December 20
The tenth year of the war:
At a family restaurant located on the outskirts of the city, overlooking a colossal tree whose shadow covered a large part of Oralia, and whose crimson autumn blossoms adorned the city skyline, a boy sat by the window, drawing curious glances.
His appearance was strange enough to make heads turn—his pale skin and stark white hair gave him the look of a mannequin rather than a living person. The boy held a cup of tea in his hand as he spoke.
Seated across from him on the opposite sofa was a young woman with piercing blue eyes, her right eye obscured by strands of golden hair. She wore a full black suit, stark and formal.
She had just finished the feast she had ordered and gestured to the waiter to clear the table. As she moved to order dessert, a large glass arrived filled with a fruit salad, topped generously with vanilla cream and crowned by a single strawberry. It looked like far too much for a girl her size—or so it seemed.
The boy spoke up, nausea clearly visible on his face.
"I can't believe you're still eating after all that. Just watching you makes me want to throw up."
She lifted a finger, as if offering sage advice.
"There's always room for dessert, as they say. Besides, one needs sugar to keep the brain sharp all day."
The boy placed his hand over his mouth, as though suppressing the urge to vomit.
"Is it possible you just don't like sweets, Mr. Yul?"
Yul let out a faint sigh, leaned on the table, and placed his fingers on his forehead, eyes closed, clearly exhausted.
"Let's drop that. There's something else I wanted to ask you that's been bothering me... Why are you dressed like that?"
Wendy pierced the strawberry with her fork and took a bite. While chewing, she replied,
"A proper gentleman doesn't question a lady about her attire. He simply says, 'You look lovely' or 'You look nice.'"
"I doubt any respectable lady would dress like that. You look more like a gangster—or a corporate executive."
She continued eating her fruit salad, cream sticking to her cheek, unfazed by his comment. Without opening her eyes or reacting at all, she replied,
"It's for protection. Wearing things like this—a hat, dark glasses—yes, it draws attention. But at the same time, people tend to avoid engaging with someone who looks odd. It's human nature to fear what they don't understand."
Yul stared at her, his expression filled with unspoken questions, as if to say, "What are you even talking about?"
"Anyway, you said you wanted to ask me something. You didn't bring me to this fancy place just out of pity, did you?"
He rubbed his head in frustration, as if she had hit a nerve.
"No need to be so blunt. My God, you're really not a people person, are you? I bet you don't have any friends because of that attitude."
She placed the spoon on her tongue and turned her eyes away like a guilty child. Her only reply:
"No comment…"
Yul let out a soft sigh and pulled a golden invitation from his pocket.
"Anyway... can you tell me what this ticket is? Is it really that important?"
Wendy, who had been licking the leftover cream from the rim of her glass, froze for a full minute upon hearing his question. It was as if a lightning bolt had struck her. She lowered her head, placed her hands on the table, laced her fingers together, and sighed with heavy disappointment.
"So we're starting from there, huh? I knew there were some ignorant people in the world, but this is just too much. Are you sure you don't live on top of a mountain somewhere?"
"You're just trying to piss me off now, which is working. I doubt it's that famous anyway. I'm sure plenty of people don't care about books and whatnot."
"Your ignorance just makes it worse. Still… I'm not even sure how to explain this to you—it's the first time I've been asked, actually. But to put it simply: the World Tree is a place that houses every book in existence. From the past, the present… and sometimes, even the future."
"The future? You can't be serious. That's impossible."
"Yes. The World Tree was never a natural place to begin with. Some say it's the power of a person who one day decided to collect every book in the world. No one has ever seen him. Some say he lives inside his massive library. But nothing's been confirmed."
The word "power" meant little to Yul. Despite his combat experience, his knowledge of the world's intricacies was minimal. He listened without interrupting.
"Originally, his ability was meant to protect the world's knowledge. But one day he thought: what's the point of safeguarding a library if no one can benefit from it? Some say he realized it was arrogant to hoard all that knowledge for himself. So he created a new rule: every ten years, invitations are sent to those deemed worthy. Each invitee may enter the World Tree and take a single book. Or so the stories say. Truth is, no one really knows."
Yul held the ticket in his hands, uncertainty clouding his face. There were still so many things he didn't understand.
