The Black Pages

The world is dark; the sound of pages flicking is the only thing I am able to hear. The sound gets louder and louder. Suddenly it stops and it’s like I’m standing in a black void, speechless. What was happening? The only thing I could remember was sitting at my favorite library and opening a black paged book.

The book was beautiful; one I had never seen before. Not even the bookkeeper had seen it before. The hard cover was white with a gold inlay and a green gemstone in the center; the pages were black with gold edges. There were no words on the back of the book and now, I’m lost in the voided black pages.

A voice appears, it’s deep and raspy, “Hello, Ayla, it’s good to finally meet you.” I looked around and felt nothing but fear. Where was this voice coming from? How did it know my name? I tried to speak but nothing came out of my mouth, no sound, no air. The voice spoke again, “You may be wondering where you are, but we will get to that soon. For now, have a seat and listen.” A chair appeared and I was forced into it. The air felt suffocating. What did this voice want with me?

“You may call me Eclipse. I’m the ruler of this realm and I have been patiently waiting for you to open me for nearly two thousand years.” TWO THOUSAND YEARS?! I’ve only been alive for a little over five hundred years. “I’m sure you have many questions, but the only thing you need to know is that what you do with this book will determine how your presence affects the world.

How my presence affects the world… An outline of a massive dragon appeared and then its eyes opened, shining bright like a green emerald. He flapped his wings so hard a massive gush of wind hit me, forcing my eyes closed. When I opened them again, I was in disbelief. I was surrounded by beautiful flowers, sitting in a chair in the middle of a meadow. A meadow that seemed familiar. “Do you know where we are, Ayla?” I looked harder and my eyes widened when I realized it, we were back home, in the ‘Forest of Peridot’.

I tried to answer him, but I still had no voice. “This is your home, is it not? Look at how peaceful, how beautiful it is.” What was his point in showing me this? I nodded slowly, looking up at him for guidance. “What you do next will determine if your world stays this beautiful and peaceful.” It took a moment and then my heart started pounding. Was he telling me that peace is upon my shoulders?

“You are starting to understand, aren’t you my young adventurer? The world is dependent on you and your power. You hold the answers to world peace and it’s up to you to figure out what the questions to those answers are.” I pushed myself, forcing my voice to come out. It felt as if someone was taking a knife, stabbing the inside of my throat slowly, “W-what if I don’t know? W-what will happen if I can’t figure it out?” I blurt out while coughing up blood.

Eclipse looked surprised at me unexpectedly speaking. “You're stronger than I thought, but since you asked me, I will show you.” The meadow disappeared in a blink of an eye, and the sky was red, filled with dragons, fire and lava everywhere, dead bodies overflowing the soil. The forest burnt to a crip and my kind, the elves, were in shackles. The next thing I saw was Eclipse standing on top of a mountain staring down at me with a smirk on his face. He chose me.

With another blink of an eye the meadow was back, “There you go, there is a glimpse of what the future holds if you fail. If you allow me to win.” I felt my face heat up, anger filling my body. I stood up from the chair, fighting Eclipse’s force, and my eyes turned white and glowed. “You will not destroy my home, you will not enslave my people, and furthermore, you will not win.” I spoke out.

Eclipse laughed and flapped his wings again. “Show me your power, Young Ayla!” I could feel a newfound power exploding through me, ripping my muscles apart at the same rate they repair themselves. My staff appears and goes from a normal intertwined staff to a giant one with crystals circling it, “I’ll leash you and show you the strength of a Galatwin.”

I jump forward, calling forth the power from the forest, he runs and even though it looks like he’s about to attack he stops, leaning his neck down and whispers, “Now that’s the power I look forward to seeing one day. Remember this day Ayla and I hope you become victorious in the end.” He wanted me to be victorious? Why? Wouldn’t he want to defeat me and be in charge like the image showed me? I stood there confused, trying to find answers but nothing was coming to me.

Just then the world crumbled, Eclipse disappeared and the room went dark again. The sound of pages flicking appears but faster this time and a slam echoes. I open my eyes and I’m sitting at the desk I started at with the white book sitting shut in front of me. I looked around and there was no one else there, the place was dark, closed in fact. All I could hear was the faint sound of someone calling my name, “Ayla!” I blink and get up, walking away from the food for a moment before turning towards it, wondering if I should take it or not. I quickly walk back and grab it, putting it in my bag and sneak out of the shutdown library where I’d never return to again. “I need to become more powerful, to fulfill my destiny.