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Levi stood behind a bookshelf, holding a broom at entirely the wrong angle, and pretended this was normal librarian behavior.
It wasn't hiding. Technically. He was simply observing a patron from a strategic vantage point while holding cleaning equipment he had no intention of using. Completely standard protocol.
This is fine. This is professional. I'm being responsible.
Celine sat in the reading alcove exactly where he'd left her 2 minutes ago. She hadn't moved. Hadn't touched her tea. Hadn't even blinked as far as he could tell.
Just staring at the book with an intensity that made him nervous.
He recognized this phase. The silent contemplation before life-altering decisions. The calm before someone did something monumentally stupid or monumentally brilliant, and there was usually no way to tell which until after the fact.
Official reason for watching: safety concerns. Actual reason: morbid curiosity and the nagging suspicion that something is about to go very wrong.
Celine's hand moved.
She touched the book's cover.
Her body went rigid.
"Oh shit," Levi muttered.
Celine's entire frame locked up like she'd been struck by lightning. Her fingers spasmed. Her head jerked back, then forward.
Then she collapsed straight down.
Not with the elegant swoon of a fairy tale princess. She just dropped face-first onto the obsidian table with an audible, meaty thump.
Then she fall down the chair and hit the fall face first again.
Followed by a wet splat.
Blood began to trickle from her forehead in an oddly elegant line, pooling on the floor dark surface.
Levi stared.
What.
He dropped the broom and crossed the distance in three long strides, his coat billowing behind him in a way that would have looked impressive if anyone had been conscious to see it.
"Celine?"
No response.
He reached out carefully, pressing two fingers against her neck to check for a pulse. It took him three tries to find it because he'd never actually done this before and wasn't entirely sure where the pulse was supposed to be, but eventually he found a steady rhythm.
Alive. Unconscious. Bleeding.
"Did you just headbutt everything for shit and giggle?" he asked the unconscious princess. "Is this a habit of yours? Because I'm starting to see a pattern."
Still no response.
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and summoned the System.
"Explanation. Now."
The familiar blue window materialized.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Patron Status: Dao Comprehension (Stage 1)
She's fine. Probably. This is normal for cultivation breakthroughs.
The book hit her soul harder than expected.
"Dao Comprehension?" Levi repeated slowly.
"Since when are we using xianxia terminology?"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Genre shift detected in patron's reading material.
Cultivation arc engaged.
I'm genre-fluid, Librarian. Keep up.
Levi stared at the window.
Fuck you
"So let me get this straight," he said aloud.
"She read something so profound it knocked her unconscious and made her bleed from the face?"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Correct!
Would you like her full status report?
"Yes. Obviously."
The window expanded.
[PATRON STATUS: CELINE VON REVOLA]
Condition:
Dao Comprehension (Stage 1)Unconscious (Peaceful)Bleeding from Forehead (Decorative)Dignity: -12%Aura: Mildly GlowingLibrarian Worship Score: 97%
Active Effects:
Floor Impact Damage (Minor)Narrative Speed Bump EngagedPassive Synchronization with @#$%^&*(@#$% Sword
Estimated Recovery Time: 45 Hours
Levi processed this information in silence.
Forty-five hours.
She was going to be unconscious for basically the entire time limit.
Of course she is.
He looked down at Celine's bleeding face pressed against the floor and made a decision he knew he was going to think about later.
He sat down in the other chair.
"Well," he said to no one in particular, "this is less traumatic than therapy, I suppose."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out a pillow. Not a fancy one. Just a standard, soft pillow that he kept for emergencies he'd never actually defined.
Carefully, he lifted Celine's head and slid the pillow underneath.
The blood squished.
"There," Levi said. "Ergonomically supported face-planting. Very dignified."
He glared at the book, which continued to glow softly.
"Don't start narrating," he warned it.
The System window reappeared.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Synchronization increasing.
Passive narrative absorption ongoing.
She's integrating knowledge at the soul level.
You're basically babysitting a dao-path protagonist now.
"Fantastic," Levi muttered. "Just what I always wanted."
He settled into the chair and waited.
.
.
.
Time passed strangely in the Library.
Levi had long since stopped trusting clocks here. Minutes could stretch like hours. Hours could compress into moments. The only reliable measure was the System's countdown, and even that felt arbitrary sometimes.
But he knew, with absolute certainty, that he'd been sitting in this chair for forty-six hours.
Forty-six hours of watching Celine breathe softly into a pillow while her forehead slowly stopped bleeding and her aura flickered with colors he didn't have names for.
Forty-six hours of standing guard over an unconscious nineteen-year-old who'd face-planted into enlightenment.
He hadn't left. Hadn't even stood up except to summon Golem One to bring him tea twice.
My back is going to hate me for this. I already hate me for this. Why am I still sitting here?
But he knew why.
Because if she woke up alone, disoriented, with no idea how much time had passed or what had happened, she'd panic. And panicking was dangerous.
Professional responsibility. That's all this is.
Celine stirred.
Levi sensed it immediately. The subtle shift in her breathing. The flicker of her eyelids. The way her aura pulsed once, twice, then settled into a new rhythm.
