G.L.L.

  Chapter word count: 2338

  Taking a moment to prepare himself, Airot sucked in air through his mouth, focusing on flickering his yellow glow before taking off down the freeway. Though he couldn’t explain why, something about the road’s center felt off, so he ran along the edge of it.

  Pushing the thought aside, he ran as usual, but even after reducing the weight of his steel-soled boots, each step still landed with noticeable impact.

  Considering what he could do, he began testing his capabilities.

  First, he tried making his entire body lighter, expecting a speed boost, but instead, he floated slightly with every step, slowing him down. He tried enhancing his output, but that only made it worse; each stride sent him rising a fair height before slowly descending, as though he were on the moon.

  Dissatisfied, he cut his lightness midair, causing him to plummet, so he braced for impact. However, the landing was less intensive than expected, the momentum forced him forwards into a sloppy roll that left him sitting on the ground, staggered yet uninjured.

  Shaking it off, he got back to his feet and resumed running, taking a turn down a street toward the library while planning his next attempt.

  Recalling how he had previously pulled objects toward himself, he attempted applying the same concept to his own body.

  As he sprinted down the street, he struggled to decide on a proper anchor point before settling on the library in the distance. The library was still a ways away, but it seemed like a good anchor. A golden thread began to form, so he prepared himself to be pulled forward, but instead, the thread snapped back, dissipating in a flicker of energy and leaving behind an irritating twitch.

  Switching his plans, he shifted focus to his boots. He linked his boot to the ground with a pulling force, but doing so amidst running only resulted in his foot sticking in place, causing him to trip over. Emanating yellow, he killed the momentum of his fall, preventing himself from landing face-first.

  But now, with one foot stretched back, he planted the other in front and settled into a stretched runner’s stance. Instead of rushing forward again, he took his time to concentrate.

  The encapsulating yellow glow thickened around his boots, building tension as they clung to the ground more forcibly than before. Then, in a sudden flash, the force reversed, propelling him forward in a powerful burst of speed—a sensation comparable to when Haruku first carried him.

  He steadied the repulsion around his boots and took another step, aiming to maintain this blitz.

  The next step, however, exuded a weaker push and launched him forward in an arch rather than straight ahead. Without being lightened to slow his fall, he came down hard. Recalling his last fall, he quickly tucked in and rolled to lessen the impact. Though the collision was noticeable, it still wasn’t as punishing as he’d feared.

  ‘Right, this much is easily endurable with a yapper body.’

  Snapping back into his testing, he considered what caused the arched leap. In hindsight, he had focused solely on repelling his boots, neglecting control over his trajectory.

  To correct this, he shifted his intent, concentrating on directing the repulsion specifically to his back. He took another step, and achieved another dash. It worked.

  Now, he was bolting down the street, propelled by rapid and explosive repulsions.

  ‘I’m guessing this is how that Dolen guy used his yapst.’

  A grin crept onto his face, accompanied by a chuckle.

  The sensation was exhilarating, and with each step, the energy he exuded felt like it was cracking the road beneath him.

  “Ahh, Panceia sure is nice,” he let out.

  By the time he reached the library, his breaths were only slightly uneven. He was far more stable than when he ran with Lynn.

  Circling around the building, he reached the entrance and glanced down the street leading to it.

  He was about to run down, but he paused. Further down, a cluster of collapsed buildings were around the middle of the street. They weren’t exactly crumbling nor did people seem bothered by them.

  Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Airot turned to someone nearby heading for the library entrance. “Hey! Can I ask about those destroyed buildings?”

  “Huh?” A passerby with a bright yellow hoodie turned. “Oh, those? What about them? I don’t know who fought there, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “No, I mean more like, when did they collapse?”

  “Ah, gotcha. I wasn’t there when it happened, so I can’t name an exact time, but it was a few days ago, three or four, maybe.”

  “Three to four days?” Airot repeated, taken aback.

  “Well, it couldn’t have been a week,” he scoffed. “Why? Was that your home? Were you away from the district?”

  “Nah, I’ve just been living on this street for the past few days.”

