The atmosphere was filled with the stench of blood, a mass of dead soldiers covering the Earth's green grass.
Some were headless, some armless, others intact but all lifeless.
All this was caused by a single person: Victor Quasinto, the first hero of the Kingdom of Wenthoriz.
And from the middle of these dead bodies, a man and the twin of Lessa stood beside Albert's legless, unconscious body.
"I don't know why… but, my lady, I don't sense any kind of malice in him.
How can he be a murderer?" said the man, a butler serving under the prince of Wenthoriz.
She stepped back and replied,
"That is why we must learn the most trustworthy opinion he can offer in the castle," she said in a low, serious voice.
After that, the butler carried Albert's body, blood dripping.
And while Albert was unconscious, he dreamt again.
He was in a peaceful place.
Trees danced with the wind, their leaves like melodious instruments that eased his heart.
He sat on a vast plain of grassy land.
The glowing sun shone bright, but not hot. He smiled as he sat, while birds flew and chirped in the branches.
Above him, he saw the artifact the plain paper.
He stood, yet nothing disturbed his peaceful heart.
It was as if he were incapable of feeling negativity.
He only smiled gently.
On the artifact was written:
[System and the Holder are Currently Fusing]
[Unknown Cause]
[UNABLE TO RECOVER]
From the sky, he heard a booming voice:
"Thank you for accepting my soul.
As payment for your kindness, I shall free you from the bounds of nature.
Survive in that world, with imagination and knowledge as your only limits."
The words echoed clearly in his mind.
And as he lay in the grassy field, sleeping, he felt at peace.
---
He woke up, in a prison.
A rugged old man was there with him.
Slowly, Albert sat in the corner, recalling the dream.
"What was that place?
Was that paradise?" he wondered, thinking about the dream that gave him peace of mind.
"So, basically, I'm imprisoned now.
And Lessa's twin… she must hate me deeply.
I never knew she was so skilled at cutting heads."
His eyes narrowed as he recalled the moment she decapitated Victor.
The rugged old man approached him and asked, voice weak and trembling:
"Y-You!!
Why are you so calm?"
Albert turned and answered, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, it's hard to explain. You could say I had a beautiful dream. Heheh."
The old man frowned.
"Is that enough to ignore the reality that you are imprisoned in the lowest level of the Wenthoriz Kingdom?"
Albert's smile faded.
"Hey… old man… why are you spouting so many questions?"
The old man fell silent.
Albert's eyes grew sharp.
"Old man… have you ever experienced death?
Have you ever seen people die in ways you never expected?
Ahah!!! You must've grown up sheltered, experiencing the opposite."
Albert kept smiling, but the old man sensed no happiness in it.
Behind the smile was insanity.
"Now I see… this poor guy is suffering from an unwanted reality," the old man concluded.
He ignored Albert and lay on the rough floor.
Seeing this, Albert fell silent too, leaning his left arm on his knee, staring outside the prison.
Dark, silent cells stood before him.
No guards.
No other prisoners.
It was as if the place were built only for the worst criminals.
Albert's thoughts returned to his dream.
"What did that being mean by freeing me from the bounds of nature?
To survive in this world, with imagination and knowledge as my limits?
And my artifact… it looks useless now."
He glanced at the old man's back.
"It's starting to feel unpleasant, stuck here with an elder," he thought.
But he tried to befriend him anyway.
"Umm, sir…
I might've been very blunt earlier.
My deepest apologies.
M-May I ask your name?
By the way, I'm Albert… a former librarian."
It was his first time trying to befriend someone. Since childhood, he had only spoken to people who approached him first.
The old man finally answered.
"I understand your situation, Albert.
Well, I'm here because I stole the forbidden Book of Knowledge from the inner castle.
Oh, and my name is Anon."
Albert smiled happily as Anon responded.
"Again, I'm very sorry, Mister Anon.
And thank you for being patient with a gloomy guy like me.
I'm just…"
He trailed off, remembering all that had happened.
Sorrow weighed heavily on his heart.
Anon stood and sat beside him, patting his shoulder.
"Albert, the world must have made you this tough."
"Thank you…" Albert whispered, covering his face with his hands as he cried.
"Tears and sadness… let them out freely, Albert," Anon said gently.
Hours passed, and the two spoke more about themselves.
"Woah, so you stole a forbidden book—and it holds the history of the world?" Albert asked, intrigued.
They both sat in the corner.
Anon's skin was almost fleshless, his body thin.
"Yeah, and y'know what?
I discovered there are beings more powerful than wielders," Anon said, locking eyes with Albert.
"That might be true. I've also discovered the origin of the artifacts in a book… a book that belonged to someone who's long dead," Albert replied in a low tone, remembering Victor Quasinto and the Guardian of Nature.
"What!? You discovered the source of the artifacts?
The mystery thought impossible to solve?
Albert, you must tell me everything!" Anon begged, shaking him.
"A-Alright, I'll tell you, but stop shaking me first! My words are collapsing!" Albert complained.
Anon let go, his full attention fixed on Albert.
Albert cleared his throat and began explaining. For thirty-three minutes, he shared everything he had discovered.
When he finished, Anon's eyes widened.
"T-That's amazing!!!
The Guardian, and the hero who cut her into artifacts…
That discovery could change how people see artifacts forever!"
Albert sighed heavily, leaning against the wall.
"Your turn, Anon. What did you learn from your book?"
Anon nodded.
"Thank you for sharing, Albert.
Today became a great day in prison because of you. Not that I'm glad you're here, but… you know what I mean."
He continued,
"The book's title is Deuso. I only read its introduction, but it gave me more than I ever expected.
Even just the introduction was enough."
And this was the introduction Anon read:
---
(The vast expanse of the plain is covered with countless marbles.
And within one of those marbles lies a tiny speck of dust.
The Guardians and Deities call these specks 'worlds.'
These worlds are not special, but some Guardians chose to place their vessels within them, to live in those worlds.
Even the Deities could not prevent the Guardians' interference.
But then, the Unknown Ones arrived, and the balance of the plain's nature crumbled.
The Guardians vanished like flies. None could stop the Unknown Ones, save for one Guardian.
She twisted reality itself, sacrificing her power to drive the Unknown away from the plain.
This Guardian became the most important of all, for the plain's safety.
Though she lost almost everything, she lived on in her own vessel, to continue her duty.
I, Deuso, the writer of all things, record this as the introduction to the purpose of existence.)