Prologue. The Akashi Library.
- W-what, where am I?" I asked, rising from the floor and looking around.
I woke up in a large room, with a thick mist over the floor, emitting a faint purple light, and strange-looking drawings on the floor, which gave me a slight migraine when I looked at them.
Mentally I knew that I should panic... what was there to panic about? I did not even ask myself how, and more importantly: why was I here? And where is here?
- Well, let's start in order: my name is..." I said thoughtfully, trying to remember my name.
At that moment the pain hit me... I was twisted on the ground, I howled and screamed, the pain did not stop but only increased, it felt like a red-hot probe was being thrust into my brain, my mouth tasted salty, I wanted to faint or at least die, but apparently, the universe had other plans for me. I don't know how long it lasted, maybe seconds, maybe an eternity, but at some point the pain began to fade and I fell into the healing embrace of sleep.
****
I woke up jerkily and looked around quickly. My head still hurt, but... When I saw the world around me, I went into a slight stupor. There was a lot to see-the world had changed dramatically. A tower of gigantic proportions stood in front of me, its top was not visible, and its shape was constantly changing. Every couple of seconds windows appeared and disappeared, the spiral staircase surrounding the tower changed its position like a snake crawling up a tree. And most importantly, the sky... It was gone. The sky was replaced by a gigantic whirlpool of glowing spheres that slowly rotated counterclockwise, mesmerizing the eye. The peak of the tower went into the centre of the whirlpool and disappeared behind it. All this was happening in a ringing silence.
I swallowed noisily and slowly climbed up from the stone floor. I had to think hard about the situation I was in, and what to do next.
There were two problems at the moment:
One, the thought of my name was giving me a migraine. What about my name, any name! I remembered names, I knew that the big mechanical thing in my memory was an aeroplane, I remembered that people often drank coffee in the morning, I knew that I had once read a book called Small Group Tactics, but I could not remember who wrote it or the names mentioned in it... And also my face! I don't remember my face... I don't remember faces at all! The thought of myself gave me a migraine again. I didn't want to go through the pain of hell again, so I decided to give up for now.
The second problem bothered me a lot more - I was calm. Any normal person in my position right now couldn't find a place to be. I understood that and acknowledged it, but there was a chilling calm in my head, and it made me uncomfortable.
- So, am I crazy? - I said quietly, admiring the whirlpool in the sky.
I don't know how long I was standing there, looking both at the whirlpool and the tower, but at some point I realized that I had to go. My inaction would achieve nothing. I don't know who I am, I don't know where I am, and I also don't know what this place is. But the tower is clearly man-made, I don't know what kind of creatures built it, but definitely not humans...
That thought took the chuckle out of me. Yeah, humans. I have the 'Tower of Babel' in front of me, the peaks of which go into a whirlpool of glowing spheres, while you can't fucking remember or know where, and more importantly, how you ended up.
- All right, we've got to go.
And here I am, walking for the ninth or maybe the tenth hour. Nine. An hour. The interesting thing was that I didn't feel tired or thirsty in this place, which I noticed by the second hour. All of this led to some disappointing conclusions, starting from the fact that it was the terrain that was affecting me, to the fact that I was dead. Well, what else am I to think about, I can't remember my life, I'm not even thirsty! And that's nine hours of travel, and I don't know how or where I got to...
The tower's getting closer and closer, and there's nothing but swear words in my head. Didn't I tell you the tower was gigantic? Would you be so kind as to go to me-past and punch him in the face for that phrase. The tower (but is it a tower?) stretched from horizon to horizon, now it looks more like an endless wall, and endless in all directions. A black endless wall with glowing lines that wove intricate patterns.
- Here he comes at last! - I said with a heavy sigh.
I hadn't kept track of time for a long time, I was just being stubborn. Maybe I had been walking for years, maybe decades... It didn't matter anymore. For the first couple of days my calmness frightened me, but I quickly got used to this defect of mine. Now I realize that if I didn't have this calmness, I wouldn't have reached my goal, but I would have given up long ago and...
- ?:;%; "#%," the glowing silhouette uttered with pressure.
- Fuck! - I shrieked, falling on my causal point.
A translucent anthropomorphic silhouette of a creature consisting of thousands of glowing golden eyes levitated in the air in front of me. All the pupils of its eyes were focused on me, and it was a couple of steps away from me. The entity struck me with superstitious dread.
