Exiting through a door in the middle of the room, a man with a stubble filled chin went through with a sigh. He had walked out of what had once been a part of the storage room now portal room, he ran a hand through his long unkept white hair with his complete opposite to his much darker completion. The moment he had relaxed then did Vandana appear in a puff of dark.

‘Ender. Horace was right,’ she yelled out and grabbed hold of his arm, shaking him. ‘A kid did appear, by a book of all things.’

Ender had to wait till he wasn’t being shaken to think.

‘The one he told you about a month ago?’ he managed to ask at last and she started to shake him again before he managed to pull away. ‘Stop that, I am still sick from the circle.’ Vandana looked into the room.

‘Where is Valent, he’s been waiting for this,’ she asked, and Ender managed to breath.

‘He only got back before I came over, he got denied access to the library again,’ he said and started to walk. ‘I hope Edric has made something already, I am starving.’ Ender grumbled as Vandana followed.

‘You’re not even going to ask about the dude that showed up?’ Vandana asked.

‘What is there to know, Valent already asked all he could from Horace. Their human, aren’t they?’

‘Yeah, what about it?’

‘Nothing, but I doubt that they are going to be any more interesting then when you basically fell in our place.’

‘I mean they did as well, but I did it with style,’ Vandana bragged, and Ender looked over before laughing.

‘You did not,’ he said and stepped away when she went to go slap his shoulder. ‘You panicked and though that we were going to eat you.’

‘I did not,’ Vandana called out and Ender started running, he was faster than her and started to lead before she teleported forward but missed her mark and ended up in front of him where he ran into her. Both tumbled to the ground, in front of a couple pairs of feet.

Kateb hadn’t been in the library for long, having had gone to a random shelf soon after Scarlet had left them. Rows upon rows of old books sat in shelving that simply had numbered origination. Kateb walked along, closing their eyes before coming to a stop. Once a book spine was in hand then Kateb looked at it as they pulled it out.

It was old in a way, but also seemed to have been hardly touched. A light green cover out of some sort of cloth, no title or writing on the spine. Opening it just showed diagrams information on building construction.

‘I just want to know what the place is,’ Kateb mumbled and put the book back. Starting to walk, they did the same walk with their eyes close. This time just walking and wait for something to make them stop this time, there was enough shelf length that that would take some time to reach the end. Something fell behind them and they froze in fear, eyes snapping open and turning. On the ground sat a book, a book that looked very old and very non-replaceable. Moving forward and looking down on it, the book was upside down and didn’t seem damaged so Kateb what thankful for that at least. Picking it up they were as careful as they could be, turning the book over and the title showed.

“A firsthand experience of the sky lands.”

That didn’t seem odd at all, the writer's name seemed to have weathered away with only the surname. Pena. The book itself was written with old cursive with the book having been bound old school. Small drawings of landmarks were scattered about and Kateb looked around in hopes for a seat, with none in sight then Kateb plopped themselves down on the wooden flooring.

A skim told Kateb that the book was in a diary format, with some dates that went back to the 1710s. The wording in it did do the shifting that Scarlet told them about, but it seemed to be light as the language did follow the pattern of Latin-based languages. Once it had stopped then Kateb did the full skim thought.

It wrote about how they got there in the first place, a family secret cave that held an old spiritual passage to the other world. They had family over on the other side that the writer only just got to meet. Said writer also wrote on why they only just got to travel over after growing up with stories and learning of the place. Family tradition stated that you had to be of the right mindset as to not expose the world to the troubles of their time. Wars brewing over the sea started to affect them.

The writer would miss time in between dates. Talking about people that they met, reconnecting with a whole branch of family from the sky nation. Learning that the nation was called. Gentem. A land that was filled with life and people with extraordinary powers. Other lands were also mentioned. But with no real names attached to them, Sister Valley City and a Winged Stone City.

It talked about foods and had drawings of buildings before going on to more personal problems, falling in love, family becoming sick and self-reflection for the writer. There were people that didn’t want the family there and the family moved people over to earth, friends or village members.

