I had a feeling.
This place wasn't going to explain itself unless I asked.
"...What decides what I can read?"
"The Keeper may access all records."
I waited.
"Access depends on your state."
"…State?"
"Yourself. Your capacity."
That was vague.
"…So it's not permission. It's limitation."
"Yes."
That made more sense.
I looked around again.
Shelves above. Shelves below.
No stairs. No floor I could see. Still, I was standing.
"…Then why is it built like this?"
No answer.
Right. It only responded to direct things.
"…Explain the structure."
A short pause.
"Levels."
I waited.
"Classification varies by nature. Direction indicates tendency."
"…Up and down?"
"Yes."
"…Meaning?"
"Growth changes with direction."
That wasn't very helpful.
"…Give me something practical."
Silence for a second.
"Your current position is balanced."
"…Balanced how?"
"No alignment. No attributes. No specialization."
"…So I'm in the middle because I'm nothing."
"Yes."
I let out a small breath.
"…That tracks."
I glanced at the shelves again.
"…And the rest?"
"Higher levels increase in one direction. Lower levels in another. that basically means as you shift away from the middle level whether up or down your level increases ether way. its just the direction that changes"
"…Good and bad?"
"No."
"…Not that simple, then."
"No."
Alright.
That was enough for now.
I reached out and pulled a book from the shelf.
My fingers tightened slightly around it.
…Then I stopped.
"…Wait."
I lowered the book.
"…Is there a way out of this place?"
"Yes."
That was quick.
I nodded once.
"…Where?"
"There are exits."
"…And I can use them?"
Another pause.
"Yes."
I frowned.
"…You're hesitating."
Silence.
Then—
"You will not survive."
I blinked.
"…That direct, huh."
"The probability is extremely low."
I looked at the book in my hand.
Then back at the shelves.
"…Why?"
"You are an ordinary human."
I didn't answer right away.
"…And?"
"Humans stand between higher and lower classifications."
I waited.
"They are not inherently weak. They possess growth potential. They develop abilities. They establish hierarchy."
"…But?"
"You have none of those. Yet."
That was fair.
"…So I'm baseline."
"Yes."
I exhaled quietly.
"…Figures."
I glanced down at myself again.
No strength.
No skills.
No idea where I was.
And apparently—
no chance of surviving outside.
"…So leaving is basically suicide."
"Yes."
That settled it.
I looked back at the book in my hand.
Then at the shelves.
"…Then I don't really have a choice."
No response.
I ran my thumb along the edge of the cover.
"…Good thing I like books."
I opened it.
Nothing happened.
I frowned.
"…Do I need to understand it first?"
"Begin."
"…That's not an answer."
Silence.
I looked down at the page again.
The letters shifted.
Just slightly.
"…Oh."
So that's how it works.
I focused.
And this time—
I started reading.