It was a regular sunny day, as is to be expected in the middle of an average summer, and I was brimming with excitement. The town elders had called a meeting without there being an emergency, something unheard of these past few generations. All of us have roles to play, jobs to do. Nothing changes, even the weather is predictable, with each Sunday ironically being the only day with rain possible, at least in summer. In winter Sundays are indeed sunny days. So of course, it was quite exciting when there was a change. No-one seems to know what’s going on as I rush to the town centre. Overhearing many conversations, they seem to be just as excited and confused by this change.
The run to the town centre is a short one, and upon reaching it I am faced with half the town already there while the other half are still coming. Although I had rushed to try and find a good place to stand, I can tell this is no longer feasible. Estimating another five or so minutes before the rest of the town arrive, I look around for a possible vantage point. As my eyes swept familiar buildings, I realise how little I have actually paid attention to them. With some experience in climbing, gained from climbing trees, I can see many possible routes to climb I had never thought of before. Although there are many possibilities, only one really stands out that I believe will give me a good view, the Inn right across from the town hall and the balcony the elders are on.
Although the building is only three stories and I’ve climbed taller trees in the forest, climbing a building is very different. Rather than following an almost natural progression of places to hold and step, I am constantly having to search for good spots. This looked much simpler from further away, but after climbing past windows and using dodgy planks to climb, I finally reach the top. From here I have an unobstructed view of the town centre while the sounds still manage to project to me. All that’s left is to wait a few minutes for the elders to begin their speech.
“Welcome all, I’m glad you could make it on such short notice. Although this event is unprecedented, the changes to come will cause even more disruption to our schedules.” The first elder began, eliciting a murmur from the crowd.
“Silence please.” The second elder continued, “We believe the time of prophecy is upon us. Beings from another world, looking exactly like denizens of this one but with capacities far beyond ours, are going to arrive.” At his words, there was an uproar amongst the crowd. Shouting could be heard, with the most frequent questions being “What prophecy?” “Who?” and even “Will I need to share my house?”
Motioning to the crowd for quiet, the first elder spoke as if ignoring the shouting. “Due to our deities wishing to give us a chance against those who could become invaders, we are being given a chance. The deities will look at our souls and give us an Aether construct to improve our growth. What this means, I cannot say. All I know is our roles will be improved. Tomorrow morning you will awaken with these improvements. But for now, go about your lives. We will decide things as necessary.” With that, the elders retreated back inside, ignoring the almost rioting crowd.
Seeing as nothing exciting was going to happen afterwards, I quickly climbed back down. Looking around once on the ground, I quickly head off without attracting attention. Although I have lived in this town for many years, I never had a role. Without a role, many of the townspeople looked down on me. This also means I am unlikely to get much out of whatever the elders spoke about today.
I ran back to my ‘hideout,’ simply a small hollow in a tree where I leave my stuff. It’s concealed by a small boulder that is easy enough for me to crawl past. Although not the most luxurious of homes, it is enough for me. After making sure everything is still in place, I crawl onto my bed of leaves and sleep. I don’t have much to do these days beyond manual labour, so there’s no real reason for me to be doing anything right now.
Before I know it, it’s dawn and the birds who reside in the tree above me are waking me up. The first thing I notice is a strange box in front of me, with writing I can barely decipher. In my shock, I shout “What the fuck!” which succeeds in startling the birds and scaring them off.
Congratulations!
In order to prepare you for the coming of the [Heroes], you have been awarded a [Title]:
[ERROR]:[ROLE] Unavailable, no [Title] Applicable
Evidently, something has gone wrong. This box was followed by a few others, passing too quickly for me to properly understand.
[ERROR] Detected: Attempting to Resolve
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[ERROR] Identified, Possible Resolutions Found. Listing
Resolution [1]:
Apply [ROLE] Retroactively
Resolution [2]:
Forgo [Title]
Resolution [3]:
Remove source of [ERROR]
Resolution [4]:
Apply RANDOM [Title]
Analysing Possible Resolutions…
All Resolutions Equally Plausible, Checking for Another Resolution…
Another Resolution Found:
Resolution [5]:
Create New [Title]
Analysing Possible Resolutions…
Resolution [5] Most Plausible, Applying…
Creating [Title]
Situation:
No [Title] Applicable
Cause:
No [Role]
Subject:
Name: [Unnamed]
Race: [ERROR]
Age: [15] YEARS
[ERROR]: [ERROR] Detected. Process Paused
Attempting to Resolve Race [ERROR]
Solution Found: Race = Half Human / Half Golem
[ERROR]: Human + Golem IMPOSSIBLE
Resolving [ERROR]: Making Exception. Applied Retroactively
Further [ERROR]: Name = BLANK
[ERROR] STATUS = INCONSEQUENTIAL: Ignoring
Proceeding with [TITLE] Creation
Creating [Title]
Situation:
No [Title] Applicable
Cause:
No [Role]
Subject:
Name: [Unnamed]
Race: [Human/Golem]
Age: [15] YEARS
Analysing…
Resolving…
[Title] Created: [Untitled]
Reprocessing Initial Statement…
Applying Aether-Soul Construct…
Complete: Publishing Screen
Congratulations!
In order to prepare you for the coming of the [Heroes], you have been awarded a [Title]:
[Untitled]
[ANOMALY] Detected: Ability to Perceive Non-Designated Screens : Analysing
[ANOMALY] = INCONSEQUENTIAL : Adding to [Title]
Processes Complete: Logged.
Now with a slight headache and a strange feeling enveloping me, I read the only box still visible to me. I have a [Title] now, likely what the elders were talking about yesterday.