When Lizzie exits the book and is finally
on the outside, she immediately feels a heavy mental pressure that feels like
it's tearing her mind apart. Around her is a completely white library with black
books that hold deeper knowledge. She looks to see that some of the mannequins
in the room with her have completely mutated their bodies with extra limbs,
cracks in their bodies that reveal the eye-filled black sludge within them, and
other limbs that seem like blades. Some are absorbing the eye-filled black
sludge from the books that enter their minds through their eyes, nose, and
mouth. The deep secrets behind all truth and reality beckon sweetly to her. She
resists it as she avoids the mannequins and tries to find something to burn the
library down. Fortunately for her, the deformed mannequins are barely paying
attention to her as something draws their minds to it.
This same thing doesn’t let up its assault
on Lizzie’s mind as her mind numbs to the pain. She doesn’t feel that she has total
control of herself as her mind is forced to move to a place that is sucking her
towards it. The place she is led to is a gathering of all the mannequins in the
library that are becoming one with a man and Ms. Ebrietas in the center of it
all. Lizzie’s mind is freed from the pull as all the energy in the library is
concentrated in the center. As Lizzie regains control of herself and her mind
clears, she looks at what’s happening.
“You’ve made it just in time,” Ms.
Ebrietas says, “We’re finally going to ascend beyond our moral limits and are
going to learn the secrets behind everything. Come, join us.”
“I refuse.”
“That’s a foolish decision. What
changed your mind?”
“What I’m seeing plus a man I met in
that nightmare you trapped me in. He said to remember Master Willem’s advice.”
The man steps forward and says, “You
saw Willem? Well, his advice was useless and only held us back. He told us that
we were right in thinking that demons lack humility, but the real answer was
wisdom. We have wisdom because we’re using what we have wisely.”
“Yes, we are,” Ms. Ebrietas says
before using her power to turn Laurence into eye-filled black sludge.
“What did you just do?”
“It doesn’t matter. We were going
to be part of the same being anyway. I just wanted to be in control of it all.
I could tell you more if you’d like.”
Lizzie’s mind hurts and feels like
it’s tearing itself apart as she looks at the transformation Ms. Ebrietas is
going through. She stumbles away as she continues for something to start a
fire.
“Come now. You’re like me. You must
want to know more.”
The more Ms. Ebrietas talks the
more Lizzie’s mind tears itself apart, so she disconnects her fingers from
their sockets and uses them as earplugs. While looking around, an idea comes to
her.
“Of course. It was obvious,” Lizzie
says to herself as she goes back to the locked book and tries to open it.
She bangs the book against the floor.
The floor starts shaking and her head automatically turns to see Ms. Ebrietas
in a hideous form. It’s similar to a crab in form with two large eyes and six
smaller eyes in them. It has two large claws with one that has an eye in it.
One part of the abomination has a mouth with teeth on the outside with hundreds
of eyes in it. On top of that, Ms. Ebrietas’ face is deformed with a large
mouth taking up most of it. Just looking at it, makes Lizzie’s eyes struggle to
see anything clearly while her mind thinks over a thousand thoughts a second
while not being able to concentrate on one.
“I have never felt so euphoric.
There are so many new things that I can think about. So many new things I know.
So many things I’m still trying to comprehend. It’s time to ascend to a higher
plane of thought. You’re going to love it!”
Ms. Ebrietas is about to grab Lizzie
with her claws until Lizzie uses whatever strength she has to move back and
make Ms. Ebrietas use her claws on the lock of the book. This unleashes all the
lunatics in the book who start a ruckus as whatever they imagined leaks into
the real world, which includes the fire Lizzie needed. Ms. Ebrietas tries to
control the situation with her mental powers and new body but is unable to do
anything to the lunatics who have already lost their mind. Meanwhile, Lizzie
stumbles to the exit to the room. She goes up a staircase and finds herself at
the library’s entrance where Ms. Ebrietas first met her.
Lizzie looks for an exit as the
library begins to go up in flames and be destroyed by lunatics. She bangs on
the wall she came through.
“Come on! Let me out already!”
Lizzie says as she bangs her head against the wall.
When she blinks, Lizzie sees that
she’s on the other side of the wall with her head in her hands and a book. Part
of her wants to know what’s in the book, but she closes it and tosses it aside.
She ascends back into the ruined city for a breath of fresh air.
“I’m fine with what I have,” Lizzie
says aloud, “I don’t need to know everything about the reality to enjoy life.
There’s too much to go through in one life anyway.”
Looking around, she sees a familiar
man in the distance with a black tuxedo, pants, and top hat. He stops and turns
around and tips his hat without revealing his face.
“I don’t need to know what he’s
going to do.”
Even though she didn’t gain as much
knowledge as she expected, Lizzie gained wisdom instead that can be said to be
more valuable than knowledge because a wealth of knowledge used poorly or not
used at all is foolishness and a waste.
The End
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