye contact and turned her head to the ground.
Oliver knew something was up after seeing this reaction. He wondered to himself about what great horrors she encountered in her journey inside. But there was no time for sympathy as he had a mission, and failure was not an option…
"I can see your fear miss Velma, but I am in some deep stuff here and need your guidance as a returnee. Please try to talk to me about it, I promise I won't tell anyone about this."
Oliver went on for a while trying to make her feel better and at ease, and finally she caved in.
"Fine… I'll tell you. But not here, this place is too open." She gestured Oliver to follow her.
She led Oliver to a secluded room inside the theatre. And sat him down in front of him.
"The library… That place, it is known to hold books and knowledge about everything. If you go in and are lucky enough to get out, you might as well become royalty with the things you learned." As she was about to continue her speech Oliver broke in.
"Miss, everyone knows this. I would be very happy if we cut to the chase." He was annoyed.
"As you wish." She spoke with a sinister tone. "But let me ask you one thing. Are you willing to pay the price for this kind of "information"." She was practically giving a death glare at him.
"Whatever your price is can be arranged Miss Velma, so no need to worry about that." He responded with a relaxed expression.
"Oh, you misunderstand me… The price is no money." She spoke as the shadows started to dance around them.
Oliver was frightened by the development of these events but, as he tries to escape, he was sat down again by a mysterious force.
"No need to be scared mister Oliver, whatever happening is natural. As a returnee, the info I give cannot be spread naturally."
"What do you mean naturally?" he asked.
"Knowledge comes with a price, so whatever I give to you will come back to bite you eventually." She was strangely calm. "So… I'll ask you again Mister Oliver, are you willing to pay the price of knowledge?"
The room became trippy, the walls expanded and closed in almost like it was breathing. Whispers can be heard but cannot be understood and it felt like being watched by a country worth of people. Something or someone was looking, watching.
Oliver never felt like this before, he felt like a bug caught in a spider's web, his eyes darted across the room trying to figure out what is going on. Then he realised no matter what he does there will be price to pay. With a heavy breath he accepted.
"Wonderful! Then let's begin!"
she looked as there was something behind him. But just as he was about to turn and look, something grabbed his head and forcefully turned it to Velma, Oliver's amber eyes forcefully locked on Miss Velma's unnatural purple glow. As she opened her mouth everything went black.
When he woke up, he was being carried by what seems like to be his colleagues. It took 4 days for him to regain his senses and another 4 to get up on his feet again. After getting up the first thing he noticed is that his hair now slightly changed colour, some grey spots have appeared along his dark hair. When Karry deemed him recovered the boss called him to his room. But he was empty handed, he gained nothing, or it was something, but he did not know what. He stood before the door pondering to himself, trying to get something that might satisfy the boss. But alas nothing came. As he entered the room the boss looked like he was expecting results.
"So, Olie, I hope you are fine by now."
"Yes boss! Thank you for everything." He bowed in hopes of this may soften him.
"Then, let's get to the matter in hand… How did it go? Judging by how you ended up here it did not go well."
"Well, it went well for most of the time. I even got some stuff from her." he had a scared tone.
"Tell me boy, I am really interested."
"The information… It was cursed, I saw the terrors with my eyes. I blacked out when she spoke…" He could not muster up the courage to raise his head and face the boss.
The boss let out a sigh, he looked annoyed. "Have you not fully recovered, boy? Or are you trying to cover up how you failed?"
"I-I am telling the truth; I saw everything I am certain of what I saw! I fell into her web!" As he was pleading that he said the truth a strange marking appeared under his right eye, it had a cracking sound as it appeared.
The boss was intrigued, "You are about to fall apart it seems." He said with a weirdly enthusiastic tone. "Maybe if you do, we will find the truth about this matter." He got up and started to walk towards him. "Maybe all it takes is a good well-placed punch!" in that moment a heavy punch came down on his face knocking him to the ground.
"Because of this little mission of yours we suffered heavy blows from our competition. But I guess all that was for nothing!" His voice was of anger. "After all I've done for you, you dare face me empty handed!"
Just as he was about to go in for a second blow, the windows shattered one by one. It seemed like an attack, but no one came in. The shards were scattered all around. When the boss looked down again to Oliver, he was gone, he used the opportunity to escape.
