[ Lessons ]

Geoffrey was before two doors that reached up to the ceiling. Their massive size was impressive, and a reminder of where exactly he was.

They were made of a darker wood, golden surfaces where they were expected to push.

It was clear they must've been extremely heavy, yet as he pushed them open they rotated easily.

As they opened he could see the thickness of them, it was even more impressive than their heights.

The room they opened to, however, was on a different level.

A school is only as prestigious as the knowledge its able to provide, and the academy's library was the best room he had laid his eyes upon.

Compared to the hallways, the ceilings were even higher inside it, with bookshelves spiraling everywhere. It was a sight that one would expect from a dream.

The wood that was used for the shelves themselves was carved into, intricate and detailed designs layered all around them. 

It was done so finely that it allowed the books themselves to stand out.

The Leather-bound books were neatly organized in rows, and whoever had designed this place knew what they were doing. 

The height of the books as they stood next to each other, the coloration of the leather, even the lettering seemed to be perfectly orchestrated.

Geoffrey took a few steps in, and despite his unbothered appearances, he felt true wonder inside.

He stood at the entrance; the doors closing behind him.

The floor plan seemed to be mainly circles, as right before him a few steps going down would lead him to a large opening with a lot of seats, and a giant circular desk in the middle. 

He could see at least 8 librarians working behind it, and he could guess more were likely in the rows, or spirals in the case.

The seats that were around the main opening looked extremely comfortable. Short tables were next to each of them, some with small lamps, while others had teapots.

So we can eat, and stay during the night in this library?

He went down to the main counter that seemed even wider as he approached, quickly greeted by a librarian.

"Hello, I'm Ohx. I am in charge of this library, and everything it contains."

The floor behind the counter was elevated, Ohx was towering above him, forcing Geoffrey to take a step back.

"I'm Geoffrey."

"Oh, I know."

Ohx spoke slowly. His voice felt almost felt tired but, his appearance screamed otherwise.

He didn't have a single wrinkle, and looked extremely young. His eyes had a black contour, which matched his nails in that obsidian color.

He leaned forward on the counter, smiling. His smile stretched across his face, reminding Geoffrey of a certain Cheshire cat.

"How can I help you?" asked Ohx.

Geoffrey's neutral gaze studied Ohx for a moment, before going to the background.

"What are they doing?" asked Geoffrey, pointing.

"Rebinding the books."

"Why?" asked Geoffrey.

"There are various reasons for rebinding books. Some may be damaged, some may not have any cover, some simply need to have a new protective layer, and sometimes, we simply do it so it looks better."

Ohx's voice was low in pitch, but the way he spoke almost felt like singing. 

He moved his hands around, while explaining the work of his colleagues. Everything he said, and the way he said it, felt like he was simply happy to answer questions. 

"Why is there a need to re-bind books? Death created this place, and everything in it, didn't she? She could fix everything in an instant."

Ohx leaned even further onto the counter.

"Oh, no. Creation isn't Death's strength. Beside, even if she had, I think we still we would still be rebinding the books."

"Why?" asked Geoffrey.

"It is simply what we do."

Geoffrey nodded, looking behind once more. 

They didn't seem to enjoy their work the same way one enjoyed a hobby, but they didn't seem miserable either.

They had a purpose that made them passionate. 

The way they worked slowly, with extreme attention to detail, barely aware of their surroundings.

It felt as if they were in a different world, behind that counter.

The doors slammed opened loudly behind Geoffrey.

He watched Ohx's eyes detach from him, onto those who had just entered the library.

Geoffrey turned around, three students had entered. Even those sitting and reading took a break to look at them.

They were laughing loudly, their steps echoing through the library as they faked falling down from the laughter.

"NO WAY! THIS PLACE IS HUUUGE!"

Geoffrey looked at Ohx once more.

He wasn't bothered at all, he could tell. 

Geoffrey finally understood.

Ohx didn't really see them as people. If anything, he saw them as kids, or pets.

"Gentlemen, you'll have to stop disrupting the library," said Ohx loudly enough so that they would hear him.

They looked at each other, quickly calming down.

Ohx raised his hand forward, and shadow emanated from his palm. 

Out of it, a black book appeared. It was massive, easily half Geoffrey's size, levitating before Ohx's hand.

Ohx spoke words of a language unknown to him, it had a lot of vowels and breathing sounds, but not many consonants.

The book quickly opened, the pages turning in a loud flapping sound until it stopped, more darkness forming from pages.

In an instant, a ray of dark smoke reached out of the book and hit the three students head-on.

It looked as if it would simply go through them, yet they were all lifted from the smoke, pushed out of the library through the two massive doors. 

Geoffrey saw as they hit the wall on the opposite side of the hallways, before the doors closed right back.

The book then disappeared in the same darkness it came out of.

"Why not give them a moment to compose themselves," asked Geoffrey, turning back toward Ohx.

"I did," he simply said.

"After pushing them out."

"A memorable lesson."

"Your words seemed to have been enough."

"If words were a good enough lesson, there wouldn't be any need for violence. Only through pain can they learn, and their desire to not feel it again."

"And what if they retaliate, inflicting pain upon you."

"Then it'll be my lesson."