This voice, saying something about initialization, is the first thing I remember. Or not, I mean, I know of many things, many random common subjects studied on Earth, but close to nothing of what I am or how I came to be.
Information seems to flow into my brain every time I hear this voice. For example, now I know that I cannot interfere in this world in any way, I'm but a self aware consciousness or something like that, maybe I'm a soul? with no material body, my sole purpose here is to be an observer.
What I do know, and is very much the very meaning of my entire existence as I am right now, is that I have a mission, an important mission, that is: I must find a protagonist in this magic world that I am right now. How do I know that I have a mission? Hmm, no idea... I just know for a fact that this mission is my life's meaning and I must complete it. And how do I know that I'm in a magical world? Gut feeling.
And by 'find a protagonist' I mean that I will have to find someone, a living being from this world, that has the luck and abilities worth of writing an entire novel about, then follow and observe everyday of this being, until its death. Of course the dying has to be a cool protagonist's way of dying, if that is even a thing, otherwise I'll… have to start again? Are you kidding me??
The one good thing is that I have no deadline for this and I can try as many times as I want, I think.
What? I've been floating in this complete black space for a while now, I can't see, smell or touch anything, to tell the truth I feel nothing, almost as if I don't even exist... Nevertheless, don't feel panicked about it at all, it just feels….. Normal.
But now I can hear voices, far away voices singing something, although I can't tell what, just random sounds, or… I think it sounds like a mantra or something, anyways, it is in every way a beautiful sound, calming, pleasant, almost magical. So beautiful, I could hear this forever and never get bored, seriously.
Ooh, so the reason everything was dark was because I had my sight blocked?
<...>
I still can't see a thing! Everything is still very much dark! Are you sure you unlocked it?
<…>
<…>
I guess it will not answer me whenever I want.
*
Few minutes have passed since the voice... What do I even call that? Warning? Update? Inner crazy voice? System message? Alexa? Yes! 'Alexa' sounds good and simple enough for me, this is another world anyways and I can safely ignore all previous owners of that name! ahahahah, yes! I like that, Alexa it is.
Did Alexa not like the name? Muahahahaha… Anyways, a few minutes have passed since Alexa said I had my vision back, the incredible music is still being sung, but now I'm starting to see some kind of light on top of me, I guess my vision did come back, sorry.
The light is slowly, very slowly, painfully slowly getting closer to me. Damn, that is so slow, I wish I could see closer to that already.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Woooooosh
WOW! My viewpoint shifted to somewhere else! This is crazy! Everything is white now, except... a flower bud? That thing reminds me of a lotus flower bud, only it is blue. I'm guessing that I was inside that flower, probably. Watching it for a while I'm sure it is opening the top part.
Perhaps what I thought was a light getting closer to me while, was in fact just the flower-like-thing blooming and more light going in, it would make sense. Anyways, this sight is breathtaking! It's just as amazing as the music, which is still going, making this scene unusually fascinating!
*
Since the 'blooming' was taking very long, I decided to check if I could control my viewpoint at will, and it turns out I can, I only need to 'say it', though I don't really have a voice, the feeling is the same as giving a verbal command, and it will change as I intend to.
The thing is, it will always be centered on the flower bud, does not matter what I try, this is a fact. Like a game camera that you can zoom in and out at will, but will always remain with your character at the center, it also has a limit for zoom in and out.
Does that mean that I AM that flower or something? How exactly am I supposed to find a protagonist in this world if I'm an immovable flower?
<...>
Can't you unlock some more information about this Alexa? I mean, it is pretty crazy if you want me to do anything for the mission if I'm fixed somewhere no? I thought I was a soul, free to observe whoever I wanted to! Free to go and try to find good protagonist material… I do not want to be a flower... More info, please?
*
No more information came from Alexa until now.
I'm starting to see something inside the flower bud, and that is… a child. Maybe I'm that? Well, being a child is better than a flower I guess.
For human standards I would say the child is about 10 year old or so, and clearly not human, all the same very cute and unique, with silver long hair, silver eyelashes, purple lips, light blue-ish skin, somewhat skinny and long limbs, and most important of all, pointy ears! Is it an elf?!
Elf or not, there are, however, a few peculiar things that must be noticed... This child does not have nipples or any signs of a belly button. And even though the child is naked, I cannot identify any genitalia... At least not in the normal private place, there is nothing there, like a plastic mannequin... Aside from these particular characteristics, it looks like a normal humanoid elf one would imagine.
I'm not freaking out or anything, but... If that child is me, something is very wrong! I don't feel that I have a body at all! Damn...
Is there something I can do? My only 'superpower' (at least that I'm aware of) is moving my viewpoint at will… maybe?
"First person viewpoint!"…it worked? I feel different somehow, well, I still can't move or control 'my' body in any way, but at least I FEEL like I have a body, that's progress!
*
I spent some time trying different things to see if anything worked, and my progress so far is... zero! Nil, nothing, nada, null! So frustrating...
While I was playing around… I mean, investigating the impact of different points of view, two things changed: the flower is almost completely open (still, I can only see white outside the flower), and the music is a lot louder and clearer.
Finally more information! Thank you Alexa.
Too much information at once Alexa! Damn, my head hurts! And I don't think I even have one!
Took me a while to sort all that information, to summarize what I just learned:
* This world is called Erath.
* Every living creature on Erath is a magical being. Unfortunately, no information about which creatures exist here were given.
* The dominant species are the Efalem and that child is one of such. Aside from the species name, no more information was given.
* The child is not me (that explains my previous failure in moving ahahaha), but a potential protagonist that I'm supposed to observe, It was chosen at random. And it is a newborn.
* If I observe in a first person viewpoint, I'll be able to feel everything that the body feels, including abstract feelings and thoughts, although I can't interfere or control the body in any way. Basically, it will feel like me but it will not be me.
* I can't choose who I'm going to observe, it will be chosen at random and will only change if the subject dies.
* In case of death, the closest living Efalem of the same generation will be chosen as the new potential protagonist, if no Efalem of the same age is alive on the planet, the mission will either be completed or I'll start again from a newborn if I decide that none of the previous life I witness are worth of being a MC.
* The mission is completed once I find a Efalem worth of being a protagonist, regardless of being the last of the generation or not.