How to Find your Way in the Incomplete Archives

Five

Rumi was an ordinary girl living in an average metropolitan city. She was twenty-four at the time, on her way back from work late one evening, when she was hit by a speeding Porsche.

The driver may have been drunk or from a rich family. Perhaps even the police had arrived in time to catch the speeding lunatic but she would never learn about it.

After all, when she opened her eyes, Rumi was lying in a grassy field under an orange dawning sky. It did not take her long to realise they were in a different world — winged serpents were not a common sight in her homeland.

"The Holy Maiden has arrived," the speaker was a mage she concluded from the style of her robes. Her declaration set the spectators in motion.

A handsome red-headed man kneeled down beside her, "Oh great Holy Maiden, this is the Blodwen Empire in the lands of Arcania. I, Sir Rumac, am a knight of the Empire. I will act as your guide and guard through the journey ahead."

Others may have expressed confusion, disbelief or even fear at the circumstances but none of these emotions touched Rumi. She was an orphan in her world, trapped under the daily grind of society, struggling to make ends meet.

Her only solace were the isekai power fantasies she read where the heroes or heroines were granted an escape from their ordinary existences to a better world, gained amazing abilities and revolutionised the lives of the people living there.

"My Lady, will you join us in our mission to defeat the Crown of Evil?"

It did not take her long to decide, "I will assist you in any way I can. After all, I cannot bear to see the people suffer,"

The knight was touched by the kind words, "Then allow me to show you the way back to the Empire. From this day forth, the Empire of Blodwen will be your ally. How may we address you, My Lady?"

She was ready with the pseudonym, "Call me Luna,"

"Welcome to Arcania, Holy Maiden Luna,"

****

The Librarian read through the first book, noting important scenes and dialogues that painted the stories of each character.

Luna was depicted as unhesitating yet a kind, gentle and just Holy Maiden. She led the knights of Blodwen through countless victories against the Army of Darkness. She could think on her feet and was firm against her enemies.

She could purify the remnants of dark energy and communicate with beasts, who helped her through many of her troubles.

She was blue-eyed, healthy of skin, fair of hair and beautiful, admired by her peers, respected by the masses and beloved of both the Prince of Blodwen and Sir Rumac.

'A sugary fantasy where the reader can paint themselves onto the canvas of the heroine and fit her into the role,' the Librarian penned in their notebook after diving halfway through the volume, 'Nothing about the inhabitants of the Boglands yet.'

They lifted the book and examined it under the floating light.

The pages were made of a creamy, sturdy paper. There were numerous colourful illustrations of the Holy Maiden and her love interests interwoven into the volume. The writing was a stylised mix of serifs dotted with the occasional sans serifs that pleased the eye.

In the lack of external sales statistics, the Librarian used these qualities to guess the popularity of the book. It was the first book of its series. The publishers had invested heavily in making the physical copy as appealing as possible.

It was a common technique, thought the bookkeeper. Some books were a pleasure to behold, no matter the import of their words. Many would occupy the place of honour on a coffee table or an opencase wall display.