Legends, Fairytale, Fantasy, Myth…
They all sprang from imagination and historical accounts. Stemmed from unverifiable sources, they are ripe for speculation and interpretation.
Those old stories evolved with each iteration, replacing and adding the old stories to the new story. Moulded by individual writers, each story held a different meaning and content.
Categorising each old story is quite simple. It all depends on the extent of speculation, sources, and iteration used for the stories. In some cases, how useful the stories are for the people too.
There is a legend where for every Pocket Dimensions was once a World of its own. This legend comes from the fact of how distinctly different each Pocket Dimensions and the marks left in it. If not for the apparent flaws like of Space Oddities, we would have called them Small Worlds.
The legend exists because it may have been true in the past, albeit with some exaggeration. It wouldn’t be a legend anymore if they found one Pocket Dimension without flaws like Space Oddities.
Essentially, a world that remains intact.
Since I am here in this world of Idam, it won’t be a legend anymore in my original world when the news spreads.
Unlike legend, myths have much smaller or even non-existent sources and proof of their existence, except for hearsay and pure speculation.
There is a myth from the Harmony major faction that everything is from one world and eventually splits because of Chaos. There is no proof of that except their own text, including my relatively high clearance of the Library.
Fantasy… stories made up by people. Hope and selfish desire drive the creation of most fantasy stories. One fantasy that is very popular in my original world, is the fantasy of a world without Irregulars. People know it's impossible to be true, in the past, present, and future.
Now for the Fairytale. They are similar to legends, even some legends are transformed into fairytale. Of course, the opposite is also happened.
The major differences are how fairytales have moral or beneficial roles and how much people believe them to be true. Fairytales often draw inspiration from recent events.
I still vividly remember the time when Adal offered me to use his READ a few years ago. Wyldan has assigned us a task that requires us to stay in a desert city. We had done it and were planning to go back.
But we decided not to go immediately for a simple reason, we owed gratitude for the help from the city mayor and compensation for what we had done. The city was suffering from a drought at that time, and we can solve it by using Adal READ.
Unfortunately, Adal's mental power is very weak due to his overuse during our task, so I had to replace him. He advised me to create a new fairytale Irregular because coincidentally, a festival tradition of the city is going to commence soon, an opportunate moment to use the New Fairytale from his READ.
The city residents believed that sending a maiden to dance in the blistering heat of the desert with an umbrella that had been passed down for generations would bring them a gift of their needed rain from the Sky god.
We know the so-called Sky god didn’t exist, but the ritual of dance usually really worked for them, most probably related to the task we had done. Adal specifically instructed me on how to use his READ.
“Utilise the people's belief in the dance role's effectiveness in the festival as the foundation for the new fairytale. The original source of tradition might be fake, but we can replace it.”
He continued weakly on his bed.
“Change it from the Sky god personally gifting the rain to something much more believable. After all, the Sky god never existed, and we can never create a god. That umbrella is a perfect item for our replacement.”
We plan to transform the umbrella into a new Irregular, I-type Irregular. It will be the beneficial role in the fairytale.
“Since it's an Item type, it should be easy for your mental strength to handle. Just make sure to do it properly. Otherwise, nothing will happen, except for spent mental power.”
“The city residents will eventually stop directly believing in the Sky god and change to the umbrella. Consequently, the umbrella's influence will intensify. Btw, use our status as Librarians to convince them, so it will be much quicker.”
I did what he told me, and I successfully did it on my first try.
According to my last visit, several cities in the desert now use umbrellas to call for rain. The fairytale had spread across the entire desert.
Stopping myself from reminiscing about the past, I opened my eyes.
Now, a hat is on my head, representing the title given by the Library owner. On top of my red cloak, a dark brown robe appears. The robe is covered in language used during the Age of Sin, each represents the Father fairytales collection. Irregulars that will obey their creator.
In the current situation, I could summon them directly to deal with the demons, but I don't think it's the best way to use Adalbert's READ. In fact, if that's the case, I would just use sister Yuri's READ.
After my personal experience in this world and hearing Anna's wish, I wanted to do more.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Regardless of their motive for trusting and helping me so blindly, it is undeniable that I owe them favours. I truly detest the feeling of owing someone favours, and I would much rather have them owed me instead.
Anna has provided assistance three times in a row. In the city library, the mansion, and right now. I even made a mistake by revealing the Rebellion.
As for the matter of my personal experience, it's complicated.
My hand reached for the scroll that appeared beside me. Words began to appear on the scroll as I waved around my fingers.
'In the distant past, the people of the Heart City were terrorised by a Ghost. People simply call it the Ghost of the Heart City.'
Blood-red letters appear on the unknown scroll's leather.
'The Ghost was part of the Demons army, it wantonly strike fear of the innocents. Everyone is deadly afraid of the Ghost. From the lowly beggar to even the King himself. How could they not? Their lives are nothing in front of it. The horror of its existence left a deep scar in their heart.'
I write what I read about the Ghost in the city library. Now for my reinterpretation.
