Imperial Librarian
Hamlin raised an eyebrow when he saw Rebecca, Sirene, and Sergei emerge from the basement steps. He was certain nobody had seen them return, plus it was the middle of the day. He noted a faint blue glow present around Rebecca which was concerning enough on its own, but then he saw the clear after effects of Wiederherstellen around Sirene, and a shimmering barrier around Sergei that made him turn black briefly as he passed a window. Rebecca gave the briefest of nods to Hamlin, one that told him to meet in the Manor Library.
Hamlin chose to stop in Heather's study on the way, and briefly speak with the Prince first. Opening the door, he was entirely unsurprised to see Heather asleep with a book in his hands in one of the arm chairs. Gently nudging him awake, he took a seat across from him.
"Oh, Hamlin. Yes?" Heather said groggily.
"The Duchess is back. She wants us both to meet her in the main library shortly." Hamlin said.
"You look like you want to talk first." Heather said, seeing Hamlin's concerned face.
"I do. Rebecca was glowing." Hamlin said, his eye twitching. "Sirene had the clear afterglow of a supercharged Wiederherstellen being cast on her, and Sergei walked past a window."
"Glowing?" Heather asked, now wide awake. "How was her ummm... mana pool?" He continued, making a cupping motion around his chest.
"Empty." Hamlin said, his face stern. "Something's clearly happened."
"Well let's not keep her waiting." Heather said, flashing a grin as he got up from his resting spot.
Emerging from Heather's study, Hamlin and Heather quietly walked through the Manor. Heather nodded at a few of the servants as they passed, and so far nothing seemed amiss. The first mystery came as they arrived at the Library doors only to find them magically sealed, a blue aura around them.
"This is the same one that surrounded the Duchess." Hamlin stated. "Curious."
"We don't really have time for this." Heather said, grabbing the door handle. To the surprise of both of them, the aura immediately faded and the doors unlocked with a soft click. "I guess she agreed."
Inside, Hamlin was intrigued to see Rebecca already back in a dress, a long black one with no sleeves. Sirene for her part with in her usual white and blue cloak, and Sergei was wearing his leather armour. As they stepped over the threshold, Rebecca snapped her fingers and the door slammed shut behind them.
"I didn't know you could do that." Hamlin said, narrowing his eyes.
"Sigilus revealed some secrets to me. Specifically how to command architecture." Rebecca said, her voice cold. "Now then Hamlin, or should I say... Imperial Librarian? We have work to do."
"That's a new one. Care to share what you discovered?" Hamlin said, a broad smile under his beard.
"The Ashen Empire's institutions are starting to take shape before it even formally takes shape." Rebecca said, smiling. "It's been legally recognised as the successor state to the Rozen Republica by the Republic's own last citizen. Do you know what this means?"
"We can start seizing territory immediately." Heather said, smiling evilly. "I'll contact Baron Andrew later, he'll be most pleased."
"The rotten husk of Whitemire will collapse once my declaration is public." Rebecca said, laughing wickedly. "To further along matters, I've moved the entrance to the Shadow Court into the basement of the Manor, and renamed it to the Imperial Library. Once matters are settled the Library proper will be an open public institution. After you've audited the books with the help of Sirene and Sigilus, of course."
"I spent nearly two thousand years collecting those books, Duchess. There's a lot." Sirene warned.
"Read quickly." Rebecca said curtly. "On to the next issue. Sirene I believe you promised you'd tell me the effects of the spell you called Enrapture."
"What do I get in return?" Sirene demanded.
"You got your free will back, don't push your luck." Rebecca said, sneering at Sirene.
"You're making an Empire with my help. We'll discuss payment later in private." Sirene answered, shooting her a glare. "But first. The very first effect when you come under the spell is this warm feeling, like a hug around your mind. Oh sure you can try to resist at first, but the longest I ever saw anyone resist was less than 10 seconds. There's no point."