Without anywhere to go, he thought of returning to the theatre, but he couldn't. He did not want to face Miss Velma again; he was afraid of her. He thought to return to the place he wowed to never come close, There the old man could help him since he can tell fortunes with dolls. So, he went on his way to the upper crust again. This time not as a member of the Heron Gang but as Oliver. After a day and a half, her reached the doll house, a familiar face greeted him as he got in.
"Welcome! It is great to see you again." The young man spoke.
"Hey. I am on the search again do you think the old man can make something that could guide me." He asked with a tired tone, he did not rest on the way at all. And it showed on his face and appearance, his hair was dishevelled and his eyes were lifeless.
"From the looks of it that can wait, master is out anyways, you look tired why don't you rest and have some healing tea."
"Normally, I would decline. But I am in no hurry, so I'll accept."
The man left the counter and helped Oliver take a seat on one of the chairs.
"Please do not hesitate to take some sweets as well Mister…" The man gave him a look of curiosity.
"Oliver. But you can call me Olie as well. How about your name?"
"Glad to meet you Oliver, I am Mateo. Though most of our customers call me "Mao"." He said while moving back to the counter.
"Mao? What a strange nickname. Does it have a story?" he asked as to not make the mood awkward.
"Well… I make mostly lucky charms, so it just caught on after a while. Especially children use it a lot." "What about yours? Does it have a story?" He asked back.
"My former boss, Vergil, gave me that nickname. He took me in as a child after he saved me from some assassins. And so, I was raised in his gang. But looking back at it now, I think I was just a tool for him. I thought he always called me Olie because he views me as his family. But it's probably because he sees me as disposable and never bothered to learn my full name."
"Oh my… I'm sorry if I accidentally opened a sore subject." He lowered his head and apologised.
"I don't work for him anymore so, it's fine." Oliver replied looking outside.
"I am glad that you don't work for someone who makes you think like that." He came back to the table with a cup of tea.
"You're not going to drink?" Oliver asks, holding up his cup.
Mateo declines the offer to join and moves back behind the counter. It was not a busy day, so they were able to engage in conversation quite regularly. They talked about themselves through closing time.
"OH! I almost forgot!" Mateo jumps up "You actually did not get your full order last time." He went down to the counter's shelves.
"Hmm...? What could that be?" Oliver gets up and moves towards the counter as well.
"It should be around somewhere here…" He was checking the shelves underneath. "Ah! There it is!" He jumped up to his feet and hit Oliver's chin as he was leaning into the counter. Both were caught off guard. Oliver fell back and Mateo dropped back down.
"Hey… You okay there?" Mateo asks getting back to his feet.
"No." Oliver responds rolling in pain. "What is your head made of?! It felt like I was hit with a bat!" He whines on the ground.
"You are exaggerating c'mon get up." Mateo walks towards him and reaches out.
With a slight hesitation Oliver grabs his hand then Mateo pulls him up. "He is weirdly strong for someone who spend most of his time behind a counter" he thought to himself. His grip was strong as well, maybe if he was still working for the gang recruiting him would not be a bad idea. Nevertheless, he left them and will not return especially after what happened with the boss.
"You okay Oliver?" He gave Oliver a look of concern.
"Yea, it's nothing. Just lost in thought." Oliver responded.
"Well, if you are ok then please sit down so I can show you the thing you forgot." Mateo's tone became serious. Oliver was a bit intrigued; he always saw him as a bubbly person from the first time they talked, which is not much, but still. This sudden shift in tone made him a bit worried.
"Okay, I am interested now." Oliver took a seat.
"Well… Firstly, normally people that get this type of doll are bound to go to the library." Mateo revealed a coiled-up snake and put it on the table.
"Oh my. Looks like I'm in deeper trouble than I thought." Oliver spoke trying to lighten the drowning heavy atmosphere. "Is there no other way around this."
"I wish, but sadly it seems that there is not. Every time the old man makes a doll like this the person always goes to that place… And they never return." Mateo's eyes lost their sparkle, and his voice became heavy. By this reaction Oliver finally understood why he became serious all of a sudden.
Mateo, thanks to working in a highly popular shop, got to know a lot of people, and also had to lead some of them to their inevitable fate. And now he was doing this to Oliver. Acting like something akin to a Murder, the avatars of death.
