Yin 0: Battle of the Brazilian Library

Now where the plot proper begins.

An unnatural silence lingered in the air after the last few stragglers had been escorted out of the Brazilian library.

 

The bespectacled librarian glanced about, thin eyebrows arching in suspicion. The air felt...off. Almost as though it were harbouring a secret, some ominous event foreshadowed to occur. The silence said more than it should have. A pair of amber eyes looked towards the door, and then behind her. The unsettling feeling disappeared, and as such, seemingly so did her concern for it.

 

The Brazilian librarian’s obsidian-dark high heels clicked loudly against the tiled library floor, alternating steps on black and white ground. She walked along the aisles, pushing a few books back into place, righting them up, rearranging those near her in numerical order. The Dewey Decimal system, while convenient, was not her favoured method; she preferred to organize the books alphabetically by author’s last name, but the local residents had gotten far too used to the “Drastically Dumb System”, as she so often referred to it. Sometimes, she considered rearranging the entire library by her preferred method, but that would have required quite some time. She wasn’t keen on such a time-consuming task.

 

She needn’t have gone through the aisles individually; her kindness and friendly demeanour towards visitors earned her a well-liked reputation amongst the entire city. Due to this, when she asked them to, people were quick to obey and abide by the rules. As a result, the children, teenagers, adults and elderly alike would respectfully put the books back in their correct order; there was nary a mess in her library, thanks to the combined efforts of all those who used this local resource. Still, there were always a few exceptions, and they usually occurred in the same section.

 

Looking around the aisle she was in, all books seemed to be in place, and she knew that the other aisles were much the same. She turned to leave -- however, before doing so, she collected a large book. The red-covered book was emblazoned with the title Magical Myths: Chinese Creatures. She collected one more in addition, a book entitled Forced to Fly: An Autobiography. Sashaying back to the front desk, she placed the books down on the table, before rolling up the sleeves of her white dress shirt and smoothing out the few wrinkles on her form-fitting, black pencil skirt. Glancing around once more, she undid the bun her hair was in, allowing it to cascade down her back, blonde rivulets shimmering despite the dim lighting of the library, as was custom of after-hours.

 

She paused, allowing the silence to reign supreme for a moment. She raised a slender hand up, taking hold of her glasses, and hesitating before taking them off as well and placing it down on the table with a soft clack.

 

“The library is closed,” she said aloud to the seemingly empty room. “It is after hours, and I suggest you leave at once. Both of you.”

 

A shuffling sound was heard, as two shadow-clad figures stepped partially forward into the light. Their faces were hidden by shadows, and only their bodies were visible. The woman turned her head slightly over her shoulder, glancing in their direction.

 

“I’m afraid I must insist. The library is no longer available to the public.”

 

The two beings remained where they were, silent.

 

She sighed. “If you aren’t going to leave, at least show your face. Do me that courtesy.”

 

They shuffled forward, easing into the light. They were clad in black garments, shirts with sleeves far longer than their arms to the point that it dragged on the ground; black pants fastened with belts with a skull for a buckle; taloned, scaly black feet; most notably, however, were their faces. Rather, what was on them.

 

Their faces were hidden, beneath white, Japanese kabuki masks. One wore an expressionless mask, red lips and blue markings on the cheeks daring out towards the nose of the mask. The other wore a more demonic, oni mask, complete with gnarled yellow teeth and pointy horns atop the mask. The eye slits were minimal, reinforcing their lack of humanity. They said nothing, arms raised slightly, their sleeves dangling mere inches from the ground.

 

The woman raised an eyebrow in response, slightly annoyed. “That’s not exactly polite, hiding your face from view.”

 

“You’re one to talk, creature,” one of them hissed, its voice raspy from disuse. “You speak as though you are any better.”

 

For some reason, this seemed to amuse her. “Oh, so you know what I am? Is that why you’re here? It’s been centuries since someone tried to capture me against my will. You think you two stand a chance?”

 

“We know what you are,” the other hissed, its voice as equally displeasing as its tone. “You are to come with us.”

