“I take it you already have something in mind?” Anahlya asked. Was it pride Dariusz heard? Possibly, though he couldn’t say what exactly his Coordinator was proud of.
Dariusz smiled again, still looking at his pendant. “Yeah, just need some time for proper research and to gather my thoughts.” He frowned. “Can I use the internet here, or will I have to go back?” Small inconvenience it may be, it would still annoy him. Besides, would he even have the same Coordinator then? Anahlya seemed like a decent, if unusual, pick so hopefully yes.
“Yes. This chamber isn’t a part of Project Revelation’s world, not in fully at least, and as such acts as a link between that world and your Personal Space. It was to be expected people would want to research before fully committing to their creations.”
A notebook appeared on the table; nothing fancy but enough for what he wanted. And he wanted to research, to make his character as perfect, as unique, as he could.
He heard more typing, though not from his laptop. Dariusz took his eyes off the screen to see Anahlya with the same notebook he had, murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like ‘dank’ or quietly chuckling to himself. Looks like he was serious about those memes.
He turned again to the wall of text on his screen. Time for research.
----------------------------------------
“Hey Anahlya, can I ask you something?” He inquired while still typing on the keyboard. He had finished most of his research, now it was simply a matter of making it all into something that had sense. Which was easier to say than do. Still, he had almost finished.
“Depends and the nature of said question.”
Dariusz stopped, it was as good as any moment for a small break. “That’s what I wanted to ask you, your nature. I mean, I guess you’re some kind of a divinity, but I dunno for sure. ‘He who asks does not wander’ as they say, so why not.” He stretched after ending. God, he had no idea typing could be so exhausting! How long did it take him, anyway? Wait, what? Almost two hours? Damn.
Anahlya hummed, before taking a more comfortable position, one leg on the other. “It’s not a bad question. I am what Amyu called Tskhiksmispeu, essentially a lesser divinity or something akin to your angels, forever in servitude to Grand Director. Does that answer your question?” It did, but it also made him want to ask even more. Which most likely was Anahlya’s intention, judging by his smirk.
He rolled his eyes. “And that, of course, makes me curious what exactly are you. You know, the divinity of lighting, water, music.”
His Coordinator laughed at his wild guessing. “None of that, that I must say you were getting close with music. No, just as my name suggests, I’m merely an actor and nothing more.” Ah, that confirmed whether he's AI or not and explained his inconsistent behaviour. What puzzled him though, were two different emotions he heard in Anahlya’s voice: gratitude, but also a disappointment.
“I see…And Grand Director? Who is he?” Considering he was one of the two beings responsible for his character’s acceptance, it was prudent to ask.
“Ah, Analikst Nekki te losts Hlyekankyempu Syufa—”
What.
“Which loosely translates into ‘Grand Director of the Life Spectacle’. I trust you can guess what he symbolises? He’s the current System Administrator.”
He blinked in surprise. “Current?”
“Current.” Anahlya nodded. “Second, to be specific. Usually, it’s the manifestation of the World that takes care of the most important systems in your world’s stories, right? Well, it was the same here.”
…what was he supposed to do with this information? Seriously, this sounded like something of huge importance and he just—oh. Unless it’s actually a common knowledge.
His Coordinator laughed at his unamused expression. Sure, laugh it out.
“Haaah…Alright, I guess that’s enough. Here it is.” Might as well use this moment to show his creation. He really hoped it would be accepted after all his hard work.
Anahlya took his notebook and started reading, either nodding alongside or making quiet comments he didn’t manage to hear. After five minutes of waiting, he met the gaze of the divinity in front of him, both of their stares unyielding.
“I have no objections, but I want you to think twice before making this decision. Are you absolutely sure this is who you want to be? Some people, both divine and mortal, might not appreciate such…bold proclamation of allegiance.”
He nodded. If a literal crusader was fair play, then why not this? No regrets.
“I see. And the answer is…”
Your character: Ashanemah, the Seeker of Truth has been accepted.
Your character: Ashanemah, the Seeker of Truth has been accepted.
Two windows? Oh right, it had to be accepted by both Coordinator and Grand Director. Does every Divine have their own windows colour, or is it only the case with Coordinators?
Your name was Dariush Zargar, a faithful if unordinary man. But when the gates to a new World have opened, you have found your calling.
You have cast away your previous life and name, returning to the ancient customs of your people. Though they are no more the proud Aryans they were, conquered and changed, you like a few others still remember the Truth.
And so you have dedicated your new life to your God and Asha, taking the name of ‘one who shows reverence to the Truth’, marking your body with the Holy words of Avesta to show the world who you serve.
You are alone. Your journey will be hazardous, filled with many enemies not taking kindly to this ‘upstart’ God and few allies you'll have to fight tooth and nail for. But you don't mind.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
As long as you can serve Him, you'll be happy. And perhaps this new World could be a new start not only for you?
Unique Race gained
Human (Aryan) - People from a bygone era of a different World.
Attribute Affinity: Willpower, Wisdom
Ability Affinity: Religious, Arts
Unique Religion gained
Mazdayasna - Worship of Ahura Mazda, God from a different world.
Unknown
No Enemies
No Allies
???
???
???
Title Gained
Seeker of Truth - You have cast away your previous life, taking on the name of ‘One who shows reverence to the Truth’ and dedicating your life to finding Asha, the Truth.
