The Statue's Innards

-Back on the Isle-

--Sky's Perspective--

"Just a little further!" I reached for the door's handle, but my fingertips could barely scrape the edge of it.

"How about you grow a little taller, you short scrawny boy!" Carl yelled up to me.

We all had gotten on top of one another's shoulders to reach the door to the statue, but I was too short. We were leaning against the tall dirt wall against the cliff, which made it even easier, but that still didn't help me grow.

"Dani! Throw the axe up here!" I yelled down to her, but she went back to scolding me.

"Are you insane?! What if I hit you?!" I sighed in agitation. She had so many 'what if' scenarios in her head, was she even living life?

"Just do it! You won't hit anybody!" I yelled out to her. She mimicked my sigh and used both of her hands to throw the axe up to me. Handle first, I gripped the leather-wrapped along the handle and got a perfect hold on it. Then, I used the axe's curved blade to tilt the doorknob and pull the door open.

"Ha! I got it! The short man got it!" I yelled out, pushing my body up on the edge of the doorframe and climbing inside. The room was dark, but the shine from my white stone seemed to activate lights all around the room. To my surprise, the door quickly closed behind me.

"Uh… I'm sorry for trespassing?" I turned to look at the rest of the room, but all I could see was a single pedestal with a piece of paper, fading in quality, pinned to the top. I slowly approached, assuming it would be a trap, but nothing happened. I looked at the paper, reading the words closely…

"Dear White Stone,

I'm aware things are confusing right now, but you need not worry, this room was specially made for you and you alone. Nobody else can enter except for the White Stone, so take these words and keep them to yourself, for the group's good.

I used to be just like you, a confused man with no sight of what to do. What's important is finding a way to make a living and being with your friends. You may not have them for long, but in the case that you do, you wouldn't regret it down the line.

Now you're probably wondering, is that all there is to this note? Well, the answer is… no. I must tell you about the outside world that you may get to in due time with hard work. There are pictures attached behind this parchment that you may look at. Please leave them for the white stone after you, but do not forget what you see.

Now, enough stalling. Let's get to the point. You are a White Stone. You may have noticed you are the only one with this abnormality on the back of your hand, but that's okay. That's the sign of the Leader. The Ultimate Ruler. You have charisma and capabilities unmatched by any other Arkian, and you must utilize them. But take care now White Stone, make sure you do not corrupt your system.

If your system corrupts, I will come there and personally end your life.

Best Regards,

G. Asterio"

I fell to the ground and my heart rate began to pick up. What was that?! Why were they so adamant about making sure my System didn't corrupt? I began to break down everything they told me in the letter before looking at the pictures themselves.

Nobody else could enter this statue if they didn't have a White Stone, meaning I have some sort of special authority over this structure like they later reinforced by calling me a leader. Next, they began to talk about making a living and being with my friends.

That message alone felt oddly threatening, like something bad would happen if I didn't stick with them. What were his motives in wording the letter like this? It sounded so condescending, yet informative. I disliked thinking about my friends leaving so soon, so I would just have to spend more time with them. Is that all he requires?

He stalled a lot in the note as if he wanted to save the blunt hit for the end. He teased something to me… 'the outside world', I could only wonder if this was under the pond we saw in the forest. What was he referring to? I guess I would find out under the paper when I looked at the pictures, but there was just one more thing I had to think about.

The White Stone. This mark, or key, or whatever it may be, means I'm an 'Ultimate Ruler', or something. I have shown no traits of being capable enough to lead, and by any standard, who said all White Stones are the same?

As that thought slipped past my mind's gates, I began to understand something. I'm downplaying my capabilities because I don't feel qualified enough to assume the position of a leader. When I look at Ullr, Domin, or Carl, I just couldn't compete in any section. I wasn't strong, I wasn't smart, and I didn't have any good ideas, so seeing this note made me feel like I'm not the real White Stone that this writer makes me out to be. And to top it all off, it seems like if I want to stay alive, I must be sure that my system doesn't corrupt. I have no idea what that means, I have no idea how to avoid that, and I have no idea what I'm doing.

That being said… let's make this worse. I pushed my body back onto my trembling feet and lifted the paper, pulling out the pictures outlined in white paper and began to look into them. I could see a distinct figure in the first one, outlined with a brown cloak, I had no idea who that was supposed to be, but next to him was a man with white hair and brown eyes, making something appear in his hand. It looked like strands of hair in his palm.

In the next picture over, I could see some sort of city, with buildings, people, and lights all over. It was taken on the peak of a mountain, from what I could make out. Is this teasing some sort of civilization that I can make it to? Is it wrong to want to make it there, no matter what it might cost me?

The third, and final picture, was one with four people, all with their left hands held against their chests. On the back of their hands stood five respective White Stones. This had just opened up a whole new world to me. Just like me, there were other White Stones?!

I guess I could have inferred this fact but seeing them in person startled me. The one on the far left was the same as the first picture I could see. Next to him was a man with short hair and blue eyes with gauntlets on his body. Going further down the line, the next had grey hair and green eyes, then brown hair and brown eyes, like Carl. I turned the photo over and could see their names behind their stances on the other side. I caught the names Zeal, Xian, Elo, and Demos. Such unique names… I wasn't even sure how to pronounce the second one.

On the same topic… what in the world was my name?

[System Alert: User Registered as Sky]

There the words were again; it was like it interrupted my process of thinking when I had questions about the world around me… but this time it included my name in the list. Can you hear me, whoever you are?