"Heather!" Rebecca commanded.
"Already writing it down, Rebecca." He answered.
"Then a feeling like you should trust the caster with your life. That they should just do all your thinking for you. Thinking is hard, after all. You deserve a break." Sirene said, her face serious. "It turns into a constant loop of that kind of thinking. All that matters is the caster tells you what to think, and you become overwhelmed with pleasure when you fulfil their orders."
"Sexual pleasure?" Rebecca queried.
"Bingo. You dismiss thoughts like wanting to be free or resisting the caster's will as unrequired or stupid. But you Rebecca, you spotted one of the only tell-tale signs of someone being under the spell. Eyes that look unfocused, like you're staring off into the middle distance."
"Fascinating. As for a reward, well... I got something you've probably been looking for a few hundred years." Rebecca said, smiling gently. "I spared no expense obtaining this once I found out its last owner."
"Is that what I think it is?" Sirene asked, looking at the ring Rebecca pulled out of her bosom.
"The Signet of the Lord Conservator of the Umbra Curia. Sigilus confirmed it for me." Rebecca said, handing the ring to Sirene.
"So you do have a heart." Sirene said, taking the ring and placing it on her right hand.
"World would be a better place if more of us did." Rebecca answered sadly.
"Oh please. The Villain shouldn't regret the state of the world." Sirene said mockingly.
"Does the Hero think I doth protest too much?" Rebecca asked, covering her mouth as she laughed. "Listen Sirene. What is it you want out of the world?"
"A peaceful place where everyone can be happy, where tears shouldn't be shed over lives cut short too soon." Sirene said quietly. "War shouldn't exist. Fuck, crime shouldn't exist."
"We aren't as different as you might think in our end goals." Rebecca stated, gesturing around at the library. "But for me, utopia has always justified the means. I'll hang them all to get my long peace, if I have to. I've killed a lot of people I've considered my friends over the years. The only thing I can do is say a prayer and hope they've found their peace in death, and live to see the peace that I killed them for."
"I heard of the latest." Sirene said, her voice still quiet. "With your permission, I'd like to pay my respects to Miss Valorian."
"Of course." Rebecca said, nodding. "She was my friend, after all."
"I'll take my leave for the moment, then." Sirene said. She stood and without any further words departed the library.
"So what's this about me being an Imperial Librarian?" Hamlin asked, still smiling.
"Oh, you don't want it?" Rebecca asked with a laugh, causing Hamlin to laugh as well.
"I'll take it make no mistake. But do tell me what I've gotten myself into." Hamlin said, finally sitting down in a chair.
"The library appears to be nearly endless, for one thing." Sergei said. "I felt air flow while we were in there, and there was no echo to our foot steps, it was like the library was too big for echoes."
"Both Sirene and the library automatons confirmed the library exists outside of our dimension." Rebecca continued. "Sirene implied she wasn't responsible for the entire collection, only most of it. But she was lying. That collection was larger than every library on Karand combined."
"I've a theory." Heather said as he filled his pipe. "No, I won't light it with your table don't worry." He quickly added upon seeing the withering glare from Rebecca. "There's an old rusalki tale, from far before my time, of multiple worlds. I don't mean other worlds similar to our own. I mean this world, over and over again with slight changes."
"So what you're saying is-" Rebecca began to say, before Heather cut her off.
"Most of the library is likely irrelevant nonsense only of interest to a historical fiction author, if that's true." Heather said, nodding.
"We're returning immediately. Come on, all of you." Rebecca said, getting up at once.
"I can't, remember?" Heather pointed out as Rebecca already began to walk out of the door.
"I fixed that. Now don't dawdle." Rebecca said, grabbing Heather's arm and dragging him slightly.
Heather sighed and lit his pipe anyway as he was dragged along. He never had enough time for a good smoke. Rebecca was so bossy at times, but he just put up with it. She was the perfect mother for rusalki royalty, whether she realised Heather's long term plans or not. By the time they reached the basement, Heather noticed Sergei had quietly disappeared, and while Rebecca didn't say anything, it was clear from the scowl on her face she had definitely noticed.
