Archival Lore
Towering shelves of dark oak stretched upward into shadows so deep the ceiling vanished from sight. Thousands of books crowded the shelves shoulder to shoulder, their leather spines cracked with age and their titles faded to faint traces of gold leaf. Dust hung in the air like a thin silver mist, drifting lazily through narrow shafts of light that slipped between heavy curtains and stained-glass windows.
