The minutes soon expired before a car rolled up—the upper half red and the bottom half white. One that was impossible to miss once its hazards flickered on.
A notification flashed across the top of the screen. She stood up and walked toward the cab to make sure it was theirs, the passenger-side window rolling down when a face leaned toward them.
"You Valentina?"
The drivers asked with uncertainty.
Her face brightened, and she nodded. The doors unlocked with a soft click, offering a small nod in return.
"Alrightt...come on in. Library correct?"
The cab's door slammed shut, the rain now coming down much harder. They exhaled together as the warm air inside washed over them. Little Yan sat between them while they fastened their seatbelts.
"Yes please."
Valentina responded with a faint smile, leaning over Yan to pull her seatbelt snug.
The man reached for the dash and shut off the hazards, then merged into the sea of cars. Soft music slipped from the speakers, filling the background along the rain tapping steadily against the glass, traffic crawling forward.
Little Yan's gaze slipped past the seats and onto the street ahead, every light and every shape reflecting off the glass. Her cacao-colored irises shimmering with curiosity.
One turn became two, then three—street after street, intersection after intersection—until the cab finally slowed. The driver signaled, turning right and eased into a narrow parking space along the curb.
Turning on his hazards, the driver looked over his shoulder.
"Está al otro lado de los árboles—"
He said, pointing through the rain slick window.
"Just follow the trees that way and you'll find the entrance. And if you look to your right…"
"The entrance will be there. It's hidden, but you'll see it."
Valentina and the man opened their doors, unbuckling little Yan's seatbelt before helping her out. Without paying the cab much attention, Valentina followed the direction he'd pointed.
She took Yan's hand with the man walking behind them.
They found an entrance—it was hard to miss once the light spilled over them. A handful of people emerged from within, holding umbrellas and whatever else over their heads. They hurried forward, the man shielding Yan as best he could.
Her feathers hung limp, soaked through, her plushie growing heavy in her grasp—her dull eyes staring at the stuck leaves on the concrete.
There was no door—at least, not in the traditional sense. Instead stood a small security checkpoint, like one you'd see at a subway, though without any card readers or gates. The night and rain blurred the details of the building yet they passed through them without issue.
Once they passed the checkpoint, they were greeted by a wide open space. On the other side—through the crowd before their eyes—stood another gate identical to the one they had just crossed. The crowd using the building as shelter.
Most kept to themselves, their voices low while some talked to their friends.
They stopped near the wall. The man knelt, unzipping Yan's soaked jacket and easing it off her shoulders. Her eyes drooped with frustrated resignation while she handed her plushie to the man, gently tugging at both her feathered tufts—shaking them to rid them of the water soaking through.
"Didn't know this one was still open this late."
Valentina murmured near his ear. Her bracelet buzzed against her wrist, pulling her gaze downward. She muted it and checked the caller ID.
An older couple hugging each other appeared on the screen, and Valentina answered. As the call connected, she lowered the volume, a quiet woman's voice coming through.
"Hello? Are you there?"
The voice was clear but with tension in her tone.
"Yes, I'm here."
She responded in a soft tone, speaking closely to the bracelet.
"I'm sorry but my husband got a heart attack on the way...."
Her voice was steady but tense with every word she spoke. Valentina stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue.
"You'll have to forgive me for all of these inconveniences but my boy will pick you up."
She paused, a swallow following next.
"—Could you wait for my son to arrive? Twenty minutes at most."
Valentina glanced at the man and little Yan. The little girl looked irritated, still trying to dry her feathers. Meanwhile, the man slid off his backpack, unzipping it, tucking both the wet jacket and plushie into a plastic bag.
"That's fine,"
Valentina said quietly.
"It's been hectic all month with everything going on."
She rubbed her shoulder, the chill from outside still creeping in.
They spoke a little longer before ending the call. Valentina exhaled, her sigh blending with the soft pitter of rain hitting the glass to their right.
She lowered her wrist and looked at the man before speaking.
"We'll be waiting for their son to pick us up."
The man looked at her, raising his eyebrows in a questioning matter.
"He had a heart attack."
He replied only with a low whistle. Little Yan smoothed the feathers on her head, flattening them into tiny horn.
"Since we're here...might as well check it out."
She voiced her curiosity and looked at the two of them. Ignoring their looks, she turned left and walked up the slope. The two of them followed, their steps echoing softly.
The space opened wider as they climbed. On either side were small desk with a computer, thin wooden walls separating each one—but that wasn't what caught Yan's eyes.
