Forever is too long.
Forever is too painful.
Forever is too much.
Too much to handle.
Prologue[]
A new world, child wardens.
The elementals were committing to their first attempt to restore balance after the fall of Celestial, the plan including seven "wardens." These wardens were immortal, humanoid creatures created to help maintain each elemental's domain, but... because of this, they were not quite fully immortal, in case the plan were to go wrong and they were to become a threat.
These seven immortals were the first to use the elements, but they soon lost that power. The elementals saw a flaw in their plan, choosing not to kill the seven but to simply revoke their power.
This was no better then killing them.
One by one they vanished, leaving only three - the wardens of Shadow, Storm, and Astral. The one of Storm left the island, the one of Astral... well, they took their own life. That left the one of Shadow, never forgetting their beginning.
Many years flew by, races changed and evolved, fell and rose, but the last of the original wardens remained. They witnessed countless wars, saw oceans become deserts and continents become islands and islands become mountains. They saw the arrogance of man and the longing faen, the refusal of the elves and the indifference of the yetis. So many flaws, so many flaws...
It was no surprise when the immortal's heart began to harden, especially... when a new set of wardens rose. They were all mortal, meant to be replaced with time. The one of Shadow wasn't necessarily jealous, nor were they exactly angry... just... curious. Yet they would dare approach any of these new wardens, nor the building which was their domain, but instead, simply watched them.
More years passed, and they began to experiment with the concept of telekinesis. A dozen more years, and then this thing... this thing known as the book, was created. It contained all the knowledge of the world, all the secrets, and was in the hands of a mage, a mage who worked for the wardens. The immortal panicked, wondering what would happen if they found out...
Soon they found themself in a nefarious scheme, intentionally befriending the mage to become the next Keeper of the Book. More wars, more changes, more time flew by. Hiding then revealing, manipulating and befriending, disappearing and reappearing, all of this was experienced by the Keeper. Until they finally, finally, found themselves in present day.
Chapter One[]
A finger traced an infinity sign within an image, the infinity sign making up the crown of a dark elemental.
The image was located in the earliest pages of a heavy book, the paper slightly worn and yellowed from time - even the magic that kept the book from falling apart had begun to wear off as centuries came and went.
Purple gloves with amethyst crystals embedded into it lay next to the book, the owner having taken them off to touch the book, bringing back memories of those they've long outlived.
Immortal, just like the fallen elemental had claimed.
Well, not fallen... just not running around as they pleased.
A pale hand closed the book and carefully lifted it out of their lap with a gust of telekinesis, moving it back to their desk.
They made a note to renew the spells on the pages before grabbing a hat from the desk and glancing at the crates full of books to be sorted - they had other work to do.
As they walked out, on and on the books went. They reached for the walls, moving on to the next room, then the next, then the next, seemingly forever.
How forever dragged on.
In her… roughly five billion, nearing five billion and four thousand years of life, she couldn’t reach the end - perhaps it wasn’t even possible.
Her eyes were drawn to several spots, each causing a new flood of memories that was quickly rushed back.
Austen’s smile, shadow magic covering the doorways, a body against hers, the cry of a child, amber eyes shining with betrayal…
Too much to remember, and not enough to forget.
”So, Hilda, let’s get started,” the wizard muttered under her breath. It was nice having a voice, something to follow, to be guided by, to rely on. Even if all she had was herself.
As she flipped the book open, she couldn’t help finding the page she tried so hard to avoid.
Status: Deceased
Age: 50
Family: [UNKNOWN] (Biological mother), Austen Starheart (Biological father), Hilda Wishstone (Temporary adoptive mother)Gale’s - or whatever he chose to be called - life in neat block letters blurred under the mix of tears and overwhelming emotion.
Status: Deceased
Like so many. Too many… too many to even remember.
Hilda Wishstone (Temporary adoptive mother)
Temporary. Mother.
She slammed the book shut and turned back to the bookshelves, placing trembling arms on a wooden desk in an attempt to support herself.
Tears started falling, again and again and again until sobs rang through the Archives.
Sobs for Florian, for Austen, for the Wardens, for Gale, Hunter, for Jade, for everyone else she’d lost.
Tears for each time she could’ve helped. Each time she stared at the book and wished she could use it. Each time she felt the faint glow in the pages when the text changed and felt that feeling in the out of her gut…
How many more people would she lose? How long would it be before she could follow them? How was it that the world could be this cursed, this ruthless, this cruel?
On and on the tears fell, broken sobs subsiding as Hilda composed herself, opening the book again once she was sure not a single tear would hit its pages.
Yet an unwilling one hit her own name, her own status that would never change, her own identity that changed and changed with each second she lived…
How she longed for it to end.
Chapter Two[]
“Austen, wait up!”
A young woman stood smiling in front of an Astral fairy, trying to contain her laughter. “When are you ever gonna admit I can beat you?”
The fairy crossed his arms. “You can’t beat me. Just because you’ve been living here for an extra millennia or so does not mean you know the Archives better than me.”
“I’m also smarter than you.”
He giggled. “If you’re so smart, how come you couldn’t find me earlier?”
“Because I didn’t expect you to hide in between the books! I still can’t believe books can get that big…”
“Neither can I, but hey, they saved my life.”
“They didn’t save your life, just a game of hide-and-seek.”
“Well, that is your entire life.”
“Are you sure? Maybe I’ll be playing hide-and-seek for all eternity, who knows? So long as I can do it with you.”
