You listened as he told the story. You wouldn't say it out loud but the cookies and hot beverage were better. He closed the book and placed it in his lap.

  “And that was that. Hope you enjoyed the story and believe me, you aren't the first that thinks the story is worse than your snacks. That reminds me I need to deliver another batch of cookies to the Proprietor. Should I trade it for more tea?”

  The last part was clearly him talking to himself but you wonder who he talked about. “Hmm? The Proprietor? Don't worry about that. More important than that, why are you still here? The story is told, you are fed and the storm outside is over. You can go back to exploring, to find whatever you searched for out there.”

  He is right. Nothing is holding you here, you aren't tied down or held captive. The cookies are good but not that good. So, why aren't you on your way now?

  “You want to know how it continues? The Hero is dead and the Villain too. There are no main characters anymore…. What do you mean there are unanswered questions and too much lore dropped that wouldn't have been necessary? I will let you know that it was necessary for the immersion!”

  You smile a bit. You realized that he tries to make you go and search your own story or find a better one.

  “You….” He sighs and shakes his head. “Alright, alright. You got me, there are questions you would want answers to. What happened to Paradox? Why exactly did he intervene if he was against the other Creators' intervention? So, what do you want me to do? Continue a Story without a Main character?”

  You think about it for a bit. Is there really no main character remaining? Couldn't Paradox become one? Or… is he saying he could create one?

  He smiles mysteriously. “I don't know. To all three of those. Now, sit back, enjoy your never ending cup of hot chocolate and let us delve right back to find those answers you want. Also, if we suffer through a bad story just because you wanted to satisfy your curiosity I will hold you hostage to the end.”

  [Ephemera, The Mortal Realm, ???. ???, ???]

  [???'s POV]

  She woke up.

  The stale air smelled like rot. She didn't know where she was and the headache made it difficult to remember who she was. Another problem was the lack of visibility. It was dark and she couldn't see.

  'Problem after problem, what comes next?’' she thought to herself.

  She didn't have much room to move around. It was clear that she was surrounded by dirt at least but she didn't know how much was above her. She started to dig, there wasn't anything else she could do afterall.

  Was it minutes, hours or even days? The air was too thin to still be able to breath but she still dug. Dirt and stones rained down on her, sometimes worms. Again and again, her hand reached up to the ceiling and scraped along its surface to get even a little bit more space. Her fingernails either broke off or bent backwards but she just ignored them.

  She could feel it, something about the earth changed. It became more difficult to dig but she wouldn't stop. She wanted to get out of here even if that means scraping off the skin from her fingers while digging. Another change, this time the dirt was more loose, still hard but easier to dig through.

  A stream of air reached her. It was faint but it means she was closer. There was a way out!

  Something dropped down on her face, the same liquid that she could feel on her hands. It wasn't water, it tasted too metallic for that. Blood, her own blood to be precise. Looks like she scraped the skin on her fingers open. She ignored it.

  More and more dirt gave away as she finally broke the surface. Taking a deep breath she laid down on the ground and looked up at the sky. The scarred face of Luma, the moon of Ephemera, looked down on her. She couldn't remember much right now but she knew somehow that she couldn't remember what Luma looked like before this.

  The moon hanging in the sky was a beautiful full moon with a gaping hole that turned it into an eternal crescent moon. Drifting from this hole, the debris formed something like a loose ring around the moon. The biggest piece wandered alongside Luma, like a little sibling that didn't want to leave its wounded sibling alone.

  It looked strangely beautiful. Sitting up she took a look at her surroundings. Grass all around her, no structure, hills or even some animals. The hole she dug and the giant crater behind her were the only places where the grass didn't grow.

  “Looks like you are finally awake.”

  She was startled and looked around again, nothing to see. Where did the voice come from?

  “I'm sure you have questions but I won't answer them. Don't have the time nor energy to waste on this and I'm sure you wouldn't trust the words of a voice in your head either.”

  She looked up, not because she saw something but because it felt right while listening to whatever this was. “Who are you?”

  “That, my dear, is something you will remember sooner than later. In the meantime you should make your way towards the north-northeast. You will find a ship on the shore of the river. The crew is resting there and among them is someone who will be able to explain things in a way you can feel more connected to. Meet him, ask him your questions and then, if you remember how, contact me. Good luck, Valeria.”

