Rosa and Fynn exchanged worried glances as Scarlett turned to face them.

After a brief hesitation, Rosa broke the silence, her voice gentle but still laced with concern. “Scarlett, mind telling us what’s going on?”

Scarlett looked at her, finding that it took a moment to articulate her thoughts. “I am…fine,” she replied measuredly. “I have just had an encounter with the remnants of an ancient Zuverian demigod. It left me somewhat disoriented, that is all.”

Fynn nodded along as if that statement made perfect sense, while Rosa’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’m sorry, but…what?”

Scarlett’s gaze drifted to the floating metal orb at the center of the chamber, her eyes tracing the intricate patterns on its surface.

It was a strange sensation, having Thainnith’s legacy pressing against her mind. Apart from the headache currently blasting her senses, it felt like a strange fusion of knowledge and instinct was lying just in wait inside her head. Like an auxiliary repository that she could draw on, though the information inside was disorderly and hard to sift through consciously. Instead, the legacy seemed more inclined to volunteer pieces of information when relevant.

That’s how it was when she was studying this orb. She knew it was Thainnith’s creation, designed to house the copy of himself he’d left behind to pass on his legacy. The device drew power from the leylines beneath the Rising Isle, but now, having fulfilled its purpose, it was effectively inert.

Not that it was likely to have withstood whatever assault the Anomalous One performed anyway.

A frown creased Scarlett’s brow as she recalled her encounter with the being both back in Crowcairn and just now. The seal containing it really seemed less robust than she’d initially believed.

What was it that Thainnith had said? Outside the confines of the realms, it was under fewer restrictions? The implications of that were concerning.

Unbidden, snippets of lore surfaced in her mind, informing her that the space between realms—which differed from interstitial spaces—was largely unknown and unexplored. The fragments of knowledge on it were frustratingly patchy, but it did give her a rough understanding of the concept.

She wondered if the fractured nature of some of the information was due to Thainnith’s remnant not having enough time to complete his legacy. If so, perhaps she was lucky that he’d managed as much as he had.

“Hey, are we just gonna gloss over you claiming to have met a literal demigod?” Rosa pressed, her voice pulling Scarlett back to the present.

“We can discuss the details later,” Scarlett responded, her voice low and some fatigue bleeding into it. “This is not the place.”

She decided to keep the details about the legacy to herself for now. It would be better to share that with them at a time when they wouldn’t be as worried. There were also bits of knowledge that might be relevant to them then, and she needed time to sort through the jumble in her mind.

With a slight gesture, Scarlett managed to summon enough of her focus to call upon her hydrokinesis and clean the traces of blood from her nose and fingers. She then turned her attention back to the custodian, studying it for a few seconds.

The clarity of the knowledge Thainnith’s legacy provided seemed to vary quite a bit.

“Thelmin beldor vaelinn sylth,” she commanded, the words feeling foreign as they rolled off her tongue. She wasn’t even entirely certain of their full meaning, but she knew they would have the desired effect. “Relinquish the Glimpse of Eternity.”

The custodian’s blank gaze fixed upon her. Then its elongated arm reached into the depths of its robes, producing a small, crystalline orb no larger than the palm of a hand. The orb’s surface was smooth and utterly flawless, yet within its depths was a swirl of mesmerizing colors that moved slowly, like ethereal mist caught in an endless dance.

It extended the item towards her.

[Glimpse of Eternity (1/?) (Unique)]{Essence captured, forever yearning for wholeness}

Scarlett briefly examined the orb, then accepted it silently. It felt surprisingly warm against her skin, and she could sense a faint vibration from within, like the heartbeat of the universe itself, resonating through her palm.

She stored it securely in her [Pouch of Holding].

Aside from finding information on the Anomalous One, this had been her primary objective in the Veiled Library. The [Glimpse of Eternity] was a key component that powered the custodian, and in the game, acquiring it required defeating the dungeon boss. However, thanks to Thainnith’s legacy, Scarlett now possessed the passphrase to compel the custodian’s cooperation, simplifying matters considerably. She’d been trying to think of ways of getting this without causing a mess.

Her newfound knowledge assured her that, even without the [Glimpse of Eternity], the custodian should still be able to continue functioning. It had been accumulating mana over centuries of isolation, and it had basically been a giant battery to begin with.

