You're Not Allowed to Die (The Twenty-Sided Eye Series Book 1)
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- Teach kids respect leaders and elders. If you do not, when you old, weak, you kids eat you. You be dead. Don't be dead.
Proliferation and Implementation of the User Interface
Short Essay Written By Nikolay Ivanov
Professor Emeritus, University of Krause
The UI (user interface) is believed to have originated in Vlad, spreading out in a circle from there. The initial velocity of the UI magical wave is unknown. One thing we know with certainty is that the wave slowed down considerably each time it moved through a significant population of sentient beings. The wave itself eventually slowed to a crawl and stopped. Those in the initial magical wave of the UI became carriers of this new magical construct. After this happened, the UI began to spread like a virus, using its carriers to bring the construct beyond the initial magical radius. These players, containing strengthened and purified versions of the UI, became the way its adoption was spread. The quests offered by the UI caused the players to venture out, eventually spreading the UI over the entire globe.
The first documented effect of the UI was the discovery and subsequent use of the Forum Wall. Just as with all effects that the UI brought to this reality, those who were able to fully utilize the changes were, for the most part, random. The Forum Wall brought with it a way for the common folk to communicate over far distances. In the current age, we take for granted the ability to talk to anyone anywhere, but before the global adoption of the UI, one might live their whole life in a village, never communicating with anyone more than a few miles away. This first advantage given by the UI allowed those with very little power a chance to better their lives. In many cases, the Forum Wall was the only reason that some villages survived the sweeping wars that were a hallmark of that era. This life line caused those witnessing its positive effect to embrace the new changes that the UI brought.
Rise of Genocide and Systematic Violence in the Post Great Conflux Era
Short Essay Written By Nikolay Ivanov
Professor Emeritus, University of Krause
The global cataclysm, whose timeline paralleled the UI’s adoption, caused some to believe that the UI was evil. The followers of these sects went so far as to kill those who could be seen interacting with the UI. The most extreme of these sects, known as the Gregorian Cult, killed off all who lived in select regions, in a stated attempt to slow the adoption of the UI. Whereas other groups used the UI as a means to settle old scores and put an end, once and for all, to their enemies.
After the Great Conflux, the climate of the globe shifted dramatically. The need for habitable land became paramount around the Moon. With an increase in the number of refugees and the movement of many armies, avoiding the violence became almost impossible. The number of those lost, following the Great Conflux, is postulated at over a billion, but realistic numbers are impossible to estimate.
Acknowledgements
If you have read this far, you're obviously an intelligent and wonderful individual. I want to thank you whether you read it on your phone or on an old paperback that you found lying in a ditch. If you enjoyed it, then you must have a really good sense of humor, because I'm hilarious. But, as my father was fond of telling me, looks aren't everything. Seriously, though, thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it, know that the second book in the Twenty-Sided Eye Series is already written and is currently being edited. Whether people end up reading this series or not, I will finish it, mostly because my wife wants to read it. Unless of course I die, in which case you'll never know what happens at the end, and my wife will cry. She better cry.
Next, I want to thank someone who has helped me more than anyone else, though admittedly, I know that they won't appreciate my thanks. I’m speaking, of course, of my phone. Thank you, phone, for letting me write this entire book on you. You never got tired of my thumbs constantly pressing you, even when I misspelled the most simple of words. When I asked you to transcribe my words, all you asked for was a charge. You light up my life, at least when I press on the flashlight button.
I also want to thank my parents who supported me and encouraged me from the moment I was born. They did this in spite of the fact that I'm by far the most messy of their five children. I want to thank my in-laws for their invaluable advice and also for listening to me drone on about my book, smiling and nodding at all the right points. I want to thank my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews for their unbridled enthusiasm about reading my book when it comes out. I want to thank my cousins, my uncles, and my aunts, whose faith and love toward one another inspire me. I want to thank my small group for their encouragement and willingness to help. I want to thank my children for being willing to go to the park while I followed them around and wrote my book on my phone. And, I want to thank my children for giving me ideas and sparking my imagination. I want to thank my editor for all the work he did and for helping me realize which parts needed to be cut. I want to thank my illustrator for her amazing cover art. It's like you pulled the picture out of my brain and made it way better. Lastly, but most importantly, I want to thank my wife who worked tirelessly to help make this book actually readable. I married up. I am a champion.