The night on this city was as good as I remembered
Looking at the sky the moon was looking back to me
It's been a long time hasn't it?
From trying to figure out how to liven up my life to dying over and over to finding out there was more to my past.
Taking out the card I looked at it
No matter how long it has been there is still too much I don't know. Life is fascinating, there is always more to learn
In the end will I be able to learn everything or will I not?
Do I even care? I'm already used to this, every death comes with a new experience. Every time is not exactly the same. I'm happy
I can't even explain it but I still wonder… is there an end?
"Mister?"
I lifted my head to look at the girl who called me. She was small, around 12 or so but she looked unique with her white hair and red eyes
"Yes?"
"Why are you lying on the ground?"
Ah yes… I kind of forgot about it
Slowly I got up
"Just reminiscing about things. But what about you little girl, aren't you too young to be alone at this hour?"
She was by herself with no one around her.. hmm now that I look at it this girl was weird.
Not exactly a human but something that resembles it.. she has quite the mana as well but something blocks it
She turned her head backwards and looked confused. Was she ditched?
"Little girl, perhaps you're lost"
She didn't say anything as she looked stunned
Worrying a little I approached her but I saw a barrier around her body so I stopped. My eyes went to one backpack as I saw something that was moving, it looked like a stick
She would probably be safe with that barrier around as it was strong.
"Little g-"
Something felt wrong as I looked around. We were on the water side but the air crackled as the voice got bigger and bigger. This was familiar as it was the same situation that happened where I found the card.
"Girl!"
I approached the girl to protect her but it seemed she had reacted to the abnormal situation as well and before I was able to move closer to her to protect her I was pulled.
The girl was gone like she never existed. Looking around I found a single person cloaked with a robe all around her body.
"You.. are you the one who is doing these things?"
Perhaps the girl was sent to another place like this.
The cloaked figure didn't say anything but instead mana started to gather around him as he started casting magic
I too opened my bounded field and as the projectiles sent by the cloaked figure came they soon sizzled out. The projectiles were not too strong.
"So you're not going to answer me, fine"
I had to get rid of this threat first then get out.
The projectiles were coming, each one stronger then one before. Soon they would be able to reach me, I needed to finish this quickly
Reinforcing my body I teleported behind the cloaked figure and took hold of his neck. He struggled to move and tried to cast another spell but I just broke his neck. It was rather easy considering his body was not too durable.
Releasing my hold the body fell to the ground and slowly it started to turn to mana particles
This was not a human. Good thing I took care of it quickly then, aggressive creatures like this could have caused too many accidents.
Anyways, since it was dead I had no job here anymore, I teleported out of this palace to the real world but looking around the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Did she die or did she escape?
I did not know and I could not do anything
I was not familiar with the girl's mana, so I could not track her. There was nothing I could do but hope for her safety
For one last try I tried to enter the space again but it was always different. One was pure black, one was all destroyed, one was riddled with scars all around and many more. This would not do.
I just teleported back to home, I needed to understand how this space worked.
Little did I know the girl came back with a group after I went away and entered the space I defeated that cloaked figure. There she found a card lying on the ground and took it with confusion.
—-
This space.. it was weird.
I guess it would be safe to say this space mirrored the real world but it was not just that, they were connected to another world.
If my theory was right, using these you could travel to other worlds that were similar to ours. Day by day I tried and tried but every world I found myself on was deserted.
There were no people, some even lacked buildings and every single one had mud on them. Having nothing else on my hand I took the mud and started to research it.
It was interesting, every mud contained an incredible amount of mana but they were also cursed. No that's not the right word.. they were contaminated. There were like a failed products
The one thing I focused on was that they were all connected and they all came from one source.. but what was that?
I followed the trails traversing through the multiple world in an attempt to find it.
And soon I reached it, a place that was all white with the bottom having the same mud
The mud kept moving aimlessly trying to reach this place but it failed in every single of it's try.
On this white place there was a single being, a woman sitting by herself with a flower on her hand
"Hello"
She looked at me with a shocked face. I guess she was not expecting anyone
Afterwards she gave a warm smile and got up
Coming too close to me she welcomed me
"Welcome! But how did you get in here?"
I pointed to the bottom, to the mud
"I followed them"
One of her eyebrows rose up but it went down afterwards
"But it is still not opened, there is still time..."
What was not opened?
She looked at me after thinking for a minute
"Can you get out as well?"
I teleported out and back quickly
"Yes"
She smiled again and pulled something else.. it looked like a little chest
"Can you please give this to someone?"
I took the chest and look at it a little
"What is this?"