  The guy raised an eyebrow. “And you hadn’t noticed?”

  “No… it wasn’t there this morning.” Airot hesitated. “And what do you mean it couldn’t have been a week?”

  “What? Are you new to the city?”

  “Uh, yeah, I am.”

  “Oh, I see. Condolulations,” he nodded. “For the week thing, the yappers wouldn’t leave wreckage about for more than a week. They’re pretty reliable on their cleanup these days. They have a whole team dedicated to city maintenance now. Anyway, are you certain you’re living on this street?”

  Airot nodded along to their explanation. “Well, yeah, the street leading up to the library entrance.”

  “Which entrance?”

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  The question made everything click for Airot. “Oh… there’s multiple…”

  “Yes, there is,” he started walking towards the library. “Well, looks like you’ve figured it out. Again, condolulations,” he waved lazily as Airot winced a little at his own ignorance.

  Stretching into a runner’s stance again, Airot dashed, circling the library. Physically circling it, he was once again amazed by its size. It wasn’t that absurdly large as getting from one entrance to the next was still shorter than a street block, but it was still undeniably vast.

  When he reached the next entrance, he looked down the street and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  ‘Another unremarkable street.’

  Uncertain if this was his street, he turned toward the library, deactivated his glow, and stepped inside. The moment he entered, the familiar antique-shop scent greeted him. In front of him stood a detached, unmanned desk stacked with files and papers, just as he remembered.

  He hadn’t noticed when he first entered, as his attention had been entirely consumed by the spectacle of the multi-floored library in plain view. But beside the entrance, guiding visitors inward, were walls of bookshelves that obscured his view of the sides.

  As he moved past them, they revealed a compact but chaotic outer section hugging the first floor’s walls, where clusters of seats were scattered among bookshelves of varying heights, all of which positioned haphazardly.

  Separating this section at various points were four instances of bookshelf walls protruding inward, each with an empty desk mimicking the entrance.

  ‘So there’s four entrances, all equally spaced, too.’

  With this in mind, he looked toward the center, and tried recalling if the layout he could see was the same as the entrance he remembered. A quick survey confirmed he was at the wrong entrance.

  Inhaling deeply, he prepared to cut through the library to reach his exit. His yellow glow solidified around his first boot as he took a step forward, aiming to stick close to the wall.

  But before he could even encase his second boot, the repulsion technique he’d been practicing betrayed him. Instead of propelling him forward, the force inverted, rejecting his foot from the ground and sending his leg upward into the air.

  As he tried to regain balance from the sudden jolt, his arm was seized and wrenched behind his back before being slammed face-first into the ground. Airot squirmed to break free, but a foot planted itself in front of his face as a heavy weight pressed down on his restrained arm, firmly pinning him down.

  Airot groaned. “What…? Who?”

  “That’ll be our question, mister.” A firm voice spoke out as someone approached. “Hmm, I don’t recognize you. Are you new to the library, perhaps?”

  “Wha?” Airot was still dazed by the sudden assault. “Er—Yes, I am!” he blurted out, even though he’d been here once already.

  “Hm, I see,” the man bent down as the foot in front of Airot withdrew, and the weight pinning him lifted.

  Rolling over, Airot finally caught sight of his assailant, a figure clad in full tactical police armor. Their riot helmet was blurred, obscuring their face entirely. Most of the armor was pitch black, devoid of markings or design, as if it would vanish in the shadows.

  The only details breaking the void were the shoulders, each bearing an emblem. On the right shoulder, a grayed symbol of a spiraling cylinder resembling the library’s exterior; on the left shoulder, an open book inscribed with G.L.L. on it.

  Airot turned his head and locked eye contact with the man who questioned him. He was dressed in a pristine white business suit, with a copper-tinted tie neatly tucked in place, and his dirty blond hair swept into a pompadour.

  Still frazzled, Airot stared harshly at him.

  “Greetings, and, I assume, condolulations are in order, sir,” he offered his hand to help Airot up.

  Still wary, Airot hesitated before accepting it and rising to his feet. “Thanks.”

