Unmotivated Deity

Stepping into the library proper was a continuation of the space behind them, and yet an abrupt shift. The very same massive pillars of white reached like towering trees from the white marble of the floor, reaching to heights that one could not see despite the building only looking to be five stories tall or so from the outside. In the center of the vast plain of white stone and jutting pillars sat a vast circular wooden desk.

Behind this desk were several people, though they did not wear the academy's uniform, instead donning robes reminiscent of the statue outside with hoods that perfectly obscured their features. The robes themselves didn't seem special in appearance, a simple deep midnight blue fabric with no embellishment to speak of. And yet they left not a hint of who they covered to the eye. The robes even seemed to always flow over the hands of those behind the desk, hiding even the slightest sign who or what they may be.

The walls seemed to be far in the distance, just as the ceiling did not seem visible. At the end of the vast space, the walls were only apparent by the towering dark wood bookshelves that reached the height of several grown men. The shelves were filled to the brim with books, scrolls and in some cases even stone tablets, creating a pallet of varying colors.

These shelves reached until they budded up to the stone floor of a terrace that stretched out for what looked to be at least fifty feet. These terraces stretched around all four walls and repeated the same trend, though included shelves within the space of the terrace and not just the walls. The sides of tall shelves budded against iron railings used to protect readers from falling below. There were not just one terrace, but several lined above each other, stretching as far up as one could see, ultimately leading to a dizzying display.

The smell of parchment, ink and leather from book bindings filled the air. Lamps, reminiscent of the one on the staff of the statue hung along the shelves and pillars, spreading light for those to read by. The lamps did not use fire, or at least not that Jien could observe, releasing a light blue light into the space. The last thing that Jien noticed right away upon stepping through the doorway was the deafening silence.

Where their footsteps had echoed against the stone outside the doorway, as soon as they stepped over the threshold, the sound of their footsteps seemed to be swallowed entirely. Even the sounds of their breath and heartbeats seemed to be completely dispersed. The sensation was eerie because if they could not feel their hearts beating it would lead one to think they had died just as they entered.

Of the group Jien was the only one that knew a bit of what to expect when entering the libraries, but even he was surprised by the sheer power of the enchantments used. Once again wondering where they were and how they were powered. He did not see any signs of formations, nor any power sources that he could identify. The academy seemed to be a mystery that he could not see through with his meager knowledge. He hoped to reach a point where he could at least understand a modicum of how an institution such as this one would be able to provide all that they had seen so far. Money from the Empire would only be able to go so far in terms of arcane prowess, even with great stores of knowledge.

The things that Jien did know regarding the library was that the first floor and the first terrace were available to new students without any further requirements. After that point one needed merits and accomplishments to be able to read the knowledge on the higher terraces. Just by surviving each year of study one would gain access to the next highest terrace by way of merits through mandatory courses. This would ultimately give one access to the ground floor and the four bottom most terraces.

There were, of course ways to gain access to the higher terraces both as a first year and all together as a student but most of those who reached above the first four were those who committed themselves to military service after graduation. With what little he currently knew he only was aware of someone reaching the tenth terrace. He wondered what knowledge was hidden there. Were there actually terraces after that point? From down below it was truly hard to tell just how far this library rose.

Jien led the others toward the front desk, being careful how he moved given that every sound seemed to be muffled to the point of near perfection. It would be hard to tell if you inadvertently hurt yourself, other than the pain of it, and even then he wasn't positive that that was not blocked too. It was time to dip his toes into a vaster pool of knowledge. He truly felt at home.