I was sitting on my favorite recliner in the west wing of the fiction section, i was rereading one of my favorite stories even if i wrote it. It follows a cursed soul who was cursed for no other reason then existing and it trying to survive in a fantasy world. I am always aware of the outside but now i have learned to tune it out and just stay in my library, i set an alarm to go off if anything changes outside. When that thought goes thru my head i hear the alarm blear and the red lights flash, “speak of the devil” i say as i place my bookmark in place and stand up to head outside strolling thru my grand complex of a library i arrive at the door of my mind and head out.
I am greeted by a strange screen that says welcome ‘welcome to what?’ i think and the screen is replaced by another.
What are you?
‘What am i?’ it ask. Is it asking in a literal sense or a figurative one. ‘I should be careful about how i answer this, i should be mindful of my words because i do not know what will happen when i answer.’ i ponder on what to say and what it means, i know not for how long i ponder for my sense of time was lost due to this timeless void.
After preparing my answer i speak for the first time in who knows how long. “I am the Keeper of knowledge, the Holder of truth, the Guardian of the Great Library, and the Seeker of wisdom.”
So you are. Who are you?
What an interesting response, even know i exaggerated my importance it accepted it so nonchalantly maybe it is not asking what i am but what i am to become.
He contemplated on his idea trying to form a thesis on his situation so he could better answer it’s next question he decided to try the most absurd being he could think of.
“I am the product of a cult trying to form a god with the sacrifice of a dungeon, a human child, a Elvin child, a Dwarven child, a elemental of fire, water, earth, air, space and time. What was formed was what looked like a sleeping human child but he was anything but. At the base of his neck lay a spherical Crystal that illuminates the colors of the rainbow, black hair darker then the void it self and eyes of a silver shade. Through the ritual he had gained the powers of all that was sacrificed and none of the drawbacks. The only problem was that he had a mind of a child with the power of the universe at his fingertips after he awoke from his sleep he knew nothing and that fear caused his power to become unstable and half the Church was destroyed the head of the church the high priest of the cult put a seal on his power so as his knowledge grew his power was released he grew to the age of 20 and stopped ageing. He left on a journey to collect as much knowledge as he could and remove his seal. That is who i am and this my Journey i must walk!” I said the last part in triumph because i was quite proud of my tall tail i tried to put in the best species i could think of let's recap what and why i put them in. First would be Dungeon for those of you who don't read a lot of fantasy dungeons are not just an old timey word for jails, in fantasy dungeons are a magical construct of condensed mana that can convert mana in to matter and vice versa, because they are sought after by most sentient races. Their drawbacks are, one they can not move, two they can not make or interact with anything outside their range of influence or any sentient being, three the amount of mana they can store and generate is limited.
The next one is human they have the greatest adaptability and ingenuity of all other races. Although they are limited by their short lifespans they achieve greatness in the time they are given.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Elves are a long lived race who are magically inclined and prefer to live in forests. They are a lazy people who due to their long lives are prone to pick to do things later rather than sooner. But with the right motivation can cause great change.
The Dwarven people have a short but strong stacher the best craftsmen around they prefer to live underground. Their bulky bodies and light sensitive eyes are their weakness.
The Elementals are a race that are magical constructs that are incomparable and can only interact with the world with mana of their element, physical attacks can not hurt them but their opposing elements can.
‘Ok enough talking to myself let's see what the screen has to say to my story.’
That you are.
After you finish reading this
Message you will wake up where You fell asleep.
Be warned that your world has changed
And you or your family may not be the same.
my mind was reeling as i read it said so much more than had been written, and as i read i chose to stop right before the last word. I needed a moment to ponder the implication of the information that had been given to me, as i settled myself i picked at the message from what i could infer it was saying that this void had been a waiting room of sorts or that all the time that i had experienced in here had been a dream. The problem with the ladder was that i still don't remember any of the names of my family or friends so it is unlikely that this was fake. I don't have enough information to know what is going to happen so i read the last word and my consciousness fades and my last thought is the word ‘Same’.
Fading back to a conscious state i feel… Wait i can Feel! My eyes burst open and for the first time in forever I am assaulted by light of all different colors, it blinds me closing my eyes to let them adjust to the bright outside world tears stream down my face as i come to the realization that i am free form the void and can live my life once again. As that thought runs through my mind it's as if a cold bucket of water is dumped on my mind, First is that my room was never this bright and i can feel a cross breeze so if that screen is to be believed then i was supposed to wake up where i fell asleep, second is that my library is gone. I can still remember most things but i can not access my library. Having questions that don't have answers the only thing i can do is slowly open my eyes. The world that awaits me is nothing like my home this is a dense forest with what looks like a cobblestone road running in front of me. The foliage on the ground around me is very dense but the weirdest thing is that i look just like i described and am wearing black cotton clothes and the crystal is glowing a faint light as it changes thru the colors of the rainbow. As i try to figure just what the heck is going on he screen appears again.
You have been processed.
You are the last human to be processed.
The time that has passed is equal to 15 Trillion years.
You may feel disoriented.
To combat this the system dubbed it necessary to inform you as to what Has happened in that time.
Think ‘Tutorial’ to proceed.
My mind stopped.
The sheer amount of time i had been in that void causing my mind to shut down from shock, i passed out before the second message appeared.