- *%"?%?!? - the silhouette repeated and came close to me.
- I-I don't understand what you're saying..." I stuttered back, crawling away from him.
His eyes lit up brighter, and I began to feel the growing pain in my eyes and head.
- Na... Zo... Wis... - sounded in my head in a dozen voices. - NAME!
The creature's voice exploded in my head, bringing a rather violent migraine. It flew towards me again and began to reach out with its right, translucent hand.
- I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM! - The silhouette's hand trembled and he lowered it.
- Then how did you end up here? - The voices in my head spoke softly.
- I..." I said as I gathered my thoughts and began to answer the creature. - I don't know... I woke up in a room with a glowing mist and some symbols on the floor. Trying to remember my name gave me a terrible headache and I fainted. The next thing I knew, I was here, in this place. Then I decided to go to the tower, as I had no other option...
- How... Interesting! - The voices exclaimed, and the creature's thousand eyes slowly transformed into gritted mouths. - Yes... It's been a long time since that happened.
By this point, I had already risen and started to look at this... Entity? The shape of the silhouette is... Male, it now has thousands of mouths instead of eyes, with three pairs of the same translucent, gold-glowing wings peering out from behind it. On his head is a crown of purple flashes of light that quickly appear and disappear.
- Follow me! - Meanwhile, the creature spoke, flying away from me and heading for the tower.
I followed it. What was I supposed to do? Yeah, I didn't understand it, my paranoia, nurtured over the years of traveling to the tower, was screaming DO NOT GO FOR THE UNDERSTANDING LIGHTING THING, but I had no other choice. I'm tired. I just want to talk to someone. Or something...
Stepping closer to the tower wall, the creature bowed. Part of the tower began to pulsate a bluish colour, after which a door appeared, about five metres high, made of some kind of material resembling glass, and pulsing with a white light.
- Bow to Akasha. - Turning to me, the creature said.
What about me? I am a simple man. They told me to bow to the tower, so I had to. As soon as I had done the 'operation' the door opened. The creature waved at me, and then flew through the door. I followed it.
It was dark inside, and I was only guided by my glowing guide at the front. After about fifty meters, the creature stopped and turned toward me.
- Welcome to the Great Library of Akashi! - came from the darkness, and a blinding white light flashed around me, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut for a few seconds. - Traveller, not many creatures from all over the multiverse could make it here. Ah yes, where are my manners? Call me the Librarian! This place is the repository of all knowledge of the universe, only souls who've done a truly great deed or...
- Wait, did you... Did you say souls? - I asked, realizing that my worst fears were justified. - So am I dead...
- ...or vice versa, truly terrible deeds. - The Librarian finished without paying any attention to my words. - Ah-ha, soul, don't you know you're dead? And you don't remember anything? Yeah, since the creation of worlds, you're the second person to get in here this way, heh, heh. Okay, I see you're getting more and more questions. I'll let me ask you two questions. Then I'll ask you my two questions, and your future will depend on them. Don't rush the questions, soul, I'll give you an hour to think. - He said and disappeared.
The library... The walls, the shelves, the columns, everything was made of black glass that radiated a soft, pulsating white light. The shelves went upwards, their length seemed endless. There were books flying everywhere, moving to different shelves. A black tome with white stripes slid onto the shelf next to it, and a small notebook flopped gingerly onto the next shelf. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take the book off the shelf. A plain white book. Needless to say, I didn't understand it. Naive fool, the Librarian had said that there were books from all over the world. Sighing heavily and putting the book back on the shelf, I started thinking of questions. What should I ask? If all the knowledge is in here, then is this where I can find out about myself? Or not? Okay, let the first question be about me. What's the second one to ask? Ha-ha, I don't need the answer to the main question anymore, "is there life after death", uh-huh, then... My second question will be about how I can live again. I felt a long-forgotten hope flare up somewhere inside me.
An hour later, the Librarian appeared beside me, causing me to drop a book, which instead of falling, spiked onto a shelf nearby.
- Oh I see that you have something to ask me? - said the Librarian, smiling with all his mouth. By the way, it's a creepy sight.
- Yes, my first question is, who am I?" I said in a determined voice.
- I heard your first question! And... I'm not going to answer it. - said the Librarian, leaving me in utter confusion. - Before you waste your second question foolishly, I'll answer you anyway-you don't want to know yourself who you are. Find out for yourself! - he said and was off. Yeah. I don't want to know about myself. But I do. The current me wants to know...
