Chapter 404: Akashic Scribe

Belladonna’s consciousness retreated deep within herself, as she entered her very own mindscape. Or perhaps, it was her soulscape. It was hard to tell, she had not spent much time in either one, and she was not entirely sure if there was much of a difference or even if there was still such a thing as a soul to begin with.

But whether it was a realm within her mind, her soul or a strange esoteric mixture of them both, Belladonna found herself in a pure white void of almost absolute emptiness.

She tried her best not to take personal offence to that notion, if it indeed was supposed to accurately represent her mind.

The reason that it was a void of almost absolute emptiness, was because of the doors. Three of them to be specific.

The door to her left was built from a blackened, charred wood with trickles of blood seeping through the grain of the wood, as if the room behind was filled to the brim with it.

Of course there was no room, the door was free standing, and yet the blood seeped. It trickled down the door, stopping against the thick, heavy chains that the door was wrapped in, with multiple padlocks keeping those chains firmly in place.

A measure that was needed, as they rattled endlessly, filling the void with the hellish and insistent noise as whatever was behind the door constantly threw itself against it, desperate to get out.

The door to her right was the exact opposite. It was the measure of peace and tranquillity, as it was pure white and seemed to be shrouded by a heavy mist, or perhaps it was built entirely from that fog. It was hard to tell, as it was hard to focus on the door at all.

It’s features and its dimensions, they were difficult to remember or even quantify, as her concentration kept slipping and she found her attention drifting before she snapped back to it as soon as her eyes left the door. Leaving Belladonna helpless to look at the door, other than out of the corner of her eye.

Yet despite its tranquil nature, and the violent beast trapped behind the black door, Belladonna couldn’t help but fear what was held behind the white door even more.

It was like comparing the threat of a snarling, feral dog on a chain and a hydrogen bomb that seemed dormant, except for the subtle ticking that told you it could go off any second, if it ever went off at all.

Behind her, the third door was rather simplistic compared to the other two. It was a plain wooden door, Mahogany to be specific, that had the runic logo of Dawd painted onto it.

From this one she could feel the connection to the ’real’ world, and the tether that it had to her other body. No doubt that if she chose to step through this door, she would end up as Valerie once again.

With these three doors at her cardinal directions, East, West and South, Belladonna focused on the North of the void, and at the screen that filled the infinite white sky.

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[Akashic Scribe :- Your desire and endless pursuit for knowledge has been noticed by the Gods, as has the power you have acquired. As reward for your pursuit, you have been given the greatest gift of any mage.

Your mind and the knowledge it contains, even that which has been lost even to yourself.

No longer will your knowledge be shrouded by time. No longer can what you spent countless years studying slip from your mind on a faultless whim.

You have a desire for knowledge, and now it shall never escape you. For the Scribe will record all.]

[Please Designate a form for the Akashic Scribe]

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Belladonna read over the giant words, and before she could even properly digest the words in front of her, the void responded to her subconscious thoughts. With a flash of a pale blue light, her Akashic Scribe took physical form.

Belladonna blinked softly, strutting around the Scribe slowly as she looked over it with a complicated expression.

What sat before her now was the desk that she had at home, her old gaming chair that she had neglected when she got the ultra comfy Dawd chair, and a holo computer - which was just a small cube that sat neatly upon the desk, right in the middle.

Slipping into the chair, the holographic display flickered to life, showing Belladonna various lists and categories of knowledge, from magical textbooks to literary novels that she had once read and even random trivia from old TV shows she had learned when she was bored.

This was... everything she knew. Literally, it was everything she had ever learned or memorised some point in her life, and even some stuff she hadn’t meant to memorise. This was what the Scribe was, knowledge at her fingertips.

Not all of the knowledge in existence, that would be broken as all hell and would negate the joy of discovery and understanding. But this was truly the ultimate gift for studying, as she wouldn’t have to spend hours drilling things into her mind to make sure she remembered them.

It was such a sleek and simplistic design. It was robust and easy to access. It was... It was... boring.

I mean seriously? Of all the things she could imagine, even if it was completely subconscious, this was the best she could come up with? A record of all her knowledge and all she could come up with was a Belladonna Wiki?

How boring was that?!

No no, this would not do. This would not do at all.

The miserable computer and the bland, uninspired desk upon which it sat exploded into dust as Belladonna shot to her feet.

She whipped around, grabbing the chair by its stupid, and unnecessary backrest holes before launching it into the stratosphere for all of its crimes against comfort and practicality. Watching that chair disappear like a rocket blasting off, was beyond satisfying.

She turned to the doors, rubbing her hands together in anticipation for what she was going to create.

Glancing between the doors, like she had just gotten the old band back together, Belladonna smiled widely.

"Alright guys, Let’s make something we can all enjoy, shall we?"

Belladonna took a single step forward, lifting her foot high into the air and slamming it down, cracking the pure white floor of the infinite void. It cracked and crumbled, falling in a widening cascade to reveal the beautiful, natural wooden flooring hidden beneath.