In an old but spotless library sat a solitary figure, a dusty skeleton with horribly elongated fingers and a skull stretched downwards. The singular eye centered in its face took in the space around it, a library that sprawled far above the undead, with floating platforms that swam lazily around shelves upon shelves of books.

It was wondrous, a spectacle befitting high fantasy, but even more so it was pleasing to Daniel, whose eye flickered between place to place. Each book bore information on how to achieve classes, best utilize spells and scrolls, combat certain mobs etc. It was the combined knowledge of the players of Yggdrasil, a DMMO RPG, that incorporated virtual reality and content to give challenge to millions. He was certain there were still secrets left in this game, secrets never to be uncovered.

The game was shutting down, the collective years he and his guild mates had poured into this game would be stripped away before his very eyes. Daniel didn’t have much to look forward to anymore as he reached his twilight years, his failing body limited what he could accomplish in the real world and so he had spent his time in the game.

He pushed himself from his seat, placing his long bony hands against the tasteful wooden table before him.

“I’ll miss this.” he whispered, voice echoing from his long-unhinged jaw and the dark void where his throat would've been. Words couldn’t express how he felt, nor did he particularly feel any more need to voice his sorrow, everyone else had already left. The only room left was this one, the entire dungeon was in ruins, every floor up to the seventh had been ransacked by adventurers in the games fall. All the weapons, armour and relics his guild had seized were taken from the treasury, the only place no one could reach was here.

A book wrapped in chains floated alongside him, the thing of most value left in this broken place. It was a relic that amplified buff and debuff duration, along with acting as a point from which he could cast his spells from. He could give the item to his guild members and cast spells without being in the same room, it was an item that he built an entirely new character around. Iastur he called it, ‘The Mad God’. Dressed in pale gray and golden robes, adorned with trinkets of strange iconography he suited more the look of a strange priest than a God.

He was someone who cared more about theme more than optimisation, luckily his guild mates thought the same. Though that hadn't mattered when the treasury was raided and the NPC’s they’d laboured over were terminated. He’d shared some fond memories with them all, and while he was certain he would never see them again, he did not wish to. They were all young, with families and friends of their own. There was no space for an old timer like Daniel in their lives.

Despite himself, Daniel frowned. Holding back a sigh as he ruminated on his life decisions.

He’d spent so much time in this false world, with nothing real to show for it. Even what he stared upon now was a fragment of what it once was. Only his touch remained, without a trace of his comrades anywhere around the great library.

Even the final NPC left was the librarian, an old dark elf of his creation, he was covered completely in gray silken robes, the only part of him visible being the down turned ears that signified he was male and his glowing golden eyes. He was stood at the reception, waiting there as he always was, to be told to fetch a book or perform admin.

It was 11:50:23, ten minutes until the game was shut down for good. Daniel had a fleeting thought about exiting the library, but he would most likely spend all that time arguing with the door. The one thing that kept this place intact was also the one thing keeping him imprisoned here. He chuckled, a cruel irony if ever he heard one.

Daniel simply sat there, taking in the scene that he’d grown used to over the past few months. It was now that he wished he’d copied out these books into the real world, so much would be lost tonight.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He walked over to the reception, before opening the librarian's NPC sheet. ‘Leir Mell Teera’, a name stylised as most dark elves were in the game. The backstory was long and winding, Daniel had memorised the entire thing, after all, he wrote it.

“Find me ‘Starters Compendium Volume 1’” Daniel spoke to Leir, to which the NPC bowed and marched off.

Time clicked by, ever so quickly, until Leir returned and gave him the book he desired. This book was created by the infamous ‘GrandUntarnished’, a man who had spent the entire first couple of months detailing the best places to grind experience, the best way to level up in the first few levels and how to unlock some of the more common classes. It was one of the first things he read upon playing the game and helped him learn some of its key concepts.

He held it fondly, sitting back down on his familiar wooden chair. Yggdrasil couldn’t simulate touch, but it didn’t matter. Merely reading its words took him back to a time when he was first getting to grips with the game, spending far too much gold on this book when it was perhaps a tad unnecessary.

11:59:21, he wished there was more time to reminisce, but in a few moments, he would be back in his bedroom, and he would have to find a new way to occupy his time – 45, 46 47... retirement would be boring once again – 58, 59...

0:00:00 – 01, 02, 03...

Daniel sat there for another few minutes, too stunned to speak. The game was still going, and GrandUntarnished’s book suddenly felt so... heavy.

“Your holiness, do you need anything?” Daniel heard beside him, a voice which he had never heard before, but could easily guess as to its owner.

Daniel was stunned for a moment, these features were never a part of Yggdrasil, it was an impossibility. Yet, here they were, technology be damned.

“Your holiness?”

“Tell me... Leir, do you feel different?” Daniel asked, unable to peel his eyes from the book in his hand.

“No, I feel the same as I always have. Is something the matter?” Leir responded, concern lacing his voice.

“This book... it has weight.” Daniel stood up, before lifting his gaze to the library before him. Not just the book, but the world had a weight it lacked before, a weight that he could not put a finger on.

Leir began furiously scribbling something into the notebook he had, undoubtedly confused by his rantings.

Daniel remembered that notebook, he had mentioned it in his character file. He had never actually given the librarian this item however. The sight was so strange to him that he reached out toward Leir’s notebook in wonder.

For a moment, Leir was surprised, until he relinquished his notebook.

It was filled with all sorts, from the moment of the librarians inception to the fall of his guild. How had this item spawned from nothing.

Feeling rather miffed, he went to call a GM, only to discover the feature was busted. The little icon was completely grayed out, but worst of all, so was his log out button.

Eventually, the absurdity hit Daniel, and his stomach dropped.

He was stuck here wasn’t he? In this game that wasn’t a game any longer. Trapped in a library never to escape, never to see the sun or his sister again. Something broke within him for a moment, something important.

But soon after, every emotion running wild through his head was cast out. Now all he felt were his robes rubbing against his lithe skeletal frame. His mind had shattered, only to neatly knit itself back together again.

He was a skeleton now, and a strange sort of amusement found its way to him, this was him now, the character he’d laboured several years over. ‘The Mad God Iastur,’ in a way he was uniquely suited to the hand he’d been dealt. With his book he could afford near infinite range on his spells, so long as said book was acting as a focus.

There was only one problem.

”I need you to leave the library Leir.” He said, his singular eye radiating mirth.

Leir looked startled for a moment, his gaze drawing away from his still seized notebook to his creator, then a look of terrible apprehension crossed his face.

”Your Holiness, I beg you, reconsider. This library is my life, if I cant return back to it I’ll-“

”I will brook no argument Leir. You will use your recall spell and take my book with you. Something has changed, and I need to see it, even if it wont be with my own eyes, or eye rather.” Daniel suppressed a giggle, until the strangeness hit him. Shouldn’t he be more concerned about all of this?

His mood soured at the thought, and he tossed Leirs notebook back to him, before grabbing the floating book by his side. Wrapping its own chains around it, and covering it with a cloth he summoned from his inventory.

He handed it to Leir, before sharing a parting word. “I will find a way to open that door Leir, you have my word. But until then we look to the outside. Find intelligent life, something we can exploit. We must find someone to open our sealed library, but we must do so with caution.”

Leir nodded, before heading off to prepare for his journey outside. Daniel couldn't tell beneath his long flowing robes, but he was sure the dark elf was holding a fierce scowl.

Daniel hoped he was as loyal as he had written him to be, or this gamble was sure to fail spectacularly.