The King's Library

Jinn's eyes shot open and he jumped out of the cot he'd been sleeping in. His hand immediately reached for the sword on his waist, but his fingers closed around empty air. Surprised, he glanced down at his waist and realized that he was wearing an unfamiliar cloth. Slowly, he lifted his eyes and for the first time, he noticed that the room he was in was also completely new to him. He looked around quickly and he saw four walls cut into a perfect square and the walls were so smooth it looked like it had been sculpted by a god. The floor was cut just as perfectly as the floor, however, when Jinn looked up at the ceiling the rough texture and damp smell told him he was in some sort of cave. He moved closer to the walls and reached out carefully. As his fingertips brushed against the hard surface of the wall he felt a chill run over his skin and his body froze.

"Awaken." whispered a voice in Jinn's head. The voice was deep and it shook his body to the very core. It sounded as if a god had spoken into his soul and he fell to his knees. A terror overtook him and his heart nearly beat out of his chest. Kneeling beside the wall, a presence as cold as ice came and stood beside him. Jinn turned his head away in fear, the presence beside him felt primal and ancient. It felt as if he were at the feet of Death himself. The Presence spoke, "I have given you a gift, Little One. Accept it and bring my desire into the Worlds."

The voice of The Presence rolled over Jinn like an arctic waterfall, full of chilliness and power. The sound was like nothing Jinn had ever heard before. It rumbled into his body and through the room. Each word sounded as if a thousand stars roared in the depths of Hell and a million angels sang in the Heavens. The Presence slowly lifted his hand and placed it above Jinn's head, as he did, a power flowed into his mind and the room around them started to change. The cot he'd been sleeping on stayed in the middle of the room, but the wall he'd touched began to drip with the soothing sounds of water and slowly the other three walls began to crack and groan. Out of the walls came a set of shelves. As Jinn watched this terrifying scene, directly beneath him, a podium rose out of the floor and shone with a holy light. Quickly, he scrambled over to the cot and watched in awe as the podium grew. As the podium reached exactly one meter in height, a loud boom shook the room and the he realized the suffocating presence had disappeared and in it's place was an overwhelming curiosity.

Jinn slowly crawled over to the podium and glanced at the intricate carvings that had been chiseled into the sides. Immediately, he placed his hands on top of the platform and he felt as if his mind had been opened and remade. He knew how to use the podium. He glanced down at his hands in shock as, slowly, a single page materialized on the stone.

The page was made with the finest paper and the words seemed to have been written by the god of penmanship. They flowed gently around the paper as if they had free mind's of their own and desired to see everything the world could offer. Jinn stared at the words on the page, there were only three, but they told him of the Universe, the Beginning and the End, they told of Death and Destruction, and they told of all the gods throughout the ages. However, the scenes he saw in these words were fleeting and only stayed in his mind for a single second before he forgot what they meant.

"Congratulations! You've been given a wonderful gift by The Presence! What a joyous occasion! No need to worry, the words on this page are not meant to be understood by you just yet. However, when you understand them truly, you will be just as The Presence. Isn't that wonderful!" An excited and loud voice spoke into the room and reverberated around the room. Although the voice had a flighty tone and a girlish voice, Jinn could tell that it was the same presence that had just been beside him. Just as he was going to ask The Voice a question, it continued, "I imagine you have many questions. However, I can only answer two! Choose wisely, Little One."

Jinn immediately shouted out, "What are you?"

"Hoho, quite the decisive one, you are. Although the question is a little lacking, I guess your feeble mind can't come up with much more just yet? I am The Voice. Only one more question. Choose wisely, Little One."

Jinn quickly looked back down at the paper, then glanced around the room one more time. Making up his mind he asked his second question. "What do these words mean?"

The Voice laughed and the room shook roughly almost throwing Jinn to the ground. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question as I don't know the answer either. However, because you realized the freedom of a question and the power of the Word, I shall give you one more chance. Ask another question. Choose wisely, Little One."

Jinn's face scrunched up in frustration and a slight chuckle came from the walls. However, Jinn was ready for this answer as the power of The Presence would not be so easily obtained. As Jinn's weak mind worked quickly to find another question, he looked around at the shelves behind him and the podium in front. He heard the running of water and realized the next question he needed to ask. The most important answer he needed at the moment.

"Where am I?"

The Voice made a sound as if smiling and said in a satisfied tone.

"You are in The King's Library."