She woke with a start, the memories bringing back the pain...
The wizard got out of bed, reluctantly trudging through her morning routine. There was only one window in her lonely corner of the Academy, obscured by spells to seem nonexistent on the outside. Was that how this was someday going to end? Alone and suffering for eternity?
What did she ever do to deserve it?
And in all the years she lived, will she ever find an answer?
A knock on her bedroom door jolted her back to reality, reminding her she wasn't quite that alone... for now. With a sigh, she quickly pulled on her robes and opened the door, the bronze doorknob cold against her skin.
Standing outside the doorway was a blue-green eyes, purple-winged, tail-less Storm Fae, who's current expression was unreadable.
"Good morning, Azure." She tried not to cringe at the name, at the surreal feeling every time she said it. At the memories it brought, the past it represented, the-
There was an odd contempt in the fae's voice as they interrupted her train of thought, "I'm leaving."
"What?"
She couldn't help but be surprised. It was hard to forget how the fae had showed up out of nowhere, after being missing for countless years. It was hard not to assume they had died. She originally had mixed feelings about Azure's arrival, not wanting to remember the past but at the same time... she just wanted to cling onto something. Something she could rely on. Yet now they were about to leave, just like everyone else left her.
"I said I was only going to stay until I figured something out. And I figured it out. So I'm leaving." Strangely, the fae's voice didn't crack, something she had begun to get used to.
"But-" The fae had already walked away.
The words had came out without her intending. Austen stood in front of her, refusing to meet her gaze, and upon closer inspection, he was angling one of his ears so she would not see it...
"...is it too soon? I mean, I've known you for over 200 years now..."
He finally glanced back at her - notably over his left shoulder, still hiding his right ear - his Amber gaze unreadable. "Hilda, I..."
"...what is it?"
"I... I've already married someone..."
She stares at him in disbelief, "But-"
He turns to fully face her, a single, carefully engraved, crystal earing hanging from his right ear - a tradition in the Glacier Tribe... and he was from the Astral Tribe.
"I know I promised you but... I'm going to die someday... and you won't, so... I just don't want you upset when I die."
"But... but you're abandoning me... O-on your own accord! Dying is different!" A drop warm liquid rolled down her face, increasing in heat with every drop as her tears went from tears of pain to tears of anger. "I thought you cared about me!"
"Hilda-"
"Don't you dare Hilda me."
"I'm sorry, I really-"
"Just just leave me alone!"
She was alone again.
Chapter Three[]
She once again walked down the halls, this time holding a crate of books that was much too heavy for her. With no one to help, she was forced to take on some of her lesser duties - like shelving the books. She could barely see above the pile when she felt the load lessen and someone took the crate from her.
Hilda blinked in surprise, quickly realizing who was in front of her. Yellow eyes, squirrel-like tail, and purple-tinted wings... yep, it was Luce alright.
The Astral Fey smiled weakly, "You really shouldn't be carrying this many books."
"I got a bit behind with shelving," she replied quickly, "and wanted something to do."
His smile faded. "Didn't you have... have... Azule to help?"
"Azure," the librarian corrected rather forcefully.
"Oh. Sorry. She didn't speak to me much."
"It's fine, I should be getting back to shelving the books now." She moved to grab the crate, but he didn't move to return it.
"...Actually I was looking for a book, and there's something I wanted to talk to you about. Do you... mind if I help?"
"Do you... mind if I help?" The black-haired fey asked her, his yellow eyes nervous. "I mean, you did help me after all. Who knows what they might've did to me if they didn't..."
She didn't know what to say to him. Originally, she planned on ratting the Dark Fey out, not wanting to have any more involvement with her. But for some reason, her ancient loyalty to that demon decided to kick in. She was angry with herself, having once promised she'll never again get involved with the elementals, but... Did a ten-year-old really deserve to die? Still, she went through quite a hassle for him, and a reward would be nice...
"If you really can keep them out."
"Of course," this time the voice that responded was not his, but her's.
"Then do it." The second she said it, a purple glow rushed down the halls and to the door ways, changing them... moving them... hiding them...
And he was gone, leaving her in a newly created maze.
A maze she somehow knew the answer to.
She shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts. "Of course. I-I don't mind."
“Oh, good,” he responded with a sigh of relief.
After a brief moment of awkward silence, Hilda began, “So should we get back to shelving these?”
”Y-yes, of course.” He replied with a stutter, but they managed to get to work without problem, shelving countless works of fiction and non fiction, horror and biographies, text books and fairy tales.
Once shelving a good quantity of the books, the librarian casually began, “So, what book were you looking for?”
He glanced back at her, a few paces ahead, ”Actually… I was looking for a record.”
She frowned, “What kind of record?”
”The Academy slave log.”
The wizard stopped, looking at him in surprise, “What would you need that for? It’s not like slavery’s legal anymore.”
”I know that. It’s just…” He sighed, “My parent’s names are on there…”
“Oh.”
“I barely remember them anymore, and I didn’t want to ask to look at the book - I know you don’t let people look at it unless there’s no other way - so I decided to go through the records. Just so I could see their names again.”
The wizard was instantly reminded how she would do the very opposite, avoiding any trace of the ones she lost. Yet…
”So why did you want to talk to me?”
He glanced away, yellow gaze nervously, "I have no idea where those records are, also..."
"What?"
"...I was wondering if you wanted me to get rid of the illusions now."