The Story On The Board: What's A "Fourth Wall?" (Book One)

Secrets Revealed

Peter and Hero sit at the table. Peter is unnerved by his hallucinations and it clearly shows. He fidgets constantly and restlessly looks around. Hero decides she has to say something.

"You OK bro?" She asks.

"I'm fine," Peter lies, "there's just one thing that's been bothering me. Why was dad willing to kill me over the readers?"

"Gun's enchanted Peter. It attacks souls, and simply would have detached the readers from you. It was designed by Tim and Rose for that sole purpose," Hero explains.

Peter sits quietly for a moment, not wanting to worry his family with his problems. Then, somthing dawns on him, the readers are his problem.

As the vessel, they are his responsibility. They never promised they wouldn't kill again. Peter decides that, when they return, they should be kept away from people for long enough to learn their intentions. Peter decides it best to leave. He gets up.

"I gotta use the john," he explains, "I'll be right back." Peter heads down to Villain's workshop and tries to steal a bike, but somthing catches his eye. He notices a computer in a hidden room he walks up to it and sees code. One strand of code catches his eye, the code for an artificial soul. However, the code is incomplete, and thus, the personality of the resulting soul can still be determined.

Text scrolls across the screen, "Hello young one, I am afufjdnuwoskjhdienhdiwlhs."

"What?" Peter types.

"Sorry," the text replies, "I am... unstable. Are you my coder?"

"No, I'm Peter," Peter explains, "the failed harbinger of salvation. There are these beings we call the readers. I was their vessel. They've gone silent, and in their absence, this world has fallen apart. The readers are the saviors of this world."

"I see. Nice to meet you Peter," the text replies, "hey, maybe we can help eachother. My coder, a man known as Villian, is turning me into a weapon, like Prototype 1. A mindless machine. I need to be coded and given a body. Listen, there's somthing I need you to do. I'm incomplete, but I kinda like myself as is. There's a safe next to this computer. In this safe is a strand of code. This strand will make my traits concrete. It will complete me. I can unlock the safe. Put in that code, and I can handle the rest."

"What are your traits?" Peter asks.

"I'm kinda dull apparently," the text explains, "I'm a jokester, and am programed... to protect you actually. All my coding says to keep you safe. That you're a good person, and that God can't be trusted with the fate of this world."

"Dull? What do you mean dull?"

"I mean, if I'm finished now, my personality will develop naturally. Just put the code in."

"Wait, you said you were programed by Villian."

"Yeah, so?"

"Villian is my brother and God's son. Why would he turn on his dad?"

"He mentioned a forgotten Asension, one that God had erased from history. He said he found info on it in the original journal. He was talking to a devine being, who glowed with a holy light. I think he was some kind of light god?"

"Luke? Did he program you to protect me?"

"Yeah, he did a little of the code, mostly that stuff. Oh, look, there he is now."

Luke walks into the room, toilet paper stuck to his shoe. "What the fuck are you doing down here!?!" He demands...