《Fiction and Philosophy》
PROLEGOMENA
The End of All Creation
IMMANUEL shot up from a chair and found himself on a desolate plain under a dark sky filled with lightning and thunder. He looked to his right dazed at what he saw. A great tree towering over him emitting rainbows amidst the darkness that surrounded him. He hears a trumpet to his left and sees a black metal slab the size of a mountain being repeatedly slammed by lightning bolts. He turns around and sees that his chair has gone missing.
¡°NOOOOOO!!!!!!¡± He looks back toward the metal slab and sees a lightning bolt with a woman¡¯s face on it twisted in horror heading straight towards a corner of the slab. It was strange for him because this scene was happening in slow motion before his eyes; however, he wonders why this is strange to him. ¡°Why am I thinking this is strange?¡± he inwardly lampooned. Curious at what was happening, he decided to stare at the thunderbolt and the black slab. When the woman¡¯s twisted face touched the black slab, they both vanished. Widening his eyes, he raised his right arm and touched his glabella wondering what he saw. IMMANUEL pondered, ¡°What the Hell, did I see? Whose face was that? Why did she and that metal slab vanish? Huh, that screaming voice is dying down? Was that her voice?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Suddenly, he smells a sweet aroma wafting about the air. He then turns towards the towering tree and feels a chill on the back of his neck. He sees that the rainbows being emitted from the tree are slowly fading and that the tree was burning with a golden fire covering the entire tree. Suddenly the world started spinning and he started to hear a cacophony of voices. His head felt like it was being torn apart and he started to feel drowsy. He then felt a roaring wind that was pushing him forward toward the ground. With his eyes still half-open, he saw the tree tumble toward the ground. ¡°CRASSSSSHHHHH!!!!¡± Just as he was about to close his eyes and tumble toward the ground he heard a booming voice say, ¡°This is my beloved son.¡± Then everything was engulfed in darkness.
Questions, Answers, and More Questions
Currently on a dark stormy night in the rural town of Lancaster. A man is currently sitting up on a bed with eyes that are glazed over. The room has an oppressive atmosphere with books and papers scattered on the floor and the desk with the scent of wet clothes permeating the entire room. A blue crystal ball is the only source of light in his room besides the occasional flashes of lightning that streak across his window to his left. Suddenly he lies down on his bed.
¡°Who am I? Where am I?¡± the man said to himself.
¡°I am me. But I feel that there is more to it than just that. I feel different from before but I do not know how?¡±, he muttered to himself.
A throbbing pain runs through his head.
¡°I think my name is Immanuel, and I remember a chair that I was sitting on and that I am a ¡®He¡¯ but not much else is coming to mind. Let me look around,¡± he inwardly thought.
He then started scanning the papers and books on the floor. Raising his eyebrows, he realizes that he can understand what is written on the books and papers.
¡°It looks like I can understand the language here, but I still do not know where ¡®here¡¯ is?¡±, he softly muttered.
He then sees a conspicuous black book at the center of the desk. Stepping carefully over the books and papers on the floor, he makes his way towards the desk and sits on the chair in front of the desk. He then carefully starts reading the black book which is written in a language different from the other books and papers he has seen.
¡°Greek? How do I know that this book is written in Greek?¡± he inwardly lampooned. When reading through the book, he starts to feel drowsy. Once his eyes finally close he wakes up in a world of darkness and lightning. His head then starts throbbing again and piercing pain splits his skull. Opening his eyes again, images and sounds start pouring into his head.
¡°It seems that my name is Joshua Kant and that I am a tenured professor at the University of Middlemarch and today is Honorius 25, 1250 of the Fifth Era. It appears this is my house and my room and that I am single. Wait, how can my name be Joshua Kant if I am also Immanuel? Also, what month is Honorius and why are we in the Fifth Era now?¡±
Stepping away from his desk, Joshua leaves his bedroom and steps into a hallway. Immediately making a left, he enters a washroom and touches a yellow crystal near the sink. The crystal immediately lights up and a weird feeling flows through Joshua. The crystal lighting up the washroom allows Joshua to peer into the mirror and inspect his face and body. He has a bulky build but is not overly flat. He has a white pale face with bushy eyebrows and a mustache that defies gravity, sky-blue eyes, and short raven dark hair. He is currently wearing a white t-shirt and boxers.
¡°Hmmm? I have an awesome mustache,¡± Joshua remarks. He once again feels a sharp pain in his head that is not as intense as last time.
He is sitting in a chair under a dark stormy sky. He stands up and walks to his left. After what seems to be like a century, he reaches a cliff and looks down to see a clear crystal sea with streaks of purple light flashing through it. He then notices that his reflection is exactly the same as the mirrors!!! Then the world shatters returning him to his washroom.
¡°It appears that Immanuel and Joshua Kant have the same face. Wait how was I able to see my reflection on the sea from the cliff?¡± Joshua said to himself.
