The Library

Lionel's eyes lit up, "Yes.." his eyes darted to S, she gave him a warning look to be humble."I am searching for Cloud city. I would be extremely grateful if you would help me." He said this all with great difficulty he didn't like acting like a superior.

Orville stared at him with three eyes obviously pleased by the feeling of being superior."I might be able to help you get home, if you have something good to offer."

The Kitten frowns. Orville likes frowns. Nothing exciting happens when people are smiling--well, when most people are smiling, at least.

In contrast, Orville likes when Preax smiles. Preaxs' smiles tells him that he's found a story to tell. Preax, he thinks that by sharing stories to him, Orville would tell him who he is, where he has to go, what his purpose in the world is after his exile--quite idiotic. Quite funny, as well. Orville plays along. Orville always plays along. He always considers writing Preaxs' story, since he won't write his own; whatever he tells Preax will give him a meaning of some sort, a purpose, the mythical thing all living beings search for until they realize something.

S has realized that something. She smiles, and Orville doesn't like her smile, but not like the way he wouldn't like Lionel's--no, no. The normal smile because of something that temporarily leads the paths in their lives to bright spots, and they frown because of something that temporarily leads the paths in their lives to dark spots. S, she's looked back at the paths she's made, and she's realized all she's done is walk in a circle. Her smiles laugh at the path she's made, and the others that follow it. Her frowns, they cry. They're both sad. Orville doesn't like being sad. Orville doesn't like being reminded of his own existence.

"What are you looking for?" The Kitten asks.

Orville chuckles, inwardly, and he walks back to his seat. "If you'd like to leave the house, you have to find the front door," he says, "In this case, if you want to leave the library, you have to find the proper book. S most probably showed you a glimpse of the mechanics--if you go back now and pick out any other book in the shelf, it'll lead you to a completely different place. Most of which will kill you if you blindly enter."

He sits down in his chair, rolling about the room. "I can't, of course, have all the library bookshelves open up for anybody to take, regardless whether or not we want them inside. Some of the people we invite are...difficult to persuade." He makes a gesture with his hands. "In order for them to earn access to the worlds they need to go to, they need a Library Card. Checking it in to a nearby librarian allows them access to one world."

He pauses, expecting a question. Lionel is predictable. "S brought me in with her Card alone," he says. "Is it not possible for me to use hers to go home?"

Orville grins. "Her Library Card was earned. It allows her access to any world at any time indefinitely," he answers, "But, if she chooses it, it will only allow her fellow visitors to stay for a week. If you are overdue, the Librarians will hunt you down and drag you back into the Library. There, you will become a permanent Assistant--powerless, mute, wiped of all memory and personality, and forced to serve the Librarians for the rest of eternity. The same will occur if at any point in time S decides to leave you in the world she borrowed, effectively returning the book, access to the world, and you to us."

Preax frowned. He knew a trap when he saw one and this was definitely a trap. He turned cautiously to S. Orville knew something they didn't he was trying to get Lionel stuck here. "We should get going." She looked at him curiously. I know she's smarter than me but she can never see a trap when there's one placed in front of her. "We really need to get going!" He nodded to Orville.

She seemed to start catching on. Orville frowned, "Going so soon?" a clicking sound came from the bookcase.

Preax's eyes darted to the door behind Orville's desk and he ran.

Spoiler

this is very long and i basically hijacked the plot, but for anybody reading through and saying TL;DR--Orville is a bored entity who invites people into his library to solve their problems. However, in turn they have to give him a good story, often by completing his challenges. He opens the door behind him and reveals one of the people who failed to give him a good story, the King Abhi who tried to get out of Orville's challenge (which was to kill his wife in order to save his kingdom from Slayers) by taking the dead body of a similar female soldier and presenting Orville with her head. Orville does not make Abhi into an Assistant because he failed to complete his challenge, but because Abhi refused to give a necessary sacrifice that creates a good story, therefore almost getting his happy ending without suffering first.

