Chapter 27 : Who You Are

The next day:

"Aleystria, your objective… do not forget it. Kill the god they will summon here, and join us at the God Prism, our final resting place. Inside, you will finally understand... Accept the madness, and you will lose your mind. Neither Veron nor Oscar wanted that for you. But only then can we recreate our world. So go... but prepare yourself to lose what you hold dear."

"Aley... stay with me a little longer..." murmurs a soft voice that suddenly cuts through the one in my head—a voice I’ve decided to call Morphey, in reference to the Greek god of sleep, Morpheus. The source of this whisper is Elvaria. We’re back at the inn after a long day. Yesterday, the spectacular fight between Lein and Owul took place, and afterward, we took on an A-rank extermination quest at the guild. This morning, I find myself beside her.

"Elvie, wake up. It’s your fight today," I say softly, shaking Elvaria slightly, who is peacefully sleeping, drool still at the corner of her mouth. I’m lying next to her. This little inn room has become a kind of refuge, almost like home, but I know I will soon have to leave.

"O-okay..." murmurs Elvaria as she sits up, though her desire to stay in bed is evident. She clearly needs more sleep.

I watch her get up and start putting on her armor, always neatly stored in the wardrobe of our room. Suddenly, a vision assaults me.

I see Elvaria pierced by a hundred swords, an image terribly similar to a dream I had recently. She whispers something to me before slowly closing her eyes and passing away.

Shocked by this horrible vision, I rush toward her and hug her tightly.

"Aley?!" she exclaims, surprised and blushing. A silent fear grips my heart. Fear of losing her. Lately, I’ve been haunted by a terrible premonition. Everything I’ve experienced here made me forget just how strange this world is. No matter who I am, or who I truly was, the person I am today has a brother, a sister, a mother, and a father… and I miss them. Terribly.

The thought of losing Elvaria brings back that strangeness, reminding me that I’m not really home. Since I arrived here, I’ve carried a tremendous amount of stress, buried beneath the surface. And now, still holding Elvie in my arms, I start to cry, unable to explain why. A few tears gently roll down my cheeks. Elvaria, caught off guard, stays still for a moment, but soon, a tender smile lights up her face.

"It’ll be okay, Aley. I’ll always be here for you," she whispers, placing her comforting hands on my back and looking me straight in the eyes. She smiles with infinite kindness. I don’t want to lose her. Ever. And I won’t let anything or anyone take her away from me.

"Thank you..." I say, my voice still trembling, but I quickly wipe away my tears. "Come on, let’s head to the guild for breakfast, and then your tournament," I say, regaining my composure, smiling again. At that moment, I feel a bit lighter.

Somewhere in the world:

"This current world is really messed up... Everything would be fine if you were here..." murmurs a man standing alone atop a solitary hill. In front of him, two gravestones—those of Aleystria and Elvi. Every day, he comes to visit what he believes to be the resting place of his old friends.

"I gave a vial of divine blood to a few individuals. They plan to make a concentrate to awaken a minor god. If all goes well, the concentrate will emit a divine wave that will sweep across the entire world," he murmurs again, his gaze filled with tenderness directed at the graves. Then, suddenly, he exclaims:

"Oh, but don’t worry! The wave won’t destroy anything. It will simply be a divine concentration meant to awaken your still-slumbering spirits," he says before adding with a benevolent smile, "Only then can I begin the reincarnation ritual to place your souls in your new bodies..." Convinced he’s acting for the greater good, he continues to commit crimes, unaware that his friends are already alive somewhere.

At the same time, in Iveralmn:

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second day of the tournament! A highly anticipated match for the citizens of Iveralmn, Verdesable, and Voltruite, who all claim superiority! Prepare yourselves for the duel between the hero Valentin and 'The Scarlet Comet,' Elvaria!" exclaims the referee from the center of the arena. His powerful voice carries all the way to the guild, where Elvaria and I are having breakfast.

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"W-what?! My fight is now?!" Elvaria exclaims, standing up abruptly from her chair, eyes wide. We had just left the inn for a peaceful breakfast at the guild, and her fight was scheduled for an hour later. Something’s off.

"Ah, Lady Elvaria, it seems the kings of other countries have played a dirty trick on you," comments an adventurer sitting at a nearby table, eating with his companions.

"What do you mean?" I ask, intrigued.

