The first thing that came to mind was the rushing sound of waves lapping against a shore. Slowly, as I focused on the sound and recognized it for what it was, this was followed by the warmth of the sun beating down against me, and the feeling of sand against my back. Then, my vision was suffused with an orange glow, which rapidly brightened as I gently opened my eyes. The sun, a brilliant white sphere solidly above the horizon to my left, beat down on me with a heat just bordering on uncomfortable.

I raised my hand to shield my sight from the glare only to pause as I noticed the appendage in question. There was a sensation of unfamiliarity, confusion, and curiosity as I glanced at the faintly glowing appendage. I knew that this was not what a hand should look like - there should be fingers, and skin, and maybe some fine hairs. Instead there was just a pale, luminescent approximation of what the limb should be. For some reason I knew this should concern me, but I also had a feeling that this was fine, almost expected, though I didn't know why. I lowered my arm and stood up.

Glancing down, I realized that this state of glowing amorphism seemed to be shared with the rest of my body - at least, everything I could see. Still, this didn't bother me, though I subtly knew that it should, for some reason I couldn't quite put my finger on. My mind seemed to oscillate between the thought that my body shouldn't look like this, that it should be something specific, and that this was fine, and maybe an opportunity. Not having a firm opinion on either, and not having any idea how one would go about rectifying the situation regardless, I put the thoughts aside and began to look around.

In front of me was a body of water that seemed to stretch outwards forever - at least as far as the eye could see. Regardless of whether I looked to the left or right, this persisted. I turned to the right, seeing the sandy beach stretch out and curve to the right into a line of trees, and as I continued to turn, I saw the beach turn into various grasses as the forest approached. As I continued to turn, I stopped, as directly behind where I'd been laying, between myself and the forest, was a large rectangular standing stone. Like me, it glowed in the light. I took a quick glance to the right of my current position and noticed that the scenery mirrored what I'd already seen - more beach, forest, and grasses. No distinguishing features, other than this large stone now in front of me. I quickly approached.

The stone held numerous markings that seemed to swim and undulate beneath the glowing aura surrounding it. Though I didn't recognize the markings, and understood that I should be aware of what at least some markings somewhere meant, as I inspected the stone I began to get an impression of the intent behind them.

[Warm/Friendly] Greetings, [The Entity Reading This/My Identity] [Implied Excitement/Anticipation]

[Happiness/Satisfaction] [The Presence of You/Your Being] [Current Location]

[Current Location] is the [Lacking a Changing Position/Unbound By the Concept of the Passing of Things] [Isolated Space/Remoteness].

[Preparation to Instruct/Preamble to Information]

...

As the disparate and multiple meanings resonated in my mind, I began to swiftly get experience a pulsing, pounding sensation that made it hard to focus. I closed my eyes and tilted my head down as I waited for the sensation to fade. When I looked up again, I could see that the glow was less intense and had solidified into new markings. I could directly understand what the new markings meant, though I could vaguely see the original markings remained on the stone underneath. I began to look over the markings once more.

Hey You!

Glad you made it okay.

Welcome to the Timeless Isle!

Before we begin, let's lay out a few key facts.

1. I have no reason to lie to you. It currently benefits me in no way to present you with anything but the truth, and you can trust that everything written here is true.

2. You chose your current situation. More than just chose, you actively sought it out to the best of your ability, which was not insignificant.

3. You and I have made a bargain. That bargain cost you everything you were, and everything the person you were could have been. On the other hand, that bargain won you the chance to become someone new, someone the person you were could never have become.

4. You will notice that you know some things, though you will not know why you know them. You will also notice that you know you do not know some things, though you will know that you should. Some of this is the cost you paid, some of this is the gift you gained, and some of this is a byproduct of how one became the other, and may be rectified in time, depending on what you choose.

5. This Isle is one of the aspects of your Bargain. For as long as you stay here, time will not pass in the truest sense. Day will turn to night, and you will get hungry, and tired, and your body will change, but you will not age. You may stay here as long as you wish, though you will find that your growth here will inevitably be limited. When you are ready to leave, you must choose one of the various methods available to leave this place.

6. Not all of this place is immediately available to you. As you grow, more of the Isle will be available to explore and discover. This is both to encourage you to grow, and to protect you, as the Isle is not an inherently friendly place.

7. The world you will find yourself in when you leave the Isle is also not an inherently friendly place. Those in power strive to grow and maintain it, and those without power either strive to gain it, or resign themselves to being eternally underfoot, bound to and by the decisions of others. Your Bargain has made you Unbound - the decisions of others cannot hold you unless you allow them to do so. What decisions you make, on the other hand, will mould you forever. Keep this in mind. You ultimately decide who and what you will become, and how you will do so.

8. As a being Unbound, you are not subject to the whims of fate or higher power, nor can you be. You will begin your adventure perfectly average, and luck has no impact on or around you. Weal or woe, your decisions and the consequences of them are your own.

9. The other available aspects of your Bargain are waiting for you once you press your hand against this monument.

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you will be as interesting and entertaining as you promised!

Cordially,

The Master of Games

I took a moment to process what I had read. There were a lot of implications, some of which I understood, and others I did not. I looked around once more, and then with a combination of resignation and anxious curiosity, reached towards the stone.