FRAGMENT ZERO: PROLOGUE
0.1. Memory of The Void
In realms beyond human sight,
Where time weaves a cosmic light,
An immortal bird takes flight,
A creature of mystery and might.
For over 69 billion years, I have journeyed through countless worlds, an immortal witness to the rise and fall of civilizations. With each world's end, I find myself adrift in the void of space, suspended in a timeless abyss.
As I float in the ethereal expanse, a whisper pierces the silence -- a voice from the cosmos entrusting me with a sacred purpose. But alas, as I descend into my new world, the memory of this mission fades, leaving me with an inexplicable sense of unease. Fragments of memories haunt my dreams, tantalizingly close yet frustratingly elusive.
Such emotions cannot sway me, however, as something else – that inexplicable force – keeps me grounded. “I must stay here, and see this place to its end.” Was that itself the mission? Was I a mere observer? Or was there something more?
Ablaze in the darkest void, the planet fades to ashes. My memories wipe, the cycle continues, and with each world's end, I return to the cosmic space, tiredly ready for the next mission.
Perhaps my memories at the end of the world immortalized those who once lived, even if only for a few moments. But I was getting tired of my own mind. The last world didn't end well. It left me horrified to my core.
Memory wipes didn't change that I still had flashbacks.
Memory wipes didn't erase the unease.
Memory wipes didn't explain billions of years of the cycle.
In this endless dance of creation and destruction, I closed my eyes and let my body float in the nothingness. How many eons passed? I grew restless. Was time even moving? It had felt like an eternity, the silence, the isolation, nothing but the blinking stars far in the distance.
I finally received yet another mission -- but this time, it looked different. An interface? Remnant technology from my previous world? The memories... Weren't they supposed to wipe?
User: KESTRELIA_
Code: PINK DEATH
Target: EARTH
Did this thing always pop up? Earth? I instinctively extended my hand to the screen. It now reflected:
Recover data?
YES NO
I once again asked myself -- did this thing always pop up?? Was this the decision I had made all this while? Clicking no? What would happen if I clicked yes? Would it protect the existence of all the fallen? Would that be what they wanted?
I closed my eyes, and let time take its course. I was tired. The interface never faded. But I was too tired.
I allowed the growing light around me to swallow me whole.
Silence. Ethereal silence.
FRAGMENT ███: ████████
0.2. Corruption
Through eons she has soared,
Witnessing ███████ both new and old.
In her silence, a tale is stored,
Of civilizations grown and stories of yore.
In the realm of ███████, she finds her home,
Where memories and forgotten echoes roam.
A ███████ of secrets, a keeper of lore,
The immortal bird, forever to soar.
It was a fine day for ███████. She opened her curtains to let the sunlight in, and ███████ ███████ The world was as it should be. Microwave coffee in hand, ███████ booted, art glove fastened, and Discord VC connected.
She smiled. "I will protect my ███████. It'll be a good day, like any other."
*sips coffee*