Orville watches as Preax runs off. S watches, as well. It confuses her. Most things do, and she knows it. She is constantly confused, but nothing ever surprises her anymore. Nothing ever surprises Orville anymore. That's why he always has to be the surprise if he's supposed to be any fun.

"Dearest kitten," he says, listening as the door behind him slides open. The familiar sound of chains and flipping pages echo. "Since you've met one of your possible futures, I'd like you to meet the other."

The first Assistant is large, an elephant-like creature of some sort, with a hole in its head that seems like something is supposed to be in it. A gem, perhaps, or a tusk that was dug out. The elephant Assistant is three times larger than the Kitten, and barely fits through the door, but he moves in regardless. He's wearing the standard uniform, collared white shirt and a fitting pair of dresspants. His eyes are dull. His mouth and his trunk are both sown shut. "Meet King Abhi, the Fearless," he explains, gesturing to the creature. "Formerly the ruler of a kingdom you may or may not remember, since it is in your universe. If you don't remember him, it is understandable. His kingdom rotted years after he decided to cheat me out of my story."

He stands up, slapping the young elephant on his chest. "You see, Abhi here was chosen because he had a particular story I wanted from him. He was your stereotypical, fair, flawless king with no known political histrionics and a press record whiter than an albino cat drinking milk inside a sterilized laboratory. The Standard. The Ideal Protagonist." He smiles. "Of course, no Ideal Protagonist is complete without his conflicts, so one day a war raged between him and the Stereotypical Bad Guys. Oh no, not black intangible creatures, mind you," He laughs. "I'm talking about the Slayers."

Lionel's face itches a bit, and Orville continues. "You see, knowledge is quite definitely power, and I had the power to stop the Slayers. Abhi, meanwhile, was completely ignorant. I told him what I wanted, and what I wanted was simple: A good story." He shrugs. "In other words, I asked him to kill his only son to save the rest of the kingdom."

This time, Lionel's face turns completely red. S is silent, but he could tell by her expression she was only reminding herself that this was nothing out of the ordinary. "It was such a simple request, such a direct plot," Orville paced the floorboards, grabbing things out of thin air, "It wasn't like I was telling him something oblique, like, Tell me your darkest secret or Do something you would never do. He didn't need to interpret my request or anything, it wasn't like he had any other son with any other woman. And yet, you know what happened?" He points at the elephant in the room, scowling. "He came back, a week later, with the head of a recently killed female soldier, thinking I'd be fooled."

Orville shook his head, baffled. "Unbelievable," he says, before he slams his fist into the desk, "Unbelievable . Do you know what a stupid, backheaded, idiotic, incomprehensible deus ex machina that is? He pulls it out of his bottom! It isn't even the head of a close friend of his, or anybody the audience would know from the story! It's lazy! It is clearly meant for him to avoid all conflict and all necessary sacrifices that. Make. A. Story."

He calms down, then, breathing slowly. His angry face blinks into a smile. "I'm just trying to find a good story to read, kitten," he says, sliding back into his chair, "And your life is an open book. Ready for the next passage."

"What is the next passage." Lionel looked at Orville. "What do you wish of me."

"I want you to become one with a creature." Orville smiled as though he was going to make the best story yet.

"But my people need me!"

"If you join with the creatures your problems will be solved."

S looked back at the tunnel Preax had run back out of. She understood, now, why Preax was so eager to leave. She was having her doubts about staying, as well--if Orville were to do anything drastic, such as triggering the Assistant into attacking either of them, S didn't know if she had the powers to stop it. "He stays in his world for a week--assuming he finds a creature to possess him, do you really think a week would be enough to finally get it out of him?"

Orville grinned. "Oh, that's for you lot to decide. There are paths, though, and you're a little too narrow-minded to see them." He pointed at Lionel. "For example: whose to say that he has to pull the creature out at all?"

S scowled. "You want to see a fair king corrupted by the evil force that's ruining his kingdom?"

"I want to see a good story, Miss S," Orville leaned in on his desk, clasping his hands together. "You ought to know that well enough. Should I tell him your story, as an example?" He arched a brow. "It is one of the best in my collection, after all."

