《Library of Imum》 Hello There Nate woke to a strange blue light blinking at him within the dark apartment. In his half groggy state, he childishly swore to destroy the one behind his early and abrupt awakening. His non-sense made the blue light shine brighter and he quickly realized the light was coming from straight in front of his face. Sitting up in his bed, he quickly noticed the three transparent blue screens following his vision as he moved his head. What the hell is this? He thought to himself as he started reading the words in front of him. System announcement: Welcome to the system, human. As of this moment in time, your universe has joined the system and can benefit from all its perks. REJOICE! Spawning of monsters will begin in 23 hours & 56 minutes. For more information on the System, you can check out the Tutorial tab on your status screen. Good luck! ¡°Right¡­¡± Nate reread the words a couple of times. Whatever this system was, it was definitely not generous with explanations. ¡°Either this is a dream, a really good prank or the start of the apocalypse.¡± He slowly moved on to the next window. Oath sworn! You have sworn an Oath! Your Oath of Mutilation has been heard and acknowledged by the system. As the first to swear an Oath in your universe you have gained a title: Oathswearer: Not all have the strength or courage to swear an oath recognized by the system itself. Sentient beings will find your words true more often than not. ¡°Oh¡­ There is just no way this day ends well for me is there?¡± Nate sighed. The last window was bolder and had a darker blue color than the other windows. The target of your Oath is aware of your enmity. Forced relocation commencing in 60 seconds. Called it. As Nate watched, the counter on the screen began ticking down. Oh, fuck me sideways. He thought as he quickly got up to get dressed. Pulling on dark blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt and his old leather jacket faster than he ever had before, he was ready to go with 15 seconds to spare. He took a couple of them to think through what he could need, before running across his rundown studio apartment to dig out his old baseball bat from a closet. Just as his hand gripped the bat, his world lurched. ||| Nate knew he was sitting, probably on a chair, but that was all he knew. He could not move, could not speak and worst of all he could not see for shit. There was not a lack of light that blinded him, but rather as if his eyes had been disconnected from his brain. ¡°So, you are the one swearing your destruction on me?¡± a light voice sounded in his head, humor in its voice. Nate¡¯s eyes snapped back into connection, bringing with it a light headache as the unfamiliar sensation rocked his head. As his sight came back into focus, he saw white marble floors reaching out in a small square around him, an ever-white expanse stretching past the square in all directions. And he saw the creature in front of him. Calling it massive would be an understatement. Its gigantic humanoid body had pale skin and was covered in a fabric that looked like some sort of silk. Even trough the silk, Nate noticed the toned muscles on the being. So even if the size of the thing had not discouraged him from his Oath, the strength he could see in its muscles did. His bat would probably break against the humanoid skyscraper, not that he could see his bat anywhere. Its face, positioned straight in front of his tiny square of marble, had no mouth nor nose, instead it was fitted with six eyes. One in the middle of its forehead, two on each side of the middle of its face, and one on its chin. All eyes held a golden shine. Nate kept looking from eye to eye, fascinated and not just a little unsure of which eye to look at. Realizing he had been silent for a good minute, and that the giant seemed to expect an answer, he quickly got a hold of himself as well as he could. ¡°Eh, yes?¡± he answered uncertainly. ¡°Although, I mean, there seem to have been a mistake. I had no intention of swearing any oath.¡± A rumbling went through the ground beneath Nate¡¯s feet and the young man quickly realized the creature was laughing. ¡°I am well aware of how you came to be here, young Nathan Thorne,¡± the creature¡¯s words sounded once again in Nate¡¯s mind. ¡°And it is safe to say unique is not a descriptive enough word for the situation you find yourself in.¡± ¡°Where am I and who are you?¡± the friendliness of the creature allowed Nate to muster the courage for some of the many questions on his mind. ¡°Ah, my apologies, I should have introduced myself,¡± the creature said, some of the humor fading. ¡°I am Binah, The Librarian and Keeper of Knowledge. You find yourself in my library, The Library of Imum. Here you will find any knowledge you seek.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°I appreciate the answers Binah, I really do, but I have no idea what they mean.¡± Nate said, frustrated at his lack of understanding. ¡°You are young, Nathan Thorne and while there is no time to give you answers to your deeper questions, as I sense them in your mind, I might have an answer or rather the answer for the question of your Oath.¡± Binah¡¯s deep voice boomed into Nate¡¯s head now, all humor gone, replaced by seriousness. Before Nate could answer, the Librarian continued as its eyes took on a tired glean. ¡°I have been the guardian and keeper of this place for a long time. Since before the creation of your universe. I know the truths of all, the meaning and reason behind everything. And you are not here by chance. For the greatest truth of all, is that all things end. All things must die. While I have had more time than anyone to come to terms with this, I have always feared the end. That is until you showed up just now and I realized my time had come. It was not fear I felt then, but elation. For the only way for you to fulfill your Oath, is through my freedom. As I am of the race that created the system, your Oath was directed at me because of the Library''s natural connection to the system.