 

She turned to face them fully, seating herself upon the desk behind her as she crossed her legs, hands clasped on her knees. “And if I refuse?”

 

The creatures paused, tensing. “Then we shall not hold back. Our orders are clear.”

 

“Orders, you say?” She cocked her head, sizing them up. “Who do you work for? What business have they with me? And why,” she questioned, smiling sweetly, “could they not have come to collect me themselves?”

 

Their reaction was instantaneous, high-pitched angry screeching renting the air. The woman winced, but her smirk remained on her comely face. “Anger is hardly a presentable behaviour. How would your master feel if you lost your cool to mere words, knowing full well you represent him -- or her? I doubt they’d be pleased.”

 

The creatures shifted slightly, remaining silent this time. They knew her words to be true.  She continued, nonchalant in tone.

 

“How about we go about this civilly? Tell me what I want to know, and perhaps I shall cooperate.” She flashed a brilliant smile. “I’m nothing if not reasonable.”

 

They said nothing, their heads tilting, masked face as static as ever.

 

She sighed. “You Kabuki Creatures. Always annoying to deal with, always the same old tricks. I’ll ask you again.” Her gaze suddenly became steely, her tone icy in quality. “Who are you working for?”

 

Both instantly flinched, recognizing the ferocity of her words. Even then, their movement was barely noticeable; it did not escape her sight, however. She held her gaze, slanting her eyebrows in anger.

 

“I was always told ‘Silence is Golden’, but I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for silver today, gentlemen. You shall speak.”

 

Her gaze seemed to overpower theirs, burning with a ferocity despite not even making direct eye contact due to their masks. They seemed to be frozen momentarily, before breaking free of the binding gaze, screeching in protest. The woman merely blinked in surprise, an amused smile lighting up her comely features.

 

“Kabuki Creatures that can actually resist my commands? Interesting, I wouldn’t’ve thought your kind were possible of this. Tell me, who created you? They’ve done a better job than most others, that’s for sure.”

 

“We have no intention of answering you, creature,” the Kabuki-masked monstrosities screeched, shuffling slightly as they kept their stance. “You are to come with us, Lin--”

 

“My name is not to be spoken by the likes of you, beastlings.” Her tone was that of the coldest steel, and the Kabuki Creatures did not disobey. Her gaze hardened as a frown tugged at her lips, eyebrows knitting together in anger. “You refrain from telling me that which I ask? Very well. Then I have no use of you.”

 

She uncrossed her legs, hopping down from the desk upon which she sat, glancing back at the books she brought with her. Though she wanted this to be over quick, she refrained from utilizing them now. They would be a last resort.

 

Glancing back at the Kabuki Creatures, she sighed, gazing with lament at the rows upon rows of books. She didn’t want to, but she had no choice. Turning her heavy gaze upon the abominations, she smiled sweetly. “Allow me to escort you from the premises.”

 

Instantly, she was already before them, her leg slamming into the side of one of the Kabuki Creatures; they were completely unprepared, not having expected such speed from her. The hit monster flew from the force of the blow, sent smashing into one of the bookcases.

 

The other attempted to capitalize on this opening, mistaking her focus on its companion as a momentary lapse of awareness. From the long, dark sleeve came an exceptionally long, three-pronged blade, slashing towards the woman’s midsection. Exemplifying her quick reflexes, she twirled from the momentum of her previous kick, raising her leg even higher as the tip of the high heel parried the blades. The creature seemed confused, questioning how this was possible; inspecting the heel, however, it understood.

 

“I see you realized it,” the librarian said, her voice dripping with amusement. “You see the chipped paint on the front of my heel -- now you can see that it’s steel-toed. However, you’ll also feel it!”

 

She spun her body, her hands firmly planted on the ground, using the back of her other heel to slam into the creature’s mask. A screech from behind her indicated that the other had recovered and was homing in on her, and she brought her body together before launching herself away, using her elbows as a spring. The creature narrowly missed, instead, plowing into its companion. A chuckle hung in the air as the woman laughed at how miserable her assailants were. In truth, she couldn’t even consider them her assailants -- more so, the other way around.

