《Infinite Trigger: Wandering Soul》 What makes a protagonist, a protagonist When will my tale began? The sun was shining high up the sky, yet I feel cold. My hands and legs were numb from walking for hours. My sweat dripped on the groundprofusely, some even got into my eyes and it was stinging. We¡¯ve been going at it since morning and it¡¯s noon now. We are all tired, and thirsty too. Once our leader in the front signaled with his hand to rest, everyone sighed in relief and dropped limp without a care about getting dirt in their pants. I sought a proper place, like a small boulder to sit on, but I was too slow and small the adults took the spot first. They chattered, creating a mini-group of their own. Faint chuckling occasionally heard, most are trying to be quiet and not attract unwanted attention. We were travelling. Where to? A city somewhere. Our village was no more. Nothing left but ashes and smell of rotten flesh, blood and flies flying around the corpses. I rested my palm on my temple, it was hot. I also felt the heat spread across my cheeks and neck. I don¡¯t feel so good. I don¡¯t think anyone was. Hungry and tired, one of the worst combination man ever known. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep. Just a little while, but I couldn¡¯t. I cannot. I knew I wouldn¡¯t wake up ever again if I did. Still with a bit of resentment towards the adults, I dropped my bottom on the cold dirt and took a piece of bread from my leather bag. The bread was cold and hard, not very clean either. Usually I won¡¯t even take a second look before I threw it away, but things changed. This journey would take three to four days by foot. All I had was two loaf of breads. Right now, I wouldn¡¯t even mind drinking mud water, if only I wouldn¡¯t get sick from it. ¡°Len.¡± Just as I was about to take a bite, I heard a voice calling me. Feeble and weak, like a whisper in the wind her voice seemed about to cry any second. ¡°Len.¡± She called my name once again with a cracked voice. I turned around and saw her eyes red from tears with her cheeks smeared with dirt and dust. ¡°...¡± She didn¡¯t say anything but I knew what she wanted. There was nothing left to said. I tear half of my bread and hand it to her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her mouth made an arch and her lips trembled. She covered her face with her left hand, wiping down the tears on her cheeks. ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡± She uttered with whatever strength she had left. I stood up and walked away from her. I ate my bread a distance away from the others. I didn¡¯t like them. I still don¡¯t. Bunch of pricks. All of them. I rubbed my face and stared at the clouds in the sky. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if you can be one of them? Floating around above the earth, watching people, miserable people, judging them quietly, and pranking them with rains if you feel like it. I lost in my thought for a second and noticed a shadow looming behind me. There she was, staring at the ground with her fingers intertwined with each other. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ for your help¡­¡± ¡°Once is good enough. Go back to your mum.¡± For a second I saw her face hardened. ¡°Mum...my¡­¡± I turned my gaze away and stood up with a jump. I put strength into my arm and slapped her should hard. ¡°That hurts!¡± ¡°I know. So stay strong. There are still 3 or 4 more days left. Hold on and things will get better.¡± ¡°Will it really?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°How¡­? How can you¡­ how do you know?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die. Not today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You will survive until we get to the city.¡± ¡°Until to the city?¡± ¡°And maybe some more.¡± ¡°But how can you be so sure?¡± ¡°It always like that.¡± ¡°Wha¡­?¡± ¡°Most story begins like that. Haven¡¯t you read those tales from the book? Things always bad in the beginning, but in the end, all''s well ends well.¡± ¡°Len, you can read?