Entry by - traumgespinst

You smile at the librarian before you go out into the hallway leading to the bathrooms. Nothing unusual about that. You do it all the time, since you always spend hours here. 

 But today, you don't open that door – instead, you look back one last time and hurry towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. They've always been intriguing; dark wood, uneven steps, old pictures on the wall, but you never dared to intrude like this. 

Clutching the book, you put your hand on the railing, expecting something to happen, but it's still dark and quiet. That's disappointing. But this is not one of those treasure hunts your dad used to prepare for you. Those days are over. 

The first few steps you're overly careful, testing different spots for creaking before you continue your way up. About halfway there, you feel like the steps shift, get steeper, but at least now there's some more light. Only when you look up you notice the stained glass window. That's odd. You've never seen that from the outside. But then again, you only ever see the library from the front. 

You climb the next three steps – it is getting steeper – before you stop and slowly turn around. The hallway is dark. Not even the light from the window seems to reach it. It actually doesn't seem to reach anything. You hold your hand out, looking for a shadow, something, to appear. Instead, when you get too close, it feels like you can touch the light. It's soft, warm, and when you move your hand around a bit, you find strings that just stop mid-air. Exactly where the light seems to vanish. 

"Looking for something?"The voice startles you, sends you falling down a step, but then someone grabs your arm."There's not much up here. Just some very old fantasy books." 

So the library actually continues? You try to turn around, but his grip is too tight, and he forces you to keep looking at the window.

 "Nothing very – huh."Your arm starts to go numb. 

He can't just be a librarian. How he's holding your arm in place feels trained. But what else could be up here, that they need someone to protect it?"I was just looking for the bathroom", you say, not very convinced that he'll believe you. 

"You weren't", he says, but you can hear a smile in his voice. 

 He pulls your other arm behind your back as well. Great. This is definitely not going the way you hoped it would. You haven't found anything that brings you closer to being able to decipher the weird message. Instead, you're stuck with an old man and a glowing window – by now, you're pretty sure that there's no sun shining through it. 

"It's pretty, isn't it. And so convenient. My students always loved it." 

His students? There's no way he was actually Supernova's professor, right? 

"Are you familiar with my studies?" 

You're barely able to shake your head. Why didn't you think this over before you went up here?

 "Well. This door leads to two places. For one of them, you need a key. The other one is home." 

"Home?", you ask.Of course that's the first question that gets out of your mouth. Not the more obvious ones – how is the window a door, how can it lead to two places, and then of course, why is it glowing? 

"Home", is the unsatisfying answer you get. "Sometimes it comes as quite a surprise." 

You try to roll your shoulders to get some blood flow again. You're not weak, but you can't seem to break free from his grip. By now he has probably seen the book in your hand. Maybe he actually knows something about it? 

"I see you found a book", he says. 

That's creepy. What if he can read your mind as well? Right now, there's nothing you'd be surprised by. 

"It's a special one. You should take good care of it.""That's the plan", you say. "Do you know anything about it?" 

"Oh, well. I never actually read it. It's probably one of my daughter's books which I ... repurposed." 

 You're relieved that the story isn't important, because you never actually took the time to look at it. But then you realise what he just told you – he really is Professor Aelfdene. Now that's disappointing. You thought the letter would at least be 100 years old, if not older. But if he's still alive, no century can have passed. Whatever Supernova hid might still be there. And you have a chance to find it. 

But first you have to get past that guy behind you. 

You're finally able to pull your arm away from him. It tingles so much that you're not sure you'll be able to punch him. Before you can, your own thoughts already stop you. 

 Why would a professor give his student a random book? How on earth would that help?Unless... 

You look at the window. The stained glass glimmers, moves, and for the first time you see some pictures. They're probably telling a story, but you don't have the time to watch closely. 

A punch, then your other arm is free as well. Before he can stop you, you jump over to the window, open it, and flinch because of the blending white light. And then you're gone. 

You fall through the white light, the strings you felt earlier brushing your face. It's warm, and you don't ever want to leave again, but seconds later you already land on your feet. When you open your eyes, hoping to finally get the next clue, you see your living room. 

He took your book.