Overdue (Library System Reset, #1)

by K.T. Hanna

"Well, the Library is everywhere. And anywhere. All the time. And none of the time. It's infinite. And much bigger on the inside." "That’s been used before.” She snorted at her own joke, but his blank expression told her he didn’t get it.

"Explain to me how affinities work." "Okay, each element or each type of affinity has multiple branches of affinity. So a water affinity, you can have four water affinities. You can have the manipulation of water, the creation of water, resistance to water, or the deconstruction of water. The same with fire. Everything has a manipulation, creation, resistance, and deconstruction.”

"Not everyone can manipulate power in all the available ways. Some may only have the ability to manipulate water. So if a body of water is sitting there, they can make it move around. But they can't create water out of thin air, nor can they dissipate the water once it's there. They can just use it. Some people might just have resistance-based affinities. Maybe they have an elemental group of resistances. That makes them strong as a common fighter. It's vast, and there are books you can absorb just on the information about affinities."

So how many total affinities are there?" "Right now?" Lynx's eyes flickered slightly. "One thousand seven hundred twenty-two." Quinn blinked. "Did you say there are currently one thousand seven hundred twenty-two magical affinities?"

"New magic is being discovered all the time. It doesn't matter what you think you know about something. There is always more to learn. Magic is the same. Just because nobody's ever combined a water and fire spell together, for example, which they have, but they hadn't at the time, whatever. " Lynx paused for a moment, as if he was resetting his train of thought. "And the moment somebody does that, then that particular magic exists. There are fusions of magic that exist because people have pushed boundaries and because people have studied and learned and wanted to create more."

A notification popped up in Quinn’s vision. Shelving One renamed to Tim Shelving Two renamed to Tom Accept these changes? Yes. No. Quinn didn’t think she’d thought Yes at anything so fast since she got there. As soon as the Yes went into effect, Tim and Tom changed. Not hugely. More in a subtle way. Tim remained at seven feet tall, but his head became smoother, almost as if he were bald. Tom, on the other hand, grew several inches, almost a foot maybe, and his head, while still clay, looked like it had hair carved into it.

It took several moments of walking for Quinn to really take in what such a simple thing had done. By naming them, she’d perhaps given them some sort of agency, or identity? She had no clue how magical creatures worked, but these ones already felt special to her.

As they stopped at the kitchen, Cook stepped forward, their eyes surveying the area. “Hey,” Quinn blurted out, unsure of how else to bring it up. “Would Cook be an okay name for you. It looks like it suits you.” The cooking golem turned slowly and fixed her with its stare again, before slowly nodding. “Cook.” It pronounced the word with difficulty, a strange foreign aspect to the syllable. A ripple of power cascaded down from the tip of its head to its toes. Cook grew perhaps an inch, and the muscles refined. The top of their head turned into a chef’s cap, and their face took on slight human definition. “Cook is acceptable,” Cook said again, and that thin line that was their mouth spread into the semblance of a slight smile.

Library Assistants Needed for the Library of Everywhere Positions Available: Three (3) Limited Access. Applicant must fulfill at least three of the following criteria: Affinities (3) required but not limited to: Language - absorption, retention, expression, pronunciation Knowledge - capture, processing, teaching, notation Scribe - assessing, deciphering, reparation, notation Tome Creation - deciphering, reparation, binding, scribing If you meet at least three (3) of these affinities and are interested in becoming an assistant at the Library of Everywhere, activate your interface and request a transfer for an interview. Warning: Do not do so until you are ready to apply.

Once you know how to do that with water, and with air, combining them to create ice will be a lot more controllable on your end." "Okay, that makes sense. Why did your grandfather say that I smell like ice then?" Quinn was genuinely curious. Malakai sniffed the air. "Probably because you do. I'm unsure why. Maybe it's your strongest element. You're really a mixed bag. You smell like every single affinity I've ever come across, and more. And all of it icy. I don't know why. I'm like thirty. Don't ask me these questions."

You realize you can just ask, right? the Library spoke in her mind. True, she'd always been able to ask. Even in her foster homes, she'd been able to ask. But that was never something Quinn had been good at.

This is the kind of thing which would have been great at 33% or 50%, but waiting until the book is 88% complete is the exact "stone in the shoe" which made the middle of the book muddy.