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Within a rather futuristic looking library there sits over a thousand cybernetic looms, upon each one rests a fabric that was woven with patterns telling a story. Some are faded, tattered and full of holes, a few are flush with very chaotic yet vibrant imagery, while others are covered in scores of cobwebs after having been abandoned by their weavers. A withered husk of a man passes by these many looms and sees one particular pattern that catches his eye.

It is a great lengthy fabric that has been entertaining people for ten years, the imagery tells a tale of spirits, gods and lights. Its colorful style draws him into reading it from the very beginning to the most recent pattern. He looks at a note attached to the loom, a celebration will be held to commemorate the joyous decade of storytelling, artful submissions of all kinds were welcomed. Immediately the man formulates upon the many things he could try to contribute.

An idea finally dawns upon his mind. He laughs maniacally (like all writers do) as he sits down at his typewriter and begins to weave a short story concerning his favorite choice of character, the reader.

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The entire world is covered with a great blue sea, its crests and ripples shine like sapphires in the sun. But this beautiful facade hides a great terror beneath the waves, all the souls of the dead have been stuck within the confines of the depths, unable to enter the afterlife. They flowed like a mighty current within the waters, condemned to never to know peace since The Shattering that happened five thousand years ago.

But cast not your eyes upon these sad spectres, lest you accidentally fall in and join their ever growing, screaming ranks. Instead, direct your focus upon the great game of life in which you are a part of. It is like a great chess game, Cheth on one side and Cheline on the other, thousands of pieces in play all at once. But what are you in this meagerine of islands that make up the world?

A lowly pawn, a commoner of no special significance whatsoever, in another world you'd be referred to as maidenless. But the station of one's birth has no bearing upon what one can achieve in life. You seeked to rise above being more than just another fishmonger, you wanted to be someone of great significance, to make a lasting impact upon the world somehow, to change it for the better in some way. Just where did this motivation to become so important come from?

Love at first sight. It occurred during the early morning hours of a workday, you were coming aboard the fishing vessel and just on the other side of the ship on the dock was a group of chattering friends. One of whom was a stately gentleman which you knew to be Cal, you'd see him around the docks frequently, procuring things for the royal family. Another man was in the group, a tall lanky fellow dressed in the outfit of a Spirefort resident, you didn't catch his name. There were two women in the group, a strong beefy woman from Shieldfort, again the name you didn't catch.

You also weren't paying much attention to the conversation either, you were focused upon the beautiful princess of Sabrefort herself, Phaedra Philemon. You had never seen her this close before, usually the crowds would block your sight whenever the royal family was doing some official business around the islands. Here she was, right on the docks, having a conversation with her friends. Phaedras’ smile was more radiant than a thousand sunrises and sunsets, her laughter made your heart flutter. It was at this precise moment that you knew you wanted to settle down, get married and start a family. But what could you do to achieve this?

You were nothing more than a grain of sand compared to the pearl that the princess was. No gift you could ever offer would turn Phaedra’s head, she had everything handed to her on a silver platter. She would never go out with the likes of you anyways, would she? Doubt was a mighty anchor that kept people stuck in the sea of mediocrity, you decided you'd at least try for it is better to have tried and failed rather than having never even bothered and torturing yourself with the what ifs for the rest of your life.

You got Cal’s attention while the others were busy discussing something about boats. You asked what he was doing here in the docks with the princess and the others, to which he replied that they were planning a little trip before her official coronation. Of course he asked you to keep such a trip a secret, you agreed on the condition that you'd be brought along. Cal accepted and told you where and when to be available before informing the others of an extra guest for the trip.

Before you could speak to the others, the captain of the fishing vessel finally showed up and shoved off, taking you and the crew off for a long day at work of catching fish, hopefully before any sea ghosts would scare them off. But the day would pass quickly for you had something worthwhile to look forward to, a chance to be near princess Phaedra…

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And with the short story done, the withered husk finished typing and correcting his work before adding it onto the massive submission pile.

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