Sols adventure

The moment Sol stepped further into the bar, the old man and the raccoon-eared girl both noticed something different about him. It wasn't just the subtle changes in his physique—his more defined features, the faint sharpness to his once-youthful face—but something deeper. Something intangible yet undeniable.

The old man leaned against the counter, his grin softening into something more contemplative. His sharp, knowing eyes studied Sol carefully, as if searching for the source of the shift. The raccoon girl, usually quick with a snarky remark, found herself uncharacteristically quiet. Her tail flicked behind her as she stared at him from across the room, her sharp eyes lingering as if trying to pinpoint exactly what had changed.

Sol, unaware of their scrutiny, stretched his arms lazily before making his way to the counter. "Something strong," he said casually, sliding onto one of the barstools. "I feel like I've been awake for weeks."

The old man chuckled but didn't move to pour his drink just yet. Instead, he leaned in slightly, resting his forearm on the counter. "You've seen something, haven't you?"

Sol paused mid-stretch, his gaze flickering toward the old man. For a moment, he considered playing dumb, but he knew it wouldn't work. Not on someone like him.

"Maybe," Sol admitted with a lopsided grin. "Or maybe I just finally got some good sleep."

The old man barked out a laugh. "Boy, you don't walk in here looking like you've touched the edge of the universe after a nap."

The raccoon girl, still watching from a distance, slowly made her way over. She wasn't as direct as the old man, but she studied Sol just as intently. "You carry yourself differently," she mused, her voice quieter than usual. "It's not just your face. It's like... something inside of you shifted."

Sol tilted his head at her, amused. "Didn't realize you were paying that much attention to me."

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "I pay attention to all our customers. Just happens that you're the first one to walk in here looking like you pulled a piece of the cosmos into yourself."

The old man chuckled. "She's not wrong. You came back with something different in your eyes. Almost like you've seen something no one else has."

Sol exhaled, running a hand through his still-damp black hair. He wasn't ready to tell them everything—not yet. But he could tell them a piece of the truth. "I found the Archive," he admitted.

The old man's pupils shrank. His usual amused expression fell away entirely, replaced by something raw—shock, disbelief, and something else Sol couldn't quite place. He had never seen the old man look so genuinely unsettled before.

Sol narrowed his eyes warily. "What?"

The old man let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. "Kid, I know I told you about the Archive and how it only shows itself if it wants to be found, but to be honest... I was messing with you a bit. Yeah, what I said was true, but no one's actually seen the damn place for a very long time."

Sol, a little surprised, set his drink down. "What do you mean?"

The old man let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kid, I wasn't lying when I told you about the Archive, but I also wasn't expecting you to actually *find* it. No one's seen the damn place for a very long time—so long that most folks think it's just a myth. The fact that you walked in here claiming to have been there... well, that's something else entirely. What was it like?"

Sol hesitated. The old man's gaze bore into him, waiting for an answer. Finally, Sol exhaled and leaned back slightly. "It's... an endless expanse of books," he said, his voice distant. "More knowledge than you could ever imagine, stretching forever. It's overwhelming and... kind of terrifying, if I'm being honest."

"It was a lot," Sol finally said. "I don't know what to do with it yet."

The raccoon girl tapped her fingers against the counter, her sharp eyes never leaving him. "You look like someone who's standing on the edge of something big. Just don't fall off, traveler."

Sol smirked at the nickname but said nothing. Instead, he reached for the drink the old man finally poured him, taking a slow sip. The warmth spread through his chest, grounding him.

The three of them sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the noise of the bar fading into the background. Sol knew he had changed. And clearly, others could see it too. But how much of that change was for the better—well, that was something he'd have to find out for himself.

For now, he just drank, letting the weight of his discoveries settle. There would be time for answers later.