A shape loomed above them, suspended in stillness. Bones, too many bones. A giant skeleton stretched above her—ribs of a fallen beast.
It was bigger than her. Bigger than the man. Bigger than anything she'd ever seen.
Yan slowed, her tiny chest tightening while the air grew heavy. The overhead lights hummed, casting faint shadows through the beast's ribs—a cage of bone and silence that breathed over her, the light slipping through and striking her square in the chest.
She couldn't tell if it was the cold air or her own heart making her shiver. It wasn't moving yet she felt its weight pressing down, a presence that sat just above but pierced straight into her.
Her eyes flicked to a hanging sign, letters she couldn't read. She looked back ai it—the skeleton didn't move but something in her heart did.
She took a careful step forward, then another, until she found the man beside her—without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his hand.
She glanced back at it, its tail wrapping around and spiraling towards the ceiling. No feet and no hands in view, her feet tapping on the polished stone floor with something wedged in her heart.
Little Yan shook her head and faced forward, the desks gradually turning into lounges. The lounges ended where the space closed off into rooms, glass panels set near the top—letting her peer inside, the polished wooden walls holding the glass in place.
On their right, a space opened into another section of smooth concrete. Slim lights were embedded in the ceiling, spilling their brilliance toward the outer window, where a small garden swayed in the rain. A help station blinked quietly nearby, the worker typing away on a keyboard.
The trio continued walking until they reached the base of the stairs—steps that tapered inward before rising into a floor of their own. More rooms wrapped around the staircase, and one side held a wall full of framed portraits.
They moved toward a slim kiosk beside the stairs, its screen showing an image of the building itself—one of concrete, steel, wood, and glass.
Valentina hesitantly tapped the screen. A map popped to life, its glow lighting their faces.
"Oh wow."
She murmured.
"It has auditoriums… classrooms. It's much bigger than I thought."
She didn't forget the warning she'd read when they first entered—her voice low while people passed quietly around them.
Curious, she tapped the colored icons scattered across the map. Each one unfolding a new image.
"Huh." She breathed while looking curiously at the screen, little Yan peeking from below.
"A museum too."
"Is there any book you want to read?"
Valentina asked, glancing down at the little girl. The feathers on Yan's head still flattened from her earlier drying.
The little librei pondered for a moment, her eyes wandering until they caught a nearby screen. A looping video playing—barely anything of worth.
?Um… Ma...? Ma…gic..."
She fumbled with her words, the tips of her shoes tapping together while she tucked her hands behind her back, glancing aside before peeking up at her again. The faint gleam in her eyes unmistakable, bright with hope.
The woman ruffled her hair, mussing the little tufts until they stuck out. Little Yan puffed her cheeks in mild protest.
"Lets see, their should be something here."
The woman continued searching, a list of numbers and short descriptions popping up as she went.
Little Yan grabbed her hand, and Valentina led her up the stairs that rose through three levels. As they climbed, the wooden railing curved around the floor's edge, where a long desk of metal and wood wrapped around the space, lined with computers separated only by distance, not walls.
Once they reached the ground floor, her gaze caught the elongated columns supporting the building, metal tables arranged along the concrete—some occupied by people, others empty.
They continued walking until they found another staircase, this one made entirely of metal. They grabbed the railing and headed up.
Valentina followed the interior map on her bracelet, noting the platforms where their books were listed. The upper floors hung from the ceiling, held up by catwalks of metal and opaque tempered glass. Some became platforms lined with leather seats, others held shelves, and a few purely as quiet spaces to decompress.
They finally reached their floor. The shelves were spaced the same as the ones below, though the platforms beneath them were set further apart.
Soon enough, the trio reached their section, where books and terminals displaying flavor text and cover art filled the shelves.
Her voice slightly chirpy, she gazed at Valentina, who was looking back at her with a thin book in her hands—the cover catching Yan's eyes.
"Little Yan."
"Yes!"
Her voice slightly chirpy, gazed at Valentine who looked at her with a thin book in her hands—the cover catching her eyes.
It was a sword—a gleaming blade that was neither overbearing nor simple. A sword covered in blood, its golden hilt resting over a patch of grass that stood in an endless desert.
"Do you know…"
Valentina began, her voice softer now, her thumb pointing at the hilt of the sword.
"…of Maides, the Radiant King?"
Little Yan shook her head, waiting patiently for Valentina.
It was a normal story, the story of a young man—the king of a distant land, a journey through the sands of Sabahran. His journey to accumulate wealth beyond imagination, collecting vast fortunes and treasures of every kind.
