Several weeks after Sunniva arrived in the world of Dominance, the Arcanographica scroll intrigued her more than anything else. It was the key to unlocking something deeper—a power that had shaped this world for centuries. She managed to obtain a copy of the scroll from the historian’s office, and now, she sat alone in her room.
Before her, spread out on the worn wooden table, lay the ancient scrolls. The faded ink twisted into forgotten symbols—symbols that no one in this world could understand. But now, she could.
Her hands trembled slightly as she traced the edges of the scroll. What lay within these words could turn the tides of kingdoms. But for Sunniva, this wasn’t about ruling or power for power’s sake. It was about survival. And in this world, survival meant holding onto secrets no one else could even dream of uncovering.
She had spent weeks decoding these runes, using a method she knew well from her own world. While historians like Leon and Marco wasted time analyzing every curve and connection in the symbols, overcomplicating the meanings, she approached it differently—simpler, smarter. She had once cracked Jejemon writing, which to the untrained eye appeared like nonsensical garble, but with enough familiarity, the chaos could resolve into something simple and coherent.
It was exactly the same here.
“They think everything has meaning,” she muttered, shaking her head as she glanced over at the historians’ copious notes. “That’s their problem.”
Take the symbol ‘4,’ for example. In this world, historians had linked it to countless interpretations—spirituality, the four elements, or even unity. They drowned in theories. But to Sunniva, it was as simple as Jejemon. Just like how the number ‘4’ in her world’s cryptic language meant ‘A,’ here, the ‘4’ stood for something just as straightforward.
She smirked. “It's all about context.”
Where the historians might see ‘|Ⲡ 7#3 ᗵ❍ⲅ𝖫☥ ❍= ☥❍ᗶ1Ⲡ4Ⲡ☽3’ as a dense and obscure phrase, Sunniva saw its structure for what it was—a puzzle easily solved once you stripped away the unnecessary complexity. Like in Jejemon, where ‘7’ could mean ‘L,’ and ‘2’ could form part of ‘R,’ the symbols here in the Arcanographica shifted based on their usage. They weren't static; they flexed, depending on their purpose.
"This scroll isn't as difficult as it seems," she whispered. "It only becomes complicated when you try to read too much into it. The real challenge is how to read it. Some parts are in a chaotic order, while others follow a straightforward top-to-bottom format."
Sunniva’s eyes flicked rapidly between symbols as she pieced them together. She’d cracked another sequence—another layer of the scroll. The historians were looking for hidden meanings, while she was stripping everything down to its bare essentials. The patterns emerged, familiar and manageable, and she could feel the thrill of understanding settle in her bones.
As the text slowly coalesced under her gaze, the passage unfolded into something ancient. It spoke of an artifact—something powerful, hidden away, protected by the old ways. The knowledge embedded in the scroll could reshape the world, she realized. If someone found the artifact and knew how to wield it, the balance of power in dominance would never be the same again.
And it could save her.
Sunniva leaned back, the thrill of her discovery pulsing through her. Every word she unlocked made her more dangerous. It wasn’t just about staying alive anymore; it was about staying ahead of everyone else. With every stroke of her pen, she became more valuable, more irreplaceable. As long as no one knew how much she had uncovered, no one would suspect her true intentions.
“They think this is all about power,” she said, a faint smile playing on her lips, “but they have no idea what’s buried in these words.”
Rolling up the scroll, she let out a long breath. Tomorrow, she would continue. I may be able to decode more, but I still don't understand some symbols. Tomorrow, she would decode more, and perhaps—just perhaps—she’d find the key to escaping this world entirely. But for now, she had to stay in the game, and no one could know how far ahead she already was.
Comments (4)
See all