Athena frowned, glancing over the texts.
“It’s fantasy?”
“Yes, it’s all fantasy. But if we think about it the other way, you took inspiration from the dreams and everything you saw there was fantasy.”
He continued.
“What I think is…. The Records contain information about everything that happened after the Apocalypse Era.
“They don’t have all information, just the information of the time after Apocalypse era, not from before.”
“How is my novels being fantasy related to the information of the Records?” she questioned.
“If your novels were based on information before the Apocalypse Era, the genre would’ve been realism, urban, war military, teenage romance.
“My point is, the genre couldn’t have been fantasy as no fantasy elements existed in the era before the Apocalypse.” Daniel explained.
“Huh-uh.” She nodded, signaling for him to continue.
“The only realism genre story idea your diary has is this,” he said, pointing at the Euphemia short story scribbled in faded ink.
“What about her?” Athena asked, curiosity mingling with confusion.
“Now, if all information in the Records is from the Apocalypse Era and the eras after, why is Euphemia’s story here? She exists in an era that is thousands of years before the Apocalypse.”
“Maybe that Euphemia story is just a normal idea and not from the Record,” she suggested.
“Maybe you’re right, but for now, let’s just say it is from the Record,” Daniel said. “Now answer my question.
“Why is Euphemia’s information present in the Record even though it shouldn’t be there? What makes her unique?”
“Because she is a Child of Mana…?”
Her tone was filled with uncertainty.
“Yes! And what’s different about Children of Mana?” Daniel pressed.
“We can access Records?”
“Exactly!”
Daniel spoke at a fast pace, his excitement barely contained.
“I think accessing Records isn’t normal.
“Let’s say Records exist in a library which is in a separate dimension.
“The Records can be accessed only once.
“To access the Records repeatedly, the Children of Mana need to leave a part of themselves inside the library,” he said.
“What?”
Athena looked at Daniel with a strange gaze.
The theory was too far-fetched even for her and she was an author.
“I know what you are thinking, but I can prove my theory.
“Answer my questions and you’ll see,” Daniel said in a calm voice.
“Go on,” Athena replied.
“Can you input information in the Records?” Daniel questioned.
“No,” Athena answered. “I can only take out information.”
“What about other Children of Mana? Can they input information?”
“They can’t. I’m sure of it,” she spoke with certainty.
“Why?”
“It’s… a feeling. I can tell only the creator of the Records can edit or change the information.”
“Bingo!” Daniel let out a triumphant smile.
“Children of Mana can’t input the information. So how did Euphemia’s information appear inside the Records?”
Daniel continued,
“It shouldn’t be there since the Records contain information of the Apocalypse era and the eras that came after.”
“…”
Athena became silent.
Daniel answered himself.
“A part of Euphemia is there. She told you her information.”
“…Let’s say if your theory is true. Why would she tell me the information?”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe she is bored?”
Athena sighed, leaning against the chair.
Daniel’s theory sounded convincing.
But it had no solid basis.
For one, what would he do if the information about Euphemia was just a story she wrote and not actual knowledge taken from the Records?
Daniel understood her concerns.
The unknown gnawed at both of them.
Time passed as Daniel continued his research, traveling across ancient ruins and forgotten libraries, searching for more information.
The world outside was vast, filled with remnants of lost civilizations, overgrown forests reclaiming stone fortresses, and winds whispering secrets of old.
Another Child of Mana appeared a few dozen years later.
Daniel met him and asked his questions.
The answers he received solidified his theory.
A part of the existence of Children of Mana stays within the Records.
Selene’s must be there too.
“Now I need to find a way to bring her out from the Record,” Daniel muttered.
He tried to see if Athena and the new Child of Mana could find Selene in the Records.
They failed.
After all, both of them couldn’t access the Records at will.
“Why isn’t Selene trying to contact Athena and the others? If Euphemia can do it, can’t she do it too?” Daniel murmured.
There was no answer to his question.
Daniel kept researching.
The more time he spent on his research, the more sure he became that he was correct.
His eyes, bloodshot from years of relentless study, scanned the countless notes he had scribbled and stuck on the wall before him.
“I need to find a way to access the Records and bring out Selene.”
Daniel’s research’s directions shifted, his focus narrowing.
However, he didn’t find any suitable lead even after a hundred years.
The world outside the confines of his study was changing—countries crumbled, new organizations flourished, and yet, his search remained unfulfilled.
The passage of time continued.
It started to make Daniel nervous.
“I thought the Records contained information about the Apocalypse Era and after because the Records were created in the Apocalypse Era.
“But I don’t see any indications of anyone making the Records now.
“Was I wrong?”
The easiest way of bringing about Selene was to find the person who created the Records and ask him to bring out Selene, who was within the Records.
“There is no one who is creating a Record.”
Daniel was sure the creator of the Records was an Earthling.
The clues were undeniable—because all knowledge in the Records was related to Earth and its future.
Another hundred years passed.
empire
Daniel’s patience was at its limits.
His study had grown into a fortress of knowledge, with entire wings dedicated to failed theories and fragmented clues.
Left with no other choice, he decided to take the task upon himself.
“If no one is going to make the Records, then I will have to do it.”
It was a borderline stupid thought.
The Records were an existence that had transcended time.
Daniel would create it?
But there was a reason Daniel thought he could do it.
“Pandora’s Box.”
He looked at the silver cube in his hands.
One of its sides was opened.
The cube was empty from the inside.
The metallic surface seemed to absorb the dim light.
Daniel had obtained the cube from Kronos.
According to Kronos, this cube was what contained the Apocalypse.
It had unleashed the Apocalypse on Earth when the cube was opened.
Zeus had verified Kronos’ statement, though he had been pissed quite a bit.
Daniel had to make a deal with Kronos to get Pandora’s Box.
‘If you can make the Records, we will be able to access it at will,’ Kronos had said to Daniel. ‘Take it. Maybe this cursed object will finally become a beacon of hope and progress for our world.’
Daniel’s brows creased as he looked at the empty cube.
“I’ve verified the objects placed inside the cube can’t be eroded by Time.
“It’s not exactly Eternal as in the way the Records are—existing in past, present, and future.
“But it’s still Eternal as in the objects can’t be destroyed by Time when they are inside the cube.”
He held the cube tighter.
“Now the only thing I need to put inside the cube is knowledge of the present and future, and it will become the Records.”
After decades of struggle, Daniel had started to doubt himself.
Could he actually save Neo?
Was Selene still alive within the Records?
What if the Records he created were not the Records the Children of Mana could access.