- Ahh..." I sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of my nose and getting ready to ask my last question. - Then my second question: how do I live again?
A sepulchral silence fell, even the books stopped flying from shelf to shelf. All of the Librarian's mouths turned smoothly into grins and shone with a stronger light.
- Good question, I say! - Voices from across the room muttered. - There are two ways. One is to pass into rebirth by purification of the soul and reincarnation without memory, but... That's not your choice, is it?
The grin never left the Librarian's mouth and the light emanating from it grew steadily.
- The second path is the path of travellers, the path of Heroes, the path of the Dark Lords! - The Librarian spoke, glowing gold. - You will go to the worlds that are waiting to be destroyed. You will have but one duty: to save the world. How you reach it does not matter, you can be a hero or a demon. It's all up to you!
- Why save the worlds at all? - I decided to ask, already knowing what choice I would make. - What good would that do you?
- Soul, can't you understand? - When he saw that I do not understand, he wanted to explain. - What is this place?
- The Library.
- And what is stored in the Library?
- Knowledge..." I thought I was becoming aware of the situation, glancing around thoughtfully. - And if the world exists, then it accumulates knowledge, which in turn comes here...
- Yes, you got that right. - The Librarian grinned. - By saving the world you save the beings who inhabit it. By saving sentient beings, you save knowledge. By saving knowledge, you increase the knowledge of Akasha, and the more knowledge Akasha increases, the... Better. You have no right to know the truth yet, but if you agree, in time you will know the truth.
Well, I don't have much of a choice anyway. I don't want to be a hero or a villain. I just want to live and learn about myself. I understand that he's holding back a lot and probably using me... But if I choose the first path, will I still be me? No, it won't be me anymore and I want to live. Why, one wonders, have I walked all these years to get here? A smirk crept onto my face. Yes, I chose. I'll remember myself, I'll live my life the way I want and... I'll save worlds.
- Well, I see you've made your choice. - The light from him has begun to grow again. - THEN MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WHICH PATH WILL YOU CHOOSE?
- I choose the second way! - I shouted out with determination and looked at the essence with seriousness.
- SO LISTEN TO MY SECOND QUESTION: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE? - Voices came from everywhere.
- Knowledge! - Without hesitation I answered.
- RIGHT! - The noise began to diminish. - Hehehe, well done, soul. Yes, the question is easy, but you would know how many millions of beings didn't answer it correctly, and how many answers there were: wealth, love, hehehe, even food and carnal pleasures. And to think for five minutes? You're in a library and a librarian asks you a question like that...
- What would happen if I answered the question wrong? - I decided to ask myself.
- I would have sent you to be reborn the first way.
- To think I was so close to failing, because I could have answered 'life' or 'memory'...
- Soul, what is life and memory? I will answer it for you: it is also knowledge, the creature told me: "When you live life, you accumulate and produce knowledge, and memory is the same knowledge. So you would still answer correctly.
- That makes sense. - I answered briefly.
- Now listen to what we are going to do: I will connect your soul to the soul of Akashi. It will help you in your journey and in your development, and in the case of death it will bring your soul back here. - He began to make passes with his hands, which made everything around him glow. - Wear with pride your new title, Guardian of Knowledge!
And the world before me began to fade...
REQUEST TO CONNECT TO "AKASHA LIBRARY" SERVER... ....
WAITING FOR RESPONSE FROM SERVER... ....
REQUEST ACCEPTED!
WELCOME USER #54 925 852 195!
WORLD SELECTION... ...
REJECTED, LOW USER RANK. WORLD SELECTION AVAILABLE FROM USER RANK PLUS.
AUTOMATIC WORLD SELECTION... ...
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU HAVE SELECTED WORLD NUMBER 52851-63326-98214, PLANET "REMNANT".
GENDER SELECTION... ...
...REJECTED, YOU ARE MALE. SEX SELECTION WILL BE AUTOMATIC... ...
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE MALE SEX!
...THE CHOICE OF RACE... ...
REJECTED, LOW USER RANK. RACE SELECTION AVAILABLE FROM USER RANK PLUS.
AUTOMATIC RACE SELECTION... ...
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU'VE CHOSEN THE FAUNUS RACE!
-= HAVE A NICE GAME! =-