athenaeum
Wakefulness came to me slowly and with difficulty. My head ached terribly, throbbing behind my temples and eyes. Dimly I wondered if this sensation was similar to what Karin felt after a night of excessive drinking.
Struggling to lever myself into a sitting position, I yawned and twisted on the mattress, setting my feet down on the floor. It would take me a few moments to fully clear the fuzziness from my mind, so I simply sat there and waited.
The smell of food wafted into the room a few moments later. I shook off the last vestiges of sleep as a boy dressed in the ubiquitous gray uniform came into the room, bearing a tray laden with various delicious-smelling items.
“Good morning, Lady Misaki.” The boy's cheerful smile and voice seemed to brighten the room. “It's good to see you awake. I brought you something to eat.”
The boy set the tray down on a small table surrounded by three chairs. I stood up and managed to make it from the bed to the table without wobbling too much. Apparently I'd rested up enough to restore my usual control over my body.
It also became apparent that someone spent a good deal of time caring for me after I could no longer stay awake. The few small injuries I suffered during the battle had been tended to. My body felt clean and fresh, as if someone took time to wash away the dirt and blood. I no longer wore the jacket, blouse and skirt that Nicole loaned me.
“We sent your clothes to be laundered,” the boy explained, noting my obvious confusion about wearing clothing I hadn't put on myself. The wispy white nightgown felt soft, cool and comforting against my skin.
I sat down at the table and examined the dishes the boy had set out. The meal was a simple one but obviously prepared with consideration of my origin in mind. A small bowl of steamed rice sat alongside a similar bowl of miso soup garnished with sliced spring onion and cabbage. The main dish was roasted mackerel, marinated in soy sauce, fresh chilies and garlic. I could tell from the softness of the bones that it was canned rather than fresh, but I was hungry enough to not care.
My stomach growled in anticipation and I felt my tail lashing to and fro without any input at all from me. The boy stifled a chuckle as I picked up my chopsticks and began to eat with considerable hunger and enthusiasm. The boy's laughter got louder and I stopped, turning a green-eyed glare on him.
“What?”
The boy's fingertip brushed against my cheek. “You had rice on your face.”
“Oh. Thanks.” I blinked and realized I should probably slow down a little. I may have been an immortal spirit created through magic, but somehow I could still get an upset stomach from eating too quickly. “What's your name?”
“Initiate Ryan, my lady.”
“Nice to meet you. Just call me Misaki. I don't like titles or honorifics.” I finished off the last few pieces of grilled mackerel. I wanted to savor the meal, but I doubted I had the time. Meilin and Amber were likely already hard at work and I was eager to join them.
“My apologies, er, Misaki,” Ryan blurted out, chagrin written across his face. I favored the boy with a gentle smile and stood up, my tail swishing back and forth, a visual indication my current good mood.
“Don't worry about it. I spent too many centuries imprisoned within a system of titles and honorifics, nobles and kings and warriors sworn to commit various atrocities for the aggrandizement of evil old men. I would prefer it if I could at least
pretend
the world around me was a fairer one.”
“Y-yes, Misaki.” His confusion was obvious, but he at least seemed to be willing to humor me.
“Where did Meilin and Amber go?”
The boy looked faintly scandalized that I used Amber's name, but he managed to refrain from commenting. “Lady Meilin and the Swordlady await your arrival in the Archivist's Library. I was instructed to make sure you were provided with a good meal and something to wear for the conference.”
“You certainly did well with the good meal,” I complimented him with a wink. Initiate Ryan blushed faintly and looked away. I tried to stifle my giggles at his discomfiture, knowing the most likely source. The thin gown I was given left very little to the imagination; this boy was of the age where most young humans began to strongly feel the stirrings of sexual attraction.
“I-I'll stand outside while you dress,” Ryan stammered, the blush still staining his cheeks. I waved him away without words and peeled off the nightgown as soon as the door closed.
The replacement clothing Luna provided was plain but serviceable, complete with undergarments, socks and a pair of boots that looked identical to those worn by the security forces. My brow rose in surprise as I noticed the pants and underwear had been modified to accommodate my tail.
“They really do think of everything,” I mused aloud as I dressed.
Now wearing a fitted black shirt, boot-cut blue denim pants and a brand-new pair of lace-up boots, I felt marginally more comfortable. A gray jacket similar in design to those worn by Luna's security forces had been left hanging on a peg near the bed. I took it down and slipped it on, unsurprised to find that, just like the rest of the clothing, it fit perfectly.
I opened the door leading to the corridor, my tail swishing and trailing behind me as I walked. I tapped Ryan on the shoulder and again had to stifle my laughter when he nearly leaped out of his skin in surprise.
“A-ah! La—um, Misaki, if you're ready, we can g-go,” Ryan managed.
“Don't be so tense. I'm not offended at all that you saw me like that. Really, it's okay. Whoever took care of me last night ended up seeing far more than you did—” I broke off as his blush returned and redoubled in intensity. “I see. It was
you
, wasn't it?”
Ryan swallowed heavily. “Y-yes.”
“Thank you for helping me out when I was too weak to care for myself,” I told him, keeping my tone as gentle as I could. I wondered exactly why his superiors hadn't chosen to send a female initiate instead, but I got my answer when I noticed the small Rod of Asclepius insignia sewn into the shoulder of his jacket. “You're a healer?”
“Ah—yes, though I'm only an apprentice.” The boy's tone subtly shifted, becoming more confident and animated. “I was on shift when you were brought down into the facility. Because you only had superficial injuries, the regular hospital staff assigned me to care for you and get you to bed safely.”
“And the rest of the healers were too busy with those injured in the attack,” I finished for him. “I'm ready to go. Take me to the Archivist's Library.”