A civil war started on earth, and the writer’s family had to stay on Gentem, forgetting about earth. The writer speaks about their son birth, other local things that happened. The writer wrote a lot about the local problems of the day then at long last there was a small passage just stating that a large portion of the family was going back to earth, including his son that was in his teens. He wanted to go back as the writer wrote about their frustration on the topic, the writer didn’t. So they let them go, writing that it was going to be the last time they were going to write and that the book was going to their son.

Nothing was written afterwards. Pages blank before new writing of a new person wrote in. Dated 30 years later.

“Father, I apologise for leaving you and mother. I miss the sky nation and found that every day that passed I missed the magic of it, war came and destroyed our once home as well as the very portal that we needed to connect. I am sure you found out; I am going to find others with the knowledge to connect once again. I managed to save a few of the books from the cave.

This is my goodbye, for anyone that would follow my steps. Experience it, if you can.”

‘Well that seems very direct,’ Kateb said and closed the book. ‘Alright, that gives me something.’ Flicking the book closed, staring at it before sighing.

‘I got nothing better to do.’ They said and pulled out their phone to message Scarlet.

Scarlet walked in to find Kateb waiting in the doorway.

‘What did you find?’ she asked.

‘A journal, I noticed that you have a large collection, I assume it has been your family’s collection.’

‘Every generation ever since about the 1600’s, though there are rewritten journals of even older. They always tried to find others that knew the same things and made a large family from that, in the last several generations though, it had been rather forgotten. A great-grandmother said that there was no point when our own world had advanced far beyond their world.’ Kateb looked at her for a moment.

‘That’s sad,’ they said, and Scarlet gave a small smile.

‘Isn’t it?’ She looked over at the book that Kateb had in their other hand.

‘Oh, I remember that one. A family severed, there are a few others about that time.’ She looked to Kateb. ‘You will find in all the journals that they always regret not staying or being able to go.’ She smiled. ‘I have also come up with an idea for your family.’ She said and Kateb started to put the book away.

‘This isn’t something that you can just tell other people of course, you can just tell your family that you found work at a library. Private collection and such. I can’t help you much with the problem of when we go over, while you can come back any time. There is the problem with internet and phone connection over in the scape,’ Scarlet warned. ‘You can have a place here if you really want and you have access to the library, we are small in numbers and you’re the first outsider, but I need the help.’

‘Help?’

‘Vandana isn’t one to study, let alone read for fun. With Haldir they found a library just left out in the scape, I try to spend as much time there as I can. Each time the others need to go there to check for danger, something about that place helps hide it or stops the mindless getting in. A magic of sorts.’

‘What sort of library, as in, how big and what does it have in it?’ Kateb asked and Scarlet sighed.

‘It’s big, seems like hundreds of years of history and I have no idea where to start in it all. Far larger than even mine, but this one has a multitude of subjects.’

‘So, it is just like every other library. Have you managed to sort through it yet?’

‘Never get the chance, by the time I seem to get a grasp then it is already headed into the night and by the time it is morning then it seems to shift some things around.’

‘Right so it is a magic library, found any sort of instructions?’

‘No but there are panels of some form of ancient writing, but it isn’t new to me. The same ones do show up in some of my family’s research notes, from what I know, it is not so much a langrage as a way to instruct the flow of an energy in that world. The same ones will show on the outside of the circle that lets us go to and from the scape.’ Scarlet smiled afterwards to Kateb.

‘That is the first time that I can really talk about this sort of thing, the others just don’t spend as long as I do on this sort of thing.’

Kateb looked over at the shelves of books.

‘Hasn’t everyone always wanted to be a part of a fantasy adventure, why wouldn’t I want the same?’ They looked back up to Scarlet. ‘I want to see it; I want to make a choice in this.’

‘As much as I would love to, it is starting to get dark there in about four hours, you won’t really get that long to look. How about tomorrow, Edric can come and get you or pick you up in the city.’

‘I suppose, do you really think that a job would make sense for me falling off the face of the earth?’ Kateb asked and Scarlet shrugged.

‘Like I said, first outsider. I run into sort of a similar problem, company running connections are not that happy when you are unable to fix a problem as soon as possible. Not that I do that much for it, this sort of company is run by a board but that’s all boring stuff that is my issue only.’