"I still don't get it. Are books really that valuable? This ticket looks expensive—if I sold it as pure gold, I could buy an entire library. Why go through all this trouble for just one book?"
The girl, visibly frustrated, slammed her fist on the table and pointed at him.
"That's what I mean when I say there are limits to ignorance! Do you have any idea what kind of information has been written throughout history? Some books could literally destroy the world!"
"Destroy the world? That's not a joke, is it?"
She rubbed her forehead in pure irritation, thinking how annoying it was to explain everything to him.
"Do I look like someone who has time to waste joking in a place like this?"
Yul's expression read clearly: "Don't you?"
"When someone takes an hour to decide what to eat and another half hour for dessert, don't we say their life's kind of... empty?"
"Well, okay, maybe I'm not that busy. But I don't have the time to explain things this basic. Anyway, the library holds all that knowledge—but it's not stupid. It doesn't make it accessible to just anyone. There's an eligibility system for each invitation."
"A system?"
"Yes. Each person's level of access is determined by the kind of invitation they receive. There are thousands of types—some made of simple paper, which is the lowest tier. Others are made of diamonds, rubies… even materials whose value is unknown. Of course, most invitations only allow access to about 50% of the library."
"Fifty percent? That's huge for such a massive library. So… can you tell me what this gold ticket gets me?"
She glanced quickly at the ticket and answered.
"Probably around 60%. That kind of gold is among the rarest in the world. But that's just my guess."
"Sixty percent, huh… I suppose that's not bad."
He stared calmly at the ticket, while Wendy sat up straight, crossing her arms like a martial arts teacher giving a lesson. Yul quickly ignored her antics and turned toward the window, catching sight of the colossal tree.
He seemed to realize something, and just as he was about to speak, she cut him off without even moving.
"You were just thinking that giant tree must be the World Tree, right?"
Yul jumped from his seat, surprised.
"How did you know that?! That's scary!"
She exhaled and answered calmly while gazing at the tree.
"Plenty of people think that, but it's not that simple. That tree is just a gateway—one of thousands scattered across the world. The real library doesn't exist in this world. It's a separate place, untouched by time or space. Even if that's a gate, without a ticket, it's just an empty metal door."
Yul blinked, still trying to process what she'd said.
"Wait… in a place that massive, how am I supposed to find the book I'm looking for? Wouldn't it take months? And if there's no time limit, couldn't I just read all the books I want and memorize them? That way, I'd walk out with more than one."
"Silly."
Wendy raised a finger.
"First of all, time flows differently inside the library, so that's not really a problem. Second, the moment you enter, the layout—the titles, the locations of the books—all that information floods directly into your mind. You won't need to search."
"Third—and this is key—you can absorb all the knowledge while you're inside, but once you leave, all of it is wiped from your memory. Every word you read, every face you see. Gone. That's why people think the original owner of the ability still lives in the library. Because in that case, even if someone did meet him inside, they wouldn't remember it once they left."
Yul was intrigued, curious about the person who created such a place, but not enough to ask further. Instead, they both continued their stroll through the city. Having only just arrived, they made the most of the day, exploring its many corners in peace.
As the sun descended and the skies turned a tranquil red, painting the old city in hues of sunset, the two of them stood on a small hill overlooking the fading light. They leaned against an old wooden railing wrapped in vines and budding flowers. Behind them stood a weathered bench that added to the beauty of the scene.
Wendy stared quietly into the horizon, her expression unusually somber. She rested her head on her hands, her elbows on the rail.
Seeing her like that, Yul turned to the sun once more and asked,
"If you had the chance to enter the library… what book would you choose?"
Wendy glanced at him without lifting her head and replied while gazing back at the sunset.
"Why ask that? Are you trying to tease me because you have a ticket?"
"Why do you always assume I'm trying to annoy you? I'm just curious about your taste, that's all. Is that so wrong?"
"It's a little suspicious, but whatever. There are a lot of books I want to read, but if I had to pick just one... Hmm. Probably The 362-Day Memoirs."
"The 362-Day Memoirs? What is that, some kind of novel?"
