Of Mazes And Men || Subaru & Victorique
@lagoldenfairy
Stepping into the Ashinaka Library, the sight that greeted Subaru was beyond what heâd imagined even for the so-called âtowering libraryâ. Craning his neck back, there was no explicit end in sight of the myriad floors, each distinguishable by the railing guarding the floor itself from the vacuous center of the tower. The building itself was circular in structure, giving each floor the appearance of a ring of sorts, lining the shelved walls containing the libraryâs precious stores of knowledge. Connecting each floor to the next was a staircase, stretching from one end of the lower floor to the opposite end of the higher floor, in a zigzagging, criss-crossing pattern, so that when Subaruâs unprepared eyes looked up from the ground floor, he was met with the dizzying, labyrinthine spectacle that constituted this libraryâs structure.
âHuh⊠So when she said it was a âtowering library,â it wasnât an exaggeration,â he muttered to himself. He had been informed of this library and its vast stores of knowledge by someone during his search for more information on the mysterious strain powers afflicting him. In addition to the ability to resurrect from death (with his memories, unfortunately, completely intact, and with no control over it whatsoever on his own part), recently he had been experiencing another foreign feeling. Originating deep within his chest, he could feel something unusual stirring, shifting, like a viscous sludge had wormed its way into his heart.
Curiosity had compelled him to nudge it previously, and heâd found that it was surprisingly reactive to his will, bending and moving with surprising ease. And, as heâd pushed it forward, a strange black hand had emerged from his chest, pushing out from roughly where his heart was but yet without any kind of physical repercussions to his body. It was at that point that heâd retracted his authority over the new power, making the hand vanish instantly. Fatigue had washed over him then, dropping him to his knees, as a strange gaping, sorrowful loneliness flooded his chest as well.
That had been his experience with the new strange power, which he figured must have been a new strain ability granted to him at some point. And it was his thirst for more knowledge on this subject that led him now to the Ashinaka Library. Surely, if any place would have information on such a topic, it would be this place.
âBut, really, I have to climb all these stairs to the top?â Such had been the suggestion given to him by his contact, but⊠looking at it now, it looked impossible. Having been a shut-in NEET for so long, he really didnât have any endurance to speak of. But, well, heâd already traveled all the way to this library, and he had his heart set on learning anything he could about what was going on.
So, full of youthful vigor and determination, he started his ascent.
One floor at a time, he climbed stairs to reach his lofty goal.
It wasnât long before his determination gave way to sheer dread.
Three floors up, he was already exhausted, sweating through his tracksuit, knees wobbling from the demanding strain of the climb, and still had⊠countless more to go. Why hadnât he at least thought to bring water?
Cursing his lack of such foresight, he continued dragging aching feet up more and more stairs, desperately grasping onto the railing for support as the relentless climb continued to sap away his meager reserves of strength.
âŠ
Finally, after more floors than Subaru had bothered to count, his feet landed on the solid, even floor of the uppermost floor, his goal. Falling to his hands and knees, gasping for breath to fill lungs that screamed and ached for oxygen, he almost forgot for the moment his reason for even climbing up here as he fought just to catch his breath.
âHaahhh⊠Hahhhhh⊠Really⊠I need to know⊠What kinda architect⊠designed this library?!â
There was little for the girl to do in the library aside from read, and so that was exactly what she did. In the garden at the top floor, Victorique sat, surrounded by books of various lengths, all of them open to different pages. For anyone who bothered to rotinuely travel up the stairs of the library (which was just about no one), it was a familiar sight to see. A young girl with long, flowing blonde hair dressed in clothes that were reminiscent of the victorian era. Her dress and headpiece consisted of endless black and white frills. She was engrossed in her reading, and yet could hear footsteps...and the huffing and puffing of who she determined to be a young man, not due to anything impressive, but merely because she had heard him complaining.Â
The topmost floor that she tended to pass her time in was far from what was expected of a library. Devoid of books (other than those she brought up herself), it was instead a large botanical garden, filled with luscious plants and greenery. She sat still on the checkered floor, almost like an inanimate object. And yet she clearly was a living breathing person, as she reached her hand out to turn a few pages. As she did so, she became aware that the stranger was drawing near. She planned to ignore him.
She wanted to ignore him...but how could she, with his noisy breathing and booming voice. Wasnât he aware that they were in a library?!
â...Going up the staircase in such a noisy manner...what a disagreeable man you are.â Surely there was something wrong with her lately. It was not out of the ordinary for her to insult those who came up to the library, but multiple people had come by lately! And she hadnât hid from a single one! Maybe because both of the men who had arrived seemed so pathetic already that she couldnât manage to be intimidated by their arrival. The previous man who had climbed the stairs was incredibly weak willed and pathetic, and this one seemed to be nothing more than a boorish oaf.Â
âMust you be so loud?â She questioned in an accusatory tone, not bothering to even look up from the many books scattered around as she spoke to him.