"I'll have to discipline him later." She muttered, just loud enough that Heather could hear.
"Torture or sexual?" Heather whispered into her ear, causing her to chuckle quietly.
"It can be both, dear." She whispered back.
No further conversation was had until they reached the antechamber of the library, which after getting over the shock of a door he knew wasn't there previously, left Heather unimpressed and he made it known immediately.
"This is it?" He asked, gesturing around. "This is a dingy run down room that looks like it's been abandoned for centuries."
"Because it has." A metallic voice said coming from one of the automatons as it emerged from the door on the far side of the room. "The antechamber was unmaintained, as Miss Ignitis had sealed this place. With the return of this place to active source of knowledge, this room will be restored in time."
"I've never seen such an expertly constructed automaton." Heather said, breaking free of Rebecca's grasp and approaching.
"You must be the Moonfall Prince. Welcome to the Imperial Library." It responded, betraying no emotion in its voice. "These automatons were all initially designed by Master Artificer Brussus Steelcloak. Upkeep of them has been one of the primary duties of the automatons themselves ever since."
"No..." Hamlin whispered.
"Hmmm?" Rebecca asked. "Something on your mind?"
"If these automatons were actually designed by Steelcloak, they're priceless works of art. He was the Master Artificer of the 30th Eternal Emperor. It means the Library is also far older than Sirene realises." Hamlin said, after taking a moment to collect his thoughts.
"The Library was initially constructed in Ironhand 1520." The automaton helpfully answered.
"That's impossible." Rebecca said, her eye twitching. "Dwarves didn't even have written word until the 1600s!"
"Impossible, or just forgotten knowledge?" The automaton asked in its neutral voice.
"Rebecca." Hamlin said calmly. "You forget just how old I am. I was there. I was there when Old Ironhand came up with his Empire. I was there for the first, second, third, and fourth Dwarven Civil Wars. I've walked Karand since the dragons have."
"And yet you thought this place to be a mere rumour." Rebecca said, crossing her arms.
"I don't mean I witnessed this place being built and you know it." Hamlin said, shooting Rebecca a glare, which caused her to smirk. "I met Master Steelcloak once, and now that I get a closer look at these automatons they're definitely his handiwork."
"Since we're sharing secrets, I have one final one to show you. Please follow this automaton." The automaton said, before turning and beginning to slowly walk away back into the Library.
Hamlin, Rebecca, and Heather all briefly looked at each other before choosing to follow the automaton into the library. For nearly 20 minutes the automaton walked silently, going deeper and deeper into the library, before eventually stopping at a bookshelf. Hamlin estimated they had descended at least 40 floors, and were probably a mile from where they started.
"Before I open this bookshelf, I will give you a warning. Do not speak with those you see. This is the only time you will ever see them. I'll answer questions after." The automaton said, before grabbing a book, pulling it out only slightly. A stream of noise came from the book, and the automaton responded in kind, before the shelf swung open, revealing another section of the library.
Rebecca gasped. Standing on the other side was another automaton. Next to it were 3 figures and while they all looked different, she knew exactly who they were. They were them. Herself, Hamlin, and Heather. The woman on the other side looked equally shocked, and started to shout something but the bookshelf swung back closed with a soft click.
"What was that?" Rebecca demanded, gesticulating wildly at the bookshelf. "That was us, wasn't it?"
"You were just at an intersection of reality." A flat voice from behind them said. "What have you dared to show them, Brassus?"
Rebecca spun around and found herself face to face with Eigengrau, the Goddess of Death. Her usually stoic face had a look of annoyance, and her mouth was curled into a sneer. Instead of saying anything, she merely clapped her hands and the last thing Rebecca saw as she lost consciousness was an inky black tentacle curling around her.