《Memory Promenade: The Lost Girl》
The Task At Hand
Nothing made sense in the world, and it didn''t have to be.
Nicole thought of this while she sat on the edge of the balcony, unafraid she might fall to a pitiful end. Her mind was too far away from reality as she stared at the endless sea of forest green. The natural scenic view of the dense forest was beautiful if not breathtaking, but Nicole''s mind was too occupied by something else.
With a deep intake of air, she slowly closed her eyes, trying to enter a meditative state. She could feel the gentle cool breeze of the wind blowing past her, causing small goosebumps to appear on her arm. She could hear melodic rustling sound from the sea of trees as they moved in unison.
She cleared her mind, drifting to the depths of her unconsciousness mind.
In the endless void of pitch black, she stood courageously in front of a glowing golden door. Warmth and a sense of homeyness radiated off of it, but the door was shackled by long chains of silver. A large jeweled lock was centered, as if mocking her.
She had no key to unlock this door. She had a fleeting sense her memories and emotions lay behind this door, but not all were sealed away. It would be impossible to chain and shackle the very bits that were the representation of her.
Her resolution was made clear in this very moment, and it was to unlock this door no matter what. With that in mind, she turned her heels away from the door without glancing back.
Her eyes fluttered open, the uneasiness and weight that was on her shoulders earlier had been slightly lifted. The fogginess of her mind and body had cleared up dramatically than before. She gave a small relieved smile, but knew she still had a long way ahead of her.
Nicole took out the slip of paper from under her thigh. It was her second time reading it again, her first time was when she had woken up. It was a letter containing vital hints to unlocking the door. All she had to do was use that information and find it.
To: Nicole
I know you may be confused by the time you read this letter. Forgive me for doing something so rash. If you''re wondering about your memories or emotions, they had been suppressed and locked away in the deepest part of your unconscious and conscious mind. This does not mean you don''t have access to it, but it means it''s harder and almost nearly impossible. In some cases, you may simultaneously experience some flashes of emotions, and fragments of your memory. Scientifically it does not make sense, but in a world where magic exists a strong seal had been cast on you. However, there are flaws that you will eventually discover as you continuously grow. I cannot tell you the reason why I had to seal your memories or emotions, but I can tell you that we had come to a consensus before your arrival in this world. You had agreed to participate in my plan, under your conditions benefited to your survival and advantage in the best efficiency and quality of my task. You made three simple requests, which I had reviewed and agreed.
1.Grants similar mechanism and functions of a game called [Praegressus] from your previous world.
2.Retained everything from [Praegressus] if it is under your ownership.
2.Grants special spatial skills [Universal Language Acquisition] [Teleportation]. Anything under your ownership shall receive the same benefits.
With these requests you made, I had also taken four things away from you. Good things do not come without a price. You have already agreed to this, and if you were to breach this contract, there will be a termination with your requests and face the consequences worse than death itself. I remind you to take this to heart and be cautious.
1.You are to never act against, rebel, or assault me. You agree to give me your absolute obedience.
2.You are to keep my existence a secret from this world''s people. However you are allowed to tell anyone who is not from this world. This does not include other deities and other gods.
3.I am allowed to freely erase and rewrite your memories and emotions when needed. This should not be often, unless needed for progression.
4.I''ve taken your right to pass on to the afterlife and made you a placeholder and overseer in this world. This does not mean you cannot die from disease, assault, or anything besides old age.
Please reread these conditions until you have it embedded into your mind. They may seem like a small price for a great advantage, but understand that you cannot back out now. Besides the contract, you have also agreed to partake in a project called [The Little Lamb] where you are to
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1.Establish your own empire.
2.Regulate your empire.
3.Conquer the world, and unite it under your jurisdiction.
Until you complete project [The Little Lamb] only then will I contact you again.
-S
Nicole gave a small sigh tucking the letter back into her inventory. She realized she had made a grave mistake. She cursed her old self to be so gullible and power hungry. Her greed and vanity had were taken advantage of by someone who she couldn''t even remember.
She was a different person now that most of her memories, emotions, and personality had been sealed away. She thought more logically and her morals had changed, if that even made any sense.
What was I thinking before, getting into this mess? I can''t change what already occurred...
She thought about this for a moment, as her mind started to drift to the game the letter mentioned.
Praegressus was a game she played back in her other world. Nicole understood she might have had some meaningful connection with this game, but any memories of enjoyment or sadness was somehow blocked from it. The concept of ''game'' she understood perfectly, and the mechanics itself, but the meaningful memories she gained from Praegressus was blocked out.
