Papercut

For a moment, a voice was heard by Amelia, awakening in an unusual place. She looked around where she was, it was all so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time; as if she had been there before, maybe at a different time.

She found herself standing on top of a hard wood-like surface and, in the distance, could see rows of bookshelves that looked like they extended forever, much bigger than Amelia herself. In terms of size, she was an insect compared to the bookshelves. Even the surface she was standing on seemed impossibly large, like an island almost.

A flutter from her wings, but nothing came of it; she couldn't seem to fly or use her hybrid abilities. She called to Xenatra, who as well stopped responding. Amelia felt empty as if she was missing something. "Am I dead?" She thought.

And so, Amelia began to walk forward, not sure of the direction nor destination, but she walked anyways in hopes of finding something or someone that could tell her where she was. Not before long, she heard the voice again, it sounded like muttering coming from ahead of her and she could see a small light in the distance.

In a hurry, she broke into a sprint at the light and as she got closer she could see the light get larger and brighter. The area near the light became clear and more vivid; it looked like a large door, many more times larger than Amelia like the bookshelves. Many would think a door that size would be impossible to push, but out of instinct, Amelia tried anyways.

The door seemed to be very easy to move and, so she pushed it on and on. After letting go, the door continued to gracefully swing open revealing a warmly lit room. Amelia walked in, the sizes of everything became relative to her before she had noticed. The door and the chair, along with other garments inside of the room, but to her side, Amelia heard a voice calling to her.

"So you've arrived my little one. Come, sit."

There was a very attractive man sitting in a chair, just a few meters away from the entrance of the room pointing to the chair across from him.

Remembering what was happening, she shook her head in refusal, "no wait, what's going on?" She asked.

The man shook his head as well, and pointed to a chair, implying he would not answer her questions until she sat down. With nervousness, she sat in the chair across the room. The entire engagement felt very surreal, like a dream of sorts.

"So, who are you?" She asked.

Interlocking his fingers, and placing his chin on top of them he responded. "A name. What are names really, but ways to distinguish diffrent pieces of matter, it's all part of the same thing, just spread out and divided into groups. To most, I don't have such a thing, but I have been called 'Father' by some so do that if you must. Do you know why you are here, Amelia?"

Her face scrunched, "My name," she started, "how do you know who I am?!" Out of nowhere, Amelia began to get hostile out of instinct. She wasn't doing it intentionally, but she was very anxious to get back home, and the stranger seemed as calm as cold steel.

"It would only make sense that I know you." Father answered, "I made you. I made everything you know."

Amelia shook her head in denial; to her, it didn't make sense. Her father had died long ago and Amelia already knew who her mother was. There was no way this man could have created her, right? "You're lying," she said, "my dad died long ago!"

Amelia was convinced this was another evil hybrid of sorts, so she was easy on edge, along with the fact he was claiming to have made her.

"Please, sit. " He asked again.

"It seems we reached a misunderstanding...I am not your biological father, I created your world and everything in it."

Was he one of three deities, Amelia thought? It was impossible, all of them were back in Fortitudo. Along with the rest of the council of Fortitudo, so it didn't make sense to her. Who was this man?

"Earlier I asked if you knew where you were, but you had no answer correct?" He asked. Amelia shook her head in agreement. .

He snapped his fingers and the geometry of the room began to shift and change, the barriers became endless rows of bookshelves, as did the floors. "Dara," he called, as one of the books from the shelves flew to his grasp.

"Your world is nothing more than a story I created, It was something of a trial I put you through. These books, this book in particular," he stated as he opened the book in his hands, "contained your world, however the page your world was on has been damaged; it's been ripped out of the book. It intrigued me that something of mine was able to tear such durable pages, which makes the story of man one of my most interesting tales."

Amelia was beginning to grow pale, she was on the verge of an existential crisis. "Wha...um w-what do you mean by that?!" She asked anxiously.

