When the sound interrupted Kaizen, Jayaa and Alina's walk, they looked back and saw a tall man in a long cloak coming through the library door. The man's well-groomed hair and nonchalant smile were familiar, and he said:
"Oh, why do you look so scared? I said I'd distract the Sentinels, not that I'd let you explore our sacred library unsupervised."
Kaizen then turned and gave way to Vorian, an Elder.
"All right, it's your right. Please take us to your session on Týr."
With his hands behind him, Vorian nodded. "As you wish, however, I'm afraid to say that we don't have a specific session for the god Týr, but one for all the gods of the world."
Kaizen, Alina and Jayaa exchanged glances, absorbing Vorian's information about the library session. Surprise mixed with curiosity propelled them forward, following the Elder through the labyrinthine corridors of the hidden library.
Their footsteps reverberated softly against the stone floor as Vorian led them along a path that seemed to intertwine with the walls crammed with books.
"This library contains all the knowledge accumulated over the ages," Vorian explained, his voice echoing slightly through the corridors. "Each book, each parchment, contains the essence of the studies we do here and also the essence of this place, of Olaynore. I bet the founders wanted us to study the universe and its nature more than its wonders when they decided to create this place."
Alina felt enveloped by a sense of awe at the vastness of the knowledge around her. She was used to this kind of setting, but in a way it was nostalgic for her and made her think of the stories she had read since childhood, the legends of the gods who shaped the world and the ancient prophecies that echoed down the millennia.
Now, faced with the possibility of unlocking some of these secrets, her heart was pounding with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.
"She could do it."
Then Alina, just as Vorian had done a few seconds ago, stretched out one of her hands towards the bookshelves and a series of books flew towards her. These books began to leaf around her, filling the room with the sound of passing pages.
"If everything here is as organized as I imagine it to be, we need to find the section that talks about the Aesir gods, because if we were to look here book by book, it would surely take us days and we don't have time for that." Alina began to explain as she read the books. Then she removed her eyes and looked at everyone, who was standing still, and said: "Aren't you going to help?
Come on, eight eyes working is better than two."
"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone agreed.
Jayaa fearfully approached one of the bookcases and a peculiar book caught her eye. It was partially hidden between the rows, as if waiting to be discovered. The cover of the book was dark and gloomy, with silver ornaments on the cover. An aura of mystery emanated from it.
Jayaa reached out to take the book, and the moment her fingers touched the cover, a strange sensation ran through her skin. The book trembled slightly, as if it were taking on a life of its own. A soft murmur echoed through the room, like a muffled bark. Suddenly, the book opened by itself and Jayaa felt a stream of magical air escape from the pages, only it wasn't magical air, but terrible breath.
The pages of the book began to shake, revealing eyes that glowed with an intense light inside the book instead of pages. It was as if the book had a consciousness of its own.
Jayaa's heart raced as the front and back covers of the book turned into razor-sharp jaws, reminiscent of monsters that only existed in the darkest legends.
He began to back away instinctively as the book tried to bite him, and noticing that his friends were too focused on what they were doing, he struggled impetuously forward and finally managed to shove the book back into its place within seconds.
Gasping, he looked down at the book still shaking on the shelf and walked briskly to the other side of the room.