"Are you sure?"
A figure stands on nothing, staring into the void. There is nothing. Not an atom of matter, no light, no noise, time does not tick, and space no longer exists.
Nothing.
"Do I have another choice?"
"You remember almost everything, ■■■■■■■. Almost."
"...nobody remembers everything. That's not how the human mind works."
All that was left were two voices, each identical to the other. Not a single flaw to cause one set of words to differ from the other. Had there been light, they would have been perfect replicas of each other in appearance, but with nothing left, all that remained were their words. Their voices rang out, even though there was no concept of space to carry the sound waves.
"You're not a normal human."
"...thanks."
"Your memories. You have almost all of them back. So you know why you're here, right? You know where you came from. Isn't that enough, ■■■■■■■? Wasn't this what you wanted?"
Silence. The figure could feel the emptiness pressing in around him, as if the weight of the non-existent universe were weighing upon his shoulders. The lack of noise was so quiet it was deafening.
"Well…"
"You can bring them back. You can bring everyone back. Just… you know."
A pause.
"You won't be there."
Another moment of silence.
"I thought I was a god. An omnipotent, omniscient god."
"Well, you were. Not anymore. You're about a millionth of a percentage away from that status right now."
"And that's enough to-"
"Yeah. Yeah, it is."
The figure wanted to leave. But he was stuck between two impossible options. And so until he could make that choice, he'd be stuck here. In an empty void, with nothing but a voice identical to his own.
"I… yeah. I get it."
"You've made a decision?"
A deep sigh was enough of an answer.
"Do it."
"Do what?"
"My memories. Take them."
"...that's what you're choosing to do?"
"What? Was it the wrong decision to make?"
"That's not for me to say. There was no wrong decision. There was no "better" decision. It's just… what you wanted to do."
One voice waited for the other to respond, but there was nothing.
"■■■■■■■. I'll give you one more chance."
"...!"
"You can see them again. Well, if you follow the script, that is."
"What, in a way that's interesting? In a way that makes the [Story] better?"
"Well, yeah. What did you expect?"
"...is that all?"
That seemed too easy. There had to be something else.
"Well… things might be a little harder for you later on. Is that ok?"
"What the hell. Things have always been hard for me. What's a little more?"
"A little more is quite a few years of doing nothing."
"I've spent thousands of years here. What's a few more? Even if it's not really me… it'd be worth it. To know it wasn't all just- well, I think you get it. I'll get to say goodbye, at the very least."
From the void came a speck of light. It was just a dot, like a beam of sunlight coming through a pinhole, but in the darkness of the void, it was blinding.
"Oh. We'll be going [Home], too. You have a lot to learn."
The figure shrugged. He didn't really care. "Hey, by the way. What memories do I get to keep?"
"..."
They could see each other now. One was staring at the light with a blank, empty expression, and the other had an incredibly sad smile on his face.
"The worst ones. The best ones. It'll be a curse and a blessing. A double edged sword."
"You mean I'll know that-"
"You're a smart guy. I'm sure you'll figure it out. What you do once you figure it out… well, I won't spoil anything. They're reading, after all."
~~~
"Fire! Fire!"
The world burns. It is about to burn. The hero, the demon, and the continents are about to erupt in flames. For a mortal, it might feel like it will take an eternity. But make no mistake. The hero will come.
For the hero is a beacon of hope. A beacon of power. But a hero is only ever needed in times of need.
War will rage. Pain and suffering will sweep over the continent, for no matter the reason, war has no victors. Only those who suffer less. Only those who salvage as much as possible. For war always leaves widows, orphans, the crippled, the-
But that's not what you're here for. Right? You're not here to look at each little family. You're not here to look at each individual, people you'll never meet again. They're but mere numbers. Tools to sway your emotions, pawns to push forward into battle for the sole purpose of showing off the strength of one chosen individual.
"What's going on?"
"Did monsters attack again?"
"We don't have any guards, what're we gonna-"
"The adventurer's guild had some assigned since the area is highly populated with dangerous mana beasts, but where are they?"
You're here to see the result of all that suffering. All that pain. You're here to watch the hero's journey. To watch them grow. To see them travel on an adventure, meet companions, find love, live life, and sit in the spotlight of the stage known as the world. To watch as they challenge the demon king and defeat them once and for all.
What? What's that?
"Hey, it's fine now, everything's ok. We're going to help you, o-"
Those voices? Oh. Snippets of the [Story] you're about to enter. You'll recognize these lines soon enough, probably. Or, maybe not so soon. Sorry. No spoilers and all that, you know?
Yes, yes. I hear you. You don't like them. Cry about it. Or don't, whatever you want.
Remember. This isn't your story. But that doesn't mean you can't play around. After all, isn't that what you're here for? What's that? How much? That's up to you. You can sit back and watch if you want. Nothing is stopping you from doing that. But, I mean… is that really the fun thing to do?
"What kind of [Story] do you want? This world. This [Story]."
"You're a [Writer], aren't you?"
It won't be that easy, you know. You know what's coming. It's obvious, isn't it? Well, some of it is. But, well… seeing as you'll be going in soon, here's one last bit of advice. You might not get it now. But someday, you'll understand.
"People who have nothing to lose don't need to care about consequences. And someone who no longer cares about consequences is the worst kind of opponent, because it's impossible for them to lose. There is, after all, nothing left to lose."
It is said that each life is a story. However, within each story is life. The lives of the characters, those who live within these amazing worlds, created by a writer who takes a jumble of letters and concepts and throws them together to bring a new world to light.
"If your version of victory means you don't sacrifice anything, then don't sacrifice anything. If your victory is the utter defeat of the opponent, no matter what, then sacrifice everything. You need to decide what 'victory' is to you."
That world full of light is lifeless until it is brought to life by a reader, one who observes but does not interact. Eyes, scanning the pages like spotlights to shine upon those who will take center stage in the play known as the world. In doing so, they bring them to life through their own soul, breath blown into a lifeless world by the lives of others.
"Take away your tricks, your toys, and what are you?"
Every great story has a beginning. I sincerely hope this story is great. Every great character has a start. I similarly hope these characters will be great.
"Someday, I hope you stop running away."
But that will ultimately be up to them.
"You were real to me."
And most importantly of all. It will be up to you.
[[Destiny Bond]: Initiated.]
Let the journey begin.