"The Tome-tainted one"

((In ever-shifting script, words quickened,

With a gift of knowing, ancient spine crackled and thickened,

We invoke thy unyielding grasp, O Tome-tainted One.))

In the empty darkness, a multitude of voices chanted in an unfamiliar language. Every syllable that escaped the voices seemed to carry a malevolent force that had the power to corrupt the mind of anyone who dared to listen.

The cursed words emanated a palpable aura of dread and malice, filling the air with a sickening, suffocating presence.

Every second, a wave of golden force rippled throughout the dark empty space, contradicting its void nature. It felt as if they formed a protective array of some sort.

A man clothed in a flowing robe of shimmering gold stood steadfast in the center of the rippling waves, his form illuminated by the radiant energy emanating from every inch of the fabric.

He wore a hooded mantle that obscured much of his face, save for his piercing gaze that never once wavered from the void before him.

Abruptly, the chanting ceased.

The dark, empty space grew eerily quiet as if the very fabric of the void had been stifled into silence. Not a sound could be heard, not even the faintest whisper or echo, leaving an ominous stillness that hung in the air like a thick, suffocating fog.

The man's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Another one? It seems that 'The Spider' has grown impatient," he muttered to himself.

He clasped his hands and sacrificed a portion of his Authority to send 'the one' back, causing his face to instantly contort with exhaustion from the strenuous act.

'Hmph, Too easy.'

Without warning, a powerful backlash hit him, causing him to double over in pain and cough up blood.

He realized that the event he had attempted to undo had caused a ripple effect that extended beyond his expectations, resulting in the backlash.

"Impossible! How could this happen?!", He screamed in madness.

The chanting that had stopped a moment before suddenly resumed, this time even louder than before.

The man, sensing the urgency of the situation, quickly reached for an artifact that looked like a cup. He spoke some words into it, and as he did, the intensity of the golden ripples around him increased in response.

Suddenly, the dark empty space before him began to writhe and twist, as the chanting grew even louder, almost to the point where each of those voices seemed to be screaming in a frenzy of excitement.

The man could feel the approach of the master of this realm, the Tome-tainted One, and the very air trembled with a sense of foreboding.

Crack!

With a sudden sound akin to the shattering of reality itself, a jagged crack ripped through the man's artifact, causing his face to turn deathly pale.

He knew in that moment that he could no longer remain in this place, for to do so would mean a fate far worse than mere death.

With a sense of urgency, the man muttered incantations under his breath, his hands frantically waving in the air. Suddenly, a beam of blinding light burst forth from the darkness, enveloping him in its warm embrace.

He felt his body being pulled, tugged, and stretched in ways he could not comprehend as if he was being pulled through the very fabric of reality itself.

With a final burst of light, he vanished from the place.

And from within the twisting space, an indescribable being emerged - a colossal, writhing mass of books, scrolls, and tomes, bound together by what appeared to be living flesh.

Its limbs extended like tendrils, each one clutching a different volume, some ancient and crumbling, others appearing as if freshly inked.

The Tome-tainted one 'gazed' towards the spot where the man had stood and recognized the one who had spirited him away, but it paid no heed.

Its purpose for coming was not related to that incident.

Suddenly, the books within the being began to twist and contort, creating a grotesque, gaping maw that revealed a path leading directly to the center of the writhing mass.

From within the darkness, a book emerged, its cover blank and nondescript.

The blank-covered book floated in the air for a moment before disappearing, much like the man had moments before.

Afterwards, the Tome-tainted One retreated back through the twisting space it had come from, and the realm reverted to its initial state as the chanting voices resumed once more.

((In ever-shifting script, words quickened,

With a gift of knowing, ancient spine crackled and thickened,

We invoke thy unyielding grasp, O Tome-tainted One.))

_______

Mingya stood before a large, grey metallic door that loomed ominously before her.

The door was the only thing visible in the thick fog that engulfed her, obscuring everything else from sight.

Mingya pushed open the heavy door, her eyes dull and lifeless. As she did, a warm, bright light flooded through the cracks, forcing her to squint as her eyes adjusted.

Mingya's eyes widened in amazement as she stepped into the room beyond the door.

Before her was a vast library, with towering shelves that reached up to the ceiling and were filled to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes.

The shelves were so tall that they required huge ladders to reach the higher volumes. Sunlight streamed in through large, ornately designed windows, casting warm rays of light across the room and illuminating the dust particles that danced in the air.

Amidst all this, Mingya found herself facing a man bathed in the warm sunlight, giving him an ethereal appearance.

The man before her had a warm and welcoming expression, with a friendly smile that reached all the way to his eyes.

His piercing green gaze held a sense of familiarity that Mingya couldn't quite place.

He stood confidently, with an air of ease and grace that made her feel comfortable in his presence. As he looked at her, it seemed as if he had been expecting her arrival, and was pleased to finally see her.

"I see you have finally arrived, Mingya," the man said, his friendly smile widening.

Mingya felt strange as he spoke her name, wondering how he knew who she was.

"Of course, I know your name. In fact, I know everything about you. After all, we have known each other for quite some time now."

She was confused by the man's words. She had never seen him before and had no idea what he was talking about.

The man's expression suddenly changed, and he looked saddened for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Mingya. I misspoke. You don't know me...yet."

"Regardless, I urge you to be cautious with your actions from now on, for this may be your final chance," he spoke in a cryptic tone.

"It's time for you to go back. I hope you succeed this time," he said.

Mingya felt herself being enveloped by the thick fog as everything around her faded to black and blurred together.

She felt as though she were melting into the mist and being carried away.

The man gazed at the spot where Mingya had vanished and appeared to be lost in contemplation.