"PLAY LAST MESSAGE BY PREVIOUS CUSTODIAN?"
The message board popped up, awaiting his prompt.
Elias trembled as he reluctantly clicked 'YES' on the floating screen displayed in front of him.
"Elias... I'm sorry. But if you're watching this, you're the last one left."
It was a recording.
Elias froze. Tears pricked his eyes.
"I know how this looks. I know you think I've lost it. And maybe I did, by the end. But this—" A pause of shared understanding cut between them. "This is real, kid. The Archive. It is our sacred duty as custodians to guard the stories."
"There is a great evil coming. I've kept it at bay for forty-three years. Fought it. Bled for it. But I'm tired. And it's getting stronger."
Another pause came but this time it was longer.
"I'm sorry I couldn't train you. Couldn't warn you. Couldn't give you a choice. But the world needs Custodians. It always has. And whether you believe me or not—you're meant for this. I've known it since you were a kid."
"Don't let the stories die, Elias. They're all that's keeping it caged. The system will guide you."
The recording ended.
Elias stood there, shaking. Tears streamed down his face.
"Grandpa..."
The darkness was closing in. Maybe thirty feet of light left.
The Manuscript pulsed again. Insistent.
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CUSTODIAN NOTIFICATION
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ACCEPT ROLE?
[YES] [NO]
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Elias was brought back to the library like he had never left.
All this was his to protect?
That was damn near impossible!
His grandfather's words hung in his memory as he gritted his teeth.
Don't let the stories die.
"...Fuck."
He reached out.
His hand hovered over [NO].
Then moved left and pressed [YES].
In that moment, he felt it.
Pain.
White-hot pain seared through his forearm.
Elias screamed, trying to pull away, but an invisible force held him in place. Millions of books in the library glowed as the words peeled from them, flowing around like a golden halo. It poured into him like liquid fire.
It wrapped around his right forearm, branding him.
He felt it burning into his skin. When the light faded, he collapsed. Gasping for breath as the sensation slowly fading.
He looked at his arm and it felt like he knew every single story in the Archive. It looked like a full sleeve tattoo of millions of books. He was now the custodian.
It didn't hurt anymore. But he could feel it. Alive. Part of him now.
"READER'S EYE ACQUIRED. CUSTODIAN HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED WITH ALL THE KNOWLEDGE IN THE ARCHIVE."
Before he could catch his breath, another notification popped up in his view.
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CUSTODIAN NOTIFICATION
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CUSTODIAN STATUS: NOVICE
CUSTODIAN: ELIAS GRIMM
ARCHIVE INTEGRITY: 93%
WELCOME, CUSTODIAN.
INITIATING SYSTEM TUTORIAL...
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"Wait—what? I need a minute—"
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CUSTODIAN NOTIFICATION
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CORRUPTION BREACH DETECTED
STORY: CLASSIFIED
CORRUPTION LEVEL: 89%
PLUNGE INITIATED
10... 9... 8...
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"WHAT? NO—STOP—"
7... 6... 5...
The Archive spun. Elias tried to stand, stumbled.
4... 3...
"I DIDN'T AGREE TO—"
2... 1...
Darkness flooded his vision almost instantly.
He could feel himself falling endlessly as his vision continued to blur. Was he passing out ? What the hell did grandpa get him into?!
The falling sensation had stopped but Elias still couldn't see. He was trapped in absolute darkness and somehow also rooted to a spot. His body felt foreign like he was wearing someone else's skin. He tried to move, turn his head, anything.
Nothing.
Where am I?
Panic clawed at his chest as he tried to scream. His mouth wouldn't open.
Then suddenly he felt something.
Heat bloomed somewhere to his left. Faint at first, then it began growing.
A tree erupted into flames, illuminating his surroundings to reveal where he was. He was standing in a courtyard.
The orange light flowed in an instant, consuming the tree alive. The fire spread, racing up the tree as it ate up its branches. Elias' shadow cast across the now ablaze courtyard, spreading as far as the entrance of what was now looking like a castle? Or was it a mansion?
He slowly turned around, able to move for the first time since the start of this madness. He was in front of a gothic looking castle with towers so impossibly high that modern day architects would question its ability to stay up.
He tried to get a view of the place but it hurt to try and find its ending. Its windows were in the wrong place, the castle doors seemed warped somehow, curving inwards and unnaturally within itself.
The castle looked wrong and the flames were spreading impossibly fast, consuming tree after tree and taking shrubs to cinders. Elias felt the heat on his face as he dashed forward. This was no dream. It was real.
"No— No No…" He whispered under his breath as he made for the castle doors.
The fire was moving like a living thing with purpose. As soon as the fire got to the castle doors, it started.
He could hear screaming in the agonizing way it would sound when one was burning alive.
Shadows in the windows were struggling to escape as they pounded on the glass.
The flames was consuming them.
High pitched screams rent the air as he covered his nose to prevent the smell of flesh from permeating his senses.
Just then, a notification appeared in his vision.
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CORRUPTION BREACH: ACTIVE
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STORY: "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"
CORRUPTION LEVEL: 89% (CRITICAL)
OBJECTIVE: REACH THE ROSE CHAMBER
TIER: MID-GRADE STORY
WARNING: DEATH IN STORY WORLD = REAL INJURY
ABILITY ACTIVATED: READER'S EYE
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Elias stared at it, panting. "What—what the hell does that mean?!"
READER'S EYE: ACTIVE
His vision adjusted. Like he knew where the fire would be.
He stumbled forward, nearly falling. His ankles burned but he was moving now.
"Okay. Okay, I can do this. Just—just follow the path."
He ran. Letting this Reader's Eye show him the way. The fire burned at his sides as he continued towards the castle. The objective said to get to the rose chamber. If this was the story, then maybe he would find answers there.