Waking up one day to find yourself completely disoriented, with no memory of your past, can be an incredibly frightening and frustrating experience. It's like being dropped into a completely new world where everything is unfamiliar, including your name. That's what happened to me. But before you dismiss this as a common dream trope, let me assure you that this is not a dream. I woke up, and what I discovered was beyond anything I could have imagined.

But hey, no panicky penicky here. For now, you can call me Fet—the nameless wonder. Depending on how this story progressed (which is basically my life), my name could transform into something cooler like the Forgotten Entity of Time. Or behold, something more glittering, like the Finder of Extraordinary Treasures. Or a more glamorous option, Feta Cheese—because who doesn’t love cheese?

Yet, my name isn’t the only thing that’s undergone a transformation. For what feels like thousands of years, for as long as I can remember with my fragmented memories, I am trapped in a place that burns like damnation.

As for where I’ve been all this time, it was no exotic place. In fact, it was a prison, set on the border of the Third Belt and the Elsewhere part of the universe (the names I will later discuss). But that’s all I can recall for now.

You see, my memories were scattered across the universe in small packets, hidden even to me. Who did it? No idea. Why? Nobody knows. How? I do not know. But as of this writing, I already recovered eight of my memories. And—oh, boy—recovering them was as easy as juggling flaming pineapples—in other words, NOT VERY! It was a challenge that would made even Hercules sweat a little. But hey, no pain, no gain, right? And trust me on this one, I gained a lot of experience (and maybe a few gray hairs) in the process.

And it wasn’t the best or worst part (depending on how you perceive my luck) of the story. Some parts of the story were a series of plot twists that turned out to be a stroke of luck.

To recover my memory, first, I must leave my prison. Second, I need help leaving the prison. Then, I still need help finding the memories. The first one was already a plot twist, for anyone who could release me was a twist even I did not consider happening. Because from the remainder of my memories, I knew that only I could release myself from the shackles. Though how it happened was through my encounter with Shalam. With that in mind, I'm all set to tell you her story. But remember that this story wasn't mine; just a part of me.

Most of the story happened with a top-down view that could make even Google Maps envious. I’m talking down to the minute detail—like, ‘hey, that ant just stole my sandwich crumb’ level of detail. And speaking of the universe, remember when your 1st-grade teacher told you it was infinite? Yeah, let’s just agree to disagree on that one. I mean, who has the time for all that math anyway? Let’s just say the universe is like a giant and boundless playground, complete with stars, planets, and maybe a few aliens playing tag. Who knows? (Insert grinning emoji here).

So buckle up and get ready to either read on or listen in (if you’re one of those fancy audiobook types). We’re about to embark on a journey through not one, not two, but five section of the universe—and yes, it even has a fancy name: the Pan Universe. So, grab a snack, maybe a beverage or two, and let’s dive in—

But before that, it should be noted that the Pan Universe, as I said before, is divided into five different sections: the first section is the Origin, then the First Belt, the Second Belt, the Third Belt, and beyond that is Elsewhere—a vast section of the universe where Unknown resides that is almost triple the size of the Pan Universe itself.

Shalam’s story started somewhere in the Third Belt of the Pan Universe, on a planet, triple the size of the Origin, I only knew as Talos. From there, I met her, who bears her real name, or maybe not. She was a slave for years (it wasn’t that kind of slave you were thinking, silly reader. There was a lot of ‘that’ happened, but they’re not my story to tell. Let’s keep this story PG13).

Moving on, some folks out there (or in the vast expanse of the internet-verse) have claimed that the Pan Universe is actually a sentient being. I mean, I've heard of being in touch with your surroundings, but this takes things to a whole new level. If the universe is really alive and kicking, who knows what kind of shenanigans it's getting up to when we're not looking. Maybe it's even reading this story right now and laughing at our little human problems. Hey, who said the universe can't have a sense of humor?

This same some-folks out there once said that some million years ago, there was Nothing. Then came the first day, the creation of ONE—the Ominous Nexus Entity. His breath gave life to the Spiritual Realm. Her gaze to the Cognitive realm, and their arms to the Physical realm. Notice how I used different pronouns? Well, ONE is an entity with no distinct feature. So, giving it pronouns seemed inappropriate. Imagine giving a pronoun to a rock. I know right?

But if you’re wondering: “How come Fet knows a lot for a ‘person’ with memories scattered across the Pan universe?”—I don’t. The Creation myth, I just made it up. One thing I’m certain of, though, is that the Pan Universe may be sentient due to the incorporation of the Three Realms. Like a countless network of nerves connected to the very fabric of the body, or in this case, planets. Imagine Kelutral but on a way, way massive scale. (If you’re reading this from the Origin, no need to Google it. Kelutral is the Hometree from the movie Avatar—You’re welcome. James sure is a wandering man, if only he knew… anyways, if you’re from Novarion, simply tap your temple with your middle finger—without giving a flip—and read this code with your mind while being connected to the Source via your nostrils: คำพูดของผู้นำสงครามสงครามอิเจิ้ยนกล่าวว่า. That is the code for Kelutral in Novarion language. It’s not Thai or Egpytian, so it does not concern you my fellow Origins (insert grinning emoji here, again)).

