𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐊𝐄𝐘 ;; 𝓈𝓁𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈

.*•.¸♡ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 ♡¸.•*.

ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ʟᴏꜱᴛ. Do you truly know yourself? Maybe you don't, but that isn't a bad thing. You can start to learn. After all, you feel protected by something Other. Loved by something Other. Something Other will always help you learn about yourself.

Someone approaches you. He looks familiar with his bird-like structure, but you can't remember him no matter how hard you try.

???: Something has returned to the Long Quiet. It has surrendered its path of annihilation and brings me the gift of a fragile vessel.

You don't know who is talking. In one way, it sounds like you are with other voices. In another way, it sounds so unlike you that you couldn't possibly be the one talking. Yet, it feels so much like you, the comfort in the voice belonging to only something yourself can bring.

???: I remember you. Do you remember me?

You can't remember if you've met him before.

???: I'll take that as a no. This is rare, but that's okay. I can be the one answering questions now.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: I am the Long Quiet. If you don't remember yourself, you are the Shifting Mound.

Vague memories piece themselves together in your mind. You understand everything, yet understand so little.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: You act differently than I remember. Do you remember what you are?

You're sure someone has asked you a question similar to that before. You can't remember if you answered that question before, but it doesn't matter now; you can't think of an answer now. But you are not alone now. Another one can answer for you.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: I'm solitary lights in an empty city. What are you?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: It's a good thing you remember that part. I'm a person. Can I guess that you're going to say that I'm more like you than a person?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: We're more alike than we initially seem.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: You told me that a lot. You still do.

You don't remember ever meeting him before. Perhaps another one does, but no one answers. It seems none of you do.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: This vessel... Is it doing you well?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: This vessel knows who she is, but at the same time, she does not. Perhaps she never knew, and was only tricking herself into thinking so. She will make for a knowledgeable heart. Do not mourn her—for she will feel the most comfortable now.

Your memories are fuzzy to make sense of anything. The only thing you know is that you have questions you need answered. You pull yourself together and ask what you need to.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: Has the world ended?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: Now you're the one asking me that? You really are different from the times before. Anyway, the world didn't end. It can't, if we're talking like this.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: May I ask if you know the Narrator?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: The...Narrator? No, I don't think I know someone like that. I've only ever known you. No one else can or would ever come here.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: Are you the reason I was sent to save the Hero?

You feel like you are being told that is wrong. Not that you're assuming wrong, no; the way you said "I" is wrong. It is not only you. It is multiple, yet none at all. "I" is too small and too exclusive of a word to truly describe it all.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: I'm not the reason. I'll tell you now before you can ask: I don't know what why you were sent to save the Hero. Save me, in a way. But I'm not the Hero, but I think the Hero is me.

You have one final question. This one is the most important to you.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: Am I the princess?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: I asked you that when we first met. You said that the princess was a part of you, and you were a part of her.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: If that's all you have to ask, can I ask you something? This is different from before, and I know you don't seem to remember a lot, but do you know what happens now?

To be the one that knows the answer to a question. It is something that can easily be taken for granted. You don't realize it until now.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: Nothing, as we are. But I know that there are worlds beyond us, and that we are meant to reach them.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: There is no exit, but this vessel is a creature of observation. She sees more than you could ever know, and she'll only let you in on that knowledge if you believe her to be able to.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: So, it's similar to what we did the first time around. I'll go bring you more vessels, okay?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: That would be nice. More perspectives may make me whole, and perhaps then, we will know our freedom.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: You still don't know how many I need to find, do you?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: No. I am infinite. You cannot possibly find all of me. The ones you do not will find their way home.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: Alright. I'll go look. It has been nice talking to you again.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: Wait.

Was that you who stopped him, or was that another one? Confusion is something that wraps your mind. How well you think you'll get along with it, you don't know.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃: How much of this will I forget?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: Ahh, that...

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓: I don't know. This is the first time you forgot about meeting me. I guess we'll just have to see. Until we meet again.

Everything goes dark.

- - - -

"𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎," 𝙸 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝙷𝚎𝚢, 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 (𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙰/𝙽): 𝟿𝟹𝟼