¡± Nate didn¡¯t know what to say. This was all more than a little overwhelming. He had just been asleep in his own bed a couple of minutes ago, or was it hours? It was impossible to tell time in the blank white space. ¡°What happens if I break the Oath?¡± Nate asked in a low voice. Binah¡¯s eyes seemed to look at him with sympathy now, a feeling of heaviness seeping from the creature. ¡°Torment and anguish for long times, ending in death, most likely,¡± Anger spurred in Nate for a moment. Anger at his bad luck and at the system. It faded just as quickly as he looked into Binah¡¯s eyes. The creature was ancient, and he could feel a sadness in those giant six eyes just by looking at them. It was not a sadness for itself, no, Binah felt sad for him. For the impossible choice Nate had to face, because of the creature¡¯s need of death. This just wasn¡¯t his day. ¡°As pleasant as that sounds, I would rather help,¡± Nate said, while mustering a cheeky grin. ¡°How bad can it be anyways,¡± Binah¡¯s laughter rumbled through the white expanse once again, sadness transformed to happiness in its eyes. ¡°The pain of the transfer will be pain like nothing you have ever felt but bearing the mantle of Librarian and Keeper comes with many perks.¡± Glad to see the giant cheering up a bit, completely ignoring the statement about pain, Nate figured it was time to get this show on the road so he could get home. ¡°So, how do we do this?¡± He asked up at the six golden eyes. ¡°The process of it all is rather simple, though there are a few things that you need to know before we begin.¡± Binah said, ¡°Listen well Nathan Thorne, for as your human body cannot hold the connection to the Library of Imum, you will be changed. You will join the ranks of the Seraphim.¡± ¡°An angel? I¡¯ll be an angel?¡± Nate asked confused, having heard the word before. ¡°Though they might be known to some as angels, the Seraphim are the race that created the system and the ones that guards its rules. Be careful not to anger them as you grow into your role.¡± ¡°Grow into my role? I thought I would become Librarian after your death?¡± Nate asked cautiously. ¡°That is the other thing you must know,¡± Binah continued. ¡°While your race will change and the Library of Imum will be within you, you are still new to the system and therefore still incredibly weak. Your race and mantle will guide you in growing stronger, but it will not be easy. If you cannot grow strong enough fast, you will perish under the weight of the mantle¡¯s responsibilities.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound ominous at all,¡± Nate mumbled to himself. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just get this show on the road, I assume the system will help guide me as well.¡± ¡°Yes, it is getting harder to hold you here as well, we must hurry. The system will guide you, but your connection to the library will be your greatest strength, now and always. Use it wisely.¡± Binah thought to him, and Nate thought he could hear some strain to the creature¡¯s voice. Suddenly the chair and marble underneath him disappeared and he was floating in the white expanse alongside Binah. The giant creature moved its body slightly forward, sprouting giant white wings from its back. The white wings were made up of countless huge feathers, gleaming a silver radiance. Nate stared with undisguised curiosity. ¡°All seraphim have wings, but all wings are unique. Once you awake and your own wings have sprouted, you might find them to be completely different than my own.¡± Binah answered Nate¡¯s unspoken question. Reaching back Binah ripped off a feather from its wings with a wince. ¡°Thank you once again, Nathan Thorne, for doing this for me. I know you do not have much of a choice, but that does not diminish the kindness of your act today.¡± ¡°It is my pleasure to help you Binah, I hope you find the peace you deserve.¡± Nate said and found he meant every word. If Binah had had a mouth, Nate would have sworn she was smiling. Quick as a flash Binah stabbed the feather at him, the feather piercing his heart as a knife through melted butter. As the pain reached him, he screamed. Clinging to his consciousness, he could see Binah¡¯s giant body melting, the golden glow of its eyes having faded. ¡°Thank you, young one. Good luck,¡± came Binah¡¯s final words, echoing through his mind. Then, everything went dark and there was only pain. Seraphim Nate¡¯s body melted as his body was heated to incredible degrees, only to be molded and shaped into something new. The process went on for what felt like eternity, the sensation of his body being restructured more painful than anything he could ever imagine. New sensations came from his back, but through the pain Nate didn¡¯t have a chance to focus on it. As soon as it started, the process was done, and Nate sat up with a gasp. More out of habit than need, he breathed heavily, as if he had just run a marathon. Memories of being burned alive still vivid in his mind, he looked for anything to take his mind of it. Luckily, several screens had popped up in front of him, eager for his attention. System notification: Race change! Your race has changed to that of the legendary Seraphim. You have gained the title Enochian. Level rewards have been altered. Race: Seraphim The Seraphim is an ancient race from a world long lost. Said to be the race that created the system, they are mighty warriors with weapons and magic alike. As immortal beings the race carries immense