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

So, I’m going Feynman here, imagine you have a toy that you can see, touch, and play with (toys may mean sensual and different to how old you are, but just imagine you are 5). That’s the Physical Realm, the first of the Three realms, where things exist and have a shape and size. Then, let’s say you’re from the poorest country in your world, and having a toy is a luxury. So, what you do instead is imagine the toy in your mind, even though it doesn’t exist. That’s the Cognitive Realm, where things exist in your thoughts and ideas, even if we can’t see or touch them. Then there’s the Realm which is difficult to understand. My old friend, the Game M—

Ah, there it goes again —people and words I'm not supposed to know, but know, just popping up like a balloon. One minute everything's normal, the next...pop! And they're gone. It's like my brain is playing a never-ending game of hide-and-seek with my memories. Ever since I found out they were hidden away, everything's been a bit...off. But you know what? Sometimes it's the things that don't make sense that end up making the most sense in the end. It's like a cosmic joke, and we're all just here for the punchline.

I stopped writing and took a moment to contemplate things, though I shouldn’t be sharing this with you. But in order for you to understand me, I must. After a couple of hours, I finally moved from the other side of the moon (metaphorically speaking, of course). Don’t fret, though—this story will continue. I’m in control of myself now thanks to stoicism breathing techniques, I’m ready to go.

Now, where were we? Ah, yes—the Three Realms, starting with the Spiritual Realm. It’s a difficult concept to grasp. If you have a tangible toy and an imaginary toy, they could both be connected by the Spiritual Realm. It’s where intangible things like love, hope, and faith exist. Even though you can’t see them, you believe in their existence. For some, the Spiritual Realm is where a higher power, like god or gods, resides. For others, like my translator in the world of Origin, an atheist devotee (and I’m trusting you with my story—do not omit or change any of my words, okay?), it’s faith in oneself or others or simply feelings.

Because of these Three Realms, there’s a big possibility that the Pan Universe is sentient. According to one of my recovered packet memories (which is strangely bad), she has agents that maintain balance across the universe. But that’s a story for another time. For now, let’s focus on the Three Realms in the world of Talos. When these realms collide, a Node is created. If you’re from the Origin and have read many LITRPG fantasies, Nodes are like Dungeons created by a phenomenon unique to the world of Talos called the Conjunction.

Nodes can be temporary, and most of them are. But once in every thousand Conjunctions, a Node becomes permanent. But for it to become permanent, it needs a vast amount of Source—which is kind of limited in the world of Talos. That is why people of Talos often force a Node to become permanent (to have a steady supply of the Source, I assume). Once a Node is created, especially if it’s permanent, it will try to siphon the Source to the place it is anchored with to maintain its form. Once it has the right amount of Source, it will create its own environment and weather system, which is often messy and dangerous. Depending on the amount of Source it collects, and the balance between the Three Realms, a Node can take many forms, such as a snow biome, a labyrinth, a castle, ruins, a plain of grass, a desert, or even a city-like environment. Either way, a Node is always dangerous but whoever conquers it is rewarded handsomely.

Moving on—I mentioned a certain girl, fragments of myself, the Three Realms, and the Node. Now, let me introduce you to the Entomoids, the captors, the aliens, monsters, creatures, the inhabitants of District 9, the supposed villain of this story.

Entomoids are vicious creatures that resemble an insect but are more sentient. Imagine a bee the size of a Volkswagen beetle, strolling around a park looking for its next meal while holding a pair of giant scissors, goo guns, or spray of toxic mist from its body (specifically from its butt hole and some pores). Luckily, their diet consists of plant and animal matter, as well as mineral-based substances—so, no humans there. Unluckily, though, most Entomoids have a thick exoskeleton that protects them from harm. The exoskeleton is composed of several layers of chitin—a hard, protective material that can also be found on insects and crustaceans. The natural eeriness of their armor was more than enough to stop the captives from revolting.

Now that the basics of the story are out of the way, it’s time to delve in deeper. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! Your perseverance and ability to resist boredom are commendable.

You may have gathered that this story is about a girl trapped inside a Node by insect-like creatures, along with other captives. As captives, our shared goal was simple: ESCAPE. But as you'll soon see, the path to freedom is far from straightforward. There were countless variables at play—including myself. Though I'm the author of this tale, I must confess that from the time of my release and beyond, I had no idea what could have happened next. It's like being Stephen King in the world of Brandon Sanderson—subject to greater forces that remain beyond my comprehension. Who or what is directing the actions of myself, Shalam, and the others? I cannot say.

Moreover, it’s entirely possible that I’m already dead or lost somewhere in Elsewhere by the time this narrative reaches you. At this juncture, all I know is that I must find my memory packets.

So, to my fellow travelers, readers, writers, literary enthusiasts, wandering nomads, and Drifters… Welcome to my omnibus, and it all began with Shalam.