The Infinity Library
The Infinity Library is an extra-dimensional–possibly extra-universal–space located in a place of seemingly infinite, intersecting planes. Inside the Library, physical copies of books, magazines, periodicals, and encyclopedias are stored. There, Visitors are encouraged by Librarians to read, browse, and stay for as long as they like, with only entrance fee usually being a single, physical book.
Location
As the Library occupies a space beyond the understood properties of the spacetime continuum, it is presently impossible to navigate to the Library.
History
Little is known about The Infinity Library as individuals who have entered its halls are prevented from bringing working recording devices inside the space. Therefore, information about the Library is scattered and anecdotal.
A crude history of the Library suggests that the space was brought into existence by its creators ostensibly for the benevolent purpose of preserving all knowledge across space and time in the written form. It is believed the Library was created by a species now only known as Librarians.
Librarians
Enigmatic, philosophical, and ever-helpful, the Librarians are the stewards–and possible creators–of The Infinity Library. Often taking the form of Orizuru (Origami Cranes), Librarians can be seen carrying books, acting as directories, sounding boards, and even counselors to visitors.
They have also been described as insufferable or infuriating, as they do not appear overly fond of direct answers; nudging guests towards guided reading instead of vocal exchange.
Their tiny frames–for they always appear to take the form of small, nonthreatening creatures or objects–disguise a number of impressive abilities, as they have been observed:
- teleporting from one location to another (as well as opening portals for visitors to step through)
- carrying several hundred books at once
- possessing complete knowledge of the Library, including the contents of its literature
- controlling the Library, as well as the perceptions of its inhabitants
- possibly manipulating the spacetime continuum itself
Structure
Interior
Visitors rarely share a cohesive experience. While Humanoid and Mammalian species typically report temperate indoor environments with stacks of books, arches, colonnades, murals, and marble surfaces. Other species interviewed (such as Tholians) report drastically different experiences: crystalline structures, low lighting, and extreme temperatures. Regardless the interior design, most visitors report that they found the interior remarkably beautiful.
Exterior
Only a few ex-patrons claim to have seen outside the Library and fewer still possess the ability to articulate what they saw. The most consistent claim involves a sphere of infinite lines intersecting at some central nexus. Other accounts describe a series of cubes, loosely tethered and floating in a void.
It is possible that both descriptions are true–or false. As the Library is believed to exist outside conventional (or exotic) physical models, it may take any number of shapes of improbably shapes. Doubt is further increased when one considers the Librarians have already demonstrated the ability to create various environments for the sake of its guests; therefore, one could conclude that accounts of the Library’s exterior are apocryphal and simply the Librarians creating an illusion which meets the guest’s expectations.
Visitors
This group consists of sentient organisms from across space, time, and probabilities. Within the Library’s halls, visitors are maintained in relative homeostasis; they do not age, regardless how long they remain in the Library.
This exacerbates the difficulty when interviewing ex-patrons of The Infinity Library, as all knowledge gleaned from the Library comes from first or second-hand accounts. Recording devices, weapons, and artificial lifeforms are either prevented from entering the Library or rendered inoperable during the visit. Therefore, visitors cannot return to normal space with any materials created there.
Many visitors who have left the Library report finding inert, origami cranes in their rooms afterward, along with a physical book that holds some significant meaning to that person. Occasionally, the book is swapped out for another, usually sometime after the ex-patron has finished reading the first.
Residents
Although technically visitors, this group is a collection of individuals who choose to remain in the Library indefinitely, forsaking the life they had outside to remain within. The Librarians do not appear to discourage this behavior. To the contrary, they appear to go out of their way to make visitors comfortable, often insisting that a visitor’s staying is entirely welcomed.
Residents are given comfortable accommodations as well as any amenities needed to sustain their biological functions, such as food, water, and clothing. One account claims that residents become Librarians after a period of time, though (like many things involving the Library) there is no proof to support this claim.
Ingress
Visitors report entering the Library in a variety of ways. There appear to be no typical methods of egress except that the visitor first donate a physical book to the Library before entry is granted. That being said, some ex-patrons have claimed entry was gained in other ways such as:
- falling asleep
- being snatched from the brink of death
- while fleeing persecution
- when overwhelmed and running from a personal dilemma
Egress
Individuals are permitted to leave the Library at any time to any physical place, time, probability, or universe of their choosing. Generally, individuals are returned to about the same place / time of their ingress.
The Librarians do not appear overly concerned whether someone returning to a different place or time will affect history. Likely, any divergence is seen on their part as both inevitable and welcomed, as a new timeline creates the possibility of new books to catalogue.
Background
The Infinity Library first appeared in the story, The Infinity Library. The setting was inspired by Infinity Train, where a person struggling at a crossroads of their life may find themselves on a train of seemingly infinite cars.
For the purposes of Brahe,_ encounters with the Library are few and far between, though its existence has been speculated for many hundreds of years. The scarcity of visitors, let alone the unbelievable nature of the Library itself, keeps the truth of its existence to the eccentric or esoteric.