The Librarian

Kenzo wakes up clenching his sword's sheath. He finds himself sitting in an elegant white chair. There is also a white table, at which Kenzo notices a man sitting across from him.

The man wears a suit just as white as the table and chair. As a matter of fact, the entire “room” they’re in is completely white. The man’s hair and comical mustache are also white. You’d think that his mustache would make him look silly, but he appears serious, cold, and calculating.

“Welcome, Kenzo,” he says, speaking slowly, confidently. His voice seems to carry a hint of divinity.

Kenzo goes on the defensive, leaping backward and out of his chair. He claws for his sword's hilt, but he finds nothing. His gaze shoots down toward his right hand, and he realizes that his sword, sheath and all, has vanished.

Wha… Before he even has time to finish the thought, he finds himself sitting in the same chair he’d just leapt out of. His sword is resting on the table, and he notices the man in white sitting across from him again.

“That was rather rude,” the man says casually.

“A-Am I dead?” Kenzo questions.

“Hmm. People always ask me that question, but I must say, I wasn’t expecting it from you. Tell me, if you were dead, which you are not, would it have made you angry? Knowing that you died without avenging your mother? Or that you’d never learn the mystery of your father’s actions?”

“You seem to know a lot about me, and honestly, I’ve never thought about dying before getting revenge, because I don’t see that as an option. Now, who are you and where are we?” Kenzo inquires, glaring at the man in white as if trying to anticipate his next move.

“My, my. Here I was thinking that you’d be humbled from your fight with Jordie, but it still seems that you do not quite understand the world you live in. Honestly, you should really try thinking before speaking. I’ve observed the people of your world. In most cases, it’s helped those who give it a try.”

“Hey, what do you mean by ‘your world’? Seriously, who are you?”

“Kenzo, I do not have a name, and I have been here since my creation. My job is to guide the Pinnacles of each bloodline to their respective libraries, and if said Pinnacle wants, then they can share the secrets of the library with the other members of their bloodline. From what I’ve observed, this is the traditional thing done by the people of your world in order to keep their bloodlines strong, growing, and safe. I have been told in the only conversation I’ve ever had with my creator that this is my job. And because of this, I refer to myself as The Librarian. As of now, this is my only purpose.” The Librarian explains, reaching into his suit coat and pulling out a cigarette before putting it in his mouth.

It lights, seemingly on its own.

Kenzo watches curiously as The Librarian inhales, takes the cigarette from his mouth, and then exhales, all the while observing Kenzo closely.

“You can tell me where the Kensten library is, then, isn’t that right?”

“Straight to business, hmm?” The Librarian says, inhaling and exhaling more smoke. “Tell me, what are you thinking right now, Kenzo?”

“If you're not going to show me the Kensten Library, then I'll gladly leave. I'll find it on my own eventually.”

“I don’t doubt that you would leave if it were possible, Kenzo, but you won’t. That is an undeniable fact.”

“Who the hell are you to tell me that? You’re just a part of another dream-”

Before Kenzo can finish speaking, a hand reaches out and touches his shoulder. The young man is startled by this, so he reaches for his blade, only to find that it has vanished from the table. Wide-eyed and stricken with fear, Kenzo looks to see where the hand came from, and he finds The Librarian standing behind him.

The Librarian’s left hand rests on Kenzo’s shoulder, and in his right hand, he holds Kenzo’s sword. The man in white removes his hand from Kenzo’s shoulder before handing him his sword.

As he does this, Kenzo looks at him, terrified yet in awe. Kenzo also finds that the white table and chairs have disappeared. Now he and The Librarian are the only things standing amidst the void of white.

“You can hold my sword… usually, others wouldn’t be able to do that because it starts acting all weird.”

“I know who forged this blade, Kenzo, but I am not here to teach you that information. I am here to guide you to the Kensten Library, nothing more. But before I do so, I would like to share with you an idea… no, a belief. One that I’ve been developing ever since my creation. Tell me, would you care to hear it?”

Kenzo frowns at this, so The Librarian assumes that he doesn’t want to hear the proposal.

“No, don’t answer that. I’m sure you couldn't care less, but I will share my belief anyway. I’ll even give you a short version,” he says, inhaling and exhaling cigarette smoke yet again. “This place you are standing in now, it is the realm that I was created in. Like your people, I was but a babe in the beginning. But unlike most babes, I had no one from the start. At this time, I wasn’t even aware of my creator’s existence. I had nothing. But I did have an ability.”

The Librarian flicks his cigarette away, and Kenzo watches curiously as the cigarette disappears in midair, and with a certain elegance. The man snaps his fingers once. When he does, a white and seemingly holographic depiction of the Earth materializes in front of him.

The hell? Kenzo thinks, eyes wide.

The Librarian snaps his fingers twice, which causes the white Earth to expand in all directions, reaching far throughout the endless white void. After this, he prompts for a piece of the white Earth to come toward him, and it does.

The Librarian snaps his fingers three times, and the piece forms an image. Almost like a live video. In this video, Kenzo sleeps on a bed in the Lightning City guild.

“What the hell…”

“The Globe, that is what I call this ability. Ever since I was a babe, I’ve had the ability to observe your people, and it bothers me. Why? Why was I given this ability? How does it give me purpose? I would have asked my creator these questions in our ‘conversation,’ but he gave a simple command and left no room for questioning. For a long time, I have tried to find a way to get in contact with him, but even if I were to succeed, I doubt he’d answer my question. So, I am left to ponder this alone.”

