Zeroth Directive

Archive II

It was only through the freedom granted by books that young Papyrus could understand the great land outside her window. The more she read, the more she was engrossed by the vibrant, colorful lands beyond her home, constantly thinking about the sights and sounds brought to her through words. Oftentimes, she would close her eyes and try to imagine how it felt like to be at the scene—the scents she might smell, the textures she might touch—but that was beyond the capabilities of the written word. 'What does sunlight taste like?' 'What's the dirt-like smell in the air after it rains?' 'What does it feel like to have sand clog up your nose?' She did not know these things, but she felt like she should. She wanted to go outside for walks to see for herself, but her father always asked her to get back to reading, a more 'proper' way to learn, and one that didn't require any trial and error. She looked through what books she had that could answer those questions, but found them lacking. During her time at the academy, Papyrus was able to justify breaking free of her unchanging lifestyle, meeting others the same age as her. Her father could not be by her side forever, and was unable to stop her, but he suggested she maintain etiquette during such meetings. This allowed her to stay until they ended, and accompany her similarly late-staying friends on the walk back to the dorms. As she pulled her friends by the arm as they walked past Menat-Ha'mait's bustling night markets, she realized that while etiquette was important on paper, heartfelt friendship and joy were more important. After their graduation, her closest friends Djerwnapekhaper and Medjehtiqedti chose to leave Menat-Ha'mait to study abroad. As for her, she followed her father's suggestion and stayed in the ancient city, joining the staff of the Varjavandabad Museum. With her return to a dull, ordinary life, she had to take what few lively moments she could amidst the monotonous meetings and her cyclical daily schedule. The only things that could bring a spark to her life were her old friends Djerwnapekhaper and Medjehtiqedti. After every excursion of theirs to the far corners of Terra, they would regularly return to Menat-Ha'mait, and just like during her cooped-up youth, they act as her window into Terra, bringing a gift of joy with every tale.

Archive III

Ancient Sargonians understood life as a series of pre-defined 'cycles.' For Papyrus, the cycles of her everyday life were defined by her father. These cycles were so rounded, so standardized, that she felt she had both gone too far along her father's appointed path, yet also not gone anywhere at all. Whenever she did something wrong, her father would silently take her back to her cloistered room of books. Her younger self would not cry, as she knew she could spend a quiet afternoon there with knowledge she did not yet understand. As dusk fell, her taciturn father would open the door and take her out to her favorite restaurant. 'I'm doing all I can to help you find the right path for yourself. I know you want to take it easy, but life's not that kind.' And so it went, cycle after cycle. Over time, she learned how best to organize the books in that room, alongside learning what the knowledge held within them actually meant. The hands that guided her got wrinkled, the towering figure thinning over time. In the end, she no longer needed those guiding hands, but she was accustomed to the cycle by that point. 'Have I actually managed to go anywhere?' She looked ahead, and saw only the unending road. To others, she was hard-working, earnest, successful. But when she looked at herself, she saw a point slowly moving around a perfectly circular track, nary a thing that could be labeled 'reward' or 'penalty' ahead of her. All she could be was a detached recorder, a spectator. She could not do things with sincerity. She could not experience things for herself. She could recite poems from the Old Calendar Era, but she had not experienced the emotions, the impulses that prompted their creation. She could say 'I knew all that' with pride, but she dared not say 'that's happened to me'. Papyrus does not hate her father. On this straight and narrow road, she faced no unexpected circumstances. It was a comfortable life. A tranquil one. She knew that realistically speaking, she might not be able to handle the unexpected. She might have been too comfortable even, so much so that it bored her. She has gotten used to it, but while in this familiar cycle, she longed to become a part of history. Does this not mean jumping into the chaos of choice was the correct decision?

Archive IV

Papyrus has just finished trekking through Arsalan with other field operators associated with Rhodes Island, enjoying her third night of sitting around the bonfire with them. 'How you feeling, newbie? Managed to experience the 'real Sargon' you keep talking about?' 'I learned that it's really tiring. River water is cold, the slopes are steep, and the loggers who gave us directions were really nice.' 'Well, there's still eleven days full of all that to go. You applied for a two-week mission, but we're out here for the entire season. I honestly don't know why you applied in the first place, but you don't look like you're having much fun.' 'I'm actually rather lacking in unenjoyable experiences'. 'Experiences? That's where we differ, I'm afraid. Every day we're chopping wood and finding water. I've been dreaming about having a lazy day lately.' Papyrus has no response. She silently opens her copies of 'Tentative Travel Plans (Third Edition)' and 'Terra: A Journey,' sticking the photos she took into her densely-packed notes on the region, years in the making. These are the witnesses to the beginning of her grand journey. 'I didn't expect you to do so much homework beforehand.' 'I've wanted to come here for quite a while, but was never able to. Whenever I was free, I'd record some information in here. My father didn't let me go out much when I was younger, so I had to learn about this place from these books. He mainly supported my love for reading, but he also knew everything else I enjoyed. He believed that I should stick to reading because it was 'proper.' I disagreed, which is why I'm here with you all now.' 'Sounds like he might be a bit too fatherly. Do you hate him for that?' 'He planned my entire life out to be smooth sailing, so smooth that I've never tasted defeat or failure. But now, I want to experience things for myself. I can't experience something in its entirety while staying comfortable. It's a fact I've come to accept.' 'Thanks to all your prep, you managed to avoid the newbie trap of falling into the river. That's a good thing, right?' 'You're right. I'd say I'm rather happy about that. Thanks, and good night.'

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