"I hate this part the most about my job, even the thieves are really easy to deal whit compared to this." Mateo's sweet personality was all gone, the happy atmosphere he created was overtaken by a heavy dread and sadness.
Just as Oliver was about to speak the old man returned to shop.
"Oh… It seems like you showed him the other part." The old man moved to the table.
"Yes master. I was just explaining him the meaning of the doll you made." Mateo lowered his head.
"It is hard indeed." The old man took the doll into his hands. "You must have a lot of questions young Heron, ask and I'll answer." He turned to Oliver.
"I do have a lot of questions. But firstly, I am no longer a Heron, I'm just a stray at this point." Oliver corrected him. "Anyways, let me ask you this first: How are you able to see one's future?"
"I am simply blessed by our Lady" Man replied.
"That's a first. I never met someone blessed by Paira before."
"Indeed, our Lady is usually reserved when giving out blessings. Any more questions about my power? Or should we return to the more important matter at hand boy?" The old man seems agitated, he was bothered by the way the doll looks.
"So, if I am correct… This doll indicates I'll be going to that library at some point. Correct?" Oliver asked. The old man simply nodded. "Will I be able to come back?"
"Who knows, our Lady does not reveal the full picture, but if you are fortunate, you have a chance to make it out there alive." Then the old man turned to Mateo. "Mateo dear, there seems to be some *interesting* birds around. Can you watch over them and make sure we are not interrupted?" Mateo nodded and left after picking up three dolls from the side shelf.
"They could be from my old gang; he should not go alone if its them!" Oliver got up.
"Don't worry. Mateo can easily handle a bunch of troublemakers. Now sit back and listen."
The old man seemed confident in Mateo's abilities, so Oliver put his mind at ease and sat back down. "I am listening, old man."
"Now then, there is something weird about this doll." He kept examining the doll up until now. "Mostly dolls like this usually turns out to be snake heads. But yours is a whole snake."
"Didn't you make this doll? Why are you surprised that it turned out this way?" Oliver gave him a condescending look.
The old man let out a sigh "I might have the ability to make them, but I, as the maker, am forbidden to see them beforehand. That is the restriction Lady Paira gave me."
"That explains a lot. You were surprised as well when I was looking for Lady Velma." The old man, again, nodded in response.
"Anyways, back to the topic at hand. This omen turned out different than the others I made before. Please know that as I am seeing this new omen with you, I cannot even speculate what might lie ahead." The old man put the snake back on the table for Oliver to examine it.
After a while Mateo returned from outside, covered in dirt and had some rough spots on his body.
"Master, I took care of our guests." He came inside with three unconscious men being dragged by the dolls.
"Take them to the back dear." The old man replied.
"You heard him, if you would." Mateo turned back to the dolls. They were alive, and with his order they dragged the men to the back.
Oliver was quite surprised by this scene he was seeing. Mateo, after dusting himself off outside the door came back and sat with Oliver.
"So, did you get your questions answered?" Mateo asked with concern.
"Yea, more or less, I got some answers." Oliver locked his eyes on Mateo. "But I have some questions for you too."
"Y-y-yea" Mateo was flustered under Oliver's gaze.
"Were the men from Heron Gang, and did they have any blue medals?" He asked first.
"They had some kind of a bird symbol on them, so I guess?" Mateo nodded.
"So, it was them. Second question then. How are you strong enough to beat three of them?" He spoke in a stone-cold voice.
"Well… My friends did most of the work." He glanced at the shelves.
"How are those dolls alive Mateo. I am curious."
"Sorry but that is something I can't tell you." Mateo lowered his head looking at the snake doll.
Oliver just gave him a nod; he speculated that the dolls are the troublemakers and thieves who try to steal or harm the shop. But he did not dwell on that right now. Now, he needed to think about what was going to happen, at some point in his life he would end up in the library. As his eyes wandered off to the distance Mateo started talking.
"It is late, if you have nowhere to go you can stay here for the night." He pointed at the back. "There should be a spare room you can stay."
"I inconvenienced you all day, I cannot cause any more trouble than what I already have." He started to move towards the door.
Before he could leave, the old man came back. "Where do you think you are going young man." He asked. "Your room is ready." Then he glanced at Mateo.
"It is decided then." Mateo mumbled to himself. He grabbed Oliver by the arm, making him jump.