The man waved his hand as the book in his hand flipped to another page, he held it facing Amelia so she could see. It looked like a mirror into another world that looked very much different than what she was used to. Machines ruled instead of humans.

The page turned again. The next page showed a world where demons took over their entire world, torturing people and conquering planets. Even without her powers, Amelia could still sense the sorrow and misery of the people in that world; those were real people with real feelings, families, and lives.

The Page turned again. A world where Amelia was never born appeared. The Page turned again. A world where the first hybrid never got shocked by lightning was shown.

"Where's my page? My world?!" She asked.

The book turned to a section of itself, where it looked as if one page had been ripped out.

"After it had crumpled," he answered, "your world ceased to be. Everything in it should have been crumpled back into the blankness I created it from. Your body however was too sturdy to be crushed and so, in the center of all the madness, you became the world justly. Like a gift box, you were wrapped in the page and since it can't crush you, it simply just enveloped you as if it were paper."

Standing out of her chair, Amelia fell to her knees and slowly started to sob tears of misery. She had failed Omnidea and everyone she promised herself to save.

The man continued, "This library that we're in, My Library, is where I offer you a second opportunity of sorts. The point of this test initially was to see how you, my main character, would evolve over time into something more, a beautiful art piece. You know them, Omnidea, Omnidium and Omnideus."

Eyes red and tear stains on her cheeks, Amelia looked up at him with an angry expression. "A second chance? A test? What am I to you, some sort of toy?!"

The man closed the book, "You aren't anything and you don't actually exist. Without realizing it, I could erase you and create another story with another main character. Amelia Clementine, you only exists in what I say you exist in. In your eyes, everything you know and love is reality to you, but what I perceive is far different, you're world is nothing but a fable and you are nothing but a plot device."

Was this what her purpose was? Is this why Amelia existed, she thought? To just be a story to be done with and thrown away at a whim seemed impossible for her to believe, but it was her new reality, it was her actual reality and real purpose. Nothing she knew was more than a story written by a man, her creator; Father.

"Is this hell...?" She muttered.

Father stood, walking over to Amelia, helping her stand up. "It's the bridge between realities and ᵀʰᵉ ᴳʳᵉᵃᵗ ᴮᵉʸᵒⁿᵈ. However, since you dislike your current existence, I can give you a new one. You can live here, in The Library as my child as you too create beautiful art for all of ever.'

Amelia looked up at him and then looked at her hands, closing them and then opening them again. She felt lower than she had ever been, finding out that nothing mattered and was nothing. She wanted to never have learned this, to never had remembered anything; she just wanted to forget it all. To Amelia, ignorance was better than the madness she was ensuing.

"I don't wanna be here." she said. "Take me away, please...I, I just wanna forget it all, I wanna begin again, I want to be happy. I don't want to know what's beyond the pages of the world. Father I beg you..."

Befuddled, Father made a face. He didn't understand how his character could turn down such an opportunity. Still, he decided that this could be the chance for him to start a new story, resculpting Amelia into a new, greater art piece. He held his hand outwards to his side, waiting as a book flew from one of the shelves into his hand delicately. The pages turned and stopped, causing Amelia to look, but this time she couldn't see the world; she couldn't see the mirror into another story this time.

Holding Amelia's hand, he told her, "I will write you a new story, one that will redefine who you are in essence. You will not remember who you are now, nor will you remember your past life and experiences. You are no longer Amelia, you will become my newer better art piece."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes; a world different from the one where she suffered for so long, had so much responsibility then onto her, and lost many loved ones would be forgotten, she could become something new and original. Amelia could potentially have a better existence. "That does sound nice." She said, sniffling more.

"Then I'll make it so." Father responded.

To Amelia, she saw the brightest of lights envelop her, and she felt empty and light. It was as if she were disappearing into nothing, but it was just Father. The light began to fade, as her field of view shrank slowly to a point before hearing the last words she would hear in this life.

"Enjoy your existence, my new art piece. Viola"