The people or friends she met in the game, they were incomprehensible and indecipherable. They were fuzzy and blurry; their voices muffled out as if she lost all of her five senses when she tried to remember them.
Nicole felt a subtle amount of frustration slowly crawling out of her. But in this circumstance, it should have been a massive one enough to cause a tantrum. However it didn''t come but deflated.
I could feel my frustration being buffered by something.
"Master, I had a feeling you''ve awoken." A demon that resembled a twenty year old man greeted, while giving a curt bow.
Nicole had been so lost in thought, she couldn''t even sense his presence. Strangely she wasn''t started when she saw a familiar face. It was the same character from [Praegressus].
"I awoken a few thirty minutes ago. I was just meditating to clear up my head, Nico" she said making way to her vanity.
It''s weird that I can comfortably assess this situation. It feels too artificial for me, but I act as if this was a normal thing.
Nicole couldn''t help but think it was too fluid and natural. She should have been shocked or scared, but her sympathetic nervous system did not trigger her fight or flight situation.
"I apologize. I thought you would have liked some time alone after your awakening," he said.
"No need to apologize. And what do you mean awakening?" She asked while brushing her long ebony hair.
Awakening? Does he mean the in game NPCs have developed some sort of conscious personality? The letter did mention about all of my possessions would transfer into this world. That would somehow nullify the strings of codes controlling them.
From the corner of the mirror, she could see Nico with his long blonde hair tied and kept to the side. His black ebony colored horns resembling that of a ram, poked out of his gleaming blonde hair with golden engravings. She could see his icy cold blue eyes looking at her reflection from the mirror.
"Before you awakened from your slumber, all the servants had simultaneously awakened with their own sense of consciousness. At first we were confused, but we decided to ignore it and continue with the tasks we were given at hand."
"I see," Nicole replied.
I expected as much...
"Nico I have a task for you."
"I shall hear and obey," he replied, giving a small bow.
"Gather all the servants and staff in the throne room for a grand meeting within ten minutes," she ordered.
With a small bow in acknowledgment, he vanished in thin air leaving a quick smoke of fading black and grey.
Left alone, Nicole stared at her own reflection. She looked like a lost girl, with no sense of direction in this world, just a purpose she was tasked with. If Nicole herself could fully pity, she would pity herself until she could no longer find pity in herself.
Her dark eyes resembled an endless future of hardships, sacrifices, and never-ending confusion. But then again, nothing made sense in the world and it didn''t have to be, because she was going to make sense into it.
2. Future Pillars
Author''s Note: Thank you guys for reading! I really do enjoy writing this kind of fiction, even if it doesn''t seem original. This is a first in writing a fiction and posting it on royal road. Usually, I would rather read many great fictions on Royal Road from the sidelines, but I decide to try and write my own. It''s a new and exciting experience, with lots of room for growth and improvement. I like to apologize in advance if I made any sort of grammar mistake or spelling mistake. These tend to happen when.
"Ahh! I''m so nervous!" One of the lower butlers exclaimed rather dramatically.
"There is never a big meeting with our Master before. I don''t know what to say to or act when she arrives!" another said.
Many servants chatted among their peers, some were anxious and some were excited.
"Maybe it has something to do with our awakening?" one of the maids named Claire suggested. It was the most reasonable proposal, and somewhat obvious since there would be nothing else to direct with their Master''s sudden request.
Claire held a bubbly and curious personality, but she was unable to fully express it until now. After the awakening, it seemed everyone was able to freely move around and express themselves like they never had before. The pain of having their movements wired to a set of commands and a sense of conformity were washed away.
A sense of fear and confusion washed over them at first but gradually changed into excitement and joy.
Claire gently smiled at her fellow peers who were happily chatting among their group. Each member was now able to express their own individuality and talk about things they were unable to do before. A sense of pure happiness emerged from her chest, as she felt her smile grow genuinely wider.
I hope this new found freedom would last....
It was a silent and earnest wish of hers. Unknowingly, everyone had the same thought too.
"Everyone please line up. It''s unfitting for us servants to crowd ourselves like a pack of social animals, when our Master is arriving," Ashlyn, the head maid said.
Like a cold bucket of water being poured down upon them, the group quickly dissipated.
Ashlyn stood on the side watching everyone line themselves up in a uniform fashion. Her molten golden eyes gave a quick glare to anyone who dared to be out of place.
The butlers lined themselves on the left side of the throne room, while the maids were on the right side.
The doors opened revealing their Master with Nico by her side. As a sign of respect, the servants made a deep bow, unwavering before Nicole made it up to her throne.
"You may rise," she said.