 

She ran down the library corridor, blonde hair billowing out behind her, eyes narrowed and focused ahead but her ears aware as to the location of the Kabuki Creatures; they were currently trailing her, darting from the tops of the large bookcases. Racing from the Children’s Section to the Young Adults Section, she dashed towards one of the racks, pulling out a book. Glancing at the title, she smiled: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by the sensational J.K. Rowling. “This will do,” she murmured. She thrust open the book, flicking through the pages quickly, searching for the section that would be helpful. Just as she found it, the Kabuki Creatures appeared, blades whirling through the air as they darted towards her. She quickly placed her hand above the book, however, and raised it up, as though drawing water telepathically, the book’s words and pages beginning to glow.

 

Instantly, water exploded out of the book, torrents of liquid unrelenting in its bursting rage. Along with it, fantastical creatures like mermaids and even a giant squid appeared, the room quickly filling up with water and becoming an underwater arena. The previous book shelves and setting of the library was gone, and replaced with a world underwater, blue overtones and light streaming in slightly from above -- they were no longer in their world, but in the world of the book.

 

She saw the Kabuki Creature’s confusion reflected in their movements, but that didn’t stop them in their pursuit -- their blades began to whir incredibly fast, acting as propellers to push them through the water. She rolled her eyes, a few bubbles of air escaping her nose as she kept her mouth firmly sealed. She darted towards the surface, intent on trapping the Kabuki Creatures in this world.

 

They were quick on her tail, however, and almost caught up to her. She wasn’t having it -- glancing at the nearby creatures, mermaids, or mermen, if she wanted to be technical, she held her hand out to them. Their eyes glowed for a moment, before they swam towards her, aiming to intercept the Kabuki Creatures and occupy them.

 

She reached the surface, bursting out of the water -- the inhabitants of this world, witches and wizards, all gasped at the unexpected disturbance. She flashed them a winning smile, waving for a moment, before glancing down. The Kabuki Creatures appeared, whirling through the air with their hand blade-propellers, and she frowned. They sure were persistent.

 

Snapping her fingers, the space above her collapsed in on itself, forming a swirling portal. She entered it, closing it with a snap...a moment too late, as the creatures managed to enter it as well. Together, all three were teleported back to their original world, leaving the previous one behind as it was. The portal opened up, depositing them back in the Brazilian library, leaving the Kabuki Creatures disoriented for a few moments. That gave her the running start she needed.

 

Off she dashed, quick as the wind, racing down aisle after aisle of books, heading towards the adult fiction. Scanning the rows, she found the epic fantasy novel she was looking for: A Storm of Swords. Picking it up, she touched the pages, and a large tower erupted from the page, smoke filling the room. When it was done, they were once more in another world, this time created by the cleverly talented George R.R. Martin. She was at Riverrun, atop one of the castle’s spires. The Kabuki Creatures hissed rather loudly, sleeves trailing behind them, the blades barely visible beneath the cloth.

 

Dashing across the top of the castle, she laughed gleefully as she evaded her stalkers. “I haven’t had this much fun in ages!” she exclaimed, amused thoroughly by the pitiful attempts at her capture. “Remind me to meet your maker, I must thank whoever it is!”

 

Her taunts only served to rile them up, and they dashed even quicker than she’d thought possible. That was fine -- she hadn’t been running at top speed either. Getting serious, she lowered her head, hands trailing out behind her to minimize wind resistance, her aerodynamic running form allowing her to speed along faster than she’d been letting on. Her blonde hair whipped about her majestically, sleeves billowing from the wind at her speed, heels clacking sharply against the slanted roof. She brought a hand before her, eyes narrowing, as she snapped thrice in succession, a portal appearing before her once more. In she ran, the portal closing at a much quicker rate than the previous one, though not quick enough to ensure her eluding the masked monsters.