“Little did I know, I would soon find what purpose this ability has for me. It is through thousands of years of observation that I have come to this realization, this belief.”

The Librarian’s voice deepens as he speaks, making him sound sinister.

“Your world, Kenzo. There is happiness in it, yes, but there is also great cruelty. So much so that the happy moments seem to be like liquor to an alcoholic, or drugs to an addict. They only provide a temporary fix for a problem that seems unsolvable. I believe that my true purpose is to provide a permanent fix for this cruel existence. That is why I can see these things. That is why I am who I am.”

He pauses.

“As to how I will fix this existence… There is but one way. To eliminate all of existence,” he declares, standing in the middle of The Globe, as he calls it, his arms outstretched as if he were presenting a masterpiece.

“Tell me, Kenzo. How does my belief make you feel? What are your thoughts?” The Librarian inquires, turning his attention to Kenzo, who looks at the man, or being, or whatever, with a certain weariness.

“My… thoughts? You’re out of your damn mind. Those are my thoughts.”

“I see. That answer is quite disappointing,” The Librarian finally says after staring at Kenzo for a short while.

“How the hell would you even do that anyway? If that’s really how you feel, then why not just get rid of the cruel people?” Kenzo questions.

The Librarian raises a finger. “For the first question, the answer is simple. I have a plan, Kenzo. Though it will have to be executed carefully due to the defenses that your world has. I must say, the current Eluvian Generals, as well as the Fae Champions, are some of the greatest Bloodline Technique users I have ever seen. But when the plan has truly been set in motion, even they won’t have a choice but to submit.”

He raises another finger. “The second question is naive. If I were to only take the cruelty from this existence, it would only be a matter of time before someone gives birth to a cruel child, and that child would go on to spread its cruelty. Say, even if no one gave birth to a cruel child, the cruelties of the world, for example, death, would eventually get under someone’s skin. As a result, they themselves would become cruel and would spread said cruelty. But if there were no existence, there would be no cruelty. There would also be no memories, no thoughts, no one, nothing. No past. No present. No future. With that being said, all arguments such as ‘the bad moments make you appreciate the happy ones’ don’t hold any significance. In the end, if people were truly honest with themselves, no matter how terrible life has been, or how great it has been, it would have been better to have never been born. I believe that anyone who challenges this fact is selfish. To think that one would want to go on ‘benefiting’ from life while another suffers, sometimes seemingly just because they exist. It angers me.”

His words are followed by silence.

“Well, power to you. If that’s what you want, then fine. But I also have a goal. Which is why I’m tired of hearing your nonsense. If you wanna fulfill your purpose that badly, then lead me to the Kensten Library,” Kenzo demands.

The Librarian eyes the young man with a face of curiosity, and then one of disappointment. “You don’t believe that I can pull this off. You even mock me. Perhaps I was foolish to think that you’d understand. Very well then, I will show you the library,” he says, turning his attention toward the image created by The Globe. He points to the sleeping Kenzo’s forehead. “Open, Kensten Library of Bloodline Techniques,” he says.

The white void changes to black. Light appears in the form of a torch materializing in The Librarian’s hand, revealing several wooden bookshelves, each filled with the same dark green books.

The Librarian leads Kenzo through the darkness, using his torch to light several other torches along the way. When he’s done lighting all of the torches, he places the one he holds in an empty sconce.

He turns to Kenzo, who raises a brow in judgment.

“So, this is it? I was expecting something more… glorious.”

“You’re definitely not the first to say that.”

“Are they all like this? The libraries.”

“No. Now listen, Kenzo. This place is located deep within the mind of a Kensten. In other words, a Kensten would have to access a certain part of their mind before they can even enter this place. Usually, a Kensten’s mind will blot out this place with something else until said Kensten is ready to see it for what it truly is. Also, it can only be entered while you are unconscious or sleeping. Now that you are the Pinnacle of the Kensten Bloodline, it is your job to help other Kenstens access this part of their mind.”

“Huh. Cool,” Kenzo utters, grabbing one of the books from a nearby bookshelf before examining its cover. There is a black skull over a biohazard logo, and the logo glows a bright green. This symbol is the Kensten Bloodline’s crest. “I’ve seen this in my village before, on flags. My mother would always keep me away from this symbol. She felt it depicted us as monsters,” he recalls.

“Do you believe she was right?” The Librarian asks.

Before Kenzo answers, an image of the man-turned-monster, his father, Kendric, appears in his mind. “Yeah.”

Kenzo’s response shocks The Librarian, and now he’s even more intrigued with Kenzo than he already was.

“In these books, you will find every existing Kensten Bloodline Technique and the requirements to perform them. I must ask… if you believe that your mother was right, why do you insist on learning from these books? The very books your mother never even wanted you to come in contact with. The very books that could spell the beginning of the end of your life.”

Kenzo clenches the book in his hands before looking toward the man in white. “I believe that she did the right thing as a mother, but I don’t believe that she should have hidden the truth. I don’t blame her, though. I don’t blame my father either. Nor do I blame myself. And I’ve recently found that, for some reason… I don’t even blame the Hellsings for the pain that I feel. We’re at war. We’re gonna hurt each other. That’s just how it is. But even with that being said, someone has to pay. Someone will pay. I will have my revenge. I believe that I have the right to that, and I will not take it lightly if anyone were to believe otherwise.”

The Librarian scans over him one last time. “Well then, don’t mind me. I’m just The Librarian, after all.”

And with this, Kenzo opens The Book of Kensten Bloodline Techniques.