"There's new event's going on?"
"No idea...I just came online this morning."
"Can someone tell me what all this commotion about?"
"GODS!! THERE ARE GODS IN THE GAME!!"
"Yeah, we know that, the lore says that, but what is it?"
"Someone online that night?"
"ME! I WAS ONLINE THAT NIGHT!! IT WAS LIKE THE GODS WERE SHOUTING!!"
"I was online too that night, I'm at the Virtuvius dimension, but I can hear it too."
"me too, me too."
"Any GM in here?? Do we have any events going on??"
"No announcements yet from the company."
"GUYS!! DO YOU REMEMBER THE ADS??"
"Geez, you don't have to type in caps."
"FCK YOU!!"
"Got trolls here boys!"
"What? New expansion?"
"First!"
That morning, the Emperor's Destiny forums and also the internet was blowing up with this phenomenon. Gaming websites were full of articles that discussed the first possible events of Emperor's Destiny, after its launch seven months ago.
They speculated that the phenomenon was the beginning of the new continents and also new dimension. They also speculated the appearance of the first world boss. In just one hour the game garners publicity like it was a hot butter. The players and game journalist were in a heated discussion, while the company that made the game was racking their brains, how to appease the situation.
----
VIP Room 3. Lillie's room turned dark because of the sun that was hidden beneath the clouds.
The situation inside the room all of the sudden turned gaunt, as the child red eyes gleamed with his smile, while at the same time spreading his dreadful aura across the room.
Yuri stood motionless, but his body was still tense by the pressure.
Tick
Tick
Little bits of raindrops trickled on the room windows, accompanied by the sound of thunder and lightning. The chilling sensation started to slither across the room. Slowly, the silent room was filled with the sound of a downpour.
The child chuckled, breaking the silence, "I'll admit. You have a great willpower young man."
The child retracted his aura. Yuri felt his breathing was ragged, his body was covered in sweat as he stared at the child.
"Stop with your game old man!"
The child snapped, his face turned serious, "It's not a game young man."
Terror, it was like his heart jumped for a second, but, instead of surrendering to it, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Then what is it, old man? What mess have you dragged me into? What is that game? And what did you want for me to do?"
Bang!
Lighting rolled through the clouds, like a dragon roaring towards the heavens.
"Easy with your question now, young man. I'll explain in due time. But, second, is your situation and options."
Yuri was frustrated with the child long-winded answer, "What is it?"
The child smiled, "As I've said before, you'll be hunted by the gods. Your friends, family, and everything that close to you shall not be spared, they will be treated equally, to set as an example, and also solidifying their positions, as the one that stood above mortals."
"OLD MAN!! YOU COMPLICATED MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS!!" Yuri lunged towards the child, he can't hold his piled up fury anymore.
Snap!
His lunge was stopped, no, he was levitating in the air. He felt his body weightless, but his eyes still emitted the same fury towards the child.
"There's too much anger inside your heart young man." The child chuckled, he knew that it was completely his fault but, instead of apologizing to him, he mocked him instead. The child turned his head toward the windows, looking at the pouring rain.
"OLD MAN!!"
"Let me tell you a good news. Even when you're not accepting my offer back then, your family, your friends, and your so-called possessions will all be destroyed anyway. The gods plan already in motion young man."
Yuri was startled, the fury inside his heart was slowly subsided as he processed the child statements. His minds were in disarray, one questions after another bombarded his brain, unconsciously he muttered, "Gods plan?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"That's right, sooner or later this world going to be ravaged by that so-called plans."
"But- Aren't that just a game..." He was still in a state of disbelief, even though he got enough evidence that the child was telling him the truth, stated by the fact that he himself got changed because of him and also the one that changed him was standing in front of him.
The child's face turned solemn, "It was not a game young man."
"But, isn't that game created by humans!"
"Ah...How ignorant can you be." The child turned his gaze towards Yuri's jade eyes, "Did you think a bunch of mortals can create a living and breathing world? Did you think a bunch of ones and zeroes can replicate the profoundness of mortals emotion, with all of its flaw and imperfections? Did you think that mortals have that kinds of knowledge and wisdom? They can't even understand their own feelings, and you say they created miracles? Fools, a bunch of sacrificial pawns acted like they were some kinds of gods. In the end, they were used by the gods themselves."
"..." Yuri was baffled, the more he thinks about it, the more that it makes sense, he can't retort what the child said and just kept his silence.
The child took a breath, "Let me tell you the truth. That device you mortals called dive was a transporter, created by the mortal's hands with the instructions of the gods that reside in heaven."
"Transporter? What did it transport?"
"Soul. Your soul. Everyone soul, even your sister soul. She used it isn't she." The child chuckled, "Well, at least she had little power to resist the gods power, when the time of calamity arrived."
"Then...That place is real..." Yuri muttered under his breath, puzzled, he asked, "For what purpose? If they wanted to invade this world, why the need to open another world?"
The child's face turned serious, "The gods plan. It's a double-edged sword. For this world to be opened, they need a pathway. So they used Fantasia as the bridge for that, but, that isn't enough. They need to connect more worlds for this plan to work."