"Wait! Wait. Are you seriously going to force me in." Oliver responded.
"Master's orders, so please cooperate." Mateo replied with a dead look.
Seeing no way-out Oliver accepts the offer, then Mateo walks him to the room he was going to stay for the night. While on their way Oliver looked around, the back was bigger than the main store and was littered with unfinished and or broken dolls. The atmosphere was eerie and dark. Oliver tried to start a conversation to get rid of this awkward and eerie atmosphere.
"You seemed to be ready to fight me back there, you are really devoted to this 'Master' of yours." Oliver jokingly remarked.
"Of course, I am! He is the reason I am still alive and well. Without him I would have been eaten alive in the upper crust."
"Would you like to talk about it, I'm a bit curious what did he do to gain your full devotion, no pressure of course." Oliver moved next to him.
"Well… I guess I can tell you." Mateo's body language indicated that he was not comfortable with this. "Only because I accidentally opened a sore subject for you too." He gave Oliver a smile.
He took a deep sigh and started to tell his story:
"I will spare you the boring details, long story short: I was born to a now bankrupt high class merchant family. After the bankruptcy, due to our debt, a lot of collectors and assassins were sent on our way." He stopped and gestured at the door "This is the room you will be staying in."
"What happened next?" Oliver asked with a worry in his voice.
"Master saved me, but the others died." He started to tear up a bit. "This is the reason I give him my full devotion, no matter what."
"I'm sorry." Oliver went in for a light hug. "I did not mean to open a sore subject."
Until now Oliver did not realise how tall Mateo was compared to him, he always kept his distance, so it was hard to tell. But he barely passed Mateo's shoulders as he hugged him. With a bit of hesitation Mateo returned the hug.
"Thank you for listening. Please enjoy your stay." He opened the door.
The room was neatly decorated. It looked somewhat like a child's room, but most of the stuff were taken out by the old man it seems. After showing him the room Mateo moved towards the door.
"You are not staying in here? I thought the second bed was yours." Oliver pointed out.
"No, I stay in a residence near the shop." Mateo responds. "I should get going now. Sleep well and may tomorrow be a better day for you." He waved to Oliver and left.
After Mateo left, Oliver had the room all to himself. He used this time to reflect on what happened so far. Firstly, he failed his mission to acquire information on Miss Velma. Secondly, he got in trouble with the boss and now he will probably be a high priority target for the gang. Thirdly, a weird old man who can tell fortunes with dolls says that he is bound to go to the library at some point. But no matter how many times he goes over the events he just can't make out a good solution. The first two can be dealt with but the fact that the library is involved it makes things much harder. For a few hours he just drew circles around the room thinking of what to do, and after some while something spoke to him.
"Do not fear my child, come to me, to my domain." The distorted voice spoke to him. This led Oliver to jump in fear, The voice was same as that day only now it was more understandable and clearer. "Come to my library, seek me out." The voice talked on.
"Who are you, why and how are you inside my head?!" Oliver dropped to the ground his hands covering his ears…
"No need to be afraid, I have been watching you. I have found you satisfactory… Come seek me out." The voice beckoned.
"At least tell me who or what you are!"
"Who am I… I am the forgotten one!" As the voice revealed who it was the room's walls distorted. "I am the one who was left behind. I see you my child, seek me out." The voice faded away. Only the deafening silence remained in the room after its wake.
"What was that…" Oliver questioned himself, trying to catch his breath. He made up his mind at that instance. He was going to the library, and he was going soon. He tried to go to sleep after what happened and was able to after a few hours. As the sun was rising the voices woke him up.
"Come to us." The voices spoke, it was not the same as the last one. This one sounded like multiple beings brought together. At first Oliver was a bit distressed but strangely got used to them quickly, almost as if he knew them. As he made his way to the shop he was greeted by Mateo.
"Morning! I hope you slept well after all that."
"I managed to for a while." Replied Oliver.
Mateo turned towards him after finishing up with a customer.
"So… what will you do now?" he spoke in a serious tone.
"Honestly… I believe I'll head straight to the library." Oliver replied.
Mateo made a surprised face. Oliver was the first person that wanted to head straight to library after a fortune like that. Most people that end up getting that fortune either get so paranoid they lock themselves up or, in some extreme cases try to take their own lives. So, he did not expect Oliver to be this calm and willing to go there right away.
