“Platinum chains which bind the soul… Are you referring to the [Chains of Fate]?” The avatar inferred, and Aella nodded in response.
“That is their name, but they suck at doing that.” She shrugged.
These chains, as the name implies, bind people to their destinies. If you’re destined to be a farmer, the [Chains of Fate] are the reason. The reason Aella claims that they’re bad at their job is because people like her exist.
The chains are typically meant to be a challenge to overcome rather than something in place that is intended to be concrete and unbreakable to the point that breaking out of these chains is the first requirement to achieving Godhood. For that reason, people who have broken their chains, like Aella or some other random schmuck, interfere significantly with the chains.
Since they do not bind her if she wants to turn that farmer into a hero killer, who will stop her? The issue is they usually come in Bronze, Silver, or Gold, depending on your potential for divinity, each being harder to break than the last.
Aella had gold chains, but because Gods constantly meddled with her world, she broke out of them relatively easily. It did not matter as she never condensed a [Divine Spark] or formed her own divinity, but that just shows how flawed they are.
Flawed or not, platinum was not on that list, making her curious. Is it simply a mutation? Is Seraphina perhaps the first to ever have enough potential as a divine being to have platinum chains? Aella needed to know.
The Avatar was silent for a while as a portal behind Aella began to open.
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“I know of these chains… However, I do not know of their purpose. That being said, they must be linked to that device which keeps the balance of this world in my absence… The [System], as you call it. It must be related to that in some way.”
Narrowing her eyes at the System, Aella hummed, “That’s oddly far less cryptic than I expected. That brings so many other problems that I didn’t wanna have to deal with, but I guess I’ll look into it eventually. Thanks… Mother Earth? This seed is safe with me. I’m never bad to those under me. Any other cryptic bullshit you want to add before I go?”
Aella was far too familiar with this trial stuff. Nearly every planet with sentient life had some emphasis on inheritance, and it’s far more common than not that they add tons of cryptic things to be deciphered.
Aella hates it. If your goal is to nurture the future generation, why would you make it so convoluted AFTER they pass the test to prove they’re worthy? It always felt so backward to her.
“Cryptic? No, I have no such thing. But if you ever meet my other self in the future, please ensure she’s doing well.”
Without turning to face the avatar, Aella gave a thumbs up. “I’ll make sure to do it sometime in the future. Perhaps before you croak if I feel like it. Later.” She spoke with a cocky tone before pressing [Next Trial]
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‘Obviously.’
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With the mental command received, the System once again transported Aella to an unknown location. The world around her blurred and shifted in a whirlwind of colors and sensations. The ground beneath her feet seemed to dissolve, and she felt the familiar sensation of being pulled through space and time. When the world finally snapped back into focus, she stood in the center of an awe-inspiring colosseum.
Before she even looked around, she could tell. This place was just as bleak as the last in its own way.
The arena was vast, its scale monumental, dwarfing even the most majestic structures of her current world. The walls rose high, made of weathered stone that neared even the age of Aella herself. They were lined with countless rows of seats, stretching up as far as the eye could see, though they were devoid of any spectators.
The sky above was a deep azure, with a few scattered clouds drifting lazily overhead, casting fleeting shadows over the arena.
“The air here has such powerful lingering killing intent… Just how many battles have taken place here?” Aella mused, covering her nose and folding her ears.
Killing intent, when strong enough and in large enough quantities, is known to linger, sometimes forming into [Miasma], making areas unlivable. The scent of death wasn’t quite thick enough for that to occur, but it was clear that there was a faint echo of a thousand battles, the lingering energy of gladiators and warriors who fought for their survival in this very spot.
Even without her extrasensory abilities, the ground beneath her was a mix of sand and earth, trodden by countless feet and stained with the memories of triumph and defeat. In simpler terms, lots of dried blood.
In the center of the Colosseum stood a lone pillar of light that fell on Aella from above, its source being unknown. It being magical in nature seemed plausible and the most likely answer as, unlike the previous ruined world she found herself in, the ambient Mana here was relatively pure.
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“Whenever.” She confidently answered, stretching her body. Despite her low HP and lack of Mana, she wasn’t worried. Instead, in classic Aella fashion, she was decently excited.
Until now, her battles could have been considered bashing her head into a wall until it broke. To others, it might seem like she was fighting with proper intention and thought behind her moves, but ultimately, to her, at least, that wasn’t the case. Her movements were akin to that of a toddler, a toddler with a mighty battering ram who keeps slamming it into anything nearby.
Perhaps the Harpy Queen she fought was a slight exception, but this could very well be the first battle she’d have to put all of her attention into without acting like a complete buffoon.
Once again, with the command given, another system prompt appeared in front of Aella. This time, it was a wheel deciding upon which enemy would be her first foe.
Countless options, each seemingly more dangerous than the last, from a basilisk made of crystals to a massive golem called the [Terra Titan]. Aella was even sure she saw the mention of a Behemoth as one of the potential options.
If she got that, she might start following a religion and praying for her safety.
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Around the arena’s edges, a series of gates were set into the walls, beginning to open, breaking the palpable silence that enveloped the entire area while Aella laughed maniacally.
“Oh, you stupid mother fucker. You had one chance to challenge me as I was out of Mana, and you chose to let me fight creatures aligned with wind…” As her words left her mouth, the laughing only grew as a terrible idea appeared in her mind.
Before the creatures revealed themselves from the opening gates, before the gates even opened enough for them to be let out, Aella’s adrenaline began to rise in this place where skill and strength were tested, where strategy and combat prowess should be paramount. She knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, none would be prepared for the fact that the one they were testing was Aella Seren Rossi.
She took a deep breath, centering herself, her eyes scanning the gates with her deformed, smug smile, waiting for her foes to come and try her. She flexed her fingers, feeling the familiar thrum of her power coursing through her veins as she collected Mana from the surroundings in an attempt to increase her reserves by whatever little amount she could in 1 short minute.
She couldn’t wait for the next fun battle to present itself on a silver platter for her.