'Nobody knows why it specifically targeted the capital city of the Kingdom of Heart. Was it because of the ruins underneath? The incarnation of sin from the Kingdom for their unknown past? Was it because the Kingdom is the main place for ghosts to appear? Or maybe simply due to simple revenge?'
Nobody really knows why, it's ripe for speculation and imagination. It's an essential element of a genuine fairytale.
'One day, like how we don’t know its purpose, the Ghost silently disappeared. The city residents thought the Ghost had passed away. Until it appeared a whole generation later.'
I also thought the Ghost probably died since the new one is Kunti.
'Unlike the past Ghost, its act is completely new. It still terrorises the people, but now they only target criminals and other ghosts, as if it had a new goal in mind. Its goal is very easy to guess, to punish evil.'
That was a fact that really happened, but I will distort the rest of them now. Kunti action is easy to read.
'This Ghost is nothing more than just a personification of punishment for the injustice in the Kingdom of Heart, made from a pure heart. It's unceasing and unstoppable. It will possess new corpses or things whose original owners didn’t have anyone love them and any loved one left in the world.'
I changed the Ghost from Kunti to someone else, or more specifically, something abstract. The change also includes a failsafe so Kunti won’t get possessed by it. There are people who care about her.
As for why I did it... Susan is hunting Kunti for the Ghost title and Kunti dislike the title herself.
'Its action is limited due to how little injustice happened in the city, after all, their power is directly related to the amount of injustice the people feel.'
Placing a limitation on the Ghost, is to ensure the fairytale will manifest. It will be a huge problem if I fail, which means I would have to use the Camera. Of course, if the Ghost power is too small, it won't be able to help in this current situation. So…
'The Ghost can feel the Heart city stirred up by troubles. The King is increasingly acting tyrannical towards his own citizens and nobles, while the Demons are fanning the flame from behind by inciting a bloody Rebellion.'
My finger quickens because I can now see Susan Gremory above me.
'It was helpless until the King massacred his nobles in the name of weeding out the Demons. Many innocent nobles and servants are killed, and the Ghost accumulate their hatred to form a physical body in their graveyard. It was completed after fires raged around it.'
In front of me, the blood pool converged into one shapeless blob. I think for a moment before writing.
'Its appearance was similar to the Ghost from the past generation, but inside is different.'
A pitch-black-haired woman appeared in front of me. Her clothes are a simple white dress, and her skin is so pale that it's whiter than her own dress. I can’t see her face since I am behind her back, but Susan can.
Susan visibly flinched upon seeing the face, then stopped moving. Algor Alloces, who just appeared in the corner, also stopped. I successfully stalled them
'The Ghost doesn’t stop there, it also feeds on the city residents hatred which fuels the upcoming Rebellion.'
It's possible to do that since Harmony in the past also used the same method to stop any new Rebellion from forming in my original world. More importantly, the Rebellion won’t happen, while Anna's wish for the King and the Demons deaths will still happen.
'Both to stop the Rebellion from erupting and to power itself against its enemies. The King and the Demons are responsible for the Rebellion that hasn’t erupted.'
With this, its power is immeasurable because of how many people were affected by the Rebellion. Since the source comes from everywhere else, it won’t fail and is only temporary.
Lastly, to end the story, consider the moral role of this new fairytale.
'Injustice will always be repaid with justice. Even after death. In the hand of the Ghost.'
For the title…
“The Pure Heart of a Ghost.”
~~~~~
Somewhere in an unknown location. A being muttered to itself as it read a book.
“What the…”
It contained the newly written fairytale. After it ended, a new Irregular appeared. The Ghost solely stopped the Rebellion the being had planned from erupting and now clashing against the Demons in the graveyard.
“This… Wasn’t this that delusional old foggy Irregular power? He should have died a long time ago!”
The being slammed its desk in surprise. A few seconds later, it continued its muttering.
“No, that weirdo had descendants, and they are librarians. His name should be… Edel...bert…? How did he end up in my world?”
It closes its eyes to confirm something.
Once again, somewhere else, inside a banquet held by the Industry for a celebration. The banquet immediately fell into chaos as immense pressure from the being scanning the entire banquet.
It just took a second before it retracted its presence from the banquet. It didn’t want to attract unwanted attention, especially the Government.
“He is there and not in my world… Then who was it? His older brother? No, that man had died a few years ago.”
It read the book again, right now, the Ghost massacring the entire Demons in the graveyard.
There is no mention of who is responsible for the fairytale since no Demons knows his name, and the being can't peer-through to see who it is since they are in a different world.
Although, with this, the being now knows whoever had been interfering with its world for years is related to the Library.
“No matter what, my Hero will be the one who saves the day in this event.”
It dipped its pen ink into the book and wrote a flaw that is easy to exploit in the fairytale.
“The Ghost, now consumed by immense hatred, She can’t handle it, and her sense of pure heart was skewed terribly. The Ghost now also targets anyone who has caused the slightest injustice.”
It stopped before continuing.
“Except for those who had done more good than the injustice they had caused.”
Pleased by the solution it came up with, it took out the thing that would calm down itself.