Hidden Knowledge

"Welcome to the Haven Liberty Library!"

Ah yes. There was no better place to gain information and knowledge than the library. Not to mention that Haven Liberty Library was astronomical than the other libraries in this city- no, this country- no, this region.

Haven Liberty Library was the biggest, most magnificent, and most complete library on the Earth. Someone could find any book in this library, from fairy tales to books of forbidden knowledge.

"Please insert your member card into this device. If you don't have a member card. You can register for 1000 LC for a wood tier..."

Noir put up a smile as he listened to the receptionist's explanation about their library's membership. One could only wonder why he didn't tell them to stop instead.

"...That's it. And if you already have it, you can scan your card on this device to get access to the library."

Noir pulled out his phone, whose design looked futuristic yet minimalist. It was thin and almost resembled the system screen display. People called it FT Phone. Obviously, the phone was a tangible object, whereas the system screen was not.

He scanned his FT Phone containing the library's membership card and quickly accessed the Flash. It was a wonder technomagi (Technology and magic) invention, a device capable of sending objects and humans to another location like a warp gate.

The receptionist, who at first had no idea who Noir was, immediately turned to the device where the blond-haired boy stood and bowed rapidly after seeing the membership confirmation on the scanning device.

When the Flash finally brought Noir to his desired floor of the library, the receptionist sighed.

"Who is that young man? How come I never see his face if he's a VIP Member of our library?"

He contemplated for a moment, recalling the young man's features.

"Wait, dirty blond hair and golden eyes. On top of that, the earrings he wears. Weren't those shaped like lightning?!" The receptionist gasped, realizing who that young man was. "The Teundre boy! Noelle Teundre's younger brother. Noir Teundre!"

...

Noir was on the highest floor, which could be accessed if someone was a VIP Member. This is the place where books of top secrets the elite global tried to hide from everyone were stored.

'I don't understand why they hide it in the public library, but...'

Although they hid it in the public library, not everyone could access the knowledge. And among those who had access to this floor, only a handful of picked individuals could see the books the elites hid. 

Of course, Noir wasn't one of them. So he wouldn't be able to find them no matter how hard he looked. Luckily, the forbidden knowledge was protected purely using technology and a net system.

That made it easier for Noir to hack the system and eventually get access to the top-secret information.

'Thanks to that. I can look for the missing puzzle pieces from my premature-integration memories.'

Pressing the button on the desk, Noir watched in awe as the furniture began transforming into a floating table set and a fluffy chair. 

Without wasting more time, he settled in the 'Reading Ward' and began absorbing knowledge through a movie mode.

...

Noir's eyes snapped open, and the world around him unfolded. It was as if he had become a spectator from a higher dimension, witnessing Earth's past a century ago.

The sight before him resembled the familiar blue planet, resembling Earthium in many ways. Intrigued, Noir decided to tinker with this temporal globe, and suddenly, he found himself soaring through the vast sky, viewing the world from an otherworldly perspective.

He realized there was a number, possibly a date and time, that showed him the current year of the world he viewed.

[12/31/2022 - 11:55 PM]

'Okay... let's see what was happening in the past...'

...

Nightingale Terror...

At the end of 2022, a massive event occurred during the celebration. A beautiful chant resounded in the sky instead of cheers and applause.

This beautiful melody was all over the world. Anyone - 30% of the world population - who heard it ended up getting mesmerized. Meanwhile, those who did not hear the chant looked around confusedly as people fell to the ground, unconscious.

A while later, bubbles appeared out of the empty air, wrapping themselves around the unconscious and floating into the sky. Unlucky for those who were still conscious because they had to face a terror.

Foreign, tower-like structures soared into the sky. Monsters appeared out of nowhere. They destroyed what was in front of them, be it buildings, people, or the great gate. That chaos happened for almost a year. 

Everything was destroyed except for the strange towers.

The people who had to live that hellish year eventually reduced to a quarter. When the hopelessness spread among them, they found a light of hope.

Day of Retribution...

At the beginning of 2024, the 30% that was taken by the bubbles returned, bringing salvation to their ruined world. They were no longer weak humans. They had become what people called "superhuman." 

The Great War...

Humanity, with the help of the superhumans, began driving out the monsters from their realm until nothing remained. Although it took them almost 20 years, they managed to bring victory at the end of the war.

'Wow, it feels like I'm watching movies...'

After 'reading' the Origin of the Resonant, Noir switched and read another book immediately. That day, he spent his time absorbing a quarter of the top-secret knowledge.

It was a shame he couldn't finish all of them in one go.

With a sigh, Noir deactivated the table set and went to the first floor using the Flash.

The receptionist person was different, but upon finding Noir came from the highest floor, she immediately gave him a full smile and bid him safe travel back home.

Checking the time on his FT Phone, Noir suddenly slumped down as though energies were leaving his body.

'11 PM... she will get angry...'

Noir had a thought to not return home but instead find a place to spend a night. But he immediately shook his head as warmth spread through his body while thinking about his sister.

'Yeah, no. It's been a long time since I last saw her...'