‘What about the others?’ Kateb wondered and Scarlet looked away.

‘Vandana and Edric are the only ones from earth, the others are not. Vandana has no real ties, never made real friends here. Edric’s life was complicated and has no real reason to stay connected.’ Scarlet placed a hand on her chest. ‘Even I never managed to have anyone to stay connected to, learning has always been my calling.’

‘How many people are here?’ Kateb asked and Scarlet turned with a smile.

‘Well we can get right to that,’ she said and gestured for them to follow. ‘No point to standing around here.’

Scarlet took them up the stairs and around to the second floor, the afternoon had to have come in as the lights in the floor were on and made it look lived in. The smell of cooking was also strong. Kateb watched before his eyes as a mass was created in the middle for a moment and in popped Vandana, Scarlet had grabbed hold of Kateb by the arm to stop them from jumping away.

‘So, you staying?’ she asked and Scarlet frowned.

‘You can’t be teleporting like that around a new person, we don’t know yet.’ She said and Vandana stuck out her tongue.

‘No, they will. Horace already said so.’ Vandana answered in confidence.

‘It’s a possible future Van, not a confirmed one.’ Vandana looked at her with a look of bore and made eye contact with Kateb, turning to them with a smile.

‘So, how about it?’

Kateb looked back in silence.

‘Who is Horace?’ Kateb asked instead and Vandana jumped to their side, grabbing hold of their arm.

‘He can see the future,’ Vandana said leaning in.

‘Possible future,’ Scarlet corrected, looking around Kateb to glare at Vandana.

‘He is a friend of ours, he has had about three visions with you in it. You should really meet him,’ Vandana was saying as Scarlet sighed and then cleared her throat.

‘Vandana,’ she said and Vandana looked over. ‘Is Valent home yet?’

‘Nah, Hal went to go find him,’ she answered and pulled away from Kateb.

‘Then with two down this will be annoying,’ Scarlet hummed and Vandana started to back up, back down the hallway.

‘Ender’s here and ready to answer anything,’ she was saying and turned to walk off.

‘Well then, I suppose we can start with one,’ Scarlet said and looked to Kateb. ‘Ready, Ender’s a bit of a character but good.’ Kateb nodded and Scarlet lead them off towards the end of the hallway, which had been just one side of a larger sort of room. Turning the corner just took them to a lounge room with a kitchen attached to that further along.

There was a tv running with what sounded like a documentary. Vandana was talking to someone, who Kateb could only guess was Ender. Coming into view was a man, he looked human but something about the whole facial structure was a bit off. He noticed them and turned with an arm over the sofa back.

‘Ah, is this the little human that is joining us?’ he asked and Vandana turned to look at them.

‘Possibly,’ Scarlet sighed, gesturing Kateb into the lounge room. She went towards the kitchen to sit at a bench counter stool, Edric stood inside the kitchen waiting for something on the stove and didn’t really do anything besides glance over. Vandana leaned over after Kateb sat down on a single sofa chair.

‘What do you want to know?’ she asked and Kateb looked back.

‘What about something simple, is it really so old times?’ Kateb asked and Ender raised an eyebrow.

‘Apparently, it is, that you guys as a similar thing a very long time ago. What did you call it?’ Ender asked and poked Vandana.

‘Medieval?’ Ender clicked his fingers.

‘Yep, that one.

‘So, no running toilets?’ Kateb asked in worry.

‘Think we should wrap this up in a general example,’ Scarlet said, and everyone looked over. ‘They have simple stuff like running water and toilets that can sweep away waste, electricity for lights, but no appliances. Radio is there in a primal state, one station for island news. The city has factories and is of the Victorian, machinery era sort of feel. They are missing many of the common earth elements that make electronics, otherwise, they have advanced for some fields of science. A mix-up, if you will.’

‘Will what?’ Vandana asked before laughing with Ender, Scarlet sighed in defeat.

‘Don’t mind them,’ she said as she waited.

‘You have been talkin’ weird since you started reading those journals,’ Vandana said with a smirk.

‘Says the one that had started shortening her speech when she spends time in the town,’ Edric spoke up and Vandana sat up to look at him, he looked back with a stare.