potential. Title Received! You have upheld the Oath of Mutilation, as acknowledged by the system. You have been given the title Oathkeeper. You have gained experience. Experience deferred until class selection. Hidden Quest completed! You have freed the Seraph Binah from its eternal role as The Librarian and Keeper of Knowledge. By taking the mantle onto yourself you have freed the ancient being and been granted the class Librarian of Imum. You have gained experience. Experience deferred until class selection. Class selected! You have gained the Legendary class Librarian of Imum. Class skills gained. You have been given the connected titles The Librarian - Keeper of Knowledge. Class: Librarian of Imum The Librarian of Imum follows no direction but his own. The only true goal of the Librarian is to keep and protect the knowledge of the Library of Imum. Knowledge is power, and there are no lack of powers seeking the treasure hoard of knowledge hiding in the Library of the system itself. The class allows a direct connection to the Library, but the class-holder must also be able to bear it''s weight. All experience gained doubled. All skill and ability levels increase twice as fast. All skills and abilities learnable. Deferred experience gained. Level(s) gained! x17 Congratulations! You have reached level 17. Rewards have been given. Nate screamed once again, as the system made seventeen levels worth of changes to his body. The pain couldn¡¯t compare to that of his race-change and class, but pain will always be pain. Gritting his teeth, he tried to distract himself by focusing on how his body was being changed. His sudden need for knowledge opened the floodgates of the ability that was the Library of Imum. He could sense the ability was limited in its ability in his current state, but it still feed him some information about his current situation. It seemed that while, at first glance, the System could be compared to RPGs and other games, there were some major differences. Levels were a thing, but the rewards gained were not as tangible. At least not in the way of attribute points and skill points. In fact, there were no attributes visible on any being''s status screen. The System dealt in changes to magical energies and growth in the body, and these changes would always be somewhat tailored to the individual. If someone with a basic warrior class would aim to be a tank, someone focusing in taking damage so others wouldn¡¯t have to, the leveling rewards would aim to make the person denser and tougher. Able to withstand more damage than others. You could say a class laid the foundation of a being''s growth, but from there on the intention of the being itself were taken into consideration. Nate, however, hadn¡¯t really had any knowledge of how he wanted to grow. So, in his stead the system chose to even the rewards out across all platforms. His physical might and constitution seemed to already grow beyond superhuman. His capability for learning and memory would reach new heights. During his leveling he could feel the process of his body forming new muscle tissues and creating and connecting new synapses in his brain. His mind and body would also be prepared for the use of magic. His new racial instincts also made it feel like magic would come natural to him. Even before the changes had set in, he could sense that he was different. He was a seraph now, but what that meant to him he would have to figure out. It felt as if he had been through a rebirth, moving away from his human past self. Was he even Nathan Thorne anymore? Nathan Thorne had been the one to accept his place as The Librarian and Keeper of Knowledge from Binah. Even though he was technically a new being, his name felt right. It felt as if, through the forge that was the race-change, he had earned his name. But that might just be him being weird. He concluded that yes, he was still Nathan Thorne, just a new and improved version. Evolved if you will. Reading through his changes once again, he read through the class description twice. Those were some perks. They would help him plenty in getting stronger to be able to handle the weight of his class. He also had a feeling there was more to his race than the vague system description told him. He would have to search the Library for the information, but there was no time for that at the moment. He needed to get done with his notifications and move on.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Title: Enochian You are Seraphim, you are Enochian. The language of the Ancient races flows through your soul. Title: Oathkeeper Not everyone can swear an Oath and follow through with keeping it. Sentient beings will find you easier to trust and future Oaths will bring double the rewards and/or consequences. Title: The Librarian - Keeper of Knowledge This connected title increases learning speed by 25% per part, for a total 50%. Any knowledge the holder learns will be easier to reach in the Library of Imum. Nate looked at the titles he had gained with a happy little smile. Not bad at all, he thought as he made the Oathkeeper title visible and pulling up his status screen. Status: Name: Nathan Thorne Level: 17 Race: Seraphim Titles: Visible: Oathswearer Hidden: Oathkeeper, Enochian, The Librarian - Keeper of Knowledge Class: Librarian of Imum Abilities: Library of Imum I, Languages of Imum I, Mask of Imum I, Storage I Skills: N/A For a couple of hours in¡­ somewhere else, that sure as hell seemed like a good deal. Well, he did also make up for it in intense pain. Nate closed his screens and looked around for the first time since he had woken up. He found himself back in his apartment, but his rundown studio apartment wasn¡¯t just rundown anymore, it was absolutely thrashed. His bed