Back in the present, the desert storm raged on. Takei tried to push himself up, but his muscles screamed in protest, a symphony of exhaustion and pain. His body was a leaden weight, and he collapsed back into the biting sand. The grains filled his mouth and lungs, a slow, suffocating death. Through the blurring haze of his fading consciousness, he saw it. A grotesque, hulking silhouette of a monster, its form shifting with the swirling sand. A primal anger, a last surge of defiant fury, coursed through him. This storm, this misery, it was all its doing. The thought was the last thing he had before the world went black, a final, definitive silence. He was gone, from consciousness to what felt like death itself.
His body, his very essence, drifted in a silent, black void. It was a space devoid of sensation, a state of absolute calm. His soul, a flickering ember of his being, was at peace. The questions he had always harbored, the ones that had been his constant companions in life, resurfaced.
"Am I dead? Does this mean I finally get to go back?" A moment of stillness, of waiting for an answer that never came.
Then, his eyes flew open. He was not in the void anymore, but in a strange domain of both black and white. The colors weren't just hues; they were tangible forces, coiling around each other like smoke and shadow. He looked around, a new set of questions forming in his mind. "Where am I? What is this place?"
In a blink of an eye, a figure materialized from the nothingness. A woman of breathtaking beauty, sitting cross-legged in the air. Her long, dark purple hair flowed like a river of starlight, the universe itself seemingly woven into its strands. She smiled warmly, her gaze locking onto his. Her stare was not invasive, but incredibly gentle, like a caring mother watching over her child. A profound sense of peace washed over him, a feeling so foreign it was almost unsettling." Who is she?"
He didn't even get to process the thought before she appeared directly behind him, her presence as subtle as a whisper. Her arms wrapped around him in a gentle hug, her chin resting on the top of his head. He was surprised, a jolt of shock running through his exhausted body." H-how did she get behind me?" The question, however, was quickly replaced by a hot flush that crept up his neck as he felt the soft pressure of her chest against his back.
Her voice, when she spoke, was a melody of cosmic whispers, both ancient and profoundly personal. "Well, my child, I'm going to keep it brief so as not to cause confusion. My name is Arestoria Nalua, and you are in my domain."
He repeated the name in his mind, the syllables rolling around like smooth stones.
" Arestoria? "
He did not see or feel her move, but suddenly, she was in front of him again, her smile serene and knowing.
"How is she doing that?"
Arestoria's smile deepened. "My, so many questions. Well, I am gladly to answer all of them, but that would only make you ask more."
"She can read my thoughts? "The realization hit him with a jolt of surprise.
"Well, I will answer that, too, now," she said, and with a soft snap of her fingers, the stark black and white domain softened. A luxurious sofa appeared beneath him, a soft blanket draped over his shoulders, and the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion finally began to recede.
Arestoria sat on a matching sofa across from him, sipping from a teacup that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Well, let us unpack all those thoughts cooped up in your brain. Again, my name is Arestoria Nalua. To those below me, I'm called the Singularity of both Beginning and the End, for my in-meta, which is 'the all.' I am the embodiment of neutrality, I keep most of the different 'books' in balance at the same time." She paused, her eyes glinting with a hidden mirth. "The books I'm speaking of are what your brain describes as destinies or realities. I can do anything with them, but I prefer to observe, to look at the end. That is because the infinite creations of these beautiful 'art of the books' are just wonderful, and they must not be tempered with."
"For some reason, looking at her makes me calm, and I sort of want to listen to her more". The thought drifted through Takei's mind, a strange new feeling of comfort.
Arestoria's lips quirked into a playful smile.
"Really? I see. Thank you."
"Shoot, I almost forgot she can read my thoughts!"
She continued, her voice taking on a poetic, almost philosophical cadence. "Now you see, if there is a weakness in me, I can simply remove it, for in my view and my touch, those that are concepts and 'toned' I can do the same. You might call it a power higher than logic itself. Now that is done explaining about me, I bet some of you in there is trying to understand me further, but you see, it would be hard, so you can just view me as a stranger, a family, a friend, or someone you want to talk to. Just see me as a concept of comfort. A concept of Absolute. A force that can mend and create without prejudice. A force that has no place for weakness, for weakness is a choice, not an inevitability."
She continued, her voice softening, "Now then, what about a story?" In an instant, Takei found his head gently resting on her lap, a new, profound sense of peace settling over him.
"Yes, a story," she said, and began. "Long, long ago, they lived a world, a universe that was born. It already went through its normal formation and destruction. In it, a place formed where the living and the dead lived. In that place, there were wars and conflict that soon subsided, but there are still bits from it. Now, from the hope of the story of carrying on that neutrality of that book, it was given the element of power, which is called Barral. Barral is a mixture of magic and spirit art. In order for that, some corruption came into that world. However, with their use of power, they fought against them. Soon, they created a new world to train and fight against them, but that's only in the shadows in order not to raise panic amongst their people. They later discovered that they were given classes. Those classes gave them different abilities, which are the classes Dark, Pure, and Light."
Arestoria's gaze drifted somewhere beyond Takei, toward the edges of her domain. "Well, my class is different. I can change the system when I want, but I just like being sometimes part of a book. My class is the all."
She looked back down at him, her smile a mixture of warmth and gentle mischief. "Now then, Takei, did you learn anything? Of course you did. That's because you are going to have a new life there, and don't worry, that's your modern world you wanted to go back to, but in a different site."
"Huh? Seriously?" The thought was a disbelieving gasp in his mind.
Arestoria laughed, a sound like wind chimes in a gentle breeze. "Well, don't worry, you might see me again, my cute child. But when you get there, you will forget about me. But coming back here, you will remember." She snapped her fingers, and Takei vanished, leaving Arestoria alone in her domain.
Her smile lingered, a soft glow in the monochrome space. "Well, maybe I could have been my male self, but what the heck? At least the invention of all I see is beautiful, and the One True Creator has been listening....did i do great?."
Now, in a modern world that felt both familiar and strangely different, Takei's journey continued. He emerged from a pile of soft, rustling leaves like a zombie, his body no longer aching, his mind a clean slate. He stood up straight, his senses alert, and looked around. His eyes widened, his jaw slacked in awe. Before him, stretching out in a magnificent sprawl of steel and glass, was a city. A city of incredible proportions, bathed in the gentle light of a setting sun.
"Like I said... are you serious?"