"What is with that face?" Oliver asked. "Has no one gone there immediately before?" he adds in a sarcastic tone.
"Yes, most either run away to different parts of the continent or try to take their life. You are the first to accept it right away."
"Why try to deny the inevitable? Like the old man said I might survive if Lady Paira smiles upon me." Oliver shrugs.
Just as Mateo was about to say something, another group of customers came in, so he turned his attention to them instead. This somewhat annoyed Oliver but he used this opportunity to examine the people and things around the shop better. In his first two times he was so busy he did not even look around. The shop front was small, but it had a cosy atmosphere, and Mateo's personality and demeanour behind the counter only added to that atmosphere. There was also a light smell of wood dust as the old man worked behind the curtains. "It certainly checks all marks to be a popular hanging spot." He thought. Waiting for Mateo to finish with the customers he just sat down near a window admiring the masterfully crafted dolls on the shelves.
The customers really took their time. And what made Oliver more annoyed that he could've just left waving a goodbye, but for some reason he is waiting for him. After a while the customers left, the shop was empty and only the distant sound of a hammer is heard.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, they were quite indecisive about what to buy." Mateo apologised.
"It's fine… Anyways what were you going to say." Oliver shrugs.
"Oh, I was going to give you something. One second." Mateo takes off his necklace. "Since you are leaving here soon, you should take this." Mateo extending his arm towards Oliver.
"What is this?" Oliver looks confused but takes the necklace anyways.
"It is one of the lucky charms I made. This one brought me good things in life after I made it, so I figured it might help you on your endeavours."
"Ah! You're so sweet." Oliver smirked at him. "Since it came for you, I'll gladly accept this gift."
Oliver puts the necklace on as soon as he gets it from Mateo's hands. Then he starts examining the piece.
"This is really cute, are these the only thing you make?" Oliver asks jokingly. "I never saw you work on dolls here."
"I actually made everything on the shelves." Mateo responds, letting out an awkward laughter.
Oliver was a bit shocked, before he could say anything else he was stopped by the old man.
"I thought you were going right away, but you seem to be wasting daylight here, boy." The man started to nudge Oliver towards the door. "Please stop distracting my employee mister." He added.
After apologising and saying his thanks and goodbyes Oliver left the shop and turned his sights towards the library. Once again, he went into the silence, but this time it was broken by the voices again "Don't make us wait any longer!" they repeated this phrase to him. He tried to talk to them, to communicate with them but to no avail, it seems like the communication they use is only one way and they don't hear him. On his way he passed through some old gang members gossiping, he wanted to know what the gang was up to, so he listened in for a while.
They were talking about the three men that went into the upper crust and never came back, it seemed like thanks to Mateo, the gang's power was weakened to the point of collapse. He snickered to himself imagining Karry's angry face and Boss' helpless expressions. He left without being noticed and kept going towards his desired destination.
After a few days the library was in sight. Weirdly enough he did not feel any fatigue or signs of hunger and thirst throughout his trip. It seemed like whatever wanted him there had made sure to sustain him to make the travel time faster.
"This is it…" He murmured. The voices were stronger than ever, and all encouraged him to go in. Only thing left is to sneak past the guards that patrol around, which was easy for him. He went past them and got inside. There were a lot of lifeless bodies lying everywhere inside, each holding either a book or a scroll.
"This is only the entrance corridor, and this many already?" He thought, his stomach turned thinking about how many skeletons he would find in the main area.
But to his surprise the main area was well maintained. He could see some shadows move around in the corner of his eye but could not make out who or what it was. Then that voice came back.
"You have arrived it seems." The voice was clear and well heard this time.
"Yes, and as you wished I am here to seek you out." Oliver replied to the voice.
"Oh, my child… You already succeeded." The voice spoke in an awfully loving tone. "I have already marked you, but it seems you are more resilient than I thought." It added.
Right then a striking pain took over Oliver. His right eye felt like it was falling off and the mark that appeared before started to crack open even more. As he was rolling in pain his hair started to go from black to grey and his right eye lost its amber hue and took an unnatural purple tone. He cried in pain as the voice spoke to him.
"Be not afraid, this pain will worth it in the end."