  The voice disappered and she suddenly felt lighter. Strange but nothing she would complain about. What was it that it called her? Valeria? Something stirred in her mind, a sense of familiarity and belonging, a sense of self.

  'Right. That was my name. Valeria.’

  A smile formed on her face, happy that she knew her name again. Valeria thought about the instructions it left. Should she follow them? Could it even trust them? Another look at her surroundings made her realize she didn't really have a choice. It was either following the disembodied voice in her head or wandering around in the hope she didn't die of hunger and thirst before finding something other than grass.

  With a resigned sigh Valeria stood up and began walking. Did she know where north-northeast was? Not a single clue but that wouldn't stop her from trying.

  On the way to the river, Valeria found out a few things. First of all, she wasn't naked but what she wore wasn't much better. Her outfit was a collection of linen clothes with leather reinforced and metal armor covering some parts like her chest. She at least thinks it is because the metal gathered rust and has some burn marks and areas where it was deformed by heat while her clothes had holes and tears everywhere. She wasn't exposing anything important so it didn't bother her but some people might think she exposes too much.

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  The second thing she found out was that her body somehow feels wrong. It feels like her body and mind have trouble communicating with each other and screw up their teamwork. It wasn't a problem right now but if it didn't fix itself with time she might need to do something.

  Another thing was the problem with her memories. She could feel them, deep inside of her. They were slowly making their way back to where they need to be but it's like all of them are drunk while exploring a labyrinth filled with mist and changing corridors. They were slow and until they found her themselves she couldn't remember anything.

  There was nothing else that she would call useful among her discoveries. She did find out minor things Like how she seemed to make barely any noise while walking or always jumped into some form of battle stance whenever she heard a noise.

  It was as Luma and her companions touched the horizon that she finally saw it. The ship on the shore and a small campfire in front of it. Allowing a small smile to show on her face she slowly approached the campfire. As she came closer she inspected the ship. It was a giant three-master with its sails closed and the anchor dropped. The ship looked imposing with its rows of cannons on the side. Seeing it sitting there in the river gave one the image of a sleeping giant you wouldn't want to wake up.

  “Hey, you over there! Step inside the light so I can see you and tell me where you came from!” A lone figure sat next to the fire and shouted in her direction. Valeria thought it a good decision to not antagonize them and stepped into the light, her arms raised to show she means no harm.

  Standing in the light of the fire she saw who she was talking to. A man, probably in His thirties, with dirty blond hair and green eyes. He was quite tall, it seems, and his thin clothes were unable to hide his muscles. A scar ran from his left hand up to his elbow and a rapier hung from his belt.

  “Good evening, mister. I mean no harm to you or the crew on the ship, sir. It's just that I found myself in this place and can't quite remember how I got here. You wouldn't mind helping me out a bit?”

  The man observed her for a moment, scrutinizing her. “How in the Creator's name did you… No, wait, you don't remember so it would be useless to ask.” He shook his head and closed his eyes in concentration before a pulse of energy radiated out from him, sweeping through the area. Valeria felt the energy roll over her and wondered what he did.

  The man stood up and looked at her with wide eyes. “You… you are a Knight…”

  The word tickled a memory in Valeria's brain but it didn't come loose and told her of its secrets. “I apologize but could you explain what you mean by that? My memories are a little foggy.”

  The man sat down again. “Right, but first things first sit down. This will take a while to explain. By the way, I'm Edrick von Carlstein but friends and the other Knights call me Ed most of the time.”

  Valeria sat down on a log on the other side of the fire. “I'm Valeria. I think people called me Val? My memory is still hazy so I can't really say. Correct me if I'm wrong but the way you say knights sounds Special.”

  Edrick tossed a piece of wood into the flames. “Sounds special, huh?” The man laughed mirthlessly. “You have no idea, Valeria. They are special but to make you understand I also need to tell you about something else first. Do you remember the Ten Creators?”

  Valeria nodded. “Good, that makes it easier.” He stops to think about his words.

