“The fountain is an entrance to many worlds, similar to how you’ve arrived here. But unless you have a specific job or reason to travel to other worlds, you wouldn’t need to worry about this island.” Adeina explained to the new arrival as they stepped onto the smooth, marbled floor, walking across the platform, though they kept out of the cool glistening water this time around. Wish watched as the woman dressed in the long red dress explained, the way Adeina dressed was always distracting to her. 

Wish looked around, watching people arrive in various ways; some emerged from the water, and a few had a portal open up as they stepped out from it. She was awestruck as some didn't even need to touch the water at all, particles of glowing lights assembled on the dry marble floors. Their faces show a sense of belonging while others looked just as confused as she did. A select number of the arrivals being assisted by what seemed to be-

“You have guards in this area?” The blonde spoke up, also noticing that there were people that were stationed at the fountain, watching the individuals come and go. But since they weren’t wearing any uniform, she wasn’t sure what their job title was exactly. 

“We have security, yes.” Adeina replied, gesturing to four tall statues, standing on each corner of the fountain, watching over the place. She smiled, happy of how sharp Wish was at observing. “We have guides that help people get to where they need to go, as well as medical staff, in case of emergency situations. It’s not uncommon for people to enter the Realm and start panicking due to unfamiliarity, you know?” 

Wish tried to imagine someone alarmed upon seeing the view for the first time; Perhaps someone who has never experienced the colors this place has, or perhaps an underwater creature that has never dreamt of experiencing the surface world. 

“The Healing Temple.” Adeina spoke up as soon as they arrived at the next island. She pointed at the gigantic, marble-like structure, with surfaces that shined like white diamonds. “If there’s anything about your body that you suspect may be wrong, you can come to see the doctors.” The woman in red looked to the blonde, who was busy admiring the building itself, thoughtful and zoned out. “You can also come see a therapist if you have anything on your mind that needs to be sorted out.” Adeina spoke, still wearing a warm smile. 

Wish looked at the woman, slightly smiling back to match the expression, though she didn’t understand what they were smiling about. “Shall we continue?” Adeina asked, walking towards the next island. “The Treasure Bowl, I’m sure you are familiar with.” The brunette spoke as she walked past the large biomes, only watching it at a distance.

“The living quarters.” Wish replied, taking a better look at the place, noticing how each biome has a different view on the inside, a different way of structuring houses, different colors, textures, different lightings and methods of traveling. “...Of many different beings.” She also added after that observation. 

“Correct. You may be a fine observer if Gwadeweido chooses to train you. Has she ever brought up the subject? It’s a little side project of her’s.” Adeina’s smile grew wider with delight. 

“I’m afraid not, or-” Wish frowned as she tried to remember her conversation with the grinning woman. A lot of the memories come up as a blurr. She remembers the interaction existing, but couldn’t exactly recall what was being said. “...I can’t remember.” 

“Ah, well, I’ll be sure to bring it up with her when I see her next time.” Adeina said, not at all worried about it. They then headed towards the island where the Library resided, making a full circle back on their tour of the Realms. “As for your work, it will mostly be performed within this building.” She said, proudly gesturing the pyramid structure with a golden cap on the tip. 

Wish tried to focus on the building that towered over her. She vaguely recalled overlooking skyscrapers in her past life, similar to the one before her. In the back of her mind, the foggy memory seems to be poking at her, but try as she might, she couldn’t exactly make out the details of that memory, only the fact that this all felt a little bit familiar and different at the same time. 

“Would you like an introduction to your work? Or would you rather have the rest of the day off for now?” Adeina asked, her smile never left her face and it pushed on her cheeks, making her eyes curve upwards. Clearly the brunette was enjoying the blonde’s company. 

“I’m good.” Wish replied, ready to take on the challenge. She would be bored if she was sent home just like that. “What’s my job?” Hearing such words widened Adeina's smile even further. The woman clapped her hands happily as she began to lead her into the building. 

The Library was the place that housed all the knowledge that was gained from the past, present and future, that is what Wish was told. She doesn’t understand how that works, but she trusts that the owners of the place know what they are working with. 

Her job was all about guidance, helping people traverse through the Library, or get them unstuck if they lose their way. It’s a strict rule to have a Library Attendant, such as herself, to accompany people on a session. For if they didn’t, there’s a possibility of being lost in the sea of knowledge, or to confuse the simulations and holograms as reality, therefore being trapped in the building. 

Knowing all this, Wish took her job seriously, which once again stirred a familiar feeling within her. Almost like she’s done something similar before, or perhaps, had the same exact mindset. Like a déjà vu. She could never recall the details of her past before the Realms, and that vague echo of her life before slowly became a bother to her, lingering in the back of her mind. The constant battering of this feeling irked her on occasion; some moments more than others, to the point of distraction from her job.

