Ananiel

The morning sun peeked its light from the window. A groggy yawn flew out of my body as my legs stung from the few days of travel. Scratching my head, I took a minute to listen to the birdsong outside. Remembering the verse, “First, one must relax and feel a slipping feeling.” I slumped on the side of the bed and took a deep breath. A wave of sensation tingled my fingertips as I gathered my concentration behind my eyelids. After what felt like hours of stillness, I felt my perspective shift. In a sea of void, I instinctively reached out. Grasping a conception of a dagger. I felt a heavy weight hanging from my hand. Eventually, the weight became unbearable. Letting go, my meditation was interrupted by a loud thud. The dagger I had retrieved had fallen a noticeable distance from the nightstand. As if a ghost moved the object. Confusion, anxiety, and excitement erupted as I quickly strapped the dagger, sword, and satchel of scrolls. I left the inn noticeably perplexed, pondering the strange event. I felt befuddled as I was left with more questions than answers.

Halfway towards the tavern, A sudden migraine pulsed at my skull. My steps started to warp, and nausea stirred my focus. Running to a nearby alleyway, vomit poured out of my mouth. Every breath sapped my energy as if I ran a marathon in a full sprint. The weight on my shoulders pulled me to the ground and my throat started to close. Rolling my eyes, I fell to the ground and lost consciousness…

Light pierce through the hazy window,

glistening the putrid ink on snow white paper.

Words float aimlessly,

in this lifeless marble of dreams.

Glance beyond the window, what do you see?

In a chair, I sat in that mock medieval room. My head swayed side to side as I slumped back. Pressing my palm against my forehead, my back leaned forward as I started gasping for air. Pale light leaked from the curtains, illuminating the room as I lifted my head. In front of me were notes messily spread out. Incoherent at a glance, I picked a page up and started reading.

incipit liber primus. The origin

Between the fissure of 0-1. An (un)ending (non)existence of []. How can a gap so large, yet so immaculately small exist?

“How strange!”

The voice in my head reacted as a sense of dread washed over me. Looking at the other pages, the words started to wisp away in the air. Culminating in a humanoid figure with indescribable features. Its blurry form slowly approached the table and sat in the air, gazing out the window. I sat there, intrigued and confused, as I kept my attention on this amalgamation of flowing text. After an awkward silence, the humanoid figure spoke with an indescribable, eerie voice.

“Your… Finally… Free…”

Chills ran down my spine as the words floated back to the pages. awe and anxiety filled my eyes as I silently waited for its response. Its gaze dug into my soul.

“But… Recall… How…?”

Its hollowed eyes sharpened as I gripped my knees tightly. I felt like I had been caught doing a crime.

“Ha… A… Fool…”

The figure started laughing as sweat started forming on my forehead. My fingers dug deeper into my knees, and anxiety turned into anger. The figure’s head nudged to the side.

“Meaningless… Struggle…”

Words started leaking from this amalgamation. Its form, no longer sustaining as sentences flowed out of the figure. I am left alone, sitting at the table. The empty pages now filled with words of uninterpretable nonsense. A harsh wind takes the pages outside. I glance out the window and watch the pages blend into the blank landscape. Landing on the ground, color starts seeping into the white world. An artistic, but child-like, ever-changing scenery of a city filled the horizon. As if entangled in a dream, the scenery started fading away. I stared blankly, something inside me started deteriorating. Slowly, an ever-consuming void crept around the window. I pushed a chair in front of the window and took a deep breath. Images of a city filled my mind as the pages fluttered into the air.

Listen, to the soft pelting of the rain.

Pouring above the lost city of spirits.

Far beyond

the desert sea, the lonesome mountains,

and the silent forests of forgotten time.

There, a faint light might guide your way.

Suddenly, a wave of cold air whistled in my ear and a sudden weight fell on my shoulder…

A pleasant, flowery scent brushed past my nose. Blinking a few times, I find myself in front of a concerned young lady. Her dirty blonde hair, tied up in a bun and her glasses sat comfortably against her face. leaning in front of me. She asks In a soft, delicate tone,

“Hello, hello… Are you alright?”

Nodding my head, I pushed myself up and looked around. A chilling wind rushed through as the street’s fumes brushed through. I was in an alleyway, with a narrow view of the main street. Seeing that I’m alright, the young lady stood up and turned away. Before leaving, she turned around and expressed a relieved smile.. I smirked and waved, unsure on how to thank her properly. Rushing away, she leaves the alleyway and vanishes from sight. Glancing at the sky, the sky seemed narrow, only revealing a line of blue with spots of white. Taking a step outside the alleyway, I saw a vast blue sky, unburdened by the buildings below. I chuckled, thinking of some odd symbolic meaning as I embraced the warmth of the sun. My mind directed itself to the Tavern, trying to make sense of it all…