"It's someone's hope"
"Hope?"
"Yes, you can also say it's their wish"
I did not fully understand but I still took it. It seems like she was not able to give this herself
"So, who is this someone?"
She turned and an image appeared. An old man with a long beard sitting on a chair with a box on his hand
The image disappeared as the woman fell down. It seems that this tired her out
Still she gave me a key as well
"This is the key to the Starlog. You can enter there with this and find him but be aware, that place is dangerous"
Hmmm that's not a huge matter.
"That's fine with me but before that can I know who you are?"
She pointed towards my pants. Touching it I took out the only thing that was in it
The card
She moved closer and touched it. Something weird started to happen
"You are a funny human. Different than others"
The blur started to disappear as it showed a certain picture and a name. The was a cloaked figure giving a hand to another cloaked figure on it now and the name was
"Savior?"
She smiled
"Use it well. It will help you with going there but you need some time to find him before being destroyed to a bundle of information."
Her body was disappearing like the place around us. Something was wrong
"We don't have much time left. It's going to be opened here as well, you should go now"
"How do I use it?"
"Just say Install and the rest will follow. This is it for me. I wish you good luck"
Her body completely disappeared as the white around us started to turn black. Looking under the mud was rising ever so quickly
I took the card to my left hand and took the key to my right hand.
I already understood some parts. This thing that will open already opened many times in the past and it probably caused the worlds I saw to end. Now it was opening again and that woman seeing me gave the chest that would stop all of this. But what exac-
Wait. A box, a woman in place with stuff that can end the world and they are in a place that can 'open'. This… this is familiar. She also said hope too.
I looked around for one last second and saw the mud almost reached where I was
"Install"
The card started to shine as light enveloped my body. I could feel some kind of new power invading my body and I allowed it to do so. As the light started to dim out I saw my clothes had changed to white clothes.
It was what that woman was wearing.. It was what Elpis was wearing
This key was my ticket on leaving this place and preventing the chaos it would bring to the world.
I inserted the key like I would to any door but instead of a door I did it on the air.
*Click*
A crack appeared as I twisted the key and I just jumped inside. A pressure was pressing on my body but the power she gave to me was resisting it.
Looking around there were thousands of cracks but for some reason I could understand each of them. This was not because of the power she had given me, this was my own power. While looking at this place the only thing I could think of was
"Such a disorganized place"
This palace was similar to a library, each crack contained some kind of information.
I could move freely in this space. Step by step I looked around trying to find the old man she had mentioned but there were just so many useless things around like a child petting a frog and more.
Weeks passed but it all felt like a minute
Over this time I found a girl that would always come and go away. Because of the absurd information I could not see how she looked or where she went. So there on I started to tidy up this place
Since the library was a tree I wanted this palace to be something else. The tree was on the ground so why not the sky this time?
"Hmm this is all a group. AB78T25 under 29YFA, let's name it 285HI49K"
I was keeping a note of all the things as I categorized them. Each was connected to another one in one shape and another. A children's memory would be categorized with other children forming a galaxy but the said memory which is in the shape of a star would also form its own constellations.
Since everything was kept under the shape of a star I named this place "Starlog". I think it's a pretty fitting name.
Years passed as I kept organizing this place. My body was slowly losing its shape. I was now just a figure without legs and arms with no clear face. The power was still keeping me alive but I didn't have much time left.
The girl stopped coming as well since I started to organize this place.. I wonder why
Looking around it was amazing. The once where everything floated around with no aim was now finding their own path to their designated place. I didn't even need to continue any longer as this place seemed to do it itself.
Well then it was time to give this chest
"Search, Old man fiddling with Pandora's Box"
The start started to spring around me as a singular one floated towards me. Looking over it I could see a single man under a tree sitting while fiddling with a box in his hand. This should be it.
I entered the star as the place around me changed. It was almost time for night. I did not want to surprise him so mud started to drop to the ground as it enveloped me, taking the shape of my former body.
"Hello, old man"
Making a chair I sat down next to him
He looked at me suspiciously for a minute
"Don't worry, I just want to talk"
"So you say, then let's talk."
I rested backwards as I looked at the sky
"Old man, how are you?"
As I was not looking at him I didn't know his expression.
"Not bad"
He was lying
"You can answer honestly, old man. I really don't mean harm to you"
"And you expect me to believe that? Just spill the beans"
"Fine"
I didn't really care anyways.
Fixing my position I turned to look at him
"Old man, I don't care what you are doing with Pandora's Box so don't worry. I'm just here to give you something"
I took out the chest and threw it towards him. He catched it placed Pandora's Box in his lap
"What is this?"