  “In the Age of Myth, the time following Ephemera's creation, the Ten Creators were physically present on Ephemera and helped us with our problems. We were able to talk to them, learn from them and see the influence they have on our world. After a catastrophic event the Creators decided it would be for the best if they reduced the amount of contact we have with them. One after another left Ephemera and more and more responsibility fell into our hands. At the time many thought the Creators abandoned this world, fear spread and accusations were thrown around. Meltrismara, the Leader of the Creators, decided this couldn't go on and spoke to the people. That was the first oracle, the new way for the Creators to answer our prayers.”

  Valeria looked at him, a strange glint in her eyes.

  “Because the Creators have to put power and intent behind their words to reach us Not everyone can hear their words Just because they want to. They only come as an answer to prayers so it is rare to hear them if you aren't praying very often. And if you do hear them then they are in a form of indecipherable knot of sounds. The priests of the churches meditate and ruminate over the words they hear for several days before they understand even a bit. Even the pope has to meditate on them but he has less trouble as he can hear them more clearly but no one will hear the exact words the gods said and they are thus subject to interpretation of the one who hears them.”

  “I assume it would be easy to misinterpret them.” Valeria commented.

  The man sighed. “And you are right about that. It happened a few times actually. Afterall, the churches have paladins, followers of their god that chose to serve by protecting the other followers or by fulfilling the oracles that need a more hands-on approach. And a power hungry pope could use that for his own misdeeds.”

  “What probably already happened or you wouldn't tell me about it. I fail to understand where the knights come into play?”

  Edrick looked at her. “Patience, Val, I'm not done yet. Where was I? Right, so, a system that could be abused because no one was able to check if the pope told the truth. The Creators saw it and created a new role for their followers. The saint or saintess. A follower directly chosen by the god the church follows and received a special blessing. The saint is the only person who is able to hear the gods words clearly and without interference. This role was created to prevent the pope from abusing his power and they act as the spokesperson for the god. The saintess has the right to take command over all followers and not even the pope can nullify this.”

  Edrick drank a sip from his waterskin. Valeria looked at him with envy. “Hmm. Oh right, I forgot.” He rummaged through a bag next to him and pulled out a piece of bread and another waterskin. “You should also eat and drink something.”

  Valeria thanked him and ate her first bite since she woke up. It was just some old bread but it was delicious for someone who hasn't eaten for who knows how long. The same goes for the water. Plain but it helped quench her thirst.

  “With the saintess in place the followers could be controlled to an extent but even the Creators didn't want to throw cannon fodder and meat shields at problems they should handle with quality instead of quantity.”

  “Here come the knights into the game, right? So, they are just glorified paladins with super strength?”

  Edrick shook his head. “No, they aren't and never say that to their face. Some of us aren't happy about being compared to normal people regardless of if they are stronger or not. The Knights I meant and you belong to are in essence the sword of the Creators. They do not have any connection to the churches of any gods, even the church of their own god. They are chosen by the Creators directly and can be any person, in any situation, at any time. The only requirement is that they fulfill the conditions the Creators themselves set. If a Creator found someone they will offer them a pact. The person is granted a special power based on the powers of the Creator that offers them the pact and the person vows to act as their hand and sword in Ephemera.”

  Valeria was suddenly assaulted by a terrible headache. A flood of memories returned to her and she fell from the log as she clutched her head. She didn't even hear her own screams of pain as she blacked out.

  She woke up a while later, the sun already taking over the sky and Edrick sitting close to her unconscious form.

  “You are awake again, good. So, what happened? How are you feeling?”

  Valeria groaned as she sat up. “My head feels like a horse is stomping on it. It looks like my memories are back, I think.”

  Edrick looked at her with surprise. “That’s great news! What's the last thing you remember and whose Knight are you?”

  Val massaged her temples as she sorted through her memories. “I… can't seem to remember anything regarding a contract with a Creator but I can remember something. I was in the ruins of the city here in the Plains as that giant dome of light enveloped it.”

  She suddenly felt cold metal on her skin. Looking up she saw Edrick standing in front of her, his rapier drawn and pressed against her throat. “Mind explaining what you are doing?”

  He looked at her. “I'm sorry but until I know more I will have to detain you.”

  “Why?”

  “Leaving aside that no one survived the dome of light touching them and it is expected of me to kill everything returning from the dead, the ruined city in the Plains of Akrid disappeared in the war 50 years ago.”

  hehehe....

  *evil laughter*