The hall gave way to an expansive room even greater than the library we came from. My magic extended upward and kept going. I couldn’t sense the end of my Air magic, and wondered how far the ceiling rose above us. Sunlight streamed through nearby windows and warmed my skin. I reached out to touch a column to my right. I found that the wood was expertly carved with depictions of dragons, unicorns, and other magical creatures.
Kallie drew a deep breath as she marveled at the expansive room. “What an incredible library! The drapes lining the shelves… they’re color coded. Purple and blue there… purple and pink there… purple and teal? What does it mean?”
“The shelves are coded to each different supernatural race,” Takahashi said. “Purple and blue for the Elementai, pink and purple for the Arcanea, and teal and purple for the Miriamic Coven.”
Danny’s voice came from yards away. “What about these shelves lined in red? They’re empty. There are hardly any records here.”
“Those shelves are reserved for the vampiric records,” Takahashi said. “There are stories of chosen ones that have not been written yet, but one day, when the story of the Midnighters is to be told, these shelves will be full of first-hand accounts of their history.”
Nearby, a bird gave a low croon.
“Aiko!” Kallie exclaimed. It was Takahashi’s red-crested crane, a companion of his who was always perched in his office during our counseling sessions. “We didn’t know what happened to her when you were kidnapped.”
“Aiko fled, to avoid capture,” Takahashi explained. “But she returned once I was rescued.”
Marcus spun around to take everything in. “How are you hiding all this in the palace? Wouldn’t someone notice a space this big missing in the blueprints?”
“This room is expanded by illusion magic,” Takahashi explained. “But all the scrolls and documents themselves are real.”
Kallie went over to the fae records and plopped a tome onto a table near them. “The Wolven Mark? What’s this?”
“This one looks similar,” Marcus noted from the witch’s section. “The Coven’s Secret, it says.”
I found myself drawn to the Elementai section. I nudged a ladder out of the way, and it rolled several feet down the length of the bookcases. My fingers roamed the spine of a thick book.
“These records are the beginnings of accounts written by your parents,” Takahashi said. “The Fire Prophecy, which Charlie is holding, is the story of the Elementai Civil War, while The Wolven Mark details the Malovian Revolution, and The Coven’s Secret the Miriamic Conflict. When your parents heard the Demigod Guardians wished to put together records of past wars, they offered to lend their aid and record their first-hand accounts of what they’d experienced. We’ve been able to use a combination of their own memories as well as visions to recover what they’ve forgotten, in order to give the most accurate accounts of what they went through all those years ago. We’ve even recorded the accounts into audiobooks, for accessibility purposes.”
He handed me a set of headphones, and I placed them over my head. Liam’s familiar voice rang through my ears as the first page began. “Grief is like being underwater, but never being allowed to come up to breathe.”
Oof. Maybe Liam would understand me better than I thought. Still didn’t mean I wanted to face him.
“Is there anything here about the Great Supernatural War?” Danny wondered.
“I’m afraid not,” Takahashi replied. “Though some immortals lived through the Great Supernatural War, there are very few left alive who were directly involved, so our records do not go back that far.”
“This is incredible,” Kallie breathed as she flipped through the pages. “I can’t believe all this exists!”
“One day, these stories will be finished and released to the public,” Takahashi stated. “Though for now, these books are discovered only by those worthy enough to read them, and by those that need them the most.”
“What about these scrolls? These records are shorter than the ones our parents have been helping with.” Marcus started rattling off titles. “The Hidden Forest. The Silver Crown. The Music Box.”
“Those are first-hand accounts from relevant allies,” Takahashi said. “These particular stories come from people close to your parents— Ava’s relatives, Imogen and Jonah, and Kallie’s relatives, Odette and Theo. Even your own Aunt Talia and Uncle Grant gave their accounts. I am certain some of these supporting materials will be declassified one day, but others— stories from family and friends close to the chosen ones— may remain in the Hidden Legends Archives forever.”
“Kazim’s going to be thrilled when he learns about this. He’ll portal here himself to read our parents’ story.” Kallie gave a light laugh, before she paused. “On second thought, he’ll probably want to add his own account of what’s happened in Malovia during his rule. It’s fae history, so it belongs here in the Archives.”
“As you are all important to supernatural history, any one of you here are welcome to add your story to the records when it is time,” Takahashi offered.
“Mm…” Marcus mused. “Maybe one day I’ll be ready to tell my story of how I got sent to the Institute.”
Something dawned on me. “Ava and I were chosen. I suppose if we win this war, you’ll want an account from the two of us as well.”
“Indeed,” Takahashi said thoughtfully. “When the time is right. But your legend is not yet finished, and it still needs to be written. We still have work to do. Which brings me to this…”
Takahashi led us past one of the long shelves, and we came upon a study area. My fingers roamed over the backs of velvet couches and thick mahogany desks. Two women were already seated there, and their voices trailed off when they saw us.
“So it’s time?” one of the women said.
“Yes,” Takahashi replied. “You all remember Professors Wykoff and Amber. They are our chief record keepers responsible for compiling and maintaining the Archives.”