Day after day, she worked, sometimes she was in the Library for weeks on end, and didn’t realize the amount of time that passed. All she knew was that she was on a roll and didn’t feel tired from working this seemingly endless shift. The position didn’t bore her either, because everyone’s story was different. She was able to experience many things from other people’s point of view; may it be flawed, or just a perspective she’s never considered before. It was interesting to her, and once again, a nagging feeling lingered in the back of her mind; Like it was trying to summon a long lost memory that had been forgotten in the deep ends of her mind. But try as she might, she never went beyond just the feeling of familiarity. Still, she kept going.

Outside of the Library, she would travel whenever she wanted a break. Sometimes she’d go on a walk and watch the view on the other islands, while other times she’d go home to rest, to sleep, to dream. She’ll let her mind wander, and her world be filled with nothing but blurriness and echoes. Though the lack of physical sensations would always cause her to panic and snap back to reality once more. Whenever she regained her focus, it was back to work, returning to the familiar feeling that she knew. 

Just about every week there was someone new when it came to the position of the Library’s backdoor guard. At first she thought it was just a rotation of shifts, but soon found out that they quit, or left; unable to handle the job. Since then, Wish has always made the attempt to learn their names, in hopes to form a connection and perhaps help them to feel more at ease with their position.

“Hey, Hylan” Wish spoke up as she greeted the backdoor guardian, a large man with black hair and gold eyes. “How’s the job treating you?” 

“It’s intimidating, I’ll be honest.” He replied, showing his discomfort and lack of confidence. “It’s the fifth time today that I had to stop someone wanting to just bust in and get their questions answered. Do they have no idea how dangerous that is?!” The man was sweating intensely, hands slightly trembling at the thought of another person lost in the Library, resulting in a special team needing to go in to navigate the person’s mind and bring them back out safely. “Not everyone is fit to enter, you know? That’s why there’s a screening process-” he stopped rambling to wipe off his sweat and nervously adjusted his stance to hide his anxiety. 

“Hey, you got this.” Wish said, giving the man a lighthearted smile, hoping to give him some confidence. “Just know that we all feel safer under your protection.” Although those words came out of her mouth, her eyes revealed her truth, which was the exact opposite. He’s not the first guard to crumble under pressure, nor was he the first to misjudge their state of mind and allow them in; and she’s pretty sure he won’t be the last. She’s seen bigger and stronger guards collapse under the stress and responsibility. They all come in cheery and end up fearful or depressed, resulting in leaving. 

After the greetings, Wish entered the Library and went straight into her work mode. The task was to assist people, as usual. Sometimes they need to figure out what to search for, and every so often they would get lost in their own mind and need to be assisted out of the session. 

Her job doesn’t end after she escorts them out of the Library either, more often than not, the attendant would need to accompany the people after the session; to recollect their thoughts and findings, to ponder upon the answers that were given and where to go from there. It was not her job to listen or give advice to these people, but before the therapists could take over, she was the one that sat down with them and made them feel heard. Some of them come only once and move on, some of them have multiple visits. The free time reminded Wish of her habit of smoking in such moments, if only she had a cigarette to spare. 

She’s seen enough humans, and gone through their life with them, as a plumber, as a baker, as a farmer, as a bookseller who turned into a murder, a road sweeper boy turned hero, as a soldier who gradually lost everything the more wars they were forced to join in, and even a member of the secret society of cannibals… 

It’s always when the non-human clients enter that makes things interesting. There are times when she’d get an ant and see the world from their perspective, how they would panic at the earthquakes that happen when, in a human perspective, it was just a small tap on the rock; or caterpillars when they were resting on a leaf but it falls into the river, taking them with it; a dazed mosquito that was fed to a betta fish; a raccoon; an opossum; or even a hamster.

Not every session was exciting, or even relatable, even if she tried her best to see things in other people’s eyes. It reminded of how limited her own perspective was when it came to life.

One of the visitors that came back often was a woman with peach-colored hair. She was often seen wearing a rolled up long sleeved shirt with a grayish-black vest, and tan pants, with military style black boots; a business attire she would often wear to her trips to the Library. The sessions would always end with her wanting to speak to Wish, telling her about her regrets, and how it all led to someone’s accidental death. The woman would even talk about a guy she loved, how he’s great, and how she never told him her feelings for him because of the horrible incident. 

Wish could recall the woman from somewhere, but drew a blank on the specifics. It brought back a nagging feeling that couldn’t be shaken.