'Where am I? Why is it still so dark?' Arin's heart raced as he tried to make sense of the shadows around him.
"Oh. Hey, Kirt, there's fresh meat. And it looks like it's a child," said a big eagle perched on the branch of a banyan tree, its eyes gleaming.
"What is this place? And what are you… a talking bird?" muttered Arin.
A hunched old man with silver eyes that seemed to hold centuries of wisdom slowly approached Arin. "Great. Fresh blood and it's a child again after 20,000 years," murmured the old man, his gaze falling on Arin.
"Uhm.. I'm Arin Vale, sir. May I ask what this place is?" Arin asked, his eyes never straying away from the big eagle.
"This place is the Archive," the old man said, his tone firm but calm. "Until you agree to become a disciple, you will not perceive anything beyond me and the spirit of the Archive—the eagle you see there." "By the way, I am Kirt, the guardian of this place created by Master", said the old guy, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Why does this exist? Why am I here? Why was my brother taken away? Please! I need to know!" begged Arin, finally looking at the wizened old man.
"I can tell you the reasons for the existence of this place and why you became the chosen one, but as to why your twin was taken… Well, the laws of the Archive restrict me from saying that child. Forgive me," said Kirt, shaking his head in sadness. 'I never wanted to become an Archiver, but this same Archive chose me. I hope the same fate does not befall this little one.'
"This place is a separate world entity created by our master to nurture the Great Bloodlines of this planet. From the Archive, you can gain powers you would have only read about in novels or watched in the movies. There would only be one reason behind your coming here. Unique blood flows through your veins, maybe even part of the Great Bloodlines. Only people with immense potential or those belonging to one of the Great Bloodlines are capable of entering The Archive," said the eagle, leaping off the branch and perching on the shoulder of Kirt.
"Yes, child. The eagle speaks the truth. Here, you can possess powers, but for a price, unless you lack the potential. Although recently, there has been an increase in people who are coming into the Archive. It was usually 1 or 2 people per 1 million years, but now it has become a few people every 10,000 years. I think the Archive has become less picky about the people it chooses. What do you think happened?" asked Kirt to the Eagle.
'Let's discuss it later, Kirt. Now's not the time, especially in front of the kid.' 'Gratitude coursed through the eagle for the telepathic power he and Kirt shared.'
"What should I do here, senior?" questioned Arin, looking around at the place which had finally changed to resemble an archive.
"Well. Do you agree to join and become a disciple of the Archive?" asked Kirt.
"Yes, provided that the powers of the Archive will allow me to save my brother", said Arin.
"So that's a yes. Although you may think there would be some oath to become a disciple, there's nothing like that. The Archive just has to hear you say yes, and your fate becomes tied to it. If you take power from the archive, you have to pay a proper price for it. It's usually some sort of quest, but it may vary. Now, I'll have you know that you don't get to choose your power. The Archive will give it to you based on what it thinks your weaknesses are. So, don't be mad if you get a bad skill. It just means that you're good at most things, just not that," explained Kirt.
'If I can get a good power, I can save my brother easily and look cool while I'm at it.'
"Senior, I am willing to become a disciple of the Archive. Please give me a really good power," said Arin, holding his hand to his heart.
"The Archive has chosen. The power gifted to you is Shadow Steps," declared the Eagle, its eyes glowing green.
"Ah. Shadow steps, an interesting ability. It makes you capable of sneaking around fast when you activate the ability. Its sneak and fast steps combined," remarked Kirt.
"Great. Now, I can go save my brother. Whoever dares touch him, they're never getting out of this alive," growled Arin, looking furious with eyes glowing red. "Good luck, Arin. You look like you're going to need it," said Kirt with a smile that didn't feel like one.