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡­ Most tales I read back there always have the same ending. It ends happily ever after. The prince got the princess. The knight slayed the dragon. The hero saved the world from evil. In a fictional world setting, the world is, one way or another, always facing some sort of danger that could cost the entire cast of the story. The main protagonist would always survive or sacrifice his or her life at the end and brought peace upon the world. At first, I couldn¡¯t recognize these patterns, but after reading hundreds of them, it gets pretty predictable. Same formula, different executions. I still enjoy them very much. They gave me happiness and excitement in this dull life. Well, I mean, living as a peasant is not bad at all. Everywhere you see is calm and peaceful, but... I wanted to go on an adventure, exploring ruins and dungeons, chances of encounter with unique and memorable people, not going back and forth doing random errands like selling newspaper or a courier. It was all because uncle introduced me to novels. Who would¡¯ve thought that a paper with scribbles on it could take one¡¯s mind to a whole new world? I sure didn¡¯t. Our village was raided. Many of my favorite books were burned and lost among the crater. Uncle didn¡¯t survive, but not because he was killed by those raiders, he died a year ago because of an illness. Since then my life took a deep dive and I had to take care of myself as an orphan. Scavenging food through piles of garbage, drinking rainwater, eating once a day¡­ it was difficult. From having food served on a wooden plate to dust and dirt, it was¡­ Even so, I still occasionally went to visit the local nun in the church. She had a huge collection of novels she collected back in her wild days. I don¡¯t really understand what she meant, but I thought it was her private business. I would read the books in the church at night when nobody was there just because they had candles which provides me with light. I couldn¡¯t read in the day as bunch of bullies would bother me. Apparently because of my black hair they took me as an outsider that doesn¡¯t belong there. I heed them no mind. I¡¯m weak and skinny, sport has never been one of my strong point so I couldn¡¯t care less about playing football and hide and seek. Those bitter-sweet days had ended. Some people that I know died. Some survived. That girl was one of them survivor. I rarely spoke to her. She would play together with the other kids, mainly doing girly things like picking up flowers and braiding each other¡¯s hair. She¡¯s and exception though. Her hair was short to her shoulder, so she¡¯s always the one braiding other people¡¯s hair. A quiet and gentle girl was what I thought. I knew that her dad left her mommy even before she was born. I guess that made her somewhat a celebrity in the village as she was the only one without a dad. Maybe she realized herself that she is different from the other. Maybe that¡¯s what made her a quiet girl, more of a spectator instead of a player. An audience instead of an actor, uh¡­ actress. We often saw each other. One time she gave me a candy. An extremely rare and precious sweets that only people with 2 silvers or above income could obtain. Her mummy certainly isn¡¯t one of those people. I still remember her answer when I asked her why she would gave me this precious piece of sugar. It was so clear¡­ too clear in fact, like it just happened yesterday. ¡°My mum said a happy person is al~ways surrounded by happy people, and that¡¯s how they became happy! I want to be happy, so I need you to be happy! Get it?¡± Her face at that moment was something that she never expressed even in front of her friends. In that moment, her face was forever burned inside my brain. A quiet and shy girl like her could make such face, who would¡¯ve thought? I sure didn¡¯t. And because of her face that she showed me¡­ I felt special. A face of her that only I knew¡­ Now, everything has changed. Her face was the complete opposite of that day. Did I gave her my food because I couldn¡¯t handle her tears, or because of pure pity? I wish I knew. But there was something else I knew. Without a doubt, she will survive. I just knew inside my heart. There was ¡®ifs¡¯ of what could happen. She will survive this predicament. Period. It¡¯s not like I have a gift to read the future. I don¡¯t have magic or anything that could tell me a girl¡¯s fate. The reason why I¡¯m sure she would survive was simple. She was at the right place and at the right time to survive. The signs and patterns are all there. If we see it as a ¡®tale¡¯, this is how it went down. A shy and quiet girl living in a small village away from the human civilization. She lived her life peacefully with her friends, playing braids, hide and seek, running around with a big smile plastered on her face. A short hair that distinguish her from the other, conspicuous, yet not pretentious. But that¡¯s not all there was. Behind her docile and gentle appearance, she was actually quite like the sun. Cheerful, a smile sweeter than the most prized candy in the world, blinding