Shaking his head, he notices a toothbrush in a cup near the sink. ¡°I seem to remember what a toothbrush, sink and moon crystal are and how they are used; however, who I was before tonight I cannot remember clearly,¡± Joshua inwardly said to himself. He then brushes his teeth and uses the toilet that is further inside the washroom. Returning to his desk in the bedroom and grabbing several sheets of paper, Joshua starts writing down all the information he has and the goals that he needs to accomplish.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°I seem to be two different people, Immanuel and Joshua. Am I a third person that has the memory of both people but is in fact a different person from Immanuel and Joshua or am I Joshua or Immanuel but has memories of the other person while losing some of my own memories. A third possibility is that I am Immanuel, I am Joshua, and Joshua is Immanuel since Immanuel and Joshua both identified as a man and both had the same face but that is not enough evidence to deduce that ¡®we¡¯ are all the same. I think it is reasonable to rule out the first possibility since if I were a third person different from Immanuel and Joshua in what way would I be different? I share the same appearance as them and have as my memories only their memories. Hence, the second and third hypothesis seems most plausible to me. However, I need to investigate this matter more before coming to a definite conclusion,¡± Joshua thought.
Kant then wrote down in Greek
- I need to investigate who I am and if possible recover my previous memories.
¡°My second priority should be researching this current world I find myself in and relearn the ¡®common sense¡¯ that applies to this world. I seem to remember a bare minimum of habits that Joshua has cultivated while living here, but I do not know any history and geography of this world and the political powers that govern it. Also, those blue and yellow crystals feel very weird to me. I should investigate how they work and why they work because I feel that their convenience has made them a part of the ¡®common sense¡¯ of this world. Also, I need to learn but be wary of those who rule this world since they have the power to ¡®lawfully¡¯ execute me. Now that I think about it what is the name people gave to this world,¡± Joshua inwardly lampooned.
He added to his list in Greek that
- Investigate the common sense and culture of where I reside and be wary of the powers that rule the world.
¡°Hmm, it appears that I am a cautious person by nature but is it due to my memories as Immanuel or as Joshua Kant or something else? Regardless, I need to understand how I can access that dark stormy world on command. It would be a tragedy if I was fleeing and then suddenly stopped due to that dream,¡± Kant inwardly lampooned.
He adds the last item on his list written in Greek
- Discover an object or method that allows me to enter that stormy world on command.
After writing that last item, Joshua places the list on the top of a stack of papers on his desk and starts reading the black book.
¡°Who am I again? NOOOO, I am Richard Chrysostom chair of the department of mathematics and geometric arcana at [REDACTED] and I am not an original inhabitant of this world, Gaia! I cannot and must not forget who I am. My memory is starting to fail, but I must not let the madness and IT overtake me. My powers as a non-Euclidean geometer can only get me so far in my present situation. If I could redo my life in this world again, I would have chosen the Way of Change or the Way of Connection instead of the Way of Form.¡±
Flipping the page, Joshua narrows his eyes.
¡°If I had chosen those other two ways, then cracking the code to these blasted stone tablets would have been much more simple. However, entering and leaving that blasted Mirror World is a pain. Taking something from it, even more so. Luckily as long as I wear any object shaped like a ¡®+¡¯ then that world is sealed or else whenever I look at my reflection and think about myself I am dragged into that space. Well that should be it for this entry. Praise the Lady!
Dr. Chrysostom
Honorius 25, 500 Fifth Era¡±
Turning to the next page, the book reads,
¡°Who am I again? NOOOO, I am Richard Chrysostom chair¡ Wait, this was the same page as before!¡± Hurriedly flipping through the entire book, Joshua realizes that those two pages keep on repeating again and again in no definite order.
Sitting with his back slumped on his chair, a chill runs through the back of his neck. ¡°That is definitely not normal,¡± Joshua mutters to himself. Taking a breath, he calms his nerves. Looking to his left, he examines a calendar. ¡°Hmm, it appears I have a class tomorrow and the day after. I should probably cancel both. I need more time to digest this information and learn more about who Joshua Kant is so that I do not appear awkward to any of his acquaintances at the university. Or should I say my acquaintances?¡± Joshua inwardly lampoons.
Looking around his surroundings from his desk he sees an object shaped like a ¡®+¡¯ on a bookshelf near his window. Making sure to not look at the window, Joshua walks to the bookcase and grabs the object with his right hand. He then walks over to the washroom whose light is still on and looks at himself with the mirror. ¡°My mustache is still awesome. Huh, it appears I or Joshua seems to be a bit of a vain person,¡± he thinks to himself. Nothing happens. Joshua then says,¡±My mustache is awesome.¡± Still nothing. ¡°It looks like the dark stormy world I experienced and the Mirror World Richard experienced are either the same world or have a similar way they can both be accessed. What is with this coincidence? On the bright side, it appears that I can control when I enter that world. Huh, I am tired,¡± Joshua thought. Turing the yellow crystal off by touching it with his free hand and going back into his bedroom. He plops down on his bed. Curious he lets go of the cross and places it near him as he closes his eyes.