「The Eternal Library」 Prolouge: An Old Stanger

Hoku quickly deciphered that the numbers on the page were coordinates, thus, sparing time to visit his uncle's study.

The master room branched into a smaller room.

Inside, a single-lamp yellow lampshade tinted the flaxen yellow walls, making the room feel smaller and dull. 

Despite the immense interior of the home giving off an impression of wealth, the only other valuable item besides a drawer of century-aged currency was the computer in his uncle's office. 

Neither of them rarely used a machine since Hoku preferred paper books, and Jiang Hao spent most of his time in a classroom. 

On present occasions, however, the computer would be used to retrieve information. 

Hoku pulled the chair to the edge of his uncle's desk.

He held down the power button and the screen flashed dark blue.

A colorful icon froze on the screen momentarily, before a browser appeared.

He blinked a few times at the screen before gliding his fingers across the keyboard.

He proceeded to press the keys with his index fingers.

After entering a string of numbers into the search bar, an image of a map with bold text of the same coordinates popped up in the search browser. 

Hoku clicked on the link under the map and the screen turned white, bringing him to a page with a larger map. 

Enlarged text above the map read, 

Small Community in England Rattled by The Recent Disaster That Was Inflicted Onto A 214-Year-Old Manor.

There were sidebar images along the page displaying a single image of a manor with an unusually old structure, and about five other pictures following it of utter wreckage.

 The outside was mostly the same, though some of the pictures that were taken from a closer angle revealed the collapsed porch and a door with wood splintering off the front. 

 Hoku squinted and leaned closer to the screen, resting his chin atop his knuckles. 

He reached for the mouse and continued to scroll through a collage of images, the inside of the home appeared to be in far worse condition. 

Pillars from the ceiling were spread atop various pieces of furniture.

Fragments of broken glass reflected the flash from the camera, and an entire chandelier lay damaged and coated in the soot. 

Hoku's eyes widened and his finger flinched above the small wheel on the mouse as he scrolled to the bottom of the page. 

His hand fell onto the desk from under his chin, and shifted toward other side of the desk where he placed the coordinates on top of the book. 

'Page 23… page 23… page 23' He repeated in his mind, frantically flipping through the pages.

The strangely unblemished painting in the last photo on the screen was closely resembled the one illustrated in the book. 

The whole bookcase was shrouded by the ruin from the fire, yet there weren't any indications of damage on the wall where the bookcase sat. 

Even the candle lamps were still screwed into the wooden frames on both sides of the shelves. 

However, there was a tiny detail in the photo captured of the painting... a black scribble in the bottom right corner that aligned flawlessly in the corner of the frame. 

The illustration in the book did not have a signature on the painting.

Unfortunantly, the picture was taken too far from the art piece for Hoku to make out the artist's name. 

'It is not all that important... though, maybe it would give me context to whatever this note means. For instance, why is it in a book with sketches of a manor from the 1800s?' Hoku pondered, hooking a finger under his lip.

The numbers on the paper were muddled together like 'cursive' script, but the letters were printed neatly, appearing strangely comparable to his own handwriting. 

'Besides, it's likely that anything remaining has already been extracted from the scene.'

Hoku deliberated for a moment, before prompty hovering back over the computer, and clicking out of the article on the computer.

H copies the numbers from the search bar, and pasted them into a new search bar, this time typing directions after the last letter in the coordinate. 

The first results to appear was a GPS, which conveniently gave him an option between two routes.

The driving distance for the quickest route was four minutes. 

'I didn't think it would be so close, it's a shame I don't even know how to start an ignition.' Hoku sighed scrating the back of his head.

'Damn! I don't have a bike either. Can I just walk...?'

His eyebrows rose as he discovered that walking would take around twenty-eight minutes. 

Hoku straingtened his posture, and extended his arms behind his back, before scrunching his features.

'I should start looking for part times when I get back and save up for a bike.'

Jiang Hao came home late on predominantly all days of the week which meant for two years Hoku was left to wander around the same room. 

His uncle would occasionally take him out on the weekends, to drive into town, but even on his days off, Jiang Hao still had papers to grade. 

Hoku collected his coat, and quickly slipped on a pair of boots, then strode down the stairs into the living area.