 

Once more they were transported to their world, exiting the book’s with no lingering effects. The Kabuki Creatures straightened up, shaking off the disorientation much faster this time. She was back in front of the desk, sitting behind it this time, facing the intruders. Her elbows rested on the mahogany desk, fingers laced together as she surveyed the creatures from above her hands. Her pretty face still wore a smile.

 

“I’d imagine you’re both tired. Not many are able to withstand traveling between worlds, diving in and out of books without some sort of fatigue. I commend you, however, as both of you are hiding it very well. However, hiding it is quite different from it actually not being there.” She paused, to let that sink in. “Give up. I will allow you to leave now, with your lives and limbs intact, lest you kill yourselves trying to accomplish what you cannot. This is your final warning. If you leave now, you leave with your lives. If not, I leave with your corpses. The choice is yours.”

 

In response, the Kabuki Creatures sprinted forward, blades extending, masks as static as ever.

 

She sighed.

 

Flipping open the red-covered book, she settled on a section midway through the book. Her hand hovering above the text, the letters and page began to glow brightly, engulfing the entire room in a brilliant, blinding white light. From the flapping pages soared a fantastic creature, vermillion in colour, its wingspan enormous, different shades of red shifting into orange shifting into yellow at the tips. Its body was red and crimson and vermillion, clashing and contrasting and emphasizing each other. Its beak was golden and hooked, eyes like dark, glittering gems, its talons white and sharp beyond measure. Its body, wings, and tail were all ablaze with shimmering flames, the enormous creature’s warm, majestic presence seeming to fill up what part of the room its physical body did not occupy.

 

She had summoned a phoenix, one of the sacred mythological birds of legend.

 

Light from the mythological entity illuminated the room, diminishing the shadows. The phoenix cawed, its voice shattering windows and causing the entire library to tremble. The bird brought its wings close together, almost as if shielding itself, before spreading its wings magnificently outwards, a ring of flame expanding and incinerating all in its path. The Kabuki Creatures hissed, attempting to find some darkness with which to take respite, but the phoenix’s glowing presence forbade it. They were lucky, however, as powerful dark magic prevented the phoenix’s flames from destroying them. It cawed again, and once more the library trembled. It rose into the air, wings spread wide, before flying through the ceiling, disappearing into the night.

 

The blinding presence of the phoenix, and the brilliant, glimmering trail it left behind, caused the demons of darkness to lose track of their target. However, they spotted her almost instantly, slumped over the desk, beside the second open book. Working quickly, they bound her arms and legs between them with their flowing sleeves, ensuring she could not escape. They disappeared, enveloped into the darkness that had returned once the phoenix had left.

 

Moments passed in silence before a sound could be heard " breathing. From behind an aisle, the librarian woman approached the desk, heels clacking loudly in the nigh-silent library. She was breathing heavily -- she hadn’t used that much magic in a long time, and she was quite rusty. Nevertheless, it worked. They had bought her ruse.

 

She reached the reception desk, noting that the book stands and books beginning to regenerate; a good thing about phoenix fire: whatever it incinerated could be brought back again, given time, and often purified. Evil spirits usually weren’t so lucky.

 

Her fingers glossed over the text of the second book; she closed it, the cover reading Forced to Fly: An Autobiography. She had penned it herself, a fictitious autobiography in preparation of an event of this nature, in case the possibility ever arose. She sat on the desk, fingers tracing the golden indented letters of the title. Those mooks had made off with nothing more than a useless, decoy version of herself that wouldn’t even last long -- it would disappear back to its fictional world in due time. She had to work quickly to warn the others, to ensure that they were prepared and avoided the fate the creator of those Kabuki Creatures had in mind for them.

 

Ling Guang allowed herself a breathy laugh. She hadn’t had that much fun in a long time, and the stakes were only going to get riskier from here on out. The game had just started, but already someone had taken such a dangerous gambit. Someone wanted to play for keeps.

“Alright,” she murmured, allowing herself a small smile as she spoke to the silent-once-more library, “If you want to play the game, we’ll play.” Picking up her glasses from the table once more, she flipped them open and swiftly put them on with a single hand. “I hope you know, whoever you are: I’ve never lost."