Another adventurer joins the conversation: "There’s a rumor that some kings pressured the King of Iveralmn to move the tournament’s time forward. They didn’t inform you?"

"So, King Almus betrayed us?" suggests Elvaria, arms crossed and a dark look on her face, the same expression she had the first time I met her.

"I don’t think so. Alfira would never allow such a betrayal. There must be a problem on their end," I say, trying to reassure her. Elvaria nods at my words, convinced.

"Anyway, you should hurry," intervenes a deep voice. A tall, robust man, covered in scars, speaks as he stands. Ah, it’s the one I punched in the face the first time. He seems really kind, and I feel even guiltier.

"Aley, we’re going now," declares Elvaria, heading quickly toward the guild’s exit, leaving her barely touched meal behind.

"Elvie, I’ll carry you," I say confidently. At my words, she looks at me, first surprised, then a radiant smile lights up her face, and her green eyes start to shine. Her cheeks blush slightly.

"I get it, you're going to spam your skill, right?" she says, happy to have quickly understood my intention.

"Quick Step, Quick Step, Quick Step..." I murmur the skill a dozen times, already feeling intense pain throughout my body. The more I charge this skill, the more damage my body takes. Right now, I’m in so much pain that I couldn’t fight, but luckily, today is Elvaria’s day. So, I can afford to go all out for her.

"It’s okay, Elvie, I’m ready," I say after murmuring Quick Step about twenty more times, my body aching.

"I’m ready too. We’ll miss the tournament if we don’t hurry. They must already be saying I’m late—" She doesn’t have time to finish her sentence before I rush toward her, scooping her into my arms, and smashing through the guild door in my momentum. Time seems to slow around me.

We find ourselves in the main street; the arena is still far away, but I brace myself against the ground, Elvaria still in my arms, carried like a princess.

Suddenly, I launch into the air, tearing through the clouds and creating an immense hole letting sunlight through. The spectacle is magnificent. At my current speed, I feel like I’m in a world where I’m the only one who exists.

I bounce through the sky, racing straight toward the arena. The shockwaves I produce blow away the clouds around us, leaving a wide gap in the sky.

The arena is finally beneath us. I then see some of the kings sneering, still in slow motion, while boredom is visible on the faces of the spectators. Valentin is already there, wearing an awkward smile. The atmosphere is not great. I then dive toward the arena, still holding Elvaria in my arms.

But just before reaching the ground, I release my skill and let Elvaria fall into the arena alone, quickly slipping into the stands to make it seem like she arrived on her own. She must gain respect from the crowd.

Suddenly, time returns to normal.

"See? They’re just cheats. They were scared from the very first fight—" the King of Voltruite begins to exclaim, but he cuts himself off as he sees a massive explosion at the center of the arena. A huge rift runs through the sky, and in the middle of the explosion stands Elvaria, her gaze determined.

The King of Iveralmn then speaks: "As expected, behold the power of a true monster!" he exclaims, a sly smile on his lips. He had anticipated our late arrival. There’s definitely something suspicious about this king.

Elvaria, instantly understanding the situation I put her in, apologizes: "Please excuse my tardiness. I wasn’t informed of the time change. Sorry, Valentin, but I’d like for my fight to begin now."

"Elvie! I almost thought you were on a date with Aley—" replies Valentin with a smile, but…

"What right do you have to call her Elvie?!" I shout, revealing my position in the stands. The crowd instantly turns toward me.

"There you are..." adds Valentin. He trapped me. He only wanted to provoke me to see where I was.

The referee then speaks again: "Despite some unforeseen events, the fight can resume. Three, two, one… Begin!" she exclaims, leaping into the air. Valentin and Elvaria step onto the central platform, hands resting on their swords, ready to draw...

The voice in my head murmurs again…

A soft voice, softer than any I had heard before, suddenly began to sing. All around me, the world turned black, similar to the abyss I had fallen into after my death. But soon, the darkness dissipated.

Before me stretched an immense deserted battlefield. Thousands of swords were planted in the barren ground, forming an ocean of abandoned blades.

"Aleystria..." A voice echoed, layering over the song that continued, closer, more enchanting.

"Do you want to know who you are?" asked this voice, a familiar resonance striking me. It was Elvaria’s voice, but it seemed more mature, deeper. I looked around desperately, searching for the source of this sound. Meanwhile, the song intensified, its tone resembling a sacred prayer in an unknown language. It was exactly like when I first landed in this world.