Draconic gaze blinking away the glare, the white light faded away as the sound of stone slamming echoed from behind him.
The armored form of his human companion stood at his side, a hand pressed to his face.
Panting and shaking his head, Ilvir glanced around to examine where the light had taken them, as did he.
Rays of gentle sunlight shone through stained glass windows, rows of bookcases encircling the entirety of a large squarish room. Up above, a sort of balcony lay perched, rows of staircases leading up to it and what could best be described as a second floor.
Nestled within the circular expanse of bookcases sat a large round table, ornate chairs spaced sporadically about. Sheaves of paper and books lay atop the wooden surface of the desk in an organized order. Hung far above the table, suspended from the ceiling was a bizarre, yet captivating crystalline chandelier.
"This is… A library...?" Ilvir whispered in awe, his maroon eyes drifting from the stained glass windows to the various piles of books that stained the plush, carpeted floor beneath them.
The raven-haired human brought his clawed hand to a spare ray of sunlight, head tilting at the warmth that radiated through him. His head rose to the various windows that decorated the second-floor walls of the room, the stained glass appearing to depict images he could not understand.
Ilvir's gaze withdrew from the gentle sunlight, shifting over to the silver-scaled dragonman. The reptilian titan stood beside the circular table, golden eyes fixated on the tomes decorating it.
"How is this even possible? Are we not miles deep beneath the ground?" He questioned as he walked to the dragon's side, golden eyes drifting to him as he approached.
"...I'm not entirely sure myself," Isaac replied, turning fully to face the armored paladin. He lifted an arm to a spare ray of sunlight, brow twitching at the shimmering of silver.
"But the sunlight and mere existence of the library isn't what puzzles me." The dragon commented quietly, his arm falling back to his side.
Ilvir's brow furrowed, the reptilian warrior's tone unnerving him ever so slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Turning to face the table once more, Isaac pointed a claw to the sheaves of paper atop its surface.
"Watch." He commanded, and with a flap of his wings, a blast of air lifted around them
Yet as it faded, the books and piles of paper remained atop the table undisturbed. Chairs and bookcases that would have been toppled over remained standing.
"The air isn't moving." Ilvir gasped, the realization chilling him to his core.
"Not just the air. It's as if time itself isn't moving." Isaac commented, lifting a tome from the tabletop curiously. "And yet…"
Flipping through the pages of the lifeless book, his golden eyes narrowed at the sight of empty pages.
"This place makes no sense." Ilvir groaned, black claws running through messy hair. "But at the same time, it's so calming. I feel like I could just lie down and fall asleep."
A wave of nausea overcoming him, the raven-haired man grunted. Almost comically, he pulled a spare chair out from the table and sat his armored behind on it.
Despite his increased size and mass, the chair did not creak from stress. But the sight of a big armored man sitting in a chair smaller than himself tickled Isaac’s funny bone. He couldn't help but watch dumbfounded.
“Ugh, this is actually a good time to rest from all that chaos...” Ilvir tried to sit back and relax, but the chair didn’t accommodate sleep. Isaac watched as the human tried multiple poses to gain a comforting position, to no avail.
Something ticked in his heart, and he instinctively looked in a random direction. The dragon inside his mind felt confusion as well upon seeing cozy-looking furniture reveal itself to him.
'Was that always there...?'
“...I believe that is what you seek.” Isaac pointed to the white furniture a few paces away, vacant.
“Oh.” Ilvir stood up and walked briskly to the furniture. Isaac looked to the chair, sighing, before pushing it back into its place.
'How thoughtful of you.' The progenitor's voice rang, momentarily startling him. 'I believe it is called respect to the librarians?'
Before he could retort or even question the abruptness of the progenitor's comments, a realization suddenly struck him.
"Where are the librarians?" He found himself asking, golden eyes scanning the entirety of the room.
He growled, claws rising to massage the side of his draconic face in irritation as his search was ill-founded. The library was truly empty, save for him and his human companion.
Serene sunlight shone through stained glass reminiscent of the churches and cathedrals he had visited in his time as a trainee paladin, yet they existed in a colorless library filled with blank books and unmoving air.
"...Say, dragon."
Isaac's head turned to meet Ilvir, his armored body splayed out across the couch.
"What is it?" He replied, allowing his gaze to return to the circular table to continue his passive examination of the books. Golden claws carefully turned a book over to check its covers, checking for any sort of information.
Nothing, as expected.
“Who…” Ilvir paused briefly, unsure as to how to proceed without angering the draconic titan.
“Who are you?”
Isaac's attention returned to the armored paladin, contemplating his answer.
"Who am I…"
He found himself rephrasing, golden eyes falling to the ancient claw lodged between mounds of scaled muscle.
Air unmoving, time itself seemed to have truly stopped as silence fell upon the pair.