And then the moon spoke. It told me of my past, even of my origin. It spoke of my future duties and what I was now.
It spoke and I knew I had to listen.
I knew that ever since I became the libraries guardian, I had changed. I had changed a lot. Sure my form mostly resembled that of a human still, but even then I knew that I could change that with nothing but a simple thought. I knew that my form could and would fluctuate, change within an instant.
And then the moon said "Welcome to your new existence. You will be known as the LIBRARIAN, THE KEEPER OF SECRETS, and the PALE ONE, from now on. Welcome to your new existence as a Spirit, a Guardian yet to be chosen. Your name from here on out will be Nathaniel Graymoor. This will be the name your story will spread."
And then, even as I was unwilling to accept this new name, I was forced into awareness by something connecting to me.
Without warning I was suddenly aware of a new building hidden away in some secret and forgotten dimension, unaccessible to anyone but me.
I knew that the building was the very Library I had lived in. The very building I had died beneath.
I knew what it did. I knew how it did and I knew what my main objective for the time being was.
Collect, Protect and hide the knowledge by any means necessary.
Another thing snapped into place and I heard the many different voices of the animals I had tamed and lived with over the years. I knew they had reached a level of basic intellect that would allow them to act on any order I gave.
Then I felt the library shake once again. I felt as several new wings appeared from nowhere and I knew the books contained more knowledge on magic and other things than I had ever seen, even more than what was already recorded within my different grimoires.
So many things happend within a few seconds that I didn't hear what the moon spoke next. But I knew, when I would wake up from this nightmare, even if it wasn't much of one right now, I would have a lot of new additions to my base power, even without any bleed overs.
The moon grew silent as I watched a cloud begin to cover it and then, I was gone.
I felt the night sky grab at me and drag me into it's arms.
The next thing I knew was me standing inside of what must have been a graveyard at some point. More than likely the one I had created.
Suddenly something grabbed at my leg and then I saw a skeleton drag itself upwards on it, trying to free itself from the earth I had put it in.
I violently shook my foot and I may or may not have kicked it in the chin at some point. I staggard backwards, stumbled and hit my head on a gravestone. The last thing I felt was skeleton hands grabbing my body, dragging it into the ground.
I felt something pull at me weakly, like it was trying to rip me into pieces but wasn't strong enough to succeed in doing so. Then suddenly I stared in to empty eye holes.
I tried to jump up, stupid I know, but the earth gave way as soon as I did and then I was out. Out of the Grave and earth. Away from the bodies I had put there and free in the sky.
Finally I had time to look around me, curious to see where I was and then I saw it. The library.
It stood tall, with several stories, candles burning in the windows. It facade was as dark as it had always been, maybe a bit darker even.
And so I began to familiarize myself with the library. Many small changes had happend.
The stairs no longer creeked and the books would come to me whenever I wanted them to. Magic and Mytery filled the air but I knew there was a dangerous undercurrent hidden within.
Knowledge, forbidden, forgotten and buried was inside of these shelves. All of it was best to be kept away from anyone that would try to use it, regardless of their intentions. I knew that it was my duty to observe humanity, keep their innovations in check if they began to touch upon what I was meant to guard.
I soon learns just how important it was for me to keep the knowledge secret as someone was soon born, a child that would eventually discover a way to replace bodyparts with animals or other engineered parts. That in and of itself might not be as forbidden as other knowledge I was aware of, but it was significant as the time the boy was born in was that of 1670 after christ. I was shown what would happen if I did not take care of the child as fast as I could.
In the future, shortly after the discovery, the people would discover more and more ways to change their bodies, eventually becoming aware of the meta-physical, endangering not only me and other spirits, but also getting more and more corrupted by it. They would soon turn on them selves, even worse than every worldwar combined. It would be followed by an extinction level event, entirely cause by humans trying to reach even higher levels of power while only being driven by greed and envy.
And it would all begin once they gained access to this very library I was meant to protect.
I simulated many ways to create a better, more acceptable future more in line with what we had outside of this nightmare, but I soon discovered that the child would find and discover it regardless of what I did. Even if I gave him a lobotomy.
There was only one way to prevent the future from happening. And that was to prevent the child from ever being born.
I did not want to do it, not because I was against abortion or anything, but because I didn't want to take away mothers child. But the only way to prevent said future from happening even with letting the child be born would make me an infant killer, as I would have to sneak to the child's crib and kill him there.
Suddenly something jolted through me. I felt the child being born. Fuck.
*Time skip*
I had waited to long. When I had felt the boy being born, I had decided against acting. Instead I spend most of my time watching it from the shadows or from right outside of his window, as I had recently discovered that, if Noone believed or knew of your existence as a spirit, no one would be able to see you.
