Chapter Four: The Beginning of Awareness

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  Level – Room 404

  I opened the door and found myself in a massive, abandoned library, covered in thick layers of dust. The air was heavy, making it difficult to breathe. I wandered through endless rows of shelves, filled with countless books—all without titles.

  I suddenly remembered the untitled book in the store, the one I didn’t choose. Instead, I had taken the key… Perhaps I needed that book now, but there was no way to retrieve it anymore.

  I tried opening one of the books, but it was blank—just like all the others. I couldn’t understand the purpose of this, yet I continued wandering for hours, finding nothing but infinite shelves and empty pages. Then, suddenly, my eyes landed on a book with a title!

  Its title was strange and unclear, but I managed to make out my name among the few visible words. I didn’t understand the rest, but I didn’t care—I opened it immediately. Each page contained only a single line, written in fragmented words:

  Page One: "You, find, many, what, ."

  Page Two: "Answers, from, but, did not, notice, ."

  Page Three: "Among them, waiting, ."

  I tried piecing the sentences together, but they didn’t make sense… However, after several attempts, I formed a coherent sentence:

  "You find many answers, but you did not notice any of them. So what are you waiting for?"

  I knew I had added words that weren’t originally there, but this was the most logical interpretation. Still… what did it mean? I hadn’t seen any answers before—everything had been a mystery. What was I supposed to do now?

  Well, I had understood the sentence… but where was the door? I took the book with me and continued walking, shouting, "Where is the door?" But the only response was silence and the endless rows of shelves. The heat in the room started rising, along with my anxiety. Then, suddenly, I heard distant footsteps, their echoes reverberating throughout the library.

  I turned around quickly—but no one was there. Fear began creeping into my mind, and I wanted to find the door as fast as possible before something bad happened.

  I kept walking, but each step felt like it took years to complete. It was a strange sensation—yet somehow… comforting. Then, I saw it! A door at the end of the aisle!

  I ran toward it, but when I arrived, I realized it wasn’t just one door—it was two.

  They were identical in appearance, but beside each one, a phrase was written:

  The door on the right: "Seek the darkness to find the light."

  The door on the left: "Seek the light to find the darkness."

  I didn’t understand… The phrases seemed similar, but the difference in meaning was profound. Each door would lead me to a completely different path. What should I do?

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Then, I remembered the key I had taken from the store. I decided to try it.

  I inserted it into the left door’s lock… It didn’t open.

  I tried the right door… and it unlocked.

  And so, I stepped forward—to seek the light within the darkness…

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  Level – The End

  I stepped through the door and found myself back in the city. Life was moving as usual—people walking the streets, cars passing by. Had everything finally ended? Had I returned to reality?

  But I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that so easily. I had been deceived too many times in this place. My suspicions were confirmed when I realized no one could see or hear me—I was a ghost walking among the crowd.

  Then, a thrilling idea struck me… What if I returned to my company? Would I find the same door that had led me into this maze? Perhaps that was my way out.

  I rushed toward the building.

  Upon arrival, I entered to find employees working as if nothing had happened. But I was invisible to all of them. I ran to where the door had been, but it was no longer there.

  Disappointment flooded over me. I was about to give up… but then, I heard a familiar voice.

  "Adrian!"

  I found him in his office, speaking on the phone in a tone that felt eerily familiar.

  "Christopher has been missing for three days… I couldn’t find any trace of him, not even in his house…"

  A chill ran down my spine. Had I returned to reality but as a ghost? Was I already dead, trapped in an endless world?

  A million questions flooded my mind—confusing, terrifying.

  Then, I saw Adrian stand up with a mysterious smile and head toward a place I had never noticed before.

  I followed him until we reached a secret room in the company.

  I stepped in after him and found myself inside an old chamber with wooden walls, filled with the scent of dust.

  Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind me.

  Adrian turned around… and looked straight at me.

  He could see me.

  "You finally arrived, Christopher… There were better endings—why did you choose this one?"

  I was stunned. "What endings? I didn’t choose anything! I don’t understand what’s going on!"

  Adrian smiled and pointed to an old computer on the desk. I stepped closer and saw that it was running a game titled:

  Behind the Door.

  "What does this mean?" I muttered.

  There was only one option: Start.

  I looked at Adrian and hesitantly asked, "Is this another trick? I’ve been fooled too many times."

  He chuckled softly and asked, "Do you think those tricks have harmed you?"

  I replied, "They haven’t helped me either!"

  His smile widened. "You still don’t understand the truth, Christopher… Press the button."

  I hesitated for a moment, then extended my hand and pressed it.

  Suddenly, the world began collapsing—the walls crumbling, a massive rock about to crash down on me. I shut my eyes in fear…

  But nothing happened.

  I opened my eyes to find myself once again in the white void—only this time, Adrian was standing beside me.

  He spoke calmly. "Look down, Christopher."

  I looked—and what I saw shook me to my core!

  Thousands of people, each trapped in a different level—each level unique. I didn’t recognize any of them. I saw one man desperately searching for an exit, another who had found one and moved on, and another who had given up, becoming part of the place itself…

  I whispered, "Why am I seeing this? What am I supposed to do?"

  Adrian replied, "All these people are just like you, searching for the same thing. But the difference is… you never gave up."

  "What am I searching for?" I asked.

  He smiled. "You’ve always searched for uniqueness in your life, but you never found it, did you?"

  "Yes… Yes, that’s true. Am I here to find the answer?"

  He said calmly, "You could’ve found it much easier if you had understood what uniqueness truly meant."

  I was shocked. "Then… what is uniqueness?"

  Adrian smiled, then suddenly disappeared, revealing another door behind him.

  Then, I heard footsteps—thousands of them.

  I turned around in shock—to find thousands of versions of myself, each with a different appearance—rich, poor, all kinds of variations… but they were all me.

  They all pointed at the door and spoke in unison:

  "Enter, and you will find the answer, Christopher—the original."

  At that moment, I felt something I had never experienced before…

  Now, I think I finally understand what uniqueness truly is.

  I stepped toward the door.

  I reached for the handle… turned it…

  (End of Chapter.)