‘That’s me blendin’ in, so what if a few of them have stuck,’ she said. ‘You did say not to bring attention to myself.’

‘I don’t think that fight you got in yesterday was not bringing attention to yourself,’ Ender said and Vandana smacked down a hand on his head to shut him up, pulling his long pale hair into his face. She then hid down into cushioning. 

‘What about those creatures, the shadow monsters?’ Kateb asked once silence hit.

‘Oh yeah, those things, everywhere. Bite your toes off when you sleep,’ Ender said and put his hands into claws, which Kateb noticed his fingers were longer than a human’s at least by a bit.

‘Ender,’ Scarlet scolded.

‘What, I wasn’t supposed to be the one that was to be asked anything. I’m just havin’ a little fun I all.’

‘I know that you don’t deal with them, but at least give a general answer,’ Scarlet said and he nudged Vandana.

‘You’ve hit them, you take this one.’ Kateb looked to Vandana as she hit him back.

‘Fine,’ she huffed and looked to Kateb. ‘It’s like they are not real, you hit them and they sorta seem like they shouldn’t be there, but you can still hit them. They always want to go to the city; guards are always out to stop them. A sudden flashbang or if you got powers, use that and they just disappear. Into nothingness, just poof. According to Valent, it’s caused by something that they call energy disruption. That they are things of energy so if you use energy you disrupt their form.’

‘So a normal person can do it?’ Kateb asked and Vandana with Ender made a face.

‘Eh, maybe if there is only one,’ Ender mumbled.

‘Their weird,’ Vandana said. ‘You almost never find them alone, they always need to be with others.’ She jabbed into Ender’s side. ‘He runs if he sees them.’

‘Anyone in their right mind would,’ Ender shot back and pushed against her.

‘You’re just jealous,’ Vandana teased and pushed back. ‘Got nothing cool to do.’

‘What, like this?’ Ender asked and tried to fling her off the couch but she was holding her own as she tried to push him off. Kateb turned to Scarlet in hopes of continuing.

‘You also know when they are around,’ Scarlet said after taking a sip of a drink that she got at some point. ‘It’s a feeling of dread, couldn’t sneak up. We have friends there that do a whole guard rotation. We have all taken turns, but some of us are far better at it with keeping attention.’ A thud was heard and Kateb looked back to the two and Vandana had fallen to the floor in front of the couch, Ender was trying to keep her down with his feet.

‘Some of us can’t be left alone,’ Scarlet said into her drink before pulling it away as she remembered something.

‘Oh, before I forget, do you need to tell someone where you are?’ Kateb looked over before pulling out their phone. With a few messages from friends, otherwise nothing serious. The time wasn’t bad either.

‘No, I don’t normally get home till late. If I found something interesting to do anyway.’ Kateb sighed in thought. ‘As long as they aren’t stuck with work then it's only messaging and they seem to be stuck with work.’ Kateb looked at the screen in a sad smile. ‘I understand it but it's not for me.’

‘Even I can understand that, why bother working all the time?’ Ender spoke up and Kateb gave him an uneasy smile, they were very much not used to talking to him.

‘Well regardless, it might be time for you to head home. Tomorrow you can get here early enough, we will stay connected since you already have my number,’ Scarlet said and started to stand.

‘You kicking them out already?’ Ender teased and Scarlet leaned over the couch behind Vandana.

‘It seems odd to keep them here if we can’t even show, telling hasn’t been working with just you now has it,’ she said and Ender snickered.

‘Not a very strong stab,’ he laughed and Scarlet looked to Kateb. ‘Come on, we have had quite a day.’ Kateb nodded and stood, following Scarlet around the room, back to the elevator that acts as the front door. They waved goodbye before leaving.

The living room was silent for a bit before Ender leaned over to Vandana.

‘What are the chances of an attack tomorrow?’

‘Don’t say that,’ Haldir said slowly as Vandana smiled from her spot, still looking on her phone.

‘We do have the luck of the devil,’ she said and Ender looked away to think before looking back.

‘What’s a devil?’

Vandana could only sigh and start looking up an explanation online.