I had watched the fate I had predicted happen, step by step like someone had set of a domino effect. By the time I had realized that it would go the exact same way as I had predicted, it had already been to late. The humans had killed many spirits, enslaved their essence and bound them to their bodies.
But they had not found my library yet. But it wouldn't be long.
I had realized by now that there was no way I would get out of this alive. Karma, right.
I had known this would happen but still I didn't do anything.
Then something bright shot towards my home.
I woke up with a start.
At first I was disoriented but then I recognized where I was. I was back in the library, the child, the cause of all the pain, was still yet to be born and I knew what I had to do, even if it went against my morals.
So that night I snuck out, still aware that everything I had lived through had been as real as It could have been. And I was not the only one.
My animals had become aware of their future or past. They remembered what had happend and they, too, left the library in search of the child.
That night I still felt the child being born, but I had everything I needed. Well, not really.
My natural form was enough to hide my moves. Or to atleast keep people of my back.
That night, after I had snuck into the baby's room, tales of the Pale One began to spread. But ironically, they were not of the death of a child by my hands, but the tales of mercy and guidance.
At first I wondered how it was possible, as there had been no witnesses, even the child's mother woke up that morning, finding her child as stiff as a board but with no signs of struggle or harm.
But then I realized.
A few spirits had managed to come back in time, just like me. They, however they did, had noticed the effects of what I had done immediately, even if they didn't know what had happend.
Time passed and as tales of my legend spread, a mere folklore with mentions of beings similar to me in many other places, I grew stronger, more in tune with my duties regardless of how unwilling I was to do them. But ever since that incident I would never allow something to escalate as it did before. Instead I would find creative ways to prevent those things without having to kill, or atleast without having to kill children. Adults were fair game most of the time.
Soon my body became more and more solid and visible, even to those very adults that believed me nothing to be but a tale.
I became an observant during day and night, no longer as hidden as before once I learned of my ability to change my shape. Still though, I could never lose the look of a librarian. I always had a pair of round or half round glasses in different colour's, always a weird and sometimes ancient suit or an Gothic like outfit.
Time passed and I averted many crisises, some far of into the future some long in the past. I cared for the people, for humanity, even if I hated it most of the time. Adults were almost always greedy, jealous or to proud. While children were most of the time to curious for their own good. The only ones that weren't were either mentally challenged or in a bad home.
Those that were in the later category, I offered a place to stay, in the form of adoption or foster care, as I had long since acquired a human identity as one Nathaniel (Nathan) Gravemoor.
These children almost always learned about my past from me when they reached a certain age. And then I offered them something, much like I had offered the children I had rescued outside of this nightmare. Not everyone accepted, but that did not mean I lost any emotion or feelings I had for them.
Those that did reject had my secret hidden inside of them. They wouldn't be able to talk directly about me, but they were allowed to talk about my as if they were talking about a children's story.
Over the years I cared for many of them, and I buried even more.
I was always an observer of everything that happend. My immortality was a curse and yet a blessing. With each year that passed I felt my self more and more weighted down my my duty and deeds.
And then one day, long after the last human on earth had passed, everything ended.
I was alone on what was once a planet full of live, of laughter and happiness even with all the darkness hidden away.
I felt the last spirits pass away but I remained and then I realized finally what my true duty had always been.
It was to keep the knowledge I had guarded for so long, save from humanity and any civilization that followed in their footsteps. I was meant to guard the myths and legend of others while my onw would never stop to be spoken and told, for even while I had been human once, even back then, I had been unbound from humanity. The wilds had always been the one to keep me around, I was their save haven and their guardian, just like I was for the knowledge.
I was forced to watch, integrate and continue my existence through hundreds and thousands of civilizations, even witnessed the death of the sun and rebirth of another star that had replaced it.
And then, finally, after the halls of my library had extended passed the size of our solar system, containing everything I had and hadn't witnessed, after my halls had been filled with animals I had rescued, people I had raised and others that I had employed in my services and duties, the universe finally collapsed. Within seconds everything that was creation was undone, returned to a giant glowing ball of inmense mass, waiting to once again explode.
And then it did.
When does this nightmare end?
That was a question that wouldn't be answered for many such cycles but then finally, after an uncountable number of cycles, I finally reawoke as Percy Jackson, laying in the medical wing of camp half blood.
But even though this nightmare hadn't been as gut wrenching as the first one, I knew it had left an incredibly deep imprint on me.
I was already to old. Way to old for this.
But what could I say, it was my duty to ensure the future would play out as it should.