anyone who sees it. Tomboy-ish and naive, but she¡¯s learning. Then on a fateful day, her world was turned upside down. The people she loved, her mum and friends were murdered in cold blood by raiders. They came and pillaged the whole village, took all the valuables, slaughtered the men and raped the women. The story took a pretty dark turn. But the tale had just begun. The survivors including her are on their way to the city, seeking shelter from the calamity they just experienced. Just from the description alone one could tell she is a heroine. A person who is destined for something much greater. And that was how I reached the conclusion ¡®she will definitely survive no matter what¡¯. But then, how come she is the heroine of a story, you might ask. That¡¯s simple. There¡¯s always a rule that most author abide to in writing a protagonist. The protagonist never realize that they are the protagonist. This is not completely true. I¡¯ve read stories where the protagonist believed he is the protagonist of a story of some sort. But there are exceptions. In this context, she is a protagonist. Few factors came into play to make a protagonist. First, having a tragic past. This serves as the fuel for her motivation. Her mother was murdered and left alone on her way to a place she never been to, her life was in shambles. It was quite a heartless thing to say, but¡­ Second, she was the only female child that survived. This alone labelled her as a ¡®special¡¯ existence. Third, because I exist. Let me reiterate, I¡¯m an observer observing an actress playing a role of an heroine. Most of the elements were present. What¡¯s left were the audience. A girl alone without anyone to protect her, not knowing of what the world has in for her. A little helping hand and a little push will do. Just a gentle, soft push to make her stand up. I can see it already, what the future has in for her. She will survive this predicament without fail. Nothing will stand on her way. A future where she could stand with both her feet, tall and mighty. A journey of a lifetime awaits. Whenever she face a hard time, a hurdle where she cannot power-through with her own strength and will, I will be there to help her. Whatever happens, she will become a heroine in this tale. No matter what, I will ensure she will make it. She will survive. She will figure out who she really wants to be, her purpose, her dreams, I will make sure all of it becomes real. I bet my life on it. Why you ask? I guess that¡¯s pretty obvious already. Probably because¡­ I love her more than I do myself. Silent Confession Just a memory from the past, everything was over in a snap of a finger. Who was she? Who was I? A girl raised by a single mother, surrounded by precious friends¡­ everyday passed like a dream. It didn¡¯t feel real until everything fall apart. I have so many things I wanted to tell her. How I feel, how precious she was, how happy I am to see her smile. But then again, I¡¯m a kid. What a kid like me know about love? But when I saw those adults chattering to themselves, I wonder myself. Do they know about love? Time keeps ticking and now it was already too late to ask. Me and her, we are world apart from each other. She¡¯s like a star shining in the sky while I¡¯m just a black sheep trapped in a farm, raised to be butchered. Growl~ My stomach hurts. Not just me, but others too. Depressed face full of bitterness plastered on all of us. Most of us. Some were even worse, walking while crying like newborn baby. My feet hurts, my temple throbbed, and my throat was dry like the coarse sand in the desert. I can¡¯t even kept my head straight. All I can do was staring at the feet in front of me, following whoever it was. It was then I heard a loud thump. I lifted my head and there was a body on the floor. Disheveled blonde hair to her shoulder and a small, petite figure sprawled on the floor. ¡°Elaine!¡± My heart pumped rapidly and strength flowed to my feet. I ran and shook her body, yet there was no response. I lifted her face and wiped her hair from the mud. Her eyes were half-closed with mouth slightly opened. I saw dirt on her sunken cheeks and tried to wipe it down. ¡°Elaine!¡± I called her name out in frustration and fear. It was loud, but nobody seems to notice. Everyone remain undisturbed, as if my words were nothing but a passing wind. Why!? ¡°Hu...ngry¡­¡± She whispered so faintly I can barely hear it. I put my bag down and grabbed a piece of bread. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Here, eat it.