"The downside for this plan, however, is the mortal souls itself. You saw it for yourself. You can get stronger in that world, and also you can't really die in that world because the body you used was a substitute, created by the universes will to balance your souls, of course, dying will have some effects, and your souls need some time to recover from it. Also, the game system in that world was also created by the universes will, it was a chance and also a trial. But, it's a futile effort, when the mortals themselves were bound by fate. Unless. They became like you."
Yuri listened closely but, the more he listened to it, the more questions he had inside his brain, "Fate? You always said about fate, what is that about?"
"Fate...Is cruel...*sigh*...The threads that connect every mortals. Past, present, and the future. Just to wither within the river of time, casting away the mortal bodies, returning the souls into the cycle of reincarnation. Just to be born again, completing the cycle, again and again, slaves to their own written destiny." The child said genuinely.
"Th-That's doesn't seem cruel?"
"No...Not the fate itself...But the one that had the dominions over it..."
"...Fortuna..." Yuri unconsciously muttered the name, even though he didn't really know but somehow, that was the right answer.
"Yes..."
BANG!
Lightning struck once more, the rain started to pour harder, the blowing winds scratched the surface of the room windows. Yuri was startled, this situation was the same situation as last night. He turned his gaze once more towards the child, his facial expression turned serious, resolve can be seen through his red eyes.
"...But, why earth?"
"Yes, why earth? It's because gods are an envious being young man. This world was just like a treasure for them, of course, you wouldn't know about it, and I didn't want to disclose about it either. Find the answer yourself, young man." The old man chuckled.
Done with his laugh he sighed, and his face turned serious after, "My time is short, young man. From now on, fate didn't have any effect on you. Basically, you're an immortal, but, you can still be killed. If the gods wanted to spend some of their powers to kill you, you will still perish, so, get an even stronger power young man, if you didn't want to die that is."
Yuri was stunned by the revelations. He was an immortal. No matter how absurd that sounded, he can't deny the child statements either.
Snap!
The child undoes his magic. Yuri was unprepared and plummet into the ground with his face hitting the floor first.
Bang!
The lightning struck once more, the child turned his head towards the windows to look at the darkened skies.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, young man. Seize the throne, and reach godhood from there. Also, the more mortals that played that game, the more chances you had for resisting the gods assault."
Yuri lifted his body up, weird, he didn't felt any pain aside from the shock of falling. He stood on his two feet, and examined his body once more, "Is this the side effect of being an immortals old man? I didn't feel any pain."
"Your avatars are linked to your souls now, no longer it was a substitute, it was your real self in that world. Eventually, when the passage was established, everyone avatars in that world would merge with their original mortal's body."
"...That's why you give me that advice, because I will have an army to resist their siege."
"Correct."
"Then. What do you want old man? What side are you on?" Yuri said inquisitively. He still didn't believe the child one hundred percent, even though all he said was the truth, he felt that there's something that he hides from him.
"What do I want?" The child chuckled once more, "Nothing. I already have what I wanted. And, what side am I on...Well, let's just say, that all I want was chaos and big explosions. Hahaha"
Yuri was bewildered by the child answer, his answers were just like a riddle. A riddle he must deduce before it was too late.
"Here take this young man, this was my second present. Consider it as a token of gratitude, you only have a limited time, so, do your best. I'm gambling all my chances on you, young man." The child threw two items into Yuri's hands.
Yuri grabbed the items and saw that it looked like an hourglass, a small hourglass the size of his finger. Plated with gold and decorated with an intricate design that looked like a dragon.
"What's this old man?"
"Use it in that world. It will help your two friends for not being a burden in your path."
"But, how..."
"Put it in your inventory young man, didn't I say that your avatars were linked to you right now."
Yuri gripped the item tight in his hands and muttered, "Store item.". The items in his hand disappear into light motes, indeed, his avatar now was linked to his body. How fascinating he said in his minds.
BANG!
The child looked towards the windows once more, "Hehe. They were angry now...But, they can't interfere either— Sadly, I didn't have much time, if I still have my old power, maybe I can tease them to death. HAHAHA."
"YOUNG MAN!! SOON THEY WILL COME!! BE STRONG!! AND ALSO REMEMBER!! DON'T TAKE THE SAME PATH AS RHEVIL DID!!"
Yuri was staring at the child, his small body was slowly dissipating into the darkness, while his maniacal laughter was still ringing inside his minds.
The rain finally stopped, the sun finally showed its color. The yellow rays shone across the cold streets, bringing warmth to its surrounding. The gloomy atmosphere of the room was nowhere to be found.
Only Yuri with his white hair and messy clothes, accompanied by his sleeping sister was there. He stood motionless, trying to process the influx of information in his head. While suddenly her sister was showing signs of waking up.
"Ummm...What happened...Why am I asleep..."
He was startled, his sister woken up, "How are you feeling? Did anything changes in your body? We need to have you checked up."
Lillie was bombarded with a series of questions by her brother. She was still lightheaded, and can only process some of it, she was puzzled by her brother reaction.