Chapter 23

Livira inhabits a knight-in-armor rescue story of her own making, watching a distant tower and reinforcing the narrative to claim her book without descending to the witch. She plants herself in the tale, determined to resist the recurring saboteur—the white child who thins stories and breaks her grasp whenever she nears success.

The white child approaches openly, bleaching the world to blank page as she advances. Livira counters by shoring the story with detail and intent. When Livira demands answers, the child says she acts “for the library,” contradicting the assistant’s guidance. Livira, torn by the library’s clashing ideologies (Yute’s compromise, Yamala’s openness, Jaspeth’s erasure), admits she only wants a life with Evar.

Pressed to recognize her adversary, Livira recalls the fable of walking in another’s shoes and, from a memory of three pairs in an attic, realizes the child is Yute’s missing daughter. Naming her—Yolanda—halts the assault and breaks the spell.

Livira snaps back to the reading room, book in hand, as a giant insectoid Escape batters the assistant. She glimpses Evar exposing himself to danger to help, but Malar urges her to leave, insisting these events have already happened and Evar survives.

Malar leads Livira to the portal pool. Conflicted over the library’s war and which side to choose, Livira hesitates. Malar argues choices come from the heart, not rationale, then propels her forward—pushing Livira, with the book, into the pool to escape.