But first, you and I must come to an agreement. And I'm very serious. Because once you cross the threshold of the portal, you'll be as a shadow to this world. You can leave, but you will not be able to take anything. I want you to take only your memories." Sora's eyes were wide. "How am I supposed to take anything if I don't have any memories?" "You will have your memories," Kairos assured him. "I'll leave that to you. Now then, once you step through the portal, I'll give you a memory of a book you left behind. It's hidden in your room, if that doesn't frighten you." The thing about Sora and books was that the boy had a terrible bookworm problem. For years, he'd been sneaking from his room when he shouldn't have been, to buy new books or read old ones. Of course, he didn't remember the books he'd checked out, so Kairos had a plan. One of his books contained the solution to his problem. He simply wouldn't reveal the title or author. "We can't go back without this book," Kairos went on. "Do I need to tell you how very many books you have?" He'd also had books memorized by heart. He could recite several entire epic poems from memory. He could even sing an entire song without faltering. He hadn't ever seen a child like him, only heard whispers. "Okay, Sora, you have a decision to make. Take the book. Don't take the book. If you take the book, I'll give you your memory. If not, the best thing you can do is run. So it's really your choice. You may step through the portal and claim your memories, or you may go back without them. And I'd like you to remember something for me. When you step back, Sora, I'll do everything I can to make sure you never remember it. Which is why, when I give you the memory, it will be the only one you get." His mind raced. "Let's go back to the beginning. I've just spent the past four months of my life kidnapping a kid from your world. Tell me, what would you like to know?" "That you need me to help you steal some books." "And now you think you understand the purpose of the journey." Kairos looked truly impressed. "You're learning quickly. So here's what you do. You tell me which of your treasures you would like to take with you. If you pick an easy one, I won't take it. If you choose a difficult one, I will. And what you should be learning right now is that I'm not entirely stupid." "How am I supposed to learn anything if you won't tell me what you do?" Sora muttered. "Have you ever asked why we go into other realms?" Sora shook his head. "Let's go take a look." The two men stood on a circular platform overlooking a sea that seemed to stretch on forever. Kairos pulled a golden rope on a chain. When it popped open, they descended a golden staircase. When they came to a dark place, Kairos muttered, "It's about time." In a few short moments, they had left the cavern and stepped into a vast, bright, gold room. The great cavern of Books and Things loomed in the distance, dwarfing the boy standing beside the portal. He didn't mind. The more gold, the better. The little boy took off, flying up the staircase and flying over the ground, as light as smoke. Soon they reached a point where they could no longer see the cavern. They continued upward until they found themselves in a place they had never been before. The place where the ceiling was so far away you could actually see clouds. The place where the air was fresh and crisp, crisp. Fresh as snow. The place you could imagine spring or summer at any moment. Sora loved it. Kairos walked over and sat on a rock. Sora sat beside him. "You don't remember this place, do you?" Sora asked. "I remember it. But I never saw it until now. I've only ever been here. I just didn't remember it. I've never seen so many books before in my life. I had no idea so many existed." "Where are we?" "This is where your mom kept the books," Kairos told him. Sora stared at him. "Why don't you ever call your mommy?" "She left when I was still little," Sora told him, like it was no big deal. "It's one of my earliest memories, I think. And I miss her so much. Do you ever miss your mother?" "We're getting off the subject, Sora. Forget I ever said she didn't bring me here." "Did you know I grew up with my grandparents? I don't remember them, but my dad told me they used to take me to libraries and museums and I loved it. I loved learning about art and sciences and literature and history and everything else. I've always had this feeling that there's more to life than what we have here. I didn't understand. But now, today, I think I'm starting to understand what I meant." Kairos smiled. "Is that why you're reading so many books?" "That's exactly why." "But did you ever go to other realms to collect these books?" Sora's face went blank. He didn't know what Kairos was talking about. "What's this realm called?" Kairos asked. "Sora?" "Is this the land where you used to live?" "What?" Sora asked, still in a daze. "Where is this place?" Kairos stood up. "Don't be foolish." "I don't understand." "Do you remember anything before this place?" Sora shook his head. "Do you remember anyone that might explain the place you're in?" "I remember reading," Sora said. "And this room is filled with books." Kairos turned to the boy. "A lot of your books are about different kinds of worlds. Are there books about this place?" Sora thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "We'd better get back to the library." Kairos led the way. But as they went, Sora stared at the books. There were so many books about places far, far away. About worlds with strange creatures. Books that glowed as if someone had only imagined them. Books with impossible writing, all arranged in a row. Books with pictures that moved when you looked away. He had thought he knew all kinds of worlds, but he had never heard of a place like this. All the stories he had read as a child. He had learned about the worlds as he turned the pages. He didn't know what any of the stories were about. But he had a feeling he would understand it now. But maybe not. Maybe this world only seemed like it was the same as other worlds. "Which book do you want?" Kairos asked. "I don't know how long we'll be gone, but I know you won't want to leave your friends behind." "Which book should I read first?" Sora asked. Kairos grinned at him. Sora was about to tell him where the book was, but he remembered something. "Which one can tell us where we need to go?" Kairos thought about it for a moment, then said, "We have a bad one today. I knew you wouldn't want to read it." "All right," Sora said. "I guess I'm ready." "All right," Sora repeated. "All right, then, we're done here. This book is about a realm. It's not a land, not quite a world. It's something else. We call it a realm. The realms are the places where the beings we call spirits live." Sora's eyes widened. "We'll be walking with the dead all day," he said. "Don't go so far ahead of me," Kairos told him. Sora looked down at the book and began to read. "I'm sorry, Sora," Kairos told him. But Sora didn't respond. ## CHAPTER THIRTEEN The boy reached the end of his little finger. He had been reading stories about the realms ever since they left Books and Things. But he had never really seen them in one place, and not all realms were the same. Some were scary. Some had magic. But not all realms looked like a picture. He stared down at the land. Kairos had promised him his memories of the place, but maybe he wasn't so sure. If Sora wasn't looking when the ground came up to him, he would never know the difference. For a boy who lived in