The Old Gods

The Library Demon cries as you talk about the "CREATURE" that fool them for so long. You try to reassure them that they're a good person, that they had a genuine friendship and it's okay to mourn that loss.

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"I'm just so scared," the Library Demon says. "If I made such a stupid, careless mistake like this, what else have I done? I always have my nose in a book. I don't think I even know what's real sometimes."

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Challenge #3:

Share a fear that you have

to reassure the library demon that it's okay

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You notice that the Disappearing Library is not nearly as slouchy and sad as it was before you started talking to the little demon. The lights seem a little brighter and the room feels warmer. You wonder if the library reacts to the demon, or if the demon is so powerful that they bend reality to their mood. Either way, you think it's probably better if you keep their spirits up.

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You ask them to tell you some good times with the Ledger Demon, and try to remember those times fondly.

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The Library Demon wipes down their face and takes in a deep breath. "You know," they say, "the first time we ever met was when I was assigned to this library." They smile. "This is my dream job, you know. Every library, be it big or small, has one of us. We take care of the books and read them when no one else does so the books don't get lonely. We live in every world we read and memorize every fact. The more books there are, the more work there is, but the happier we are... But it's lonely sometimes. We don't get to share what we know."

 

The Library Demon looks up at you through their oversized glasses. "The Ledger Demon always listened, and whenever I told him a story he had great reactions. I liked making him happy, and I liked that I could talk about everything I had ever read. It's a lot, you know. I still haven't finished the Disappearing Library's entire catalog."

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That's honestly impressive. You knew that the Disappearing Library added books all the time, but you thought that surely the Library Demon would have gone through them all by now. You tell them exactly that, and you try to pump up how wonderful they are. You also think about how genuine that friendship must have been. The Old Gods have patience, yes, but to listen to the Library Demon talk about everything for centuries? They must have had some kind of friendship... but perhaps it was simply the eldritch beings biding their time and gaining knowledge?

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What do you think? Did the Library Demon and the Ledger Demon have a real friendship?