'Maybe if I save enough before March I can afford a car. Uncle Hao can teach me how to drive, and I can leave before I turn nineteen-'

As Hoku's fingertips grazed the door handle at the front door he suddenly halted.

'Then what? Where would I...'

He clenched his jaw, grabbing the handle with a firmer grasp.

'Maybe I shouldn't think so far along. Otherwise, I will always live in uncertainty.'

He slid his hand down into the narrow pocket of his pants, and retrieved the old phone that Jiang had given him.

Then he tugged open the door and set out for a stroll.

. . .

When Hoku had eventually approached the ginormous estate he collapsed into the gate and hunched over his knees in a gesture of exhaustion.

He reached for one of the metal bars and pulled himself up. 

The wind's chill had clung to the metal, leaving a prickle sensation on the top half of his palm.

He squeezed the phone in his other hand, stuffing it into his coat pocket before letting his hand fall to his side. 

He had used the phone for direction, though the map that appeared on his screen was of such bad quality he had practically roamed the entire way. 

As he peered through the the thick bars of the gate, he saw a single tree stump.

In addition to the stump, white clovers and bindweed covered the yard, distinguishing that the fire had occurred at least a few months ago, otherwise, the front yard would have also been severely mangled.

Hoku rubbed his hands together to develop a bit of warmth from the friction, then secured both around separate bars of the gate.

He hesitated, breifly wagering the chances of being struck down by the heavy metal if it were to swing open suddenly.

He drew a further distance between himself and the entrance, and pulled, gradually adding more force to his grip. 

Alas, the most he was able to achive was merely a humiliating struggle, as he was unable to pry even the slimmest gap.

He continued to tug on the bars for at least three minutes, his foot sliding further from himself forward each time he would tilt backward. 

'...Am I out of shape!?' Hoku huffed, taking a few seconds to catch his breath.

Frustration began to seep into his demeanor, until eventually his foot slipped forward and kicked the small rock that had been stuck between the ground and the metal. 

The large gate door swung open, inevitably causing Hoku to lose his footing, and descend onto his back.

 He lifted his head to look at the open entrance before slumping back onto the ground. 

Carefully, he brought a hand to his face sweeping his bangs away from his forehead.

He grunted as he sat upright on the grass and pushed longer strands of black hair out of his face. 

His fingers reached for his ponytail where something felt amiss. 

A rush of wind blew through his unfettered hair, imparting a devastating discovery. 

Hoku ran his fingers through the grass behind him, and when nothing came up he crashed back onto the ground, carelessly allowing the wind to whip his hair into a mess.

 "You gotta be fucking kidding me," he groaned.

Hoku smacked both hands on his forehead, scrunching hair between his palm and fingers.

Then dramatically, he threw his arms forward and steadied his balance on the grass, dragging his steps through the yard after crossing the gate.

Upon closer inspection, Hoku realized that the porch had wrapped around the entire manor.

There was even a balcony that resembled the structure on the ground, though only the front of the porch was destroyed. 

The two largest pillars that supported the awning above the front door were two different lengths, comprising many minor blemishes, like cracks, peeling paint, and an entire missing half. 

He ran his hand down one of the damaged columns, the texture felt like small craters under his skin. 

Yellow caution tape was tied to what remained of the entrance, evidently old tape because the letters in 'caution' were starting to appear dingy and blue. 

Hoku lifted the tape, ducking under it and making his way to the door.

A metal ring hung from a thick holder masked in soot. 

He lifted the metal allowing it to leisurely slip from his index finger and make contact with the door. 

'How classy.'

Hoku grabbed the handle and twisted it. He had to kick the bottom a few times before it fully opened, in which the entire top of the door frame began to crumble apart. 

Pieces of wood trickled into his hair and the hood of his jacket, but he had already managed to become so enthralled by the entrance, that he disregarded it.

Candle holders were mounted along both walls in the vast hallway. 

The ground below creaked achingly when his foot pressed on the floorboards, but he only glanced down briefly before crossing the threshold under the door.

Upon entering what Hoku presumed was the parlor of the manor, he found that most of the furniture inside was in despair due to years of neglect.

Based on the discoloration of the ceiling above certain parts of the floor, it was obvious that the roof was also damaged to such an extent that rain would inevitably leak through the ceiling. 

He smeared a boot over the small light patch at the entrance to the parlor at the end of the hall.

