The Accidental Archivist - Chapter 1. AI-Generated.
Kenji Tanaka sighed, the sound almost lost in the quiet hum of the Grand Library. Another Tuesday,
another customer asked for a book with a blue cover about? Dragons, or something like that. He
pinched the bridge of his nose, his glasses feeling familiar and steadying as he dealt with the vague
request.?
I ! I'll do my best,? He said, his voice soft but sure. He pointed the man toward the fantasy section, even
though he suspected the book was probably in mythology, or maybe even historical fiction. The man
grumbled about incompetent librarians and wandered off, leaving Kenji to his cart of returned books,
neatly organized as always.
He truly loved the library. The smell of old paper and leather, the quiet respect of the readers, the
comforting order of the Dewey Decimal System. It was his safe place, where everything made sense.
But sometimes, just sometimes, he wished for a little adventure. Maybe a dragon. Or even just finding a
misplaced semicolon that led to something exciting.
He glanced at the clock. Almost lunchtime. He imagined himself climbing mountains, fighting monsters,
or maybe just finding a good ramen place that wasn't so far away. The bell above the entrance rang,
announcing someone new. Kenji prepared himself for another unclear request, another test of his
organizing skills.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at the screen:?Mom.? He sighed. He loved his mother, but
her calls were always? A lot. He silenced the phone and let it go to voicemail. He'd call her back later.
Maybe.
He went back to sorting books, his mind wandering back to his daydream. He pictured himself as a
brave explorer, mapping unknown lands, and discovering lost cities. He chuckled quietly. Kenji Tanaka,
explorer. The thought was almost funny.
As he pushed his cart toward the shelves, he saw a book tucked away in the restricted section. It was
old, bound in dark leather, and had no label. It shouldn't have been there. The restricted section was his
area. Every book was listed, checked, and stored safely. This one was completely out of place.
Curious, Kenji carefully took the book from the shelf. The leather felt strangely warm. He ran his fingers
along the spine, looking for any marks. Nothing. He opened the book, his heart beating faster with a
feeling of secret knowledge.
The pages were filled with strange symbols and drawings, unlike anything he had ever seen. The
writing was elegant but also foreign. He flipped through the pages, his curiosity growing. In the middle
of the book, he found a single page covered with a complicated inscription. It looked like a spell.
He frowned, unsure. He knew he should tell his boss about the book, but the inscription? It seemed to
be calling to him. He felt a strong urge to read it aloud.
Taking a deep breath, Kenji began to read the strange symbols, his voice a soft whisper in the quiet
library. " *Aethelgard? Vocatus? Ad? Mea? Regna?*"
As the last word left his lips, the library around him began to shimmer. The air crackled with energy.
The shelves swayed, the books shook, and a bright light filled the room. Kenji gasped, dropping the book as a swirling vortex of colors opened in front of him, pulling him in. He reached out, grabbing for
something, anything, but it was no use. The Grand Library, his safe place, his world, was gone.