They lifted their heads, their prior expressions reverted back to their rigid expressions. It was an unconditioned response to hide any form of emotions when they were in the presence of their Master. It was a sign of strength and resolute loyalty towards their Master. Even Claire''s soft expression had slightly tightened. She swallowed deeply as she stared at her Master.
Other than feeling intimidated and tensed, her dark eyes held such intensity as if you stared too long she would know and condemn you for all of your sins. Claire felt a shiver run down her back as goosebumps formed on her arms. At the same time, Claire couldn''t help but admire her Master''s ethereal beauty, enough to put everyone in a small trance-like state.
"I''d like to get straight to the point, that everyone in this room somehow developed your own consciousness. This means making simple decisions without any specific strings of commands, your ability to fully interpret and analyze information, making use of that information, and they underlying fact that you are what I consider as a free individual with your own rights," Nicole said, effortlessly relaying her knowledge to her servants.
"That is correct Master," Ashlyn replied.
"I see. If so, then I don''t feel the need to unreasonably force any of you to do something you do not particularly like. I should settle this matter quickly and move on to the main discussion." Nico''s face remained passive, while the others displayed a subtle amount of confusion.
Nico spoke up on behalf of the servants, "What do you suggest Master?"
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"It''s very simple actually," Nicole said. "I ask all of you to treat each other equally, this also includes me. If any of you feel uncomfortable in any type of situation regarding any matter, I''d urge all of you to speak your mind and confront me of any problems you may have," she explained standing from her seat.
"Also I''d like to place in some simple ground rules in order to regulate a healthy and safe environment that everyone can enjoy."
- Violence is not allowed within my premise, unless necessary.
- You must always tell the truth and be honest. This only applies when you talk to me, other than that you are able to freely lie to anyone else.
- At all times, you are to keep your powers in check and your true forms concealed, unless you have permission from me.
"I hope these rules aren''t too restricting, but they are necessary. Some may be flawed but we can easily change it and reshape it in the near future. For now, I like to request that everyone here treat me as one of their comrades. You do not have to recognize me as your Master, but I do ask for all of your help to help me fulfill something I''ve been tasked with. So please relax, as I''ll be under your care," as Nicole said this, she gave a gracious bow.
The throne room fell into a complete silence as if it weren''t already. Many servants before her fell into a great shock seeing their Master bow before them, but a sense of relief had washed over them.
Claire being the bravest and the most accepting spoke up, "We shall serve you to the very end, Master." She gave a bright smile, that could win the hearts of many.
"Thank you, Claire. I really appreciate it," Nicole replied, giving a fixed smile.
"Forgive me if my smile seems unnatural. Most of my memories and emotions have been forcibly sealed away by someone I have yet to remember. Because of that, I may have some trouble expressing or actually feeling something that is normally acceptable in any type of intercourse. Therefore, I like to request again for everyone to help support me in conquering and uniting this world, in order to regain the aspects that make up myself back," she said.
Claire gave a wide and radiant smile that could even rival the sun. "Of course Master! You can count on us."
To Claire, who had a better understanding of her Master''s situation, she felt a wave of sympathy for her. She was a lost lamb with no sense of direction, wandering in the vast plains of the grassland with the only purpose of finding its missing mother. Understanding that pitying her will not help, instead only cause more pain and inconvenience for Nicole to shoulder. Instead, she needed support from someone who will be there in dire times when her emotional and physical state was the lowest.
Realizing this, she felt a surge of responsibility emerge from her.
"Master, there is no need to worry." She motioned the other servants to follow. "We will definitely support you to the best of our abilities. So please rely on us too and let us shoulder some of your burdens, even if it is just a sliver of it. We will be the future pillars that will support you to the very end!"
With that, she ended her small but heartfelt edict. The whole room erupted with words of agreement and sincere promises from each and everyone one of the servants.
Nicole''s eyes slightly widen in shock, her mouth unable to utter any words. Mere words would not be able to describe what she was feeling in this moment. However, she felt a sharp tingly warm sensation that flashed across her heart. Her hand had unconsciously placed over to where the sensation had been. It was a fleeting feeling, but it was enough to cause something to slip out within her. Behind her eyes, she saw a small streak of a warm and fuzzy orange light slip by.
Unknownst to her, Nicole''s dark eyes looked glossier with a slight amount of wetness gathering in the very corners of her eyes. A very faint smile emerged from her lips, but nonetheless a genuine smile.
Everyone paused to see such miraculous spectacle otherwise, they would surely never see it again. Before they knew it everyone had a smile on their face even the usually passive faced Nico and stern Ashlyn. To move such stone-hearted characters, with a small unprecedented action was truly amazing.
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