He was looking at me like he was about to kill me.
I got up and turned around. It was night time already
"That is hope"
I left this place afterwards. After going to the Starlog the mud around my body fell off leaving me naked.
I don't know why Elpis gave me her power so I could stay here and gave that box to that man which was but a memory of the past, now just an information in the Starlog but she knew better than me
My body started to deteriorate fast as her power was now on it's last legs.
*Thank you*
I looked around searching for the voice but couldn't find it
"No problem"
[User died]
[Mystery: 1,586,529]
My vacation ended with me working in the end but it was still good. I'm satisfied in the end
—-
This was the day
"Are you not going to allow them to kill you?"
The man was looking at the moonlight with wine in his hand.
"No"
"I see"
I did not question him. It was his choice. He tried to protect his country but in the end his country was going to kill him
"You did go overboard"
"I did, it was to show how ruthless we can be. Lord will understand it"
I didn't really believe that. He was simply not sane, barely hanging on the last line.
"How about you, you are going to be killed as well"
I took a glass of wine too and sat down on the crouch
"I took this position knowing how things were going to end. I have no problems whatsoever. At least people won't remember as a monster"
He gave a weak smile as he kept looking out the window
"So you too think I will be known as a monster"
"Haha, not just any monster. They will remember you as the most famous monster, Dracula. A vampire that weirdly enough biggest weakness is the stake and the Lord. Complete opposite of you"
He cackled before taking another sip of his wine before turning to me
"Thanks"
"No problem"
His head rolled on the ground the next moment.
Just like mine
[User Died]
[Mystery: 1,612,144]
—-
"Brother!"
A man with a face that is riddled with scars came in front of me.
Together with his black and golden hair he looked handsome. That dipshit was my brother
*Cough*
"Hello, brother"
"How can you talk like that! No, no. There surely a way"
The foolish brother of mine. I tried to make your future good so you can have a nice life with your wife but look at what happened
*Cough*
"Brother!"
"Don't make it more dramatic than it needs to be. The poison will surely kill me so stay with me, that's the least you could do"
He looked like he was about to cry, shut his mouth and sat next to me.
"Brother…"
*Cough*
"Oh, foolish brother of mine. Don't worry I don't blame you. It's all that foxes fault"
A small shock could be seen on his face
"You.. knew?"
"Hahaha *Cough* Of course. How could I not? I just let her be and tried to make her change ways but it didn't work"
"Brother… you"
*Cough*
"You know… don't hate her too much. I did not realize it at first but she has her own reason *Cough*"
"What do you mean brother?"
"That's for you to figure out. *Cough* When the time comes you will see"
*Cough*
Ah my eyes were closing
"Brother!"
"Ah, didn't I tell you to be quiet! Just shut up and let me go nicely"
"But-"
He shut up in the end. Perhaps not because his mouth shut up but because I could hear him anymore but in the end I achieved that silence
[User Died]
[Mystery: 1,625,572]
—-
"It's done"
After many years the library was now finished. It contained many books that talked about the unknown. I wrote my own books inside it after getting permission from the king but stuff I wrote was nothing much. Only around 10 of them were placed in the deepest part.
"It's all thanks to you, sir"
They were being nice but they knew I didn't do much. I just listed stuff and said which one would go where. I also designed the whole library but that's something else
*Tap- Tap*
Hearing the noise we bended
"Get up"
Following the order I faced the king who made this place. He lifted his hand and dismissed the others. Going out now it was only the king and me left inside the library
"Good job, Mahumd"
It was the name I used around this time
"Thank you your majesty, I just did what I was told"
It was the king's order to build the library. Our king was in the past under a Conqueror whose hobby was to read books. So when he died and he found his own kingdom he started this project, putting me as the head.
"Don't be like that, currently we are friends. If not for you I would made many mistakes"
I did help him on his path to make the kingdom but he was exaggerating a lot. Still I just smiled but he wasn't
He turned around as he looked around
"My friend, you remember it right?"
"I do"
We talked about it before we started. This place was not just a library. It was special.
"I… I didn't think you would agree back then"
I kept on smiling as he took out a book and he showed it to me. I did not know about the existence of this book
"Still do know that you will live inside here"
It was a book about me
"Thank you"
He meekly smiled as he took out a small dagger and threw it to me. Catching it I grasped it
Turning around he went outside. He probably didn't want to see his friend like this
Bringing the dagger close to my neck I slashed it
[User died]
[Mystery: 1,688,252]
—-
I was on the moon once again but this time I couldn't even see earth. The other planets were fine though.
