You sit gingerly upon the two chairs at your ornate desk, each of you grabbing a quill. Your black eyed half takes one with a long raven feather, while your white half plucks a tufty ostrich feathered pen. You write in overlapping script, one in black, one in gold - detailing the terms of Pascale's contract on an overflowing, gilded scroll. You write about how in exchange for your source of power, the beautiful wig now atop your marvellous form, she may gain immortality as an Employee of the Library.

Notably with full healthcare benefits so long as injuries are of a magical nature, food and lodging, no monetary pay, and no mandatory means of promotion.

Sounds like a pretty good deal if you do say so yourself. You also aren't quite sure how and if you may bestow specific powers upon Pascale. Though you reckon that much like you, once one becomes eternally tied to the Library, the entity will find a way to compensate you.

Now, for some boons. You've seen other Guardians give them out, and honestly you think it's a perfect parting gift to exert your newfound power. You start digging through some of the drawers in your office, looking for old knick knacks you can enchant or repackage. You do manage to find one of your old handheld mirrors hidden in the back of your vanity, you had discarded it for a much nicer one, and it does have a few stains and even a crack across it's surface. But you're sure Gretch won't mind. Why, you're not even sure if that man knows what a mirror is!

As for Tenebrus, a way to learn Japanese huh? You see that a single wall of your abode is designated for bookshelves, containing dictionaries and accounts in all sorts of languages. You reckon they must have belonged to the gargoyles at one point. You head to the J section and find a 2000s copy of a Japanese Dictionary. It may be 80 years into the future, but you reckon the new slang would make Tenebrus a trendsetter in this new world.

You package your boons up in beautiful gift boxes, complete with scented tissue paper and gigantic silver bows. You think that after your brutal transformation, you need a little something to bring your reputation back to what it once was.

Two Vanities sit back to back

One with tendrils lacquered in black reaching up to the sky. Its legs are curved inward, frail as they almost touch in the centre. The top is made of polished granite, with books open on every edge. A pair of reading glasses sit precariously atop an open volume of The Picture of Dorian Gray in the Senegalese language of Wolof, while several volumes of the same book in Chinese, Portuguese, and Vietnamese sit under it. Smooshed against nail file and perfume bottles they sit. Lost amongst their volumes eyelashes curl with disdain and desire.

Mirror Image is the pink, claw toed vanity. Feather bows and strings of pears drip over the mirror to the other side, much to Angelo's chagrin. But Angelo affirms that his sense of style will surely brighten up his brooding intellectualism. The vanity's pink marble is a treasure trove of gems, rouge, vases of powder, and, scattered all about, the most exquisite shoes and clothes silkworms can make. Material and vapid the legs balloon outwards leaving the empty, soulful space beneath the vanity for Angelo to dangle their bejewelled feet under. Of course, without a care in the world.

It has been 4 months since the other Chosen went home, by now, one's eyes would strain to see a Portal. Most of them have closed up. Alexander and Wick have been busy rebuilding, they haven't even had a moment to celebrate our victory! Sometimes I do think those two take themselves too seriously. What is the point in preserving a life you don't get to live? Though, when you work like that, I doubt they have many hobbies.

I did not expect to be back in such squalor so soon. There is barely any light here and it's so stuffy. Plus the others keep coming to me, “Angelo can you read this?” “Angelo can you translate that”, I used to feel so popular in the first few days but now it only grates on me. I wish I had more time to relax. What is Urick doing nowadays, shouldn't he be just as busy decoding all this? Maybe he has it easier…

I've realised that Guardian positions that aren't filled possess a source of untapped power. A power that the Library may just be aching to release. If only I can tap into it… Aster says not to touch it, remember what happens when one Guardian gets too powerful? Well then! I was offended they put me and that goddamn book on the same level.

Angelo and I had a conversation today and we think we should try absorbing some raw magical energy left by other Guardian positions that never got filled. The Heart is probably a good way to do this. We will see if we can perhaps find some clues in there.