She was waking up.
"Welcome back," he said quietly.
Celine's eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first, then sharpening as awareness returned. She blinked at the ceiling, then at the table, then at Levi.
"Mr. Levi?"
"The one and only."
She tried to sit up. Levi didn't stop her, but he watched carefully in case she collapsed again.
She managed it, though she swayed slightly. Her hand went to her forehead, touching the dried blood there with confusion.
"What happened?"
"You've been unconscious for forty-six hours," Levi said calmly. "You have approximately one hour left in the Library before automatic ejection."
A countdown appeared in the air above the table, helpfully confirming his statement.
[TIME REMAINING: 00:58:34]
Celine's eyes widened. "Forty-six hours? But I just... I only..."
"You opened the book," Levi said.
"You entered what calls Dao Comprehension. Apparently reading profound truths at the soul level has physical consequences. Such as face-planting into floor and bleeding decoratively."
Celine looked down at the pillow, which was now stained with her blood, then back at Levi.
"You stayed?"
"Someone had to make sure you didn't choke on your own enlightenment," he said.
"Plus, I bandaged you via Library protocol. You're welcome."
Don't mention that I didn't actually leave. Don't mention that I sat here for two days straight. Maintain professional distance.
"I saw..." Celine started, then stopped. Her eyes were distant, remembering.
"I saw Zhao Ling'er. The Dao Gate. The sword path. I saw my own soul, Mr. Levi. I saw what I could become."
Levi nodded. "And you'll remember it. The book doesn't just show you things. It integrates with your spiritual memory. What you learned is part of you now."
"It felt like healing," Celine said quietly. "Not just gaining power. Like something broken inside me was being put back together."
"That's the correct understanding," Levi said.0
"Power without healing is just violence waiting to happen."
Celine looked at him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable.
"You stayed the entire time."
Abort. Deflect. Change subject immediately.
"Standard protocol," Levi said smoothly. "Comfort enhances comprehension clarity. There are studies."
There are absolutely no studies. I made that up just now.
"Thank you," Celine said, and the sincerity in her voice made something in his chest tighten.
"You're welcome," he said.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small card, placing it on the table between them.
"Monthly Library Access Permit," he explained. "One visit per month. Forty-eight hours per visit. Use it wisely."
Celine picked up the card with trembling hands. It was simple black paper with gold lettering that read: PATRON: CELINE VON REVOLA
"I can come back?"
"The Library only accepts those ready to listen," Levi said. "You've proven you're ready."
The countdown continued ticking.
[TIME REMAINING: 00:52:17]
Celine looked at the book, still sitting on the table, then back at Levi.
"I don't want to leave," she admitted.
"Insight must leave before it can return," Levi said.
"You need time to process what you've learned. To integrate it into your life outside these walls. If you stayed too long, you'd become dependent on this place instead of growing from it."
"Will I remember everything?"
"You'll remember what matters."
Celine stood, wobbling slightly. Levi stood as well, ready to catch her if she fell, but she steadied herself.
She bowed deeply. Not the casual bow of nobility. The full, respectful bow of a student to a teacher.
"Thank you, Mr. Levi. For the book. For staying. For everything."
Levi inclined his head. "Train well. Return stronger. But remember: I'm not asking for performance. I'm asking for growth."
The countdown hit thirty minutes.
A portal began forming at the edge of the alcove. Golden light, gentle and warm, ready to carry her back to the entrance.
Celine place 3 royal gold coin on the table
"Here the payment Mr. Levi Thank you"
Celine hesitated at the threshold, looking back one more time.
"I'll make you proud," she said.
"You already have," Levi said quietly.
Celine smiled, tears in her eyes, and stepped through the portal.
The light swallowed her whole.
The portal closed.
Levi stood alone in the alcove.
He waited exactly three seconds.
Then he groaned and pressed both hands against his lower back.
"My spine is going to file a formal complaint," he muttered, stretching carefully. "Forty-six hours in a chair. What was I thinking?"
He looked at the bloodstained pillow and the book, still sitting innocently on the floor.
"System."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Yes, Librarian?
"I need a new rug for this alcove. Blood-resistant. Trauma-absorbent."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Processing request...
Approved. Anything else?
"Another rug. For the therapy room upstairs. Same specifications."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
You're expecting more head injuries?
"I'm expecting more enlightenment incidents," Levi said tiredly. "Same thing, apparently."
He picked up the book and placed it back on its shelf with care.
"Good job," he told it. "Try not to give the next reader a concussion."
The book said nothing, but Levi could have sworn it pulsed with smug satisfaction.
He left the alcove and made his way back through the infinite Library toward his office.
Time to make tea.
Time to sit in a better chair.
Time to pretend his back didn't feel like it had been used as a medieval torture device.
But as he walked, he couldn't quite suppress the small smile that crept onto his face.
Celine was going to be fine.
Better than fine.
And somehow, despite everything, that actually mattered to him.
The Library hummed around him, satisfied.
Somewhere in the distance, a book opened itself.
And Levi Warwick, former therapist turned interdimensional librarian, went to make himself some very well-deserved tea.