The confusing part was that now there was some sort of cube.
I did not remember this being here previously, the voice also seemed to be gone.
I guess the voice is not born yet.
The thing is this was pretty deep on the moon so maybe this thing is the egg form of that voice? Possible
Now that I think about it, I should visit that voice sometime.
"What are you?"
Hmm weird. This was definitely not that voice but something different. It was digital
"I'm a human"
"Human? What is human"
Ah well, what can go wrong. I will eventually die due to lack of oxygen anyways
"Humans are a species that first appeared on a planet called Earth. That would be your sister"
"Earth? There is no data about Earth."
"That's normal. It currently doesn't exist"
I kicked a moon rock but suddenly it turned back. Weird
"If so, how are you here?"
"Would you believe me I came here after dying?"
It stayed quiet after that but I saw something interesting. The moon rocks started to resemble someone, that someone was me
"Ooh, are you copying me?"
Slowly it started to look more and more like me till it was almost perfect
"Hmm, this is off putting. Is it okay if I give you another face and you use it?"
"How?"
How huh, easy. Magic!
A mud dropped down and I created the face of someone I knew.. It was the young face of Zelretch.
"Are you scanning it?"
I could see something faint like light over all my body and the muds
Afterwards the face changed to resemble Zelretch
"That's cool. Are you scanning, storing, then putting it out?"
I went over and touched the body that was created and it felt just like humans
"It even feels like normal humans!"
But where is it storing all these data it scans… oh
"You are that cube?"
"Yes"
"I see, I see. How are you here?"
"That's confidential."
"Bah, I can see that you are some sort of thing that records what happens every second. Trust me I don't care"
It still stayed quiet. Bummer
At least I guess I was kinda right.
"Hey, do you want me to share a few things for you to store? You are so much like digital library"
"Library?"
A simple book appeared on my hand and a shelf
"You see this thing I'm holding? This is a book. It contains information about many things. It's like what you do but far worse. We humans manually write this information which takes a long time and there are tons of ones where humans change the contest due to their likes or dislikes."
As it scanned I continued to explain.
"By the way, is this the fastest you can scan?"
"No"
"Hmm when Earth is formed, scan faster. Perhaps it is because I'm right beside you but it is easy to figure out what you are doing"
As I said, the lights I was seeing were completely gone. I guess it did make it faster
"Now where was I? Ah yes you see these books then go into these shelves to store them. When enough shelves are formed it becomes a library. The digital library is when things are stored as data like yours but again worse."
"Anyway these are stuff that will not happen for billions of years."
The copy of my body with a Zelretch face.. it's really long
"Hey, is it okay if I call you Moon Cell?"
The face nodded his head. Moon Cell it is.
I must say a fitting name. It's deep into the moon like it's a cell and… wait, what was I talking about?
Ah yes the Moon Cell took the book and checked it. Probably storing all the data
"You know that's empty right? If you want to I can tell you some of my experiences"
Moon Cell looked at me and nodded once again
There I started to explain most of my experiences. From my deaths to people's deaths.
From the future lotto numbers to entire languages.
I talked and talked
Till my time was coming short
"You know among the weird stuff I experienced I can easily say one of them was coming here not once but twice."
"Twice?"
"Oh yes, but back then you didn't exist and the Earth was still there. Also there was this another voice that I don't know much about.. it had crimson eyes"
"I told that voice a story till I eventually died due to lack of oxygen."
"Oh there was also this thing called the Holy Grail War. I don't know much but from what I saw on the Starlog it is something that people enter to gain the.. well Holy Grail. The place I went used cards but it seems before that you would normally summon heroic spirits under 7 classes named. Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker. Sadly I don't know but as I had to deal with Pandora's Box I missed it"
"Pandora's Box? Starlog?"
"That's a whole nother can of worms I won't be able to answer now. My time has run out"
The air I was proving myself disappeared
"Do you wish to live?"
Heh, what do you think you are holy grail now?
I opened it and answered it but my voice didn't come out. It understood though, I was sure of it
[User died]
[Mystery: 1,752,546]
—-
"Master, I don't understand."
*Smack*
"Ouch"
"I don't teach you not to understand you fool! Just learn them, they will become useful"
"But I will rule as a king. How does practicing everything with my one eye make sense?"
"Hah, you really question everything. Fine come sit next to me and we will talk"
The foolish student of mine came and sat to me with his spear
"Now tell me how much do you know about your father and as a king what you need to do"
"Aren't we just going to rule, go to war and more?"
