"My legs... Can't feel... my legs..." Issei cried out the moment he woke up.

"Cheh, we really went at it til dawn, didn't we?" Freddy chuckled, "Damn, it's noon already."

"Noon? We slept in that much?" Sandy asked, "But didn't I set up an alarm?"

"Ah, so that's what that beeping was this morning." Juavez rubbed his aching head, "Sorry, I instinctually turned it off, garota. Really dislike the restrictions that come with waking up in time."

"You asshole! Because of you we're not gonna make it before sunfall today!"

"Hey, come on now, Sandy. We can clearly see the statue up above us, so flying up there shouldn't take more than a few minutes tops." I reasoned, "We'll just go up there after breakfast and..."

"Luneski, it's illegal to fly near the statue." Freddy shot that idea down immediately.

"Eh?" I gulped, "Y-You mean...?"

"Yeah, I could have sworn we told you that." Issei sighed, "You think we wouldn't have just flown directly to the statue and thus checked it off immediately if we could?"

Wait, but then since it's noon... We'll either have to skip out on breakfast or wait another day and go tomorrow. That's an issue, cause I'd like to get back home ASAP. It's regrettable, but we'll have to rush up the mountain before the Sun goes down. It'd be a real problem if we got lost in that path in the middle of the night, after all.

"Then, let's hop to it." I clapped my hands decidedly, "Come on, it's an adult's job to live with the consequences of their actions."

"That's cheap, coming from the guy that danced his heart out last night." Issei rolled his Eyes.

"1-2 kick!" I announced my fake-out attack to scare him, "Haha, can you still say that after witnessing my power-up? Fighting styles and the likes have grown obsolete in recent times, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't learn new things every day."

"Recent times, eh? I like that way of thinking, amigo." Juavez smiled, "A time where all were our hands and feet, a time before guns."

"Yeah, I guess you could argue that it's pretty recent in the whole grand scheme of things..." Sandy shrugged, "But calling it recent makes it sound like a totally new invention that just appeared a few years ago."

"That's..." Issei and I looked away.

Either way, without further ado, we felt it was time to bid our dancing amigo goodbye and head up to the Christ statue. Though, it seems he either had nothing better to do today, or he was just too interested in what odd business a group like ours could have at the site, so he decided to escort us to the top. How nice of him, though it's gonna be annoying for us to somehow hide the Green light from both him and Sandy. Seriously, read the room, man...

"Ah, Jesus Cristo. Our Lord and Savior who was nailed on the cross to rid the world of sin." He gave a brief explanation.

"Nailed on a cross?" I winced, "Issei, does he mean that literally or in the metaphoric sense?"

"According to the Sacred Texts, at least, that part is literal." Freddy touched the four spots to explain, "Four nails, two through the palms, and two through the feet."

"Eeyuck! That must've hurt like hell. Poor guy..." I pitied the fool pictured above us.

"Funny you mention hell when you don't even know anything about the Christian God." Juavez tilted his head, "Are you perhaps Muslim then? But no, I believe even they should have mentions of Jesus in their Texts, so then which one is it?"

"According to him, Prylosic or whatever he said." Sandy snickered.

"Ah, a gnostic. The so-called free-thinker mentality." Juavez looked unamused, "I can understand you wanting to stand out, amigo, but please reconsider your chosen faith. In fact, believing in false idols is one of the better known sins in Christianity."

"But I don't believe in Christianity to begin with, so why should I follow their rules?" I asked.

"Because it is the one true faith."

"Isn't there like 3 or 4 other main faiths in this world?"

"Yes, but those are not true."

"How do you know?"

"Because I must have faith in the Lord as the one true God. Why else would it be called the Christian 'belief'?"

"Don't go answering my question with a stupid one of your own. I'm asking you why you should take the words of the church above your own common sense."

"Because amigo, if everyone applied common sense, then we wouldn't have any religions." He grinned, "Common sense should be applied to as many cases as possible for one to live a true life, but religion is the one exception. Otherwise we will all find ourselves falling into the pit of nihilism."

"I choose to not agree with you on that one." I scowled.

"Then so be it, let us agree to disagree and simply bask in the statue's objective beauty."

"This is the most peaceful conversation between a believer and a non-believer I've seen in my life." Issei remarked.

"That's what happens when both sides use common sense." Freddy smirked.

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***

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"Gah, now my legs REALLY hurt." Issei whined about his legs for the second time today, "We should've just flown here with the airbike. To hell with the rules."

"It's not just a rule forbidding it, it's the law." Sandy noted, "Though I agree with the sentiment."

"To hell with that too. Curse everything that makes me this tired."

In other words, whilst these two have this giant titan above them, they're looking down on their feet? There's some poetry to be found here, I swear. Like, literally in the presence of a God (regardless of your religion), and the first thing that comes to mind is the blinding bodily ailments. What a load of bull, and yet Juavez still doesn't wanna chew them out because they didn't talk smack about his religion. The irony...

"So, you reckon this one would be easier to find the sweet spot?" Freddy asked Issei and me while keeping the question purposefully vague.

"Hey, take out your phone, Nyork! I bet the geocaches here are insane." Sandy smiled.

Oh right, I totally forgot she's here on a treasure hunt. Well, I guess that's my cue to Materialize something worth her time, but then what exactly? I can stow away another golden watch, but it'll be too suspicious if she just keeps getting the same prize over and over again. Then, maybe a gold bar? Argh, no good, I'm thinking in pure gold because that's the easiest element for me to Materialize, but I need to think of something else. Then, maybe silver? A silver necklace or ring I guess? Eh, I'll think of something while I go look for a spot to hide it.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Good idea, I'm gonna go look over there." I pointed to behind the statue, "Behind God's legs, as they say."

