10 Stage 10: The Keeper of Stories

It happened so suddenly. One moment he was pressing the button to log in, and the next, he was spirited away by a blinding white light to an unknown destination. It was unexpected as well as shocking, but who wouldn't be shocked at being hijacked by a beam of light?

He guessed this was something people who frequently played virtual reality games were used to, but because it was his first time, it was a bit startling. There really should have been some sort of warning. It would have been greatly appreciated.

However, even though it was shocking, he did get a slight thrill from the experience. When the light enveloped him, it felt as though he was a character in an alien movie that was about to get abducted.

'Beam me up, Scotty,' Lixin laughed as he thought about it.

[System: Syncing the pod to Watashinojinsei-dan Online's database...96...98...100%]

Roused from his musings by the system's voice that sounded as if it was everywhere but nowhere at the same time, Lixin strained his ears to listen.

[System: Downloading updates ... 95...97...100%]

'It seems the game is downloading. I wonder how long it will take.'

[System: Internalizing... Watashinojinsei-dan Online is now ready to play!]

'I guess not long at all,' Lixin thought, feeling his body become corporeal as the beam of light faded. 'It seems I have arrived.'

~

Lixin tentatively opened his eyes, but soon found himself gaping in awe. 'What is this place?' He wondered, mouth agape, astounded by the sight in front of him.

He was no longer in Neothera's dull nothingness. Instead, he was in an exquisite white annular chamber filled with a curved ceiling that was studded with sparkling facets. This caused rainbows to dance on the floor when sunlight hit them.

It was magnificent. Like something out of a dream.

But not as impressive as when a beam of light struck one of the bookcases that lined the room. When the sun hit them they glowed with an almost otherworldly luminosity, like lanterns hanging in an empty graveyard on a frosty night. It was hypnotic.

Even the books pulsed softly on the shelves as if they were beckoning him to come over and take a peek. Lixin wasn't one to indulge heavily in books, but if he had a room like this, he just might.

However, even though the chamber was fantastical, it couldn't compare to the woman who was perched in a flowing blue and white embroidered robe on top of an enormous pile of books, reading in the middle of the room

There might be some who wonder why everything paled in comparison to the moment Lixin saw her. Well, that was easy to explain.

It was because surrounding the black-haired woman, as she sat there reading nonchalantly, were thousands of books, swirling in the air around her like colorful glowing fireflies dancing and curling, as their pages rifled back and forth.

The scene looked like something straight out of a fairytale. The titles of the volumes glowed in foreign languages in front of her face, both illuminating her and casting mysterious shadows on her skin.

Lixin could only stare in awe at the woman as she, in just seconds, read halfway through a book before discarding it. Then, she plucks out another one from the masses that were circling her.

She must have been very bored with the selection that was available to her because she had already discarded five books in the span of 30 seconds.

Seizing a new book, a scowl appeared on her face as she read it. She didn't even make it halfway through the book before she slammed it closed, throwing it away in disgust.

Thinking that it might be best to announce his presence before she grabbed another book out of the air, Lixin attempted to speak. However, the woman looked straight at him before he could.

Letting out a soft sigh as she did so, the woman flicked a piece of hair out of her face before motioning him forward. It appeared that she knew he had been there all along.

As he walked closer to the woman, he could finally see her face much clearer, the sight of which caused him to gasp. Because sitting there was the most enchanting woman he had ever seen.

Everything about her seemed to scream 'otherworldly'. He didn't know why. Maybe it was her midnight black hair that flowed like water down her back or her flawless skin that appeared to glow. But if he had to pick he would say that it was her eyes, which glittered like stars.

Because of what he has been through he has never felt a physical attraction to a woman, but as he gazed at this otherworldly being in front of him he knew there was a first time for everything.

'I wish I knew how to take a picture.'

As if the woman knew what he was thinking, she smirked at him before gracefully jumping down from the tower of books she was on. She sauntered over to him.

Once she was standing in front of him, the woman smiled, giving him a thorough once over, before greeting him in a deep masculine voice."Oh, someone new has arrived. Hello, traveler. My name is Morpheus, and I will be your guide.

Once the beautiful man spoke, the only thought that crossed Lixin's mind was that she was actually a he.

~

"Um... hello Morpheus," Lixin smiled. "May I ask what a guide does?"

"A guide is someone who's in charge of sending the souls of otherworlders, like you, to the world of Watashinojinsei-dan."

"I see. Are you planning to send me there now?" Lixin asked.

"Did you think it would be that easy?" the elegant man laughingly asked, wagging his finger in front of Lixin's face. "Before I can let you enter the world of Watashinojinsei-dan, I need to put your soul into an already existing Persona in the world."

"What will happen to the soul that's already in the Persona?"

Cocking his head to the side at the question, Morpheus stared deeply into Lixin's eyes, an amused grin playing upon his lips. "Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Lixin asked, already feeling foolish for asking such a thing. This was a game, after all, and data doesn't have souls.

"It's interesting because you're the first to ask me such a thing," replied Morpheus, a spark of something glinting in his eyes. "Don't fret. The Persona you will use is just an empty shell. All the Personas that otherworlders use are just husks created by the Old Ones. Once an otherworlder's soul enters a Persona, us Guides have to merge their presence into the world."

"Merge meaning?"

"It means making it appear that you always belong in the world," Morpheus replied.

"I see." Astonishment shone on Lixin's face at how detailed this game was.

"However, before I can allow you to enter this Watashinojinsei-dan, I must first find the appropriate Persona for you."

Tilting his head to the side, Lixin asked, "How do we go about doing that?"

"I'm glad you asked," Morpheus smirked.

~

Author says:

Lixin: I don't know why but that Morpheus guy makes me sleepy.

MomoCatt: You really don't know why?

Lixin: Nope.

MomoCatt: Hmm… maybe you should just take a nap. Your brain needs a reboot. Here, drink this Rooibos Tea.

Lixin: Whatever.