The next moment, I was standing at the gate.
The same demon guarded the entrance. His body was tall and rigid, skin dark as stone, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. I avoided his gaze and silently handed him the card. He inspected it for a second, then stepped aside without a word.
The gate opened.
Inside, the air felt colder, heavier. The building was vast and silent, lit by tall lamps that barely chased away the shadows. I followed the corridor until I reached the library.
Alexander was there.
He stood on top of a table, surrounded by towering shelves filled with ancient books. Some were open, some stacked carelessly. He was searching through them with impatience, flipping pages as if time meant nothing to him. He wore a night suit—dark, loose, completely informal. Nothing about him looked professional.
Then he noticed me.
He looked up.
"Hey," Alexander said casually.
"Hey," I replied.
"So," he smiled faintly, "you will work. I knew it."
"How did you know?" I asked.
"I had faith," he said simply.
I frowned. "And why are you in your night suit?"
"Because now you're hired," he replied, stepping down from the table. "I don't have to behave professionally anymore."
I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
"I just wanted to look serious before," he said with a shrug. "So I played that role."
"Very funny," I muttered.
Alexander handed me a book as he climbed down from the chair. Its cover was worn, the pages yellowed, heavy with age. Without explaining, he gestured for me to follow him.
We walked together toward the cabin.
Inside, the room was quiet and dimly lit. A large desk stood at the center, two chairs placed opposite each other. Alexander sat down first, then motioned for me to sit across from him.
He pointed toward a clock hanging on the wall.
"There are twelve hours here," he said. "When it reaches 12:30, he will come. At 3:00, he will leave—through that door."
He pointed to a dark doorway behind him.
"The chair you're sitting on," Alexander continued, "that's where he sits."
I swallowed.
He leaned back slightly and glanced at the clock again.
"It's 12 now," he said calmly. "So… we still have time."
Alexander leaned back in his chair, his tone unexpectedly calm.
"The demon is very cooperative," he said. "He will teach you, help you—like a good owner guiding his worker. So don't worry."
I didn't feel reassured.
"You'll sit beside my chair and observe for ten days," he continued. "Just watch. Only look at me and how I work, okay?"
I nodded slowly.
"He will speak to you in a very kind voice," Alexander added, almost casually, as if kindness and demons belonged in the same sentence.
A question slipped out before I could stop myself.
"Do demons have names?"
Alexander paused, then shook his head. "I never asked. I just call him sir."
"That's it?" I asked.
"That's it," he replied.
Silence settled between us for a moment before another thought troubled me.
"Why does a demon need human help?" I asked. "Don't they have their own people?"
Alexander gave a short, dry laugh. "I guess demon folk never work under anyone. They all think they're superior—maybe that's why."
He laughed again, but it didn't reach his eyes.
I hesitated, then asked softly, "Am I the only one you chose… or was there someone before me?"
Alexander was writing something on a paper. His pen stopped mid-word.
He didn't look up immediately.
"Hm," he murmured. "There was."
My chest tightened. "What happened to him?"
Alexander finally raised his head. His expression had changed—serious, controlled, but edged with something raw.
"The demon took him," he said.
I froze.
"He worked only till the second day," Alexander continued. "I instructed him properly. Everything was fine. On the second day, at three o'clock, he received his money. As soon as he said goodbye…" Alexander's voice lowered, "…he looked at him."
Alexander swallowed.
"And the demon took him. Right in front of my eyes."
The room felt colder.
"You are the second one," he said quietly.
Then his voice softened, something close to emotion slipping through his composure.
"Whatever happens," Alexander said firmly, "don't look. If you feel like you're losing control—close your eyes. Even if it feels wrong. Even if you're scared. Okay?"
I nodded, my throat dry.
"Promise me," he said.
I nodded again.
While asking all those questions, I suddenly realized something important.
"You said ten days," I said slowly. "But before… you said I'd be here for three months."
Alexander nodded. "Yes."
"Then why only ten days of observation?"
He leaned back, folding his arms. "Because after ten days, I'll be in another library—arranging things, handling other work."
My heart skipped. "So… after ten days, I'll be working here alone?"
"You won't be alone," he corrected gently. "You'll be working along here."
I stared at him. "You mean I have to handle all of this by myself?"
"Yes, dear," Alexander said calmly, as if he were talking about a normal office shift.
I let out a short breath. "Another library?" I asked. "What other library?"
He waved the question away. "Never mind."
That answer didn't help at all.
This place was already insane—silent corridors, demons, impossible rules—and now there was another library somewhere beyond this one.
"So… can I come there?" I asked carefully. "Or at least meet you sometimes?"
Alexander stood up and picked up a small black telephone from the desk. It looked old, heavy, with a single dial.
"Look," he said, placing it in front of me. "Just dial zero. We can talk."
"And if I need to meet you?" I asked.
His expression shifted—just slightly.
"Then you'll have to ask the demon for permission."
The words settled heavily in the room.
I glanced at the chair beside his, then at the dark doorway he had pointed out earlier. For the first time, the ten days didn't feel like training.
Alexander stood up and walked toward the far end of the room. He stopped in front of a door I hadn't noticed before.
It was black—deep, unnatural black—with flames moving across its surface as if fire lived inside it. Not burning, not spreading… just breathing. The air around it felt warmer, heavier.
"That door," Alexander said, lowering his voice, "leads to my room."
I stared at it. "Can I open it? Can I come inside if I need you?"
Alexander turned to me. "It only opens by the demon's voice," he said. "Or when he gives you permission."
A chill ran through me.
"So… they have ears?" I asked carefully. "They can hear when we ask for permission?"
Alexander met my eyes. "Yes."
I let out a nervous breath. "Are you serious?"
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
The flames on the door shifted, almost as if they were listening.
"Now," Alexander said, breaking the silence, "get up."
I stood quickly.
"Bring a chair from the library," he continued, pointing to a plain wooden chair beside the shelves. "Sit beside me."
I dragged the chair across the floor, the sound echoing too loudly in the room. I placed it next to his and sat down.
Alexander leaned slightly toward me.
"Look only at me," he said firmly. "Not anywhere else. Only me. Okay?"
I nodded. "Yes."