That said, its capabilities would probably diminish because of this. Maybe it would struggle to fend off powerful intruders, but it should manage its other duties adequately at least.

Scarlett was content as long as she had what she wanted. The artifact wasn’t of immediate use to her, but when she had collected all of its pieces, it would be.

The sound of footsteps drew her attention to the chamber’s entrance. Allyssa, Shin, and Yamina appeared, their expressions a mix of confusion and surprise as they took in the room’s strange atmosphere. Yamina, in particular, seemed captivated by the intricate runes adorning the walls and the array of magical devices scattered throughout the space.

“What is this place?” Allyssa asked as they approached.

Standing beside Scarlett, Rosa briefly glanced her way. Then the bard’s concerned expression quickly morphed into her usual carefree demeanour.

“Well, it’s the buried Veiled Library’s hidden area’s forbidden section’s secret chamber, of course,” Rosa said with a dramatic flourish, turning to Allyssa with a grin. “I thought that much would be obvious? Scarlett found it.”

The girl shot her a slightly exasperated look in response.

Yamina, peering over her gold-rimmed glasses, turned her keen gaze to Scarlett. “So, this place was concealed, and you uncovered it? Can I ask how? From just a glance, several of the arrays appeared designed to mask its presence, and they seem quite formidable.”

“The chamber was hidden behind a section dedicated to Thainnith,” Scarlett explained. “It was devoid of texts, but when I interacted with it, this laboratory was revealed. From what I have gathered, this belonged to the Zuverian diviniarch Thainnith, and it was likely meant to be discovered eventually.”

Wrinkles formed on Yamina’s brow as her attention shifted to the metal orb at the center of the chamber. “And that is…?”

“I do not know,” Scarlett replied.

The wizard’s eyes lingered on the orb for several seconds before returning to Scarlett. “I see,” she said, her tone neutral but her interest evident.

With that, Yamina wandered over to a long stone table near the wall, scrutinising the various arcane implements spread out on it.

Scarlett observed her for a moment, then decided it was best to let the woman satisfy her curiosity before initiating any serious discussions. She turned back to the others.

“I have obtained what I came for,” she said, keeping a steady voice despite her growing exhaustion. “We still have time before we need to depart, and there are no imminent threats, so you may all feel free to explore the library as you wish. I do advise caution in the forbidden sections and suggest using the custodian for guidance, as some texts here could indeed be dangerous.”

From what she could tell, Thainnith’s legacy hadn’t provided any detailed catalogue, but Scarlett did get a strong intuition that certain things here were better left undisturbed.

Both Allyssa and Shin lit up at the prospect of further exploration, though they quickly tempered some of that enthusiasm.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Are you sure that’s alright?” Allyssa asked, the blond-haired girl now eyeing Scarlett more closely. “You don’t look too well.”

“I am fine,” Scarlett assured her.

Allyssa and Shin exchanged a skeptical glance.

“I’ll stay with her,” Fynn spoke up.

Rosa tossed a lock of curly hair over her shoulder with feigned nonchalance. “Me too. Just in case she gets lonely.”

Scarlett gave them both a mild frown. Out of the corner of her eye, she even spotted Yamina pausing at the far end of the chamber, looking their way as well.

Did she really appear that tired? She felt it, yes, but she was pretty sure she could press on for at least a few more hours.

Suppressing a sigh, she offered a slight shake of her head, immediately regretting the motion as it intensified her headache.

“Very well,” she conceded, “but Allyssa and Shin should take this opportunity to explore what interests you here. I cannot guarantee that we will have such unrestricted access to the library’s contents again.”

The two of them stared at her, eyes slightly widened.

“…What?” she asked.

Allyssa blinked, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she playfully punched Shin’s armored arm. “Stop staring. So what if she used our first names for the first time in Ittar-knows-how long? You’re embarrassing us.”

The young man shot her a flat look in response.

Clearing her throat, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of the girl’s lips, Allyssa turned away. “Rosa, I’m counting on you and Fynn to keep an eye on things here.”

She tugged on Shin’s arm, leading him out of the chamber. Scarlett watched them go, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“Not sure if I should feel proud or sad,” Rosa mused to the side. “I kinda liked being the only one you addressed so informally. At least on occasion.”