Higher chance of uncovering secrets.
???
???
???
Trait Gained
Wayfarer - A being not of this world, marked by a higher power.
Easier time learning skills.
Ignorance of the new world.
The interest of other higher powers
Trait Gained
Faithful - You are a bulwark of Faith.
Faith stat unlocked.
Penalties for not adhering to faith’s tenants.
Trait Gained
Wreathed in the Word - Your body is a canvas upon which the holy words of Avesta had been written.
Distrust from certain people.
Interest from certain people.
???
???
???
He stared at the messages, not fully comprehending what's just happened. A cold shiver down his spine. It…it was still a game, right? Well, it obviously was, it had to be, but this…
What was he supposed to think about this? It was his creation, true, but in no way could he predict what exactly would be the consequences. Is this really who he's going to become?
He read everything once more. Heh, he could imagine the outrage if any of the more conservative parties were to see his messages. Did something similar happen to that Crusader Anahlya mentioned? Probably, though he wondered if that guy was as shaken by this as Dariusz currently was.
He hesitantly moved his gaze to the right, where the image of his planned Avatar was shown. He didn’t try to change it too much; he liked how he looked. Despite that, there were some subtle—and some much more noticeable—changes.
He had decided recently to let his hair grow as well as his beard, so Dariusz used this occasion as a preview, so to speak, of how he’d look in the future. While the full beard certainly worked nicely, he might have overdone it with that hip-length braided hair. Eh, it still looked cool.
But the one thing that was truly important, enough to even give him a trait apparently, were the tattoos on his entire body. Various excerpts from Avesta and Zoroastrian prayers, all written on his body in the Avestan alphabet. It filled him with pride but also apprehension.
That was his idea for this character—a man that has thrown away his old life in the name of his God and people, finding a new purpose in life. And maybe a new start for all of them.
The moment his mind had given life to this character, this idea, he already loved it. But now that he looked at it again, at who he is going to become, he felt anxious. Unsure.
And it annoyed the fuck out of him.
Are you certain you wish to create this Character?
Fuck it. “Yes.”
Then he just…changed. There was no warning, no fanfare; one moment he was Dariusz and the next he was Ashanemah. Just like that.
He looked over his arms, gaze set on the sentence tattooed on his right arm. “Righteousness is the best good and it is happiness,” he read aloud, fascinated. It wasn't the best translation, far from it, but that's what happens when one has to deal with words having multiple meaning. More importantly, he could read it. He didn't know Avestan before, but now he apparently could read it. Kinda.
It wasn't right. As if something deep inside his mind was telling him how it read and what it meant; like he both knew and didn't this language. Was it some kind of automatic translation?
“Are you satisfied? ” Anahlya asked, his curiosity palpable.
He smiled at that. Despite some initial apprehension he was, wasn't he? “You have no idea. What now?”
“Weeeeell…”
Why did he have a bad feeling right now.
“If you had chosen any of the normal methods, it would be simple—I’d show you a map, tell anything you may want to know about starting areas available to you and that would be it.” Anahlya waved his hand over the table in a clearly theatrical matter, soon followed by a map appearing out of thin air. It was made of parchment and old, if not ancient, depicting this new world he would be sent to. Four continents, many isles, various climates. All in all, it looked like, well, a world; definitely unfamiliar, but not something too alien.
“But since you're not an Awakened, but a Wayfarer,” Anahlya continued, “you don't get a choice, I'm afraid.“
Breath in, breath out. “Be honest, how fucked am I here?” Might as well get it over with as quickly as possible. Like peeling off a band-aid.
“Ah, you don’t have to worry about this!” His voice took on a cheerful tone again. “Neither Grand Director nor I wish to see you die immediately after gracing our world; it would be too boring for a spectacle, wouldn’t it?”
Boring, he says. Dar—Ashanemah, wasn’t sure what to think of his Coordinator anymore. “That’s…good. Can you finally tell me what this ‘World’ is called? You never used any name here.” For some reason. Was he purposely avoiding it? Well, maybe? He couldn’t guess as to why though, it’s not like it changed anything.
“That is not possible.”
Huh?
“You are a Wayfarer, an Ignorant one at that. Any further knowledge has to be gained in your new World, rather than from me.”
Ah fuck. He may have underestimated what this trait meant. It would make the game much more difficult, quite possibly also frustrating, but he didn’t actually mind that much. Sure, he could simply search all the info he’d need on the internet, but it’d feel like cheating, as stupid as it sounded. It didn’t make much sense, what with him purposefully deciding to make his life harder, but he simply thought that exploring this new, nameless world would be more rewarding this way.
“Besides, it has too many names to just pick one. Please remember it’s inhabited by multitudes of races, with each one differing from another through their language or culture.”
Ashanemah sighed. Annoying, but it still was a good point. “So, I guess that’s it, yeah?”
Anahlya only nodded and gestured to his right. Space itself distorted there, slowly forming a deep purple portal leading to who knew where. Time to finally start his Tutorial, huh? He stepped through the portal, but not before hearing Anahlya’s last words of farewell.
“I only hope you are adept at learning new languages, Seeker of Truth. May your adventures be most interesting.”
Wait, what was the first one about? Why would—Ignorant. Oh God. He was fucked. Eh, whatever. He’ll manage somehow.
As long as it’s going to be interesting, he could deal with it