"Who says that?" Issei smirked

"It's a Cardinic expression, shut up." I whispered, "Stall these two while I go plant the items."

And so, I had walked around to where no one else was, only to be greeted by nothing in particular. That's weird, I could have sworn this place would have been more eventful for the back of a World Wonder, but I guess the people here didn't really assumed you'd pay too much mind to this part of the statue. Eh, I guess I should just plop something in a ditch near the base then.

"Psst." Someone whispered.

"Eep! W-Who's there?"

"You."

"You who?"

"Yoohoo to you too." The raspy voice then cackled endlessly, "Ouch, man, this old voice is killing me. I haven't talked to anyone in ages."

"Where are you, sir?" I asked the mysterious person as I looked around, "I don't see you."

"Here." He said plainly, "Inside."

"Inside...?" I gazed at the base of the statue in horror, "You don't mean...?"

"Yeah, cack!" He coughed from using his tired vocal chords so much, "Those assholes had me trapped in the statue as a sacrifice while it was being built, so I've just kinda been sitting here for a while now."

"What? How long have you been in there?! Do you have food and water!?" I panicked, instinctively putting my hand on the statue to try and somehow find an opening.

At the very touch of my fingers, the part of the statue I grazed had given out a faint Green glow. With this, I had checked off the third World Wonder, but I didn't care. All that was important is to save this poor old man.

"It's solid in here, kid. No use trying to break me out." He assured me, "I'll live, don't worry. It's only a matter of time before this damned statue gets knocked down or decays before I can be free again."

"But that could take centuries! Old man, you sound old as is, but that doesn't mean your life isn't worth saving, or at least what's left of it!"

"What's left of it? What is there to be left of... infinity?" He inquired.

"Hm?" I noticed 100% sincerity in the tone of his voice, "Old man... Who trapped you in this statue?"

"The Gods, kid." He revealed with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Or at least one of them. Dunno who yet, but they've all been really hostile with me since forever ago."

"The Gods? Forever...?" I gulped, "Old man, are you immortal?"

"Yep, I certainly wouldn't grow this old with my current lifestyle." He cackled, "Hell, I don't even remember my birth. I just remember being put here and living for billions of years. It's a damned curse, but even a curse is nifty when it comes to these situations."

An immortal being...! And he said he got trapped in here by the Gods. Is this even reality, or am I just imagining things? Could it be a dream? Ow, no, pinching myself proved otherwise. But then, inside the Christ Statue in Rio de Janeiro, there really is an immortal old man residing within...

"So when you say Gods, I presume you mean the Five Gods, right?" I asked, "How'd they trick you?"

"Huh? You know of the Five Gods, kid?" He sounded worried, "No, get away! You don't want to get involved in this mess! Hell, you sound young enough, go find yourself a girl to shag and live a happy life without ever putting their damned names in your untainted mouth!"

"Can't do that, old man. See that's the issue, I need to visit all the World Wonders in order to see my wife again." I explained, "I'm not of this Universe Cycle, understand?"

"Universe... Cycle?" He started shouting in pain, "W-World... Wonders, argh!? M-My head... memories...! Schnell, Shaid...!"

"Those names...!" I noticed, "Old man, you-!"

"Yo, England! Found anything?" Sandy interrupted our talk as the old man immediately shut up so as to not give himself away.

"S-Sandy!" I turned back as I noticed the group following closely behind her, "What are... you doing here?"

"Sorry, she got suspicious of you not coming back, so..." Issei kept bowing his head apologetically.

"Hey Luneski, found anything?" Freddy signaled me.

"Yeah, you're not stashing any gold away, are you?" Sandy walked up to me semi-angrily.

Dammit, woman! I was this close to a breakthrough! Crap, the person in this statue could prove incredibly useful to our journey, if not beyond it! He's immortal, an enemy of the Gods and his knowledge is extremely vast! He seems to know, nay, recall the Wish System that stems from visiting all the World Wonders, he knows of the Universe Cycles and... of Schnell and Shaid. Both historical figures of my Universe Cycle, which is extremely odd. Now I understand the Schnell and Shaid he's heard of might not be the same ones I know, but rather of a different world instead, but still it doesn't change the fact he HAS heard of them. Dammit, but I gotta deal with Sandy first...

"Here, I found this, but it's a dud." I secretly Materialized a copper capsule with some arbitrary treasure inside, "I couldn't find a way to open it, but if you do, then feel free to take it."

"The hell is this?" She shook it up a bit, "I mean I'll keep it, but it's really nothing too special. Just some copper."

"Come on, if that's all, then let's go back down to the airbike before night falls." Freddy shooed her away hastily, "Issei and I wanna touch the World Wonder for principle's sake. You go with Juavez, we'll join you."

"Leave them be, come on." Juavez understood we had a reason for leading her away, so he read the room and agreed to his duty.

"Lune, what's happening?" Issei asked briefly, "We tried touching the front all over, but it didn't register."

"Cause I ain't at the front." The voice inside the statue piped up again, "Come on, touch this bit here. The boy probably already saw the Green light."

"A voice from inside!?" They panicked.

They panicked, but they soon calmed down once I briefed them on everything. The person inside didn't want to give us his name, but he did tell us how he got trapped here. That being said, he did reveal one thing - That the statue itself is not the World Wonder, but instead he is. Apparently, one of the Gods coerced the locals here to seal him inside the statue while it was being constructed as a sort of sacrifice for the statue's longevity, and the naive locals believed them, not realizing they were basically just boring an immortal man instead. Either way, this all ultimately led up to everyone touching the man through the thick statue walls, which was somehow just enough to register. Don't ask me how though, I have no clue myself.