Chapter 5: A World Without Light

Have you ever wondered how it would feel if we had lived without light? If Earth were surrounded only by the radiant beauty of the silver moon? Well, fortunately, we already know the answer.

We wouldn’t feel anything, since humanity would have either already been exctinct or wouldn’t have existed in the first place.

Without the warm touch of the sun, the Earth’s temperature would be unlivable. And yet…

It wouldn’t be the first time humanity twisted itself into survival, refusing to be erased from the face of the world.

How stubborn.

Logically, it would be impossible. But what’s the point in using logic in a world where logic has already failed?

Neither the Codex nor the Infinite Library should exist. Yet they do. It is said they were created by the gods as a gift for humanity. To find the truth.

So, with all of this in mind, without a light, could someone navigate and survive in a world conquered by shadows?

That was the question Iris had to find an answer to by the end of the week. That was what her teacher assigned her to do.

Without an answer, Iris decided to go to the only place where you could find a solution to every problem.

The Infinite Library.

There was bound to be a story inside this place that could answer her question.

Or at least, that was what she hoped for.

For her, it had become a usual routine to wander the endless space of the Infinite Library. And never had it disappointed her.

But even in a place where knowledge has no limit, the princess couldn’t seem to find anything that would even scratch the surface of her question.

At least she wasn’t the only one groaning between the shelves without luck. She had also found a little boy her age, whose hair was as golden as her own eyes. And below that mine of gold was a cavern of lapis, as the boy’s blue eyes had a hue so dark, yet so inviting.

…Wait, do I know him from somewhere?

Enough of that. The princess came here for a mission, not to admire the beautiful eyes of a boy she had just met.

She was a princess, damn it. She couldn’t fawn over a boy she just met. That was not something royalty would do.

So, ignoring the beautiful boy, she continued her venture to kill the demon king, like the hero she imagined herself to be. For her, coming up with an answer was just like when the characters in the stories, her friends, went against monsters and demons to save the world.

That was how delusional she was. She thought of herself as being blessed by a goddess.

Of being the Princess of the knight heroes.

Just keeping up with her fantasies gives me a headache.

But as she was caught up in her own world, she suddenly felt a warm sensation, as if a brave flame had ignited inside her bones. Her eyes moved on their own toward a book on an empty shelf.

Suddenly, it felt like a golden chain of light wrapped around her arms, binding the book to her. Slowly, she began to distinguish voices in the deepest corners of her mind.

They were calling her name.

After that, she could only think of one thing: reading the book. It was as if she were under a hex, one strong enough to deprive her of all other thought.

But it didn’t feel harmful. Quite the opposite. She felt her consciousness become clearer than ever before, her thoughts sharper and lighter.

As the chains that bound her to the book brought them together, she felt a powerful urge to open it and enter its world.

As her marble skin glided across the leather cover, it brushed the dust away so the title could come to life. No, it had already been alive all this time.

It was just now awakening from its slumber, as if it had been waiting for a young soul to find the strange book. Or for it to find one.

“The Vessel… of Light?” Her soft lips moved almost on their own, like they had a mind of their own. And as those words were spoken…

Time seemed to stop.

The book slowly started floating, rising above the little princess, and it opened to show Iris its story.

Yet it had a different idea of how to do so.

Soon, Iris found herself in utter darkness.

She blinked a couple of times, not sure what had happened. Had she gone blind?

No, that wasn’t it. She could very much see her hands if she brought them close to her face. Then what was it? Had the lights gone out in the Infinite Library?

That made even less sense. The Infinite Library was lit by the grace of the sun’s rays.

Had the sun exploded?

No, not that either. She wouldn’t be alive if it had. Then what could it be?

As she pondered, a strange sensation washed over her, causing her knees to weaken. It was as if a million eyes were watching her, laughing. But from where?

There was only darkness.

As her feet shook, barely holding their balance, the voices she had heard before returned. This time, she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

That was, until she caught a single word.

“H-Hope?”

Easier said than done. The princess couldn’t even figure out what hope meant in this context. What was it supposed to help her do? And yet, her gut screamed at her to hope.

But how can you hope, if you don’t know what for?

Then again, when has hope ever harmed anyone?

The princess laughed, and her eyes, made of the purest gold, lit up even more. The stars burned brighter than ever before.

Then, the voices became clearer and clearer.

“Hope. Belief. Glory. Command. Destroy.

Praise.”

A giant sword of light flew down from the world above and cracked the ground beneath her. Around it, no shadow dared to draw close. And before it, a being made of pure light appeared, grabbing the sword and raising it into the air.

Iris watched as a beautiful garden was revealed, and the shadows around them were destroyed.

Yet one remained.

One darker than darkness itself. It crawled backward as the light raised its sword against it, ready to take its life.

And then, it was all over.

The princess found herself alone in the beautiful garden, with flowers of all kinds blooming around her, as the sun slowly appeared after the harsh battle.

However, an eerie feeling still lingered.

She knew this garden from somewhere. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

And time was against her. Her eyes slowly began to close as she fell into the world of dreams.

[…]

“So, this is what you came up with?” said a wise old man, his beard so white and so long. “Let me rephrase it. In a world without light, humanity would survive because they would have hope? And they would praise a being made of light?”

The wizard asked, staring at a young girl whose skin was as smooth as marble and as pale as a doll.

Smiling at her teacher, her golden eyes staring back at his, and with the wind brushing through her white hair, Iris happily responded:

“Yes, that’s right!”

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