“She’s always called me informally,” Fynn said.

“That’s because you basically go by one name. Unless we’re including that ‘Grehal-something’ — but let’s face it, that’s just too much of a mouthful.”

“My real name is Fyntrarth, though.”

Rosa went quiet for a moment, then shrugged. “…Still doesn’t count.”

Scarlett, whose frown remained as she listened to their exchange, shifted her focus to Yamina. “While you are here, we will be searching more of the library. Although I trust your judgement, be mindful of the time. Remember, we must leave before dawn.”

“I will find you later, then,” the robed woman nodded, her attention already returning to some runes etched into the wall. “Do be careful not to get lost.”

Leaving the laboratory, Scarlett, Rosa, and Fynn paused before the first aisle. Scarlett assumed Allyssa and Shin would make their way back to the first chamber since that was the most convenient place to find specific books in this place.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t rest for a bit?” Rosa asked quietly, stepping closer to her.

Scarlett turned to her. “If you wish to explore in my stead, feel free.”

The woman looked at her, then flashed a confident smile as she straightened some imaginary collar confidently. “Alrighty then. What am I looking for?”

Resisting the urge to shake her head again due to the headache, Scarlett simply turned away. “I was not being serious. I will manage, so you can cease with the incessant questioning.”

Despite the allure of a good night’s sleep right about now, the chance to explore the Veiled Library without restrictions wasn’t one she could pass up. Although its vast collection of knowledge probably held less value for her than most others, and her time was limited, this was an opportunity to build upon and confirm some information she remembered from the game.

To start, there were still things she wanted to investigate in the forbidden section.

She directed her attention to the custodian, which had followed them out of Thainnith’s laboratory as if awaiting instructions. “Let us begin, shall we?”

She had it guide them to sections relevant to her interests. This included Beld Thylelion, the Tribute of Dominion, the Forgotten Tower, the Rising Isle itself, and other significant locations within the empire.

Previously, without Yamina or another expert fluent in Zuverian, Scarlett would’ve struggled to understand any of the texts here. Now, thanks to the legacy, the script became increasingly comprehensible over time. This included even some runes and other arcane symbols that had been like Greek to her before.

It wasn’t quite to the level where she could magically understand how to use and arrange runes to create enchantments and complex arrays—at least as far as she could tell—but the sudden comprehension was still very surprising, not to mention surreal. It was the kind of shortcut that any college student would have killed for.

While in the forbidden section, she took meticulous notes of what they found, making ample use of Rosa and Fynn’s presence to have them help her with that. The information here seemed to primarily concern potent—or dangerous—spells and arrays, secrets concerning the constructions and hiding of treasures, and similar topics. While not exhaustively detailed, the knowledge was undoubtedly invaluable to the right people.

After some time, Yamina joined up with them briefly after having concluded her investigations of the hidden laboratory, but the woman soon ventured off on her own again. Eventually, Scarlett and the others left the forbidden section, returning to the first chamber to peruse the more general volumes alongside Allyssa and Shin, leaving the custodian behind.

Scarlett found that, with a bit of practice, she could coax whatever book-conjuring mechanism the Veiled Library used to yield some of the texts she sought. The process wasn’t precise, and sometimes the library’s choices baffled her—she certainly had no use for treatises on social interactions written by wizards with personalities even worse than her own—but it proved effective enough.

They discovered that there was a limit to the number of copies the library would provide to any one person, a fact Shin had apparently learned to Allyssa’s amusement when he attempted to amass a stack of historical tomes and triggered the disappearance of the first book he acquired. From the look of things, no more than five copies were allowed at once.

This restriction did force Scarlett to prioritise her own selections and take even more extensive notes. Fortunately, her current mastery of pyrokinesis made writing pretty easy, and she had enough helpers to record the most interesting material.

Annoyingly, though, as the hours passed and she pored over more and more texts, her headache intensified, making it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Still, she made sure to maintain a composed exterior, not exactly feeling inclined to have the others fuss over her.

While she was slightly worried that the headache might indicate an issue with the legacy Thainnith, she wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions. It seemed just as likely that she was simply overexerting herself, and she doubted Thainnith would have attempted anything that could seriously put her life at risk.

