The company should have a library, right? I mean, it’s not entirely necessary since Buddie would have all of the information that it would contain, but the company already has everything else imaginable. “Buddie, is there a library?”

There is a long pause before Buddie answers. “...Yes. However, it is entirely unnecessary for you to go there. If there are any questions you have, I am more than willing to provide you with answers.”

Why did he pause? There’s something he’s not telling me. “It’s fine Buddie, I don’t have any questions. I just want to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of a library.”

Ed pushes the door open, imagining images of a library. Stepping through the door, Ed shivers, feeling as if he’s being watched from everywhere around him. Looking around, he sees a small empty foyer with a front desk, surrounded on all sides by rows upon rows of books going as far as the eye can see and stretching up to infinite heights. He sees no light sources, like he’s seen everywhere else. Instead, the room seems to be entirely lit by natural light, dispersing from unknown sources everywhere in the room.

Something about the place feels strange to Ed, as if it is pulling on something deep inside of him. This fills him with a sense of unease. Is fate pulling me here? Why can I only feel it now? As he continues to walk deeper into the library He grows more uncomfortable, the feeling of him being watched growing more intense. His eyes dart around, trying to find who is staring at him, but nobody appears.

Eventually, Ed makes it to the front desk, but finds it empty. “Hello! Is anybody there?” He calls out. His words echo around the room, acting as the only response to his question. This place freaks me out. Maybe Buddie was right. “Buddie, are you there?” Ed calls out, but once again is met with only the echoes of his own voice.

The light in the room oscillates rapidly, dimming to near pitch black, before brightening again. As if something was blocking the light from reaching him, but only for a few moments at a time.

“I wouldn’t expect a response from him anytime soon.” An ancient voice bellows out, as if coming from the very depths of Hell itself. Containing an unknown magnetism that roots Ed to the spot. His thoughts grind to a halt. The room fades from existence for a moment, as everything converges to a single point. The light and darkness coming together to form a gigantic shadow.

Eventually, the room goes back to normal. The books. The empty foyer. Everything reappears, almost as if it never disappeared to begin with. Behind the desk stands a figure towering over Ed. Standing at well over five metres tall, the figure makes Ed’s nearly two-metre height seem minuscule. The figure appears almost blurry, as if the world is trying actively to erase it. A web of white, grey and black threads make up the outer layer of the body, trapping a dark red substance underneath.

As the room comes back to normal, so does Ed’s mind, allowing him to see the figure standing before him. What the... His eyes trail up the body, starting with two long legs ending in sharp points that stab into the ground. He sees six long arms stretching out from the figures back, with multiple joints causing the arms to bend in unimaginable ways. As Ed looks up at the face, he takes a step back, staring wide-eyed at the crude facsimile of a human face. Where a face would normally appear, all that can be seen is a glowing red maw of razor-sharp teeth, stretching inhumanly across the entire width of the face. Above it sits eight glowing red eyes. The features appear unnatural, as if they were gaps cut into the threads, purely to form the appearance of a face.

What is that? Ed remains frozen in place. His mind faltering as the figure towers over him. The figures eyes dart around, looking at the light sources around Ed.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Your questions will be answered in due time. Come and take a seat, it has been quite some time since I've had a visitor.” One of the figure's hands gestures towards the table. Everything in the surroundings gathers around their hand, causing a blankness similar to when they appeared. A chair weaves itself into existence in front of Ed.

Ed’s body moves mechanically towards the seat, his brain still not functioning properly. An indomitable sense of pressure radiates through the room, making Ed feel like he could faint at any moment. It’s only when he sits down on the chair that the pulling sensation stops, and his thoughts start to run smoothly again. The pulling is gone. He looks up at the figure, who’s towering over him even more now that he’s sitting. What is that? I’ve never heard of anything like this. I-it's terrifying. The room falls into silence as the two stare at each other. It is only after a while that Ed comes out from his thoughts realising that he hasn’t said a thing. “I’m sorry, I-I got lost in my thoughts just now.” He says, his voice barely able to come out at a whisper, worried that the creature could devour him whole at any moment.

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s not the first time that’s happened when someone’s come to visit me. You’ve already done better than most. I believe you have some questions for me?” The pressure surrounding Ed starts to dissipate as the creature speaks, allowing him to regain his composure. Ed is surprised, as the eldritch figure before him seems far more amiable than he thought. Ed slowly starts to feel more comfortable, as if he is conversing with another human, and not a reality warping monstrosity.

“Ah, yes. I came to this library hoping to find answers to something. There’s one question that’s been bothering me all day... Is fate real?” He looks up at the creature, hoping to hear that everything Buddie told him was a lie.

“The eternal question of fate. Many souls have found themselves on my doorstep asking the same question. Fate is all around us. It surrounds us at every moment, at every action we take.” The words echo in Ed’s mind, shattering his hope of escaping.

There’s nothing I can do... fate has brought me to this place. I’ve already fallen into the hands of the executioner. Broken, he looks up at the figure. “Does that mean I’m destined to become like them?”

Without asking, the figure understands who Ed is talking about. “There is no denying the possibility. After all, you wouldn’t be here otherwise. The fact that you were chosen means that you are suited for this kind of work. Fate has chosen you to be one of its arbiters.”

“But I don’t want to be a monster like them! What the company is doing is wrong and hypocritical. They are cruel, sadistic murderers who have no right to judge others.”

Watching his outburst, the creatures smile somehow grows wider. “Well said. For billions of years, fate didn’t have any arbiters. It just simply existed. Creatures would make their choices, and fate would shift with it. Constantly expanding across every possibility, sprouting from each choice into a complicated web that surrounds everything.”

Hearing this, Ed relaxes, taking in all of the information. “So, my actions control fate, not the other way around?”

“Yes. To answer your earlier question, you are not destined to become like them. Fate has no control over your actions. It, just like these books, merely tells a story. Every creature plays a part in writing that story. Unfortunately, some mortals gained the ability to read that story, and now that power has gone to their heads. Because of them, fate has not known a moment of peace for the past billions of years, and it is growing worse with every passing moment.”

This is a lot to take in. It looks like I was worrying too much today. My fate has yet to be decided. I still have time. The conversation helps alleviate his worries. “Thank you for telling me this. I now know what I must do.”

“And what is that?” The creature asks, leaning down towards Ed.

“I will find a way to stop this. The company has gone too far, and it is time for the world to revert back to what it once was.”

The creature smiles, slowly unravelling back out across the room. “You are too weak and inexperienced right now to achieve anything. But I am interested in watching you try. If you ever have any questions, you can come and visit me.”

Ed listens to the voice as the figure disappears completely from the room. “Wait! What’s your name?” He shouts out.

“You can call me Urdhuri.” The voice echoes all around him, coming from everywhere. Urdhuri... It looks like I have an ally. After spending a while thinking about what happened, Ed heads back out the door, entering straight into his apartment. It’s been a long day, I should rest.