Chapter 18 God Incorporated

• Act III: The Grand Stairway
• Zahra stepped into the hallowed space of the library's grand atrium. The air was heavy with the scent of aged parchment and the faint echoes of whispered wisdom. The sound of the heavy door falling shut echoed through the vast interior, bounced around by the stone walls. Rows upon rows of shelves reached for the high arched ceiling overhead, stacked with knowledge stretching back millennia. A grand mural from the days of the early colonists told the story of their exile from Earth, the generations-long journey across the stars, and the settling of New Eden.
• Zahra strolled along the wide avenue formed by the towering bookcases. It felt like navigating the bustling streets of a grand city, each text a window into the vastness of human knowledge. Ornately carved direction markers guided her toward different districts within this literary metropolis.