The agony continued of for a while, the whole place was filled with Oliver's cries. But then it abruptly stopped. The voice encouraged him to stand up. Though it took a while for him to get on his feet again. When he did however, he could finally see the true face of the library.
Inside there were countless servants, all in red and green robes moving around, organising. The shelves themselves were alive, ever moving. And above them all where the servants all gathered, a great serpent was coiled up. The God was looking down at him from its place, and after a prolonged silence it spoke.
"I believe you see me now my child." The Great God starts to slither closer.
Oliver paralyzed by fear, could not move nor respond to the being before him. The God came down closer.
"I am Ouroboros, The Forgotten God of Wisdom! And I find you satisfactory to receive my power." It was only a few meters away from Oliver's face.
"Why me…?" Oliver asks, still trying to recover from the pain.
In response the God only chuckles, then opens its mouth. A weird gas leaked out from inside… Then all of the robed spirits gathered around and started a ritual of some kind.
"A devotion like yours is hard to come across, you took in my curse for another's pursuit of power, and on top of that, you were able to resist most of the curse, even though I may not be as powerful as I used to be I'll still reward you with a portion of my power." The God said. "You may think of me as your employer of some kind, in turn of this reward I expect you to do work for me." Then it added.
"I did not escape a cage to be put in another!" replied Oliver, he was trying to resist The God's influence. He didn't want to go back to how it was in the gang, always walking on eggshells trying his best to dance around his boss' temper.
"No need to worry, this place is no cage. This place is an oasis of knowledge. All for you to use." It spoke in a soft tone. "If you do your work well enough, I'll give you even more power as a reward." Then added.
Oliver was uneasy, this arrangement reminds him of what he had in the Heron Gang. And based on how that turned out, he wanted to just escape from this place. But he could not move his body. The ritual was near its completion, and his mind started to fill with all kinds of knowledge. "Of course, it would be knowledge." He scoffed struggling to keep his thoughts together. And the ritual ended… The spirits surrounding him went away and only he and the God remained.
"The blessing ritual is complete. You know own a portion of my knowledge." The God spoke.
"I honestly expected a holy light to come down and grant me a blessing, not an ominous ritual." Oliver said smugly.
"Not all wishes come true, boy. Don't push your luck." It responded whit a grunt.
"Don't be that grumpy, I was just joking."
"We shall dwell on this matter no longer. You now work for me and belong in this library." The God release a gas from its mouth again. "This spell will keep you unaffected from the mind taxing curse of knowledge." It added.
"Well, this is it then…" Oliver thought to himself, he was going to spend the rest of his existence here and maybe even more. And all the fear he felt has disappeared and he no longer felt like escaping. He was against a God, he had no choice but to comply. As he looked around the Serpent God started to slither to its original post. The shelves all moved around with it, a weirdly beautiful sight. He was intrigued, he wanted to know more was this the God's influence or his instinct, he could no longer tell.
"Well guess nothing left but to wander around." Oliver murmured "Getting acquainted with this place would be beneficial." He added still mumbling to himself.
With his new eye he could see everything in the library, from the souls that relentlessly collect and reorganise books to even the faintest life essence hiding in the corners. The place seemed to have its own ecosystem, Oliver was fascinated by this and started to observe the happenings to better understand the place's structure.
After a few weeks of observing and experimenting with the "Book Keepers" (That's the name he gave the souls that collect and reorganise the books.) he discovered that their reorganizing is random, they do not categorise the books they pick up and place. He theorised that, this very reason is why they always do the same thing 2, even sometimes 4, times a day. He felt bad for the creatures, and also was really annoyed at the randomness of the shelves, so he tried to experiment with some. He would take books of the same genre and put them together near a shelve that had openings. When the Keepers take the books and try to put them in a shelve, they prioritise the first book that they pick up and put that in their place but when there is no more room, they would just leave the second book on the ground until either another one picks it up or the shelves shift position.
Another thing is that the bookshelves themselves where alive and move around periodically in union 3 times a week. When they move, they drop some books on their shelves for Book Keepers to collect and put them back on another shelf that took their place. It was a fascinating cycle that always insured everything would be in motion.
"They have been doing this possibly for a few centuries, trying to change that might give unsatisfactory results." Oliver thought, for now he would not try to change the system already there, "Most likely the God would be angry anyway." He added.