Although she did consider telling Gaspar that she was ill or something the following day to rest and recover.

As the time to depart approached, Yamina met up with them again, the woman’s arms now laden with tomes and scrolls.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow at the sight. It was almost like their first meeting.

“Something tells me those aren’t props this time,” Rosa remarked, eyeing the items.

“In a manner of speaking, they still are. Simply more tangible ones.” The wizard soon stashed them within her robes, where Scarlett assumed she had some sort of spatial enchantment. “It’s a habit of mine, you could say. I always feel that repositories like this call for a certain…presentation.”

Scarlett wondered if the woman actually intended on snatching those volumes from the library proper. Even she hadn’t gone that far, only keeping the copies provided by this first chamber. Beyond not wanting to provoke the Rising Isle more than necessary, it felt somewhat irreverent. Then again, she supposed Yamina would have unrestricted access to this place and could return the volumes at her convenience.

As they gathered in the center of the underground chamber, Scarlett approached the statue in the corner clutching a quill in its stone hand. She retrieved the book she had previously given it, which triggered the closure of the entrance to the library’s deeper sections. After carefully placing the book back on one of the veiled shelves, she rejoined the group.

[Quest completed: Visit the Veiled Library]{Skill points awarded: 9}

A quest completion message flashed before her, which Scarlett promptly dismissed. That much she’d already been expecting. The only thing that caught her attention was the lack of any mention of her encounter with Thainnith.

“I will return you to your accommodations first,” Yamina said, drawing Scarlett’s focus. “Rest assured, no one will know we were here. Baroness Hartford, should you choose to share the secrets of this library with the council in exchange for something in the future, I would like if you could consult with me first so I can make the proper preparations. It would be best if our visit tonight remained a secret for now, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Of course,” Scarlett replied, then regarded Yamina for a moment. “…May I ask, though, why you chose to accompany us tonight? Surely the council would have granted you access eventually if I informed them of this place.”

Yamina paused, tilting her head as a strand of her dark purple hair fell across her face. “You’re right. I hadn’t considered that.”

Scarlett eyed her skeptically.

A slight smile formed on the woman’s lips. “Apologies, that was an attempt at humour. While it’s true that I would have gained entry eventually, the Isle tends to be overly cautious with access to sensitive areas such as this. Official permissions can be…glacially slow. I found this approach more expedient.”

“Is there something specific you needed to learn quickly?” Scarlett asked.

Yamina considered her. “…Perhaps,” she replied cryptically.

The two of them studied each other.

Scarlett wasn’t entirely sure what the wizard came here for, other than that it was related to the Tribute of Dominion. The information Scarlett herself had uncovered on the topic here hadn’t clarified things either, nor was it clear if Yamina had found what she sought.

What reasons could she have to be in a rush? Even if Yamina was investigating Beld Thylelion and all of that, the place wasn’t opening that soon, as far as Scarlett knew.

There was also the matter of the Orrery’s reaction to the woman. Scarlett still wasn’t certain whether that was a cause for concern. However, since it was Yamina who had facilitated her visit here today and had been generally helpful and cooperative, Scarlett would give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

“Prepare yourselves,” Yamina instructed as she brought out the artifact she’d used to transport them here earlier. She knelt, placing it carefully on the stone floor before them.

As the wizard’s hands extended out, beginning to cast whatever spell activated the device, Scarlett felt a slight tremor against her skin. The Orrery on her wrist had suddenly come to life.

“Hold for a moment,” she said sharply, glancing down at the artifact. Yamina paused her casting, and the others turned towards Scarlett, expressions ranging from curiosity to concern.

Scarlett’s eyes widened as she watched the metallic globe at the Orrery’s center. The copper bands encircling it, usually still, had now started rotating with increasing speed.

“Baroness Hartford,” Yamina’s voice cut through Scarlett’s focus, tinged with a mix of fascination and wariness. “That device… What is it?”

Scarlett barely registered the question. Her mind raced back to Thainnith’s description about the Orrery:

‘The Orrery is intimately linked to fate’s fabric. While it cannot alter fate itself, it will alert you to any significant deviations or monumental events defying the expected course.’

It was clear that something was happening right — something that deviated from the predicted path of fate.

Something big.