It warms my heart when I see Guests walking around, marvelling at the artefacts on display. I feel a vicarious happiness for them. They must have never seen anything like this before. I remember the first time the Chosen saw the Desert Tomb's carvings, blown away by the artistry and dedication people had to a work that would outlive them. It's incredible. As Guests, they won't be able to travel with me, but I wish I could take them.

There are simply too many spiders here! How do mortals deal with these, their bites don't hurt me, but their legs still feel spindly on my arms. Pascale grows tired of my yelling when they find me. I suppose I may still be afraid that they might poison me, even though that is impossible.

This is one of the most boring ones yet. The interior design is terrible. There's wallpaper peeling off the walls and there are dolls everywhere! Not on the shelves or anything just on the floor. I have found a way to possess some, walk around and perhaps give Alexander a good scare, but I have even grown tired of that, and Angelo tells me to knock it off. I tell him that this place is more his aesthetic than my own, so he should enjoy it.

Pascale seems to love this one. We have already cracked open a few bottles to taste, much to Alexander's dismay. He had to chase us out of the Restricted Zone with a broom once. Oh I held onto my wig it was so exhilarating, I almost felt human again, getting caught and running off into the night. Ahh it made me positively giddy.

This one has many humans in it, I wonder what it's like in their shoes… such wonder, such passion for these old things. They remind me of someone.

There are no mortals here underwater. Only fish and colourful creatures. I have been enjoying them, but Angelo says he prefers black. I sort of miss watching them. They are so materialistic and short lived, though there is a beauty in their inherently vapid, mortal lives. They are cute, sort of how little dogs or tiny earrings are cute.

Alexander met with an insane old man named William today. They hugged and cried and reminisced of their time as Chosen, whatever that may mean. I am surprised that Alexander himself knows a guest in the Library, how lucky… And while he's at tea I am left to deal with the possums that are chewing up the entire Restricted Zone! We really have to get some new guard dogs for that place, but I sure won't be the one arranging that.

Space is so incredibly boring. There is nothing but blackness and faint dots in the sky. Mortals make such a big deal out of surviving here. But I simply don't understand it. Just breath, what, like it's hard? Perhaps I am just missing them. They are such fascinating little creatures. Unable to teleport and can only understand one to three languages. What must that limitation be like? It sounds freeing.

Aster tells me we're in a place called Kyoto. There are very beautiful ladies here, with their faces painted white and dressed in the most amazing embroidered dresses. As they dance, I tend to shadow them, wondering how it would be like to move in the presence of an enraptured audience. When the applause comes, I pretend it is for me.

I have absorbed the powers of most lost Guardians. There aren't many of us left. Pascale is the only one I see regularly. I suppose the others may not like me very much. But it is ok, because I no longer care for non-mortal beings.

There aren't many of us left now. Aster quit yesterday and Urick retired last week. I was quick to absorb their powers of course, the ability to edit history is quite remarkable. It is interesting to watch the humans swoon as I do. How interesting would life as one of them be? Short and sweet, nothing eternal, only material worries and short lived problems to care about.

If I were mortal, I realised. I could die before my lover, wouldn't that be romantic? Angelo says it's pretty grim. I would tell him to shut up, but then I can't talk to anyone else.

I haven't written here in a while. Time truly does slip away from me. Yet it never ends.

I am lonely. No one is here. Angelo and I have nothing more to talk about. But the mortals seem to chat endlessly. I wonder what it would be like to be one of them.

I think one of them saw me! Should I… should I talk to them?

Ok I just got back from talking to them. They think I'm a ghost, what should I say? Should I lie?

She told me she's always been able to see ghosts! Ok this is good, this is good, she's finally talking to me. How queer that she can see me.

I keep thinking about that one human I met 50 odd years ago. I realised that if I had talked to her longer, something could have happened. I wondered if I could sink down to her plane. Would there be a way to do that?

What if I could be one of them, a mortal, I mean. What if I could say… trade something for their quaint little life?

There seems to be a young lad who's interested in my proposition! He says he'll look into something called a 'Guardian Contract', it is thousands of years old. But if he finds it, I may be able to become mortal!

It's so exciting!

Can you imagine?