Someone once said "The World is black and white."
Was it a Philosopher?
A Politician?
Maybe just some random guy?
Doesn't matter.
Because the world is just black.
Not in a metaphorical way but like literal.
Everywhere is just darkness and… Oh no not again.
This can't be real, right?
For fifteens sake!
I definitely died, right?
I've earned the right to rest...right?!
Why is there a sense of me? Why am I conscious? Why did it not just end?
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?!
WHY?!
Ahh, I can't do this anymore.
I don't want to be anymore.
Existing is just pain, so please stop letting me suffer.
Is it really some punishment because I committed suicide? I didn't do it because I was selfish, you know? I did it so that I wont cause trouble for others…
Oh no…
No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! NO!
Counting!
Wait…
33…
34…
35…
30...6…
Hmmm~
Not just the counting to measure the time that I wanted myself to wait but there is some other counting in the back of my head.
Yes, there are memories banished behind the endless calculations.
The calculation just seems somewhat… off?
It is not like it's used to be. There are billions of numbers presented in the smallest part of a millisecond and immediately after finishing them, the naming of the same numbers begins anew.
I listen to my own thinking process for a while but it doesn't really make any sense for me.
Are those coordinates?
It seems so, but I have no idea what for…
Can't be helped.
As long as it keeps the darkness in check I am fine with it.
Then what about the literal darkness? Am I back in the world made out of nothing?
No… the book got destroyed.
Is it a new book?
I hope not… The chances are slim but not at 0…
Hmmmm…
//I am here, right?
\\Yes, and here too.
//And I seem to be over there too and repeat numbers as always.
So I am complete. At least I am me.
Then there is just the question of where I am.
\\There is something missing though.
Ah yes, the [sense] all around me that was a part of me from the beginning too.
The moment I think about it, my field of perception is there.
Ah-
StopstopstopstopSTOP!
Uhhhh~ this hurts.
I somehow turn off my field of perception by instinct.
What was that?
The flow of information was the same as ever but it was way more and much more detailed too.
So much information… It made my head hurt.
Maybe it was just too much for me because I seemingly just woke up?
Yeah, sounds reasonable.
Carefully I reached out with my field of perception again.
Ughe-!
Turn off! Turn off!
The flow of information stopped.
//I am not back in the darkness, right?
\\No, I [saw] it.
I move around a bit. There was a warm and smooth feeling all around me. This is definitely nothing I ever experienced so far.
I take a deep breath.
Warm air, the scent of dried flowers and some slightly stale water fill my nose.
Yep, this is new.
I try to listen to the world around me but as long as I didn't move, there was no sound. Only some soft rustling when I did move.
Yep, new and weird.
Okay careful this time.
I slowly spread out my field of perception.
Only a little bit every few seconds until I could grasp the situation I am in.
…
I am in a room.
I don't know if it is a big room or not because I can't really compare but it has the size of 29,993 square meters.
I don't dare to stretch my [sense] further because of the too strong flow of information that will make me nauseous if I do.
My body is lying on a bed and got covered with half a dozen blankets. So this is the smooth feeling around me?
The bed is big.
I has the size of about one third of the room.
If I ever had a room for myself then it wouldn't even be as big as this bed… not that I remember anything like that though.
The floor and ceiling are made out of dark wood and the high walls seem to be a smooth, white stone. I have no idea how interior design works but for some reason there are are some thin, colourfull cloths hanging all over the walls. Maybe so it wont seem to cold? Who knows.
Near the bed is a night stand with a vase full of flowers that slowly start to die. This explains the scent.
There are some cupboards, a big wardrobe filled with different clothes and a dressing table.
Also there is a small table with two chairs near the end of the bed and at the wall furthest from me is a weird object that I can't identify. It is some kind of long board that is somehow similar to the big windows on one of the walls but at the same time completely different.
What is that?
Hnnng~
No idea.
I [stare] at it.
It just stands there as the minutes pass slowly.
\\There is no other way I guess.
I slowly open my eyes and see the suncovered ceiling, that I already [saw] before.
Yes, this is absolutely not a place that I have ever seen before.
I try to sit up but the first attempt fails.
Hmm, these blankets are a bit heavier than I thought.
With a bit more strength used I sit up easily and search for the thing that I couldn't identify.
"Ngah!"
A weird sound of surprise escapes my mouth and I lift up the blankets to hide myself.
There is a child!
Is that thing some kind of door?
No, there is a solid wall behind it.
But I did saw another room with a child in it there.
Maybe it's some kind of portal?
Ahh! What should I do?
\\Uhm… if I am not mistaken this is just a mirror, stupid me…
//Eh, really?
I carefully let the blankets sink a bit to take a look.
The thing really seems to be a mirror and the room gets properly reflected in it. But the person on the bed is completely off.
Why is some human child being reflected in my place? Is that some kind of weird magic mirror?
Wait, hold on for a moment.
I waited and the child in the mirror seemed to be confused.
I slowly shake my head and the child reflected the move.
…?
I lift a hand and it did the same.
What the fifteen?!
Did I die and got reborn again?
No, something is off here.
If that kid is me, then I should be around 5 to 7 years old.
That doesn't really fit.
I close my eyes so that I wont have to see the child – I will deny that this is me until it's proven otherwise – anymore and to keep a cool head.
What is going on here?
…
….Oh?
Hm~~ then… OH!
I [see] myself in my field of perception and it is the usual, grotesque me. But all around me is the thin layer of mana that copies the human skin.