had broken down, his wooden flooring was cracked and there was a human sized hole in his northern wall. That had been his favorite wall! What the fuck had happened while he was out? Walking through the apartment he suddenly caught sight of something moving right past him. He jumped back, his wings jumping forward into a protective embrace. Nate might have been embarrassed by the fact that he had jumped like a cat away from the cracked mirror, if he weren¡¯t completely enamored with his new wings. Hundreds of feathers, each black as the darkest night made up the pair. Each wing was the same length as his own six feet. A small golden glow shone from the feathers. As he thought about it, the glow brightened. As he willed it, the glow dimmed. It was fucking awesome; the wings came out through his jacket as if it weren¡¯t even there. Remembering Binah''s wings, he willed his own wings into his body. They retracted quickly and quietly through his jacket, to god knows where, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As the wings disappeared Nate got a good look at himself. It felt like he had gained a couple of kilos all in muscle and height. He wasn¡¯t shaped like a brute, but seemed more slim, more athletic. His hair had gained the same color as his wings, the darkest black. But what really stood out was his skin and eyes. His skin was inhuman, an ivory white with no markings whatsoever. It was as if someone had painted him and forgotten to add in the little details that would make him look real. And his eyes shone with the same golden color his feathers did. Willing them to stop did nothing in this case. He seemed to be stuck with this new color. While he found his appearance to his taste, he wasn¡¯t sure how other people would react to how he looked now. He would have to search the library for a solution to this question as well. So much to learn, he thought with a satisfied grin. This situation was perfect for him. Which stopped him dead in his tracks. Could the system have made this happen on purpose? Before he could follow that thought process far enough to induce a panic attack, a high-pitched scream came from the man-sized hole in his wall. The scream sounded far from human. Peeking outside his broken wall, to the streets below, he saw two humanoid beings fighting amongst the wreckage of what seemed to be the St. George he knew and¡­ well, liked. It seemed he had been with Binah for longer than he had known. The city streets were broken and filled with wreckages of cars. Nature seemed to have reclaimed the land as tall grass grew up and through pavement and metal alike. The beings had no consideration for Nate¡¯s musings as they continued with their high-pitched challenges. Their grey skin lay on their bodies as if it were a bit too large for their skeletons and sagged as they circled each other. Their unnaturally long forearms ended in sharp claws double the length of a normal hand. But it was their faces that brought fear to Nate¡¯s heart. Their faces were nothing but a round mouth, filled with teeth, teeth and a tongue tipped with more teeth. All of them looking as sharp as a razor. It didn¡¯t take long for Nate to realize that he wasn¡¯t ready for a real fight yet. Watching the bloody fight between the two beings, he didn¡¯t even pause to consider how good his eyesight was. The fight went on for a while until the one closest to Nate managed to lunge and pierce his right claw through the tooth filled face of the other. As the loser fell to the ground, the victor screeched into the heavens. Its victory was short lived however, as a louder screech came from above. A featherless bird-creature the size of a minibus snapped the being up and was gone again before Nate could begin to understand what had happened. Nate¡¯s heart was beating so hard he was afraid the bird-creature would swoop down and catch him too. But it wasn¡¯t just fear pumping through his blood, nor adrenaline. Excitement had shaken him too his core. Nate had watched the beings fight and some part of his new brain had thought one thing. Prey. These beings were nothing. Nothing but toddlers compared to what he was. Why wasn¡¯t he able to destroy them with a snap of his finger. It was his right. He needed the power his kind were meant to wield, and he would take it. Nothing would stop him. Nothing could stop him. Luckily, such primal thoughts didn¡¯t mean Nate was an idiot. He was aware of the reach of his fighting abilities. They were non-existent. But he could learn, and he had the perfect tools for doing just that. Quickly he searched through the apartment for anything worth keeping and piled it up next to the door. Once he was sure he got everything, he exited the apartment. The hallway outside looked as deserted as the rest of the city. Quickly, but quietly he went over to the apartment of his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Chang. Mrs. Chang had been a sweet old chinese lady that would sometimes bring leftovers across the hall for Nate. Trying the door and finding it unlocked, Nate entered. Mrs. Chang¡¯s apartment had survived the System¡¯s arrival better than his own. While more than a little broken down, all its walls were intact and most of the furniture seemed to be at least somewhat stable. The three-room apartment had flaky maroon paint, and the same wooden floor as his own. Two doors leading to the bathroom and bedroom stood on the right side, while the main room opened into a living room and kitchen area. Dumping his pile of clothing and personal effects on the couch in the living room, Nate looked over everything. He had found some clothes that didn¡¯t look like old rags that he could keep. Nate sat down on the worn-out carpet in a comfortable position and began to meditate.