The Song of the Guardian, or the Carcer Monstrum

Daren sometimes tells patrons of the Hellsong Tavern how Malik became the library's guardian. After the demons found the guardian's helmet, they wandered the halls of the old vault until they found a tome with a keyhole instead of a spine. Malik decided the book might contain important secrets since it was locked, so he opened it with a master key.

The tome opened with a squelching sound. Something poured out—a mass of torn chapters, living ink, and chaos incarnate. The monster rewrote reality as it went: the floor became text, the cabinets became sheets of paper. The demons ran, tripping over the scrolls, but the monster eventually caught up with Malik.

Daren's friend held the keeper's helmet in his hands. He placed it on his head to keep it out of the way and reached for his sword. But then his eyes flashed yellow, and his body spasmed. The demon froze for a moment, then grabbed the creature with his bare hands and transformed it into book pages. He stuffed the parchment sheets that had once been the monster back into the tome and locked it.

Darren survived. And Malik slammed the book shut, sat on it, and said, "Now I am the new guardian."