"You could call it that. It's not particularly valuable, but it's well-known in certain circles. It's been around for thousands of years, yet still has a huge fanbase even in our time. I just want to read it out of curiosity, I guess. At some point in my life, I was obsessed with knowledge… but these days, I just enjoy a good story every now and then."
"Enjoyment, huh… (So that's what it feels like to read a good book… Is it really that satisfying? Maybe it's something I'll never understand.)"
Yul thought to himself as he thanked Wendy for spending the day with him.
"In the end, I doubt I could recommend a book for you. You don't seem all that into reading. But I suppose you'll find what you're looking for once you're inside."
"You're probably right. I still don't fully understand the point of going there, but… I guess I'm a little curious now. I know I asked a lot of you by dragging you around today, but… would you wait a little longer? I want to know what you think of the book I choose."
Wendy was taken aback by the request, but a faint, reluctant smile curled on her lips. With one hand on her hip, she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Looks like I don't have a choice. I'll wait outside the gate for a bit. But don't expect me to wait more than an hour. I'm not that free."
"Says the person who insisted we explore the entire city…"
She ignored his sarcastic jab, and together they headed toward the giant tree in the center of the city.
Wendy stayed near a small café by the main square while Yul made his way to the massive gate embedded in the tree's trunk. From the outside, it looked like a solid wall of metal, trimmed with ornate gold and etched with mysterious patterns across its surface.
Yul tied the ticket with a string around his neck like an ID badge. When he reached the gate and touched it, his hand passed through the metal as though it were a giant hologram.
He took a deep breath and stepped through.
On the other side was a vast white void. Nothingness. Then, all at once, an overwhelming surge of information flooded into Yul's mind. He clutched his head, eyes shut tight, as if his skull were about to burst. The sensation passed quickly.
Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself in an immense space filled with towering bookshelves, endless staircases spiraling toward the sky, rooms and wings and floors too numerous to count. It was beyond anything he could've imagined—a labyrinth of knowledge.
Yet somehow, Yul knew the way. He knew every aisle, every title, every location.
He wandered through the library, marveling at its complex structure, its silence, its sacred calm. He skimmed a few shelves before heading straight to the book he had decided on.
Climbing one of the special staircases attached to the shelves, he reached for The 362-Day Memoirs.
But just as his fingers touched the spine, another hand landed on it at the exact same moment.
Yul looked up—and froze.
That face… the missing eye, the sly smile—it could only belong to one man.
With a glare of disgust, Yul muttered,
"What a coincidence to find you here… Supreme Minister Hiroshi."
The man gave him a matching sneer.
"What a pleasant surprise. Isn't this Haizuki, commander of the suicide squad? Who would've thought someone like you would get an invitation to a place like this?"
"Stop calling me that. Let go of the book. I touched it first."
"Why don't you let go? I bet an idiot like you couldn't understand fine literature even if you tried."
The two of them tugged at the book like squabbling children, exchanging insults until the staircase began to shake violently.
"Where's your respect for your elders? You should be a good boy and hand it over."
"I don't need lectures from someone like you. Just shut up and give me the damn book."
Yul suddenly kicked the stair beneath Hiroshi, causing him to lose balance and crash to the floor. A cascade of books tumbled down on top of him.
Yul ignored the chaos and walked away with the book in hand.
"Haizuki, you bastard! Is this how you treat your superior?! Be ready for punishment when you return!"
Hiroshi, struggling to push the books off, spotted another title that caught his eye—and promptly forgot about chasing Yul.
As Yul wandered the narrow aisles, he was once again struck by the beauty of the library's design. He took his time, breathing in the silence.
As night fell and darkness settled over the city, Yul stepped out of the World Tree's gate. Before he could even register it, the golden ticket hanging from his neck had vanished. What he didn't notice, however, was the red mark that had appeared beneath his left eye—a tattoo shaped like a question mark, adorned with a small wing-like symbol beside it.
He rushed to the spot where Wendy had promised to wait, but she was gone.
Scanning the plaza and surrounding streets, he saw no trace of her. Driven by urgency, he slipped into the alleys behind the main buildings. Then, just out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glint of golden hair.
He froze, turned toward it, and walked cautiously into a shadowy alleyway.
There, Wendy stood before a large pile of books stacked high enough to block the path. In her hands were two books Yul had never seen her carry before.
.....