I Saw the Universe
The library hours are now over. All employees of the Anomaly Management Bureau are required to undergo mandatory training: maintaining rational thinking to maximize survival when a sudden situation arises. Most anomalies can drastically alter oneself and everything around them. This training stemmed from that reality. After implementing it in actual drills, the pure survival rate for field agents and employees in emergencies rose by 5%. Of course, that included those with near-death severe injuries, but considering the bureau's medical benefits, it was all the same.
Lee Kyung-seong, Section Chief Lee, and Seo Yun-ah, who had been staying in the library, had naturally completed this training. Beyond mere completion, they had received additional mental anomaly training due to frequent field deployments. That's why they could quickly judge the unexpected appearance of the White Mother and the Shinbi Library.
But in a way, that applied only when danger "struck." There was no training for when danger "vanished." Was that why? The three couldn't react to the White Mother's sudden disappearance.
What the...?
Section Chief Lee blankly stared at the spot where the White Mother had vanished cleanly, as if she had never been there from the start. Even as the mysterious librarian girl returned to her seat and tended to her books.
The White Mother... gone? Just like that?
The only movement in the chief's eyes was when the librarian drew a line through the White Mother's name. And the White Mother was gone. Considering the context before and after...
It was right to assume the librarian girl had erased the White Mother's existence from this place. With just a single line, a mere stroke of the pen.
And the girl, who had casually mentioned the White Mother earlier, had done this because... she had broken the library rules.
-3. Damaging or soiling books is prohibited.
A simple rule that could exist in any ordinary library. The White Mother had toyed with Section Chief Lee with her elongated tongue, then spat saliva on a book and vanished.
To eliminate a high-danger anomaly entity with such a trivial act. Of course, as an entity bound to an anomalous space, it was natural for it to wield immense power within its own domain. But... cases with such a vast gap were rare.
Mental type? Spatial type? Shit...
Section Chief Lee desperately tried to think quickly. But he had already lost too much blood for that.
Thud.
"...!!"
"...!!"
Lee Kyung-seong and Seo Yun-ah heard the chief collapse and tried to rush over, but before they could, their eyes met someone else's. The librarian girl.
She stared at them expressionlessly. Her action of wiping the book had stopped; her deep indigo eyes, like they held starlight, gazed at them impassively. Their feet froze under that gaze.
And both recalled the library rules. Despair set in.
-1. Please remain quiet in the library.
-3. Damaging or soiling books is prohibited.
-4. Obey the librarian's instructions at all times within the library.
Section Chief Lee had made a loud thud as he fell.
Blood had splattered onto the book in his hand as he collapsed.
If the librarian demanded they stop or read a book here, disobeying would mean death for the remaining two as well. These three utterly ordinary yet profoundly powerful rules bound them like shackles.
They couldn't save Section Chief Lee.
And.
Swish.
The librarian girl slowly rose from her seat. Expressionless, back turned to the two, she walked toward the fallen chief. It was like watching the footsteps of the Grim Reaper.
A fragile girl in a young body, slow steps—yet the two adults couldn't stop her.
"It says to remain quiet in the library, and that soiling books is prohibited."
Reaching the chief, the girl recited the library rules like a death sentence for a condemned prisoner. Then, in the ancient tome she held, she drew a line through the name "Lee Cheol-won" with her quill.
Swish.
"..."
Section Chief Lee's body was erased from the library. Along with every trace of blood and footprints he had left—everything combined.
Having erased one existence once more, the girl picked up the bloodied book and returned to her seat. Before starting to clean the blood, she looked at the two again.
"Dear patrons. The library hours are now over."
And with that, she issued the eviction notice.
The next moment, the two stood before the entrance marked [Goru Bookstore].
A few minutes later, multiple footsteps echoed from downstairs. Heavy military boot sounds, every one.
And the entrance to [Goru Bookstore] never connected to the Shinbi Library again.