He was the most prosperous Intermezzian of his age, a master of countless spells, the builder of fortunes without end.
Yet on his journey for riches, he found a satyr—laying half buried on the endless backyard within his golden sand. Amused, the radiant king shared company with the creature, humoring its riddles and laughter for ten days and ten nights.
Once all was said and done, the satyr granted the radiant king a wish—
Everything he touched would turn to gold.
Even his food.
The king could not accept such thing, and set forth again across his realm, hoarding every glint and shimmer he could claim. Until the day his own fingers grew too heavy to lift, and his heart too still to move.
Valentina's voice softened as the final words left her lips, little Yan was paying attention intently.
"But even in regret, he did not mourn his riches—only his touch."
"So, little Yan." Valentina said, her tone playful.
"Was this man good or bad?"
The girl thought carefully, lips pressed together. "None!" She said at last, puffing her chest, confident her wish would also come true—just like the king.
"I can do magic!"
"Mmm?"
The woman smiled softy as she placed the book on the glass platform, between the girls leg.
"Why don't you try to lift this book? Maybe it'll become true."
Yan nodded eagerly, focusing on the golden cover with all the conviction her small heart could muster.
She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes, then opened them again—clear and determined.
One arm stretched forward.
She huff.
Then again.
Then one more.
Each attempt chipped away at her excitement, tears threatening to spill as the silence deepened between them.
Each attempt eating at her anticipation, tears threating to give way as the two of them stood in silence.
But alas—
At her final attempt, the countless Fehemah scattered across the land seemed to heed her call.
Right when she was giving up, the thing cover of the book lifted up slightly. Her heart hammered in her chest as joy settled between her eyes that were still covered in coming tears. The two stared with a blink of their eyes, the change barely noticeable—one that could be considered a fluke.
But for her, it was not.
Once again, her heart thumped when the cover flickered open before snapping back into its original position.
The smiles on their faces froze—shocked even—the little girl's joy burst out in a glow brighter than the light above her.
A single tear rolled down her cheek, sealing that truth. She flipped the cover open, the pages turning on their own, paper slapping the air until they stopped on an illustrated page.
A painting of the king and the satyr feasting together.
Little Yan could have sworn they smiled wider now, their hands raised mid toast, the edges of their figures faintly shifting as if caught in a dance.
Next to her, the man stared at the side of her glowing face—his expression unchanging, like he was reliving his own past.
Some time later, the three of them was back where they started—right next to the larger crowd waiting for the rain to pass by. The twenty minutes were nearly up when the woman picked up a call, buzzing at her wrist.
Little Yan for this matter was sleep, the heeded wish draining her of all energy while her breaths brushes against the mans neck.
"He's here? Okay, hmm. Alright, see you soon."
She ended the call before turning to the man.
"It'll be the white car in the front."
Once they were ready, they walked outside and headed for the front, looking for a car with its hazards on. They spotted one in the rain, its headlights cutting through while they rushed toward it. The man walked faster and knocked on the glass.
The window rolled down, the dome light letting both sides see each other.
"Come on in!"
Valentina pulled open the rear door and climbed inside, taking little Yan when she was passed over. The door shut with a dull thump after the man climbed into the back.
"The heat's already on so it won't take long."
The young feline at the wheel said, glancing into the rearview mirror to make sure they were settled and buckled. The steady rhythm of the wipers filled the silence, merging into the slow traffic.
"Sorry about the wait. My mom probably told you what happened."
Valentina gave a small nod. The three of them relaxing in the warmth.
They stop at an intersection, waiting for their light to turn green—the light looming above them as they waited.
A few long seconds passed.
Then—green.
The feline pressed the throttle lightly, easing forward as a horn was blaring some distance away.
Bright headlights cut through the downpour—dead ahead, blinding them.
"Wait—!"
He slammed the pedal down, tires skidding against the wet asphalt—the car jolting forward just as the same vehicle screamed through the crossing.
The oncoming car tried to move out the way, its wheels unable to lock, its chassis veering sideways but still barreling toward them.
"OH FUCK!"
The city folded in a single violent jerk. Metal shrieked, glass sheared off, and the force snapped little Yan sideways—her seatbelt giving with a sharp slap before she was hurled forward a moment later.
Her small frame rose into the air, the street spinning past in a blur of light and noise. Both vehicles' horns wailed nonstop, their echoes blending into a deafening howl.
She tried to breathe, to cry out—but nothing came.
The pain crushed her, her limbs thrashing and her eyes burning through the haze of her vision.
The street meshing into one single sound.