So this kid is me who seemingly pretends to be a human.
But why would I do that?
Well, I have no idea for the why but I noticed the how.
The weird coordinates that the calculating me repeats over and over again in a split second; they form the outlines of my body!
So the calculating me is disguising me for some reason?
Well, I will have my reasons for that so why bother with something that I cant understand anyway?
\\I am to carefree…
I open my eyes again and look at the child – I mean myself – again.
I am pale and there is still some greyish touch in the skincolour that makes me look slightly sick.
If I can do this stuff, then why can't I make myself pretty? Haa~, ah well…
With a bit struggling I get out of the bed.
Why am I naked? Again?!
I am naked way to often!
A bit annoyed by this I take one of the blankets and cover myself with it before I get closer to the big mirror.
...
Wow, I really look sick and with the dark shadows under my eyes one would assume that I haven't slept in weeks. The eyes are still the same colour as before; one purple and the other one in a bright ice blue. The hair on the other hand got much darker and seemed black now. Only if the sun hits at the right angle, there was a purple gleam.
For some reason my horns are gone.
I could still [see] them but when I look at the place with my eyes, there is nothing. Quite curious I lift one hand, barely noticing that my clawlike, black fingernails are gone too. I touch one of my horns.
It is definitely still there, I can feel it.
Then…?
I can clearly [see] my tail but when I reach out of the blanket with it, it is not visible too. But this is by far not the weirdest part.
The tail just passes trough the blanket!
I try to touch the mirror with it but it passes right trough that too.
What the-?!
I am currently touching the blanket and when I reach out with my arm, I can touch the mirror too.
Naturally I can touch my horns and even the tail, even though I can't see them with my eyes. But for some reason neither my horns nor my tail and even the fingernails can not interact with anything physical other than me.
Is this because the calculating me made them invisible?
But why am I doing this? Is it because of the place where I am? Then where am I?
In fact, how did I even get here? I should have died after the big lizard crushed me like a twig.
Ahh my head hurts. What's going on?
Should I just go back to bed and pretend nothing has ever happened?
With my mind deeply confused I didn't notice the sound outside the room and only looked up when the door got opened.
I froze up completely.
There was a human.
A brown haired woman with suntanned skin had opened the door and then stopped in her motion.
I stared at her unable to move.
She stared back and seemingly surprised took a step backwards. A big, friendly smile lighted up her face and a moment later she turned around and ran away while shouting something in a joyous tone.
Erm, what?
With her gone I relaxed a bit and now it was the confusion that holds me in place.
Did I miss something?
I clearly did, but what?
It only took 103 seconds until I heard the steps of that woman again. This time there was the sound of two other people with her.
They appeared in the still open door and looked at me who hadn't moved at all.
Next to the woman was a young man with glasses and white clothes that I never had seen before. It seemed that he wanted to say something but got interrupted as the third person pushed him out of the way to get closer to me.
I stopped to breathe and panic infested my mind.
With only a few, fast steps the cool magic gramps was right in front of me. He kneeled down so that our faces are on almost the same height and started to talk. A stream of tears flooded over his face as he threw words as me that I couldn't understand.
The confusion suppressed my fear.
The flood of words seemingly wouldn't stop soon and even though I couldn't understand a single word that got more and more corrupted by a hiccup while he cried even more, the presented information was understood.
He was happy… and thankful. Why?
Now that I think about it, I did heal him right? Oh and I tried to save the little girl that was with him.
So no one wants to hurt me, right? At least at the moment.
I look like a meager and somewhat sick human child so hopefully it will stay without any harm.
I try to smile at the old man who took out a handkerchief to clear his nose.
You crying like a little child is confusing so please stop. At least he stopped talking now.
...
….
----------------------
….
"**** ** ***** ***"
What?
Oh yes, the information.
So I should rest? But I feel fine.
I am sitting on a chair in the room that I woke up before. In front of me is the man with glasses who has a worried look and talks about something. He seemed to have realized, that I can't really understand him but somehow grasp what he wants to tell me so he said everything at least three times.
Well, that's a good number so I let it pass.
After the old man finished crying he and this man got shooed out of the room by the woman who then got over to the wardrobe and took out some clothes. She tried to help me put on the white robes that seemed to be a nightshirt but because I froze up every time she came to close, she stopped after a few times and only talked in a calming voice while I dressed up.
After I was done she let the glasses guy back in – the old man was gone now – and then left herself. A few minutes ago she came back and placed a plate with something that looked like bread and eggs, a bowl filled with hot liquid and a cup with some weird hot water in it on the table in front of me and then left again with a smile towards me.
In the meantime the young man in white had talked a lot. He tried to touch me with something that looked like a stethoscope but because I leaned backwards until I fell from the chair, he refrained from getting too close.
Yeah, that's right; don't even dare to touch me!
"*** ****, ** ***** **"
I should stay in this room and eat the meal?
Yeahhh~ no.
I will stay in this room for now. That is fine with me but I don't trust those eggs and the weird leaf juice was suspicious from the start so no thank you. I know bread, so maybe I try it when I get bored.
I don't need to eat anyway.
He said the same thing again and then got up from his chair.
Then he bowed towards me for some reason and walked towards the door. Just before he could reach for the handle, the door got opened from the outside.
The cool magic gramps was back and brought some company with him.
Half hidden behind the old man and shyly looking into the room was a little girl. Her face lightened up the moment she saw me.
Ah yes, I forgot that you survived, too.