S clutched her hands, nails digging into her palms. "No, Mr. Orville," she says. "That will be all."

Orville smiled. "Escort him out. I expect your quest to be successful."

Preax sat halfway through the tunnel. He had listened to the whole plan. Dread spread across his face. He couldn't let Orville ruin another life. He could think of one last way to stop this. He had to find a way to tell S what he was thinking without getting the librarians after him.

"Don't take his advice too seriously," S told Lionel, as they walked through the tunnel, "As he said, he only wants a good story. You could cheat him at his own game, but the only way to get away with it is to make a story even more elaborate and even better than the one he's suggested, with similar themes and results."

Lionel's steps were sullen. "Have you tried it?"

S nearly stopped her walk, staring out into the blackness. She remembered. She remembered the rain. "No," she said, "Preax has, though. He's managed to weasel out of completing his story by compiling the stories of others. But that way is taken. Orville isn't a proponent of plagiarism."

Preax waited at the end of the tunnel, an inquisitive and anxious look in his eye. She nodded, almost knowingly. "Go ahead, your Majesty," she said, "I'll be with you in a moment."

Lionel nodded, leaving the two alone at the end of the tunnel. She closed the library door, setting the book back in. She turned to Preax, arms crossed. "You embarrass yourself, Preax," she said. "If the mere sight of an Assistant frightens you, you shouldn't be here in the first place."

Preax rolled his eyes. "I think Orville wants a little more than a good story this time."
Preax motioned to have S, Lionel, and Cal follow him through the damp tunnel. They started following him hesitantly. Torches were placed throughout the tunnel casting a warm glow.

They walked down past the back entrance to Orville's office. They continued for several minutes. S' eyes widened, "Why do you want to go to the back entrance? There isn't anything that can help us down there."

"You haven't looked for anything, I found something before I had earned my library card."

"Is it a better option than getting possessed?" The Kitty King was obviously upset.

They finally came to a wooden door. It was old and there were several carvings on the door. Preax knocked slowly. "This is the first room of the library, this time bubble wasn't always a library and it used to be run by another."

S stared at Preax, frowning, but she had no time to complain. The door creaked open, revealing--

A man. Nearly identical to Orville in skin, eyes and limbs, except this time his hair was a crystal white, similar to his third eye. S gaped at the man, turning to Preax. "You have explaining to do, Thief."

I had been listening- those skills were sharp enough that if I wanted to I could hear through walls. The librarians should have known this- foreseen that I would figure out this place. Why was I here though? Why did they want me of all people? Who wants a protagonist who can't directly confront a problem? Who is terrified by most things in this world or any other? I had the skill of a book character- granted. I had more flaws though than any successful book character.

If someone wanted a tragedy I could give it to them. But this... Creature seemed to be looking for heroics of which I was incapable. So- why was I here in the first place?

I tagged along behind the others a short ways. I might not be a hero- but I could be a supporting character in someone else's story.

"This is the original owner of the library, he created the bubble when he owned it it wasn't really a library." Preax acted as though it was the most obvious thing ever. "How do you do Ervial." They shook.

Ervial looked to S with three eyes, "As Preax has explained I was the original owner of the library. Then my brother Orville came and made the library corrupt. Both of us are like your King here, Immortals. I am of peace and he is of darkness. Since He took over I have hidden here. Preax found me and often visits me."

"Can you help me?" Lionel asked.

"Yes, I can." Ervial stared at Lionel. "You need to go through the back entrance."

Preax stared at S. "Now do you understand?"

S looked Ervial up and down, arching a brow. She laughed a bit. "You know, Mr. Ervial, I find it amusing," she said, "Your brother would call this very 'cliched'. Evil twin? Light vs Darkness? And we're not here to address the plot holes yet. Your brother, he does see supposedly see everything. I assume that's how he knew Abhi tricked him. You have something more interesting up your sleeve, I can tell."

She leaned in. "Tell me. What makes you so different from your Orville? What do you want?"

Erivial started talking, "It may be cheesy but that is how it is, All I want is to make this library what it was always meant to be."

"A place for?"