“Okay, it's this way. We need to get on the lift and head down to B10.”
I followed the young apprentice healer through the winding corridors until we reached an elevator, this one much smaller than the one we rode down from the guardhouse. I guessed this one only traveled between the subterranean levels.
Ryan stopped by the door and placed his pass against the auto-lock. The door slid open with a hiss of compressed air and we stepped inside. I waited patiently while my escort keyed in our destination and sent the elevator descending deeper into the facility.
“How many levels are there in this place?”
“The facility extends deep underneath the mountains,” Ryan explained as the elevator completed its descent. “There are twelve levels beneath the surface, but the lowermost two have too many collapsed sections to use.”
The door slid open and Ryan led me down another series of mazelike corridors until we came to a security checkpoint. A guard dressed in the same gray uniform sat behind a podium with a console.
Ryan bowed respectfully. “Officer, I've brought the Lady Misaki for the negotiations with the Archivist.”
“Thank you, Initiate. I'll take it from here.”
The guard beckoned for me to come closer. I glanced back at Ryan as he walked away, but he was already out of sight down the corridor. My ears drooped a little as I was slightly put off that I wouldn't have a chance to bid him goodbye. Most likely he was nervous about being down here with all the high-level leaders of the organization.
“I've cleared you for entry,” the guard said, interrupting my thoughts. “You'll find the Swordlady and Lady Meilin within.”
The heavy security door slowly slid open and I walked through, into a transparent hallway suspended high above an enormous open area. My breath caught in my throat as I realized just what I was seeing.
Below the walkway was a library, but one unlike any I'd ever seen.
I stopped, my eyes wide and my tail's swishing slowed as I absorbed the bustle of activity beneath. I watched as a dozen or so people dressed in pure white clean-room attire carried ancient tomes from the shelves to tables. Sophisticated scanning equipment had been haphazardly connected to rows of laptop computers and mobile workstations.
“They're digitizing all of it,” I breathed. I watched a woman gently remove the end cap from a scroll tube and ever-so-carefully draw out an old parchment with crumbling edges. She placed the parchment on a specially-designed table that held it down without damaging it, preparing the ancient document in place where its contents could be scanned into the system.
“Impressive, is it not?”
I blinked, startled, and turned toward the resonant masculine voice. A tall Caucasian man dressed in a white robe stood next to me within the transparent tunnel. The design of his robe was somewhat more ornate and decorative than the minimalistic attire of the conservationists working below.
“Very. I take it you're the Archivist?”
The man chuckled lightly. He was much younger than I'd expected, perhaps in his late forties at most. His hair was a nondescript brown shot through with gray at the temples, with a thick pair of horn-rimmed glasses perched atop a long nose. His skin was pale and still quite smooth, indicating a man who spent much of his life indoors.
“Yes, I'm the Archivist. My name is Elias, if you prefer. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Misaki.”
I bowed low in the traditional style. “Just Misaki is fine. If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to dispense with the honorifics.”
“Very well, Misaki.” Elias turned and gestured grandly toward the end of the corridor ahead. “Your companion and the Swordlady Amber are in the conference chamber. Come, and we will speak.”
I followed the Archivist as the corridor widened and became a small round room, still constructed of the same transparent material as the rest of the corridor. In the center of the room was a rectangular black table with several chairs around it. Only two of the chairs were currently occupied.
“Meilin!” I blurted, feeling a surge of emotion as I spotted her. Before she could even respond, I'd already bolted to her side and engulfed her in a warm embrace, the anxiety slowly draining out of me.
“It's good to see you too, Misaki.” Meilin patted my back self-consciously. My tail curled up somewhat as I realized she was probably somewhat embarrassed by this, especially in the presence of her sister and the leader of the Luna organization.
I stepped back and my tail wrapped around my thigh, my hands smoothing the fluffed-out fur as best I could. Amber's expression was neutral, but I could tell she was barely holding back laughter.
“Sorry. I'll take my seat now.” I pulled out a chair and sat down next to Meilin. The Archivist, Elias, nodded gravely and pulled his own chair out, taking his seat at the head of the table.
“I can see you enjoyed your first look at the Library,” Elias began, speaking directly to me. “Perhaps if the current situation was not so dire, I would arrange for you to take a more detailed tour of our preservation efforts.”
My ears drooped and my lips were set in a grim line. “I would love that, but you're right, things aren't good right now. I'm sure Meilin told you a little of what's going on, what we need to do and why we need Luna's help to get it done.”
Elias closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes. The situation has worsened as of late. For many years, Luna has enjoyed a time of peace through maintaining a policy of strict neutrality between the arcane houses and independent mages. These new creatures, however, do not seem to have any clear motives. They only attack without provocation, seeking to devour any concentrated source of astral energy they can find.”
“We don't know much about them, either,” I admitted.
“I was informed that you fought with a mage who appeared to have control over these demons,” Elias noted. “Do you have any information on this person?”
“Other than that she's ridiculously powerful and tried to kill us?” I snorted. “No. That's something else that just came right out of nowhere. A few nights ago, she appeared via a magical sending in Karin's dreams. She claimed that our killing of Isao Tsukimura caused the weakening of the boundary between this world and the astral. I have no idea why she attacked us—it's not as if defeating us would repair the damage.”
Elias placed a hand on his chin. “I wouldn't call that nothing. In fact, it would explain a great many things about the recent events…” He trailed off, a thoughtful expression creasing his brow.
“What do you mean?” I demanded.
“It means I suspect things will only get worse before they get better,” Elias replied. It was obvious from the finality in his tone that he didn't wish to elaborate further. “For now, that is enough about this curious mage. I would discuss with you the matter of your request for Luna's aid.”