"...so, that means I'm not the only one who's old mentally?"
"I mean, if you put it that way yeah. I'm way older though..." Aria shrugged as she chewed on her bacon.
Ashton didn't really know what to say so just sighed and ate his food as well.
Currently, the two of them are eating while Aria just finished revealing who or what she truly is to Ashton.
As it turns out, Aria is a somewhat of an Artifact Spirit. She's not entirely human like Ashton was nor she's a full-on artifact spirit. She's somewhat in the middle of that.
See, Aria said she was once human too. Though, she inherited a terminal disease from her parents which made her sickly. Her days were already numbered the moment she was born and because she was weak, she didn't experience any kind of normalcy.
Aria was drawn to books and spent most of her time in the Library once upon a time. The books allowed her imagination to bloom and in there, she was sick nor dying, she can be anyone she wants, the sky is literally her limit.
It her love of books and her sheer unwillingness to separate from that anchored her in the same library. As it turns out, her very existence got attached to the said Library and in there, she won't get hurt.
The said Library was magical of course which made this possible to happen. Which resulted into Aria being the pseudo-Artifact Spirit of the Library.
Inside the Library, she's not ill. She'd age, yes but she won't spend most of it bedridden. She's just as energetic as any other human being. Her lifespan is limited to a hundred years though she wouldn't look older than 20.
Once she reaches 100 years old. She'll die for six months before being reborn within the library with all of her memories intact and in the body of a teenager.
During her 4th rebirth, a cultivator discovered her presence and decided to take care of her since her mortal parents were long gone. That's when the Library turned to the Grand Library of Mystic Academy.
Because of her uniqueness, Aria possess the strength of a High Sorceress but only inside the Grand Library. She can step out of here but she can't be more than 10 miles away from the Library, she can be killed but she's just going to respawn the next day within the library so long as her lifespan isn't up yet.
Additionally, she also can't have children...
This was all that Aria told him so far. It's a lot to take-in but considering that Aria also now knows that he's an otherworlder, she knows Ashton would eventually make peace with it.
Since Ashton is now the new keeper of the Grand Library, his secrets are revealed to Aria whether they like it or not, that's one of the policies that all Keepers of the Library has to do - complete transparency. This meant that Aria is also now aware of the Idle Mage System as well so Ashton no longer has to hide anything from her.
She assured him that there's no need for him to worry about her spreading this information. She is physically and mentally unable to due to the restrictions of the Library so there's that.
"Do you have any idea where we are right now?" Ashton asked tentatively.
Aria shook her head and sighed; "Beats me. Like you, this is also my first time in the Outside World. Never thought I'd see the day but here we are."
"Figures." He let out a defeated sigh too. "How far does your senses cover?"
"I'm suppressed here for some reason." Aria pursed her lips. "My senses can't go beyond the library. Also, the air outside is extremely harmful for me so I'd have to stay here if I want to live."
"Ugh." Ashton felt weak.
Well, that wasn't helpful at all. Here he thought that Aria could at least ensure his safety should shit hits the fan but now, it doesn't seem like that'd be possible.
"How long can I stay here?" He asked.
"Half day. You can use that sporadically throughout the day or have it all in one go. So can't be in combat if you want to enter though, you have to he alone or else the monstrosities will follow you here. I don't want them to wreck the books so no thank you."
"Can I now take a look at the upper floors?"
"Break through the next realm of cultivation first." She said, "Practioners get access to the 6th floor. Arch Mages can go the 7th and so on. There are numerous spells there that you can learn so you'd have to be tested first."
Ashton nodded. He had guessed that to be the case but a confirmation didn't hurt. Now that he knows, at least he could prepare himself.
"Also, I'm considered as a 'Bound Item' to you...well, the Grand Library is so in extension, I am too. You should know what that means."
Ashton nodded. Bound Items are things only he gets access of, they can't be stolen from him and in the event that he dies, it disappears and reappears somewhere else. That's how that works.
"Okay so, last question I guess." Ashton said, "Is it possible for me to modify the Grand Library?"
"Not right now, no." Aria shook her head. "You're too weak to do that and the materials you'll need aren't available to you yet. The Grand Library was modified by the Deans of the Mystic Academy. You'll have to be a Sorcerer first before you can do that."
"I see." Ashton nodded.
Well, that made things more complicated for him but that's fine. This means that he can only use the Library for momentary reprieve and to learn more things, which is the idea to begin with.
"If you want to increase the time you can spend inside this place, you'd have to upgrade your status." Aria stated to him.
"Upgrade my status? How do I do that?"
"Right now, you're a Keeper of the Grand Library just like Chief Leon." Aria bit her lips at the mention of that name, "Keepers are actually the ones that has the lowest access to the Grand Library."
"Upgrading your Status from Keeper to Guardian will give you more time and access to additional things the Library has hidden. You'll have to be tested by Gatekeepers and if you pass that test then your Status will be upgraded."
"If you become the Owner of the Grand Library then you'd be invincible here. Just to let you know though, not even the Headmasters of the Mystic Academy managed to pass those tests and some of them nearly died because if it. Don't bite more than you can chew."
Aria looked forlorn when she's saying this. Ashton somewhat get the idea why.
Sometimes, a long lifespan isn't really a blessing. And although Aria was a pseudo-Artifact Spirit, she's still part human. As a human being, seeing people come and go can seriously desensitize them.
"Okay. There's that I guess." He said. He didn't want them to simmer in this kind of atmosphere so he dispersed it. "I guess I'll just have to be careful when I do things here."
"I should be able to set-up a base somewhere around the ruins." He muttered, "And since I have the materials for it, maybe I can set up a formation that will hide things away from hostiles. That should keep me safe for the time being."
"You're not lacking supplies anyways." She pointed out.
"Yes. That's indeed the case." Ashton nodded. "I'd have to explore the ruins too, see if I can find something that I can still use. After that, I'd explore a bit here and there. I have to unlock that Map since that would extremely useful to us if we want to back to the Last Bastion."
"...if there's even a Last Bastion by the time we arrive."
"Hey! None of that." Ashton chided. "We've experienced enough negativity already. Don't add anymore. Let's try to be positive here, yeah? We can do this."
"I'm of no help to you though." Aria lowered her head in shame. "I'd just be a burden to you. My strength is useless outside of this place."
"That maybe the case for now but who can say in the future?" Ashton looked at her in the eyes. "Don't give up on me now, you hear me? We'll make it through this. I've got every tool I need plus more. If I can't do it, then nobody can in my place. So believe in me, yeah?"
Aria bit her lips and nodded.
Yeah, at this point, there are no other options for them anyway. Ashton has to do this and is determined to do so. He refuse to just sit back and wait for death. If he has to claw his way up to return back home, he would. Whether the effort would be worth it or not, only time can tell.
For now, it's time to get busy.
