The moment Niara returned from where she'd come and reached the staircase again, the inscriptions there lit up and teleported her away.
Back at the library…
"?"
Niara and Darian heard several voices inside, speaking loudly. That was weird—this was the outermost library, and hardly anyone came here.
Niara didn't see that Elder from before, so she headed toward the voices. When she got there, she saw three Elders talking. One had a purple eye; another had claw marks tearing through his clothes across his chest.
"Fucking bastards… who do they think they are, judging the people here? Think everywhere is as peaceful as their damn universe?" Niara and Darian heard that as the Elders turned toward them, noticing their presence.
That Elder from earlier was there too. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You held out longer than expected. At least you came back alive and in one piece, so you must've gained something from the test... better than nothing."