Rescued by the emergency support team, Seo Yun-ah and Lee Kyung-seong were soon returned to the Anomaly Management Bureau HQ. A massive building loomed before them amid a nauseating sensation—surrounded by pitch-black void in an unknown space, its enormous scale stretched in every direction to welcome them.
"We've reviewed the report. Attacked by the White Mother, it says."
Handed over to medical staff, the two received proper treatment and were discharged after 30 minutes. Without vacation or early leave, they headed straight to the office space marked [Field Response Division 3 Team], sat before their computers, and began writing the report.
Whirr. Clunk.
As the old drive hummed to life, Seo Yun-ah stared blankly at the screen. Lee Kyung-seong was relatively composed, but no different. After all, Section Chief Lee had been the mental pillar leading 3 Team.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Seo Yun-ah and Lee Kyung-seong began drafting the report amid the keyboard clacks. The series of events with the "White Mother," and the newly discovered "Shinbi Library." Of course, they couldn't omit Section Chief Lee and the White Mother's deaths.
Reports had to be written dry and emotionless. That way, they could provide more efficient information to those who might encounter the anomaly next.
So Seo Yun-ah had to detail Section Chief Lee's condition as she had seen and heard it.
OBSERVATION:Left leg fracture and contusions across the entire upper body confirmed. Ultimately, shock from excessive bleeding led to impact with the wooden floor headfirst...
"Hic... sob... sob..."
But while Seo Yun-ah could strip emotion from her hands, she couldn't from her eyes. Lee Kyung-seong knew this and couldn't stop her tears.
Finally, the two completed the report and uploaded it to the headquarters server. Now, the research team analyzing anomaly phenomena and laws would cross-verify to extract objective facts and higher-quality intel.
Their duties ended here. And before the next day dawned, the bureau's internal AI would judge and reassign them to teams where they could integrate most seamlessly.
In the vast Anomaly Management Bureau with countless teams, the odds of mere employee and assistant manager levels reuniting weren't high. In other words, this could be Seo Yun-ah and Lee Kyung-seong's last meeting.
One or both could die before they met again.
"...Good work, Employee Seo Yun-ah. Pull yourself together emotionally as fast as you can."
Clinging to sticky emotions too long wouldn't help her. But since this was her first team since joining, it might take time to shake off. ...Still, this was all the advice Lee Kyung-seong could offer.
Comforting a teammate they'd soon part from would only breed unnecessary feelings later.
"Good work, hic, sir. Assistant Manager."
"...Yeah."
After the two left, internal management staff arrived to clear out Field Response Division 3 Team's space. Seo Yun-ah and Lee Kyung-seong's belongings would be forwarded to their new teams tomorrow; the four dead's would reach their families through proper channels.
The bureau headquarters they left remained noisy, bright, and busy.
I saw the universe.
"...Gasp!"
Section Chief Lee saw the universe. He knew without turning his gaze. Because all around was the universe.
He was in the middle of it. Far beyond the solar system, eons of hundreds of billions of years distant. Vast nebulae blanketed the void, countless black holes devouring stars and matter in a frenzy. This immense cosmos.
In its heart, the insignificant human Section Chief Lee floated alone.
"Ugh. Ack."
And the universe wasn't a human-friendly space where one could breathe. Soon, his skin froze cold, breath choked off.
Was this death?
As he tried to close his eyes, something approached at ferocious speed from the distance. A building. One resembling a library in appearance.
Moments later, it closed in on Section Chief Lee without slowing. Just as it seemed it would smash into him, shattering everything, a door opened—and his body was sucked inside.
Crash! Thud!
Tumbling across the floor, Section Chief Lee finally stopped after colliding with a hard piece of furniture.
"Haa... haa... Where... is this...?"
"..."
"...Gasp."
Soon, Section Chief Lee felt a gaze upon him. Turning, he recalled his last forgotten memory.
"Wha—how...?"
"Hmph."
Before him, the expressionless girl librarian squatted, poking him with the tip of her quill.