A few rusted bells with black semi-circular mechanisms attached to the tops lay in a small pile near the corner of another door frame. 

The first thing that drew Hoku's attention in the next room was the unusual curved staircase with a spiraling rail that stood along the right wall of the room.

Placing merely a hand on one of the steps could cause the entire thing to collapse.

He hoped that the room he was searching for wasn't upstairs, because then finding the painting would have been nearly impossible.

Streaks of black tainted the small area below the railing that rose above the stairs. 

As he took a closer look, he caught sight of a rectangular outline surfacing slightly beneath the soot. 

His hand brushed the inside of the outline, and he became certain of what it was.

'A door––coated in more residue from the flames.'

He rubbed his fingers together, carelessly spreading the soot between the skin.

This door didn't have a handle, but there was some sort of melted plaster that dried after seeping through the old hinges.

Hoku pushed on the door with the same hand. 

The wood between the door snapped in intervals each time he leaned forward to assert more pressure on his wrist. 

"There must be something behind—" Hoku clenched his teeth and turned his body so that his shoulder was facing the door. 

He stepped back until the heel of his boot bumped into something on the ground.

Then, he rushed forward bracing himself to clash either into the door or onto the ground.

Suddenly, from a distance he heard the sound door slamming shut, and he stopped, pushing himself away from the frame before the rest of his body could make contact. 

Pieces of gravel from the stone fireplace that was overlooked fell onto the floor behind him.

Hoku contemplated between checking if someone else had stumbled in or rushing into another room to hide. 

Nevertheless, he settled on waiting for another noise.

However, the manor remained deathly still, if someone had come inside the floorboards would have announced their presence, surely.

Without seperating his feet from the floor, Hoku leisurely shifted backward enough so that he could see into the next room.

Before he could recognize the source of the noise, his ears were suddenly filled with a high-pitched ring, then his eyes gradually became veiled by a vague darkness.

He stumbled backward, rating both of his hands to clutch the sides of his head, eventually loosing any sensation in his legs and collapsing onto the ground.

Beyond his coherency, a distant memory approached, its nature similar to the time a stranger whom he had once recognized passed him in a dream. 

. . .

A loud rushing noise filled the room, like air or a fire being set ablaze

This sound echoed in the distance, perhaps even in the hallway at the entrance

Dong Dong Dong

The bells were no longer in the corner near the frame. It smelled of smoke and gasoline

What a wretched nightmare it was

I wanted to leave

None of this makes sense, why can't I leave? 

No matter how many times I kick and pull at the door there will always be some sort of lock on the other side.

I must wait for the manor to come to life before I can awake in this new era

"What a strange poem bàba!"

"Thank you, ▄▄▄▄▄ , Jiang was never fond of my poetry. He always claimed they were an allusive reference to our troubling pasts." 

"Past?"

"Yes. Our pasts are the worthiest elements of imperfection. But our future, is will always have ways of making them beautiful. Which is why I must ask, where you plan to on going now, my son."

"What do you mean?" he asks, tilting his head.

"Oh... you must have inahaled too much smoke. If you continue to lay on the ground like this you might be burned."

'What fire? Huh?-' 

"When you awaken, find the key in the painting then burn every paper you find. Even what remains hidden behind the books"

'Why can't I suddenly speak?'

"Don't let the sperpent behind the garden of tulips fool you."

'Please tell me what is going on!'

"I'm afraid, this is the last time you and I will meet personally. Still, I'm glad this is what you have stowed in the between.

Your highest objective should be to seek your patrons. Without them, you cannot get across certain pages."

'Why?...'

"Most importantly, don't let yourself stand out. You are different from my... the abundant creator. He seeks to remove you from his past. His desire is to revoke these imperfections, and tailor them into a cage of limitations."

"…!"

"Lastly, take what t he watc h ma ker offe r s yo u." 

Yo u m ust rem emb e r you r pa s t..."

Clang!

'...B e f o r e y o u c a n f i n d a w a y b a c k.'

Rule 5

If you've made it to the fifth rule, then according to the order, I can presume you are currently in the year 1819. Do not be alarmed once you escape the first paradox you will be transported back into a different version of the present. I have scribbled out the original rule to leave this note for you. You must read each of the rules as a whole if you wish to survive, and possibly save this universe from its demise. 

 -End of the memoir's prelude-