  “Ahem,” the man straightened. “I’m Solivar. My compatriot,” he presented the fully geared person, “and I work for the Grand Library’s Law.”

  Airot listened carefully as he pieced together what had happened.

  “In other words,” Solivar continued, “we function as security,” he paused, letting his words linger. “Now, we have appeared before you for one reason. Do you, perhaps, know what that is?”

  Since it was recent, Airot recalled what he was told about bathhouses. “...Was it my yapst usage?”

  “Correct! Your yapst usage, indeed,” Solivar nodded. “Now, if I may, might I ask for how long you’ve been a yapper?”

  “Uhm, pretty much only one day.”

  Solivar let out a light chuckle. “I see, no worries then. First time in the Central District and freshly awakened. Of course you’d want to test things out while exploring.”

  “Y-Yeah…”

  “No need to be so tense, sir. I assume you’ve been staying on the city’s edge until now, so allow me to offer a word of advice.” His posture straightened. “Here, in the Central District, and throughout most of the inner districts, there are certain places where you aren’t allowed to openly use your yapst—at least not without authorization. The library is especially strict about this. These locations are protected by groups of yappers, primarily by the G.L.L., the Grand Library’s Law, as I’ve already mentioned. So if you’re just passing through, it’s best not to recklessly activate your yapst.”

  “I see,” Airot forced a chuckle. “Sorry for the misusage, uh… officer…?”

  “Mmm,” Solivar smirked. “Technically, you could refer to us as officers, and for the most part it isn’t a bother, but I’d rather you not do that. Just Solivar would do, mister…” he extended his hand.

  “Airot. I’m Airot Plasho,” Airot shook the extended hand.

  “Excellent. Now that we’ve peacefully resolved this misunderstanding,” Solivar side-eyed the armored figure, “we can continue with our day,” he patted Airot’s shoulders, sweeping both of them.

  The armored officer turned away as things concluded, then suddenly fell straight down into a black, perfectly flat rectangle on the floor.

  Their body disappeared completely, swallowed by the abyss-like void. It was akin to a dark, shadowy stain on the ground. Then, as swiftly as it had appeared, the black rectangle vanished as well.

  “Indeed, Nightwatcher is a fast one, it’s best you don’t break any more laws,” Solivar commented, seeing Airot’s gaze. “Be glad you were in an unamplified, base form,” his voice turned cold. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been a simple tackle.” Distancing himself from Airot, he began walking away. “Now then, carry on, good sir,” he waved.

  Airot stood there, watching Solivar saunter away, a bit chilled at what had happened.

  Slowly, he turned and walked toward the exit he originally wanted to run to. He trotted faster, but kept in his mind not to activate anything.

  Reaching his destination, he verified that the view of the library’s sections was the same as when he first entered the library.

  Stepping outside, he broke into a run, making his way toward his inn. Only when he was a fair distance from the library did he activate his yapst.

  Amidst running, darkness began devouring the sky ahead of him. A wave of blackness stretched its reach straight, as though it shot from directly behind. Observing the night consume the sky, Airot hastened his pace, racing to get to his inn before night fully arrived. Through his enhanced running, he felt the weight of each step he took.

  As he neared the inn, he dimmed his glow, mindful not to cause any damage. Once inside, he rushed upstairs to his room while keeping his light faint—not only to prevent possible destruction but also to keep his mind at ease.

  Within his room, he first plopped his items out onto the desk by the window, staring at them laid out.

  ‘This seems to be becoming a habit.’

  He laughed a little as he pulled out the used wrapper he had forgotten to throw away yet again.

  Outside the window, the stars were already shining.

  Irritated with the necktie constantly rubbing against his throat, he finally pulled it off and freed himself of it, dropping it beside his items on the desk.

  Turning away, he walked toward his bed, slipping off his jacket along the way. He tossed the jacket onto the nightstand, then took off his boots and fell onto the bed. Raising the blanket along with himself, he wrapped himself tightly mid-air, then descended back on the bed, and finally caved in.