And thanks to the God's blessing he is able to find any book he wishes. So, he abandoned the idea of reorganisation for now. His second issue was loneliness, no creature here were able to hold a decent conversation, including the God above. But there was a solution, he saw Mateo brought those dolls to life, so he wondered if he could do the same. To his surprise there were a lot of books on "soul studies" and "soul syphoning" and the library's walls seem to trap souls inside.
So, he got to work, he patchworked two dolls from the clothing of the dead that lied around in the entrance. Then he followed the steps in a soul transfer book and chanted.
"ᛋᛟᚢᛚᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛞᚨᛗᚾᛖᛞ, ᛋᚢᚠᚠᛖᚱ ᛁᚾ ᛚᛁᛗᛒᛟ ᚾᛟ ᛗᛟᚱᛖ! ᚺᛖᚨᚱ ᛗᛖ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᛖᛖ ᛗᚤ ᛟᚠᚠᛖᚱᛁᚾᚷ!" He chanted as he put the dolls in front of him.
He could see movement on the ceiling, all of the souls trapped rushed down to the dolls but since he made only two dolls only two would be able to reside inside. After half an hour of storm the ones that did not make it started to float up to their place again. And the dolls on the ground woke up as well.
One had a happy and mischievous grin; it rose first with energy.
"I am finally free!" it danced around Oliver. "Thank you, mister!" after a while the soul settled down.
And the other doll showed signs of waking up but did not float up like the other one, it had a calmer face but still the same smile.
"Time to wake up?" it groaned; it was less energetic but still grateful. "Thank you for saving me, mister." It lowered its head.
Oliver was happy with the result, after giving the two a look he turned back to the book for the next step. It was naming them, "Looks like I need to name you." He spoke to the dolls "Any ideas?" he added.
"No, sorry." Both dolls shook their head side to side.
"Hm… then how about Bora and Baran?" Oliver proposed. "Those were the names of my last recruits, so I guess it is appropriate." He added.
The dolls jumped with excitement.
"Then I'll take Bora!" the energetic one spoke up.
"Then I'm Baran…" then spoke the other.
"I's decided then! From now on you are my new friends."
After a while of chatting with Bora and Baran, Oliver learned that they have been stuck in limbo here for a few thousands of years. They bonded quite easily, since they were the only ones, and talked endlessly with each other. First, they talked about their lives, Bora and Baran also told Oliver about what is beyond, then when they ran out of stories they started to read and criticise the various books around the library.
Their routine was interrupted by the God, who came down from the ceiling.
"Oliver, I have work for you." It spoke.
"Hm? The Keepers here do all the work here. What would you want me to do?"
"I finally located a book that was stolen. I want you to go out and get it for me." The God spoke.
"I can go out?" Oliver asked. "I thought I was bound here." He added.
"You are bound here. However, you may leave with my permission." The God responded.
Oliver's eyes lit up. He can go out and see how things have changed outside. But before he fantasised more the God spoke again.
"But if you want to stay sane, you need to return here in due time when you go out."
"Interesting, how much time will I have?" Oliver asked.
"With your current power level, you can sustain yourself for about 6 days outside." The God slithered closer to him. "But If you increase your mana you can prolong that time further." It added.
"How will that be possible? I thought if you do not born with affiliation to magic you don't possess any mana…" Oliver questioned.
The God chuckled, "Boy, everyone and everything possesses mana. But only magic users get to use theirs, so most think that way."
"So… Do I have a time frame?" Oliver asks nervously. "In how many days shall I complete this quest?"
"When you are sure you will be able to you can set out." The God spoke "I am immortal, I have time and can wait. So, no need to rush the inevitable, boy."
Oliver was shocked, the God really was better than his boss. Guess immortality really makes one kinder. He instinctively kneeled before the God.
"I will not disappoint. I'll make sure I'll get that book as soon as I am able to withstand outside for the desired amount."
"I know you will, Then I leave it to you." The God, once again, slithered back up to its post.
"Oh… It seems like an adventure is upon us in due time!" Bora jumped with excitement.
"Ugh… Finally get to see outside." Baran added.
"Guess this time we won't have to argue about which book we are going to read." Oliver pointed out laughing.
They found and piled up the books needed and started their usual routine. Soon, they will be able to see outside again. But for now, they enjoyed each other's company, as always.