*Smack*
"That's why I teach you, you foolish student"
"Ouch. But Master, what else is there to do?"
"You are not simply going to rule them of course. You will need to protect them, you need to give them a promising future. How else do you think your people will follow you? Did you never bother to check what your forefathers did? Their mistakes, their achievements and why people followed them?"
"Uh, no"
*Smack*
"Ouch, but Master those senile old mans-"
*SMACK*
"OUCH!"
"You dare call me SENILE!?"
This idiot
"Sorry Master, I didn't mean to…"
Looking at his face he totally meant to!
"Hmm I forgive you. Look dumb student of mine, this is serious. You need to learn what it means to be a king or in the future don't get shocked when your son backstabs you."
"Then I will keep them in check!"
Such a inexperienced fool
"We will see when you become a fool. You are still young you wouldn't understand. Your father's time is coming you need to finish your training"
"Master you still didn't tell me how this training is useful for me"
Oh yeah, I didn't
"Fine, I will tell you. Say, do you know what you will go through when you become a king?"
"..no"
I massaged my head. This kid was really frustrating
"You will go to Mimisbrunnr and there you will have to make a sacrifice"
"Sacrifice?"
"Yes, for now there is still time but when the time comes you will need to sacrifice a part of your body. It will be a pledge to drink from there. That's all I will say"
"But then why do you teach me how to fight wolves?"
Because I don't want you to die like that you fool
"They are tricky to go against. If you learn to fight and conquer the wolves at this age then later this will help you in battles."
Should I drink from that damn tree too? If this fool managed to be known with his wisdom that water must be powerful. Hmm there was also that Völva right?
The fool went ahead and continued training for two days straight before sitting down.
"I did not tell you to sit did I? You still don't use your spear correctly. Just look at your right leg when swinging. You really depend too much on your race's strength, when the time comes that won't be enough."
Even that Aunty was using it better than you and she is still unborn!
He kept quiet before looking at me
"Sorry Master but I couldn't focus. A question clouded my mind"
"Then clear it. If you can't do it alone then ask for help. In the future you won't be able to do everything by yourself either."
He seemed reluctant to say it by then gathered his courage and spilled out the beans
"Master, exactly how old are you? You are known by almost the entirety of your forefathers but there is nothing about you."
*Smack*
"Ouch, why this time?"
"You were rude! Do not ever ask this question to any woman. King or not your reputation would plummet."
I feel sorry for Frigg
"I won't answer directly, that is not for me to answer nor is it for anybody to answer"
I lifted my hand and a simple image of a sapling appeared. Its leaves were barely out.
"Teacher, what is this?"
"What do you think? Do you think I would show you some random sampling? This is Yggdrasil, before becoming the tree it is now but once but a sapling."
An amazement could be seen and I could understand it.
As I shaked my hand the image disappeared
"Hahaha, now you know not to question your Master's teachings. Even that dumb Mirmir who made his home there won't be able to answer you, afterall what is the wisdom you gain from a tree for someone that existed before the tree?"
"Master, what are you talking about?"
*Smack*
"You get back to your training!"
There I trained the fool king so he could become an proper king
Years passed, I no longer had anything to teach him so he left. For years I did not go and searched for him. Did he die or was he teaching his kids I didn't now. I specifically said I wouldn't teach his kids either so perhaps that was the reason.
My quiet years practicing on my own slowly came to an end as I saw a face I did not see for years.
As I was sitting on my chair he moved closer with his cane.
"So you did become the Chief God I see"
"Master.."
For years this fool didn't even visit his teacher a single time and now he came? Bah, I of course know why
"It seems that wisdom of yours didn't teach you anything after all"
I slowly got up from where I was sitting
"You can't change anything, everything will fall. Ragnarok can't be stopped"
"But Master, you can"
"But I won't. You're still a fool aren't you?"
I threw a book at him and he catched it
"I never did and will not do so. I'm not one to change the ending knowingly"
As he opened the book he read through the pages but I could see that he still didn't understood
"You know the other timelines don't you? That wisdom of your should already figured out the answer but looking through them should help"
"Master.. who are you?"
Simple question that was never asked before.
"I'm your Master, Odin"
As my hand went through my chest I pulled out my heart.
"And even if this Master of your won't help you directly he will give you something"
I threw my heart towards him and I turned back to my chair
Limping I slowly sat down
"I gave you the key and a clear future. Now it's all up to you how you will use it. Will you stop Ragnarok or will you not? Will you defy future or will you allow the world to continue"
My eyes were getting droopy again
"I congratulate you on your graduation, my student."
[User Died]
[Mystery: 1,758,249]