¡± I handed the bread to her mouth. But there was no response. She kept moving her mouth and her eyes stared at the empty space without focus. She didn¡¯t have the strength to swallow, much less to munch. I clenched my fist as hard as I could, trying to held my rage and frustration. Maybe I should gave her all my food from the very beginning. Did I made the wrong decision? This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. ¡°Wa...ter¡­¡± ¡°Water? Hang on!¡± I glanced forward for a brief second and saw that I¡¯m losing behind the group. They are seriously leaving us behind? Are we that much of a baggage to them? 3 days has passed and there¡¯s no sign of any city in sight. How far more are we going? I took my leather pouch to hold water and poured it into her mouth bit by bit. I saw her parched lips bleed here and there, she won¡¯t catch infection with this right? This isn¡¯t enough. A gulp won¡¯t save her, but it was everything I had. What do I do? What should I do? Think! Uncle once told me that fictions were mostly based on true stories, if that¡¯s true then the pattern should be real! The protagonist always able to overcome the hurdles or any kind of difficulties ahead of them! She is a protagonist, therefore she will overcome this too! Have faith me! The protagonist sometimes solve their predicament alone or with something or someone¡¯s help. Right now, I¡¯m the only one with her right now! This is a pattern of a story! It has to be! I put my bag on the front and carried Elaine on my back. This predicament is not impossible to solve. The solution exist! I just knew it! This place won¡¯t be your grave. It is not your fate to die in a place like this. There is still a future waiting ahead of you. A future where you can smile again. ¡­ Through bitterness and sheer willpower alone, the boy carried the girl through the stinging sun and cold of the rain. The uneven road and mud made it more exhausting to walk than usual, not to mention he was famished. Elaine¡¯s condition kept getting worse and worse. Left without choice, Len would occasionally stop following the trail that the group left, and collecting any edible fruits and any clean water he could get. Though, there¡¯s not much of it because the group would have taken them first before Len could get it on his hands. To him, even complaining was a luxury. If he has the time to complain, that means he has the time to search for food and water. Like a small flame trapped in a blizzard, he had a premonition that he will never open his eyes again if he blinked for too long. He bit his parched lips and pushed on and on. Until his body stopped moving. ¡°...¡± He tripped on a rock and fell head first. He was still conscious despite the pain. It didn¡¯t bother him. Pain can heal and become scars, however life once lost will never return. He knew this very well. But no matter how hard he pushed himself, his body won¡¯t move. Not even a finger twitched, his eyes still open stared at the body beside him. Elaine was there, sprawled on the mud together with him. Her eyes were closed, was she sleeping? Or was she too tired to open her eyes? Len refused the very possibility that she died. She can¡¯t die. She¡¯s the protagonist of this tale. A tale of her struggle. ¡°I want to be happy, but I need to make the people around me to be happy first!¡± ¡°Nope, not a chance. There¡¯s no way you can make them happy.¡± ¡°What!? How can you say that without even trying!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to. There¡¯s just no way everyone can be happy.¡± ¡°Hmm, it seems you are very confident, huh. How about we make a bet?¡± Her usual innocent smile was gone. Her posture and mannerism did a complete 180. A tomboy with blond short hair, the strongest impression of her in his memory. ¡°What kind of bet? ...No, there¡¯s no need for a bet, you are being silly.¡± ¡°Are you a chicken?¡± ¡°Are you looking for trouble?¡± ¡°I will make everyone happy, and then I can be happy! And the first person will be my victim is you!¡± ¡°M-me? A v-victim?¡± ¡°I will make you happy and then you will do anything I say!¡± ¡°H-huh!? Isn¡¯t that more like, a slave or something? And what do you mean you will make me happy!?¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know~... if I become your wife, will you be happy?¡± ¡°W-what are you saying!?¡± A flash of memory rewinded itself in his mind. It was years ago, back when they were much, much more younger. Was it 6? Or 7 years ago? He wasn¡¯t sure. What face did I make? Was it an embarrassing one? Who won the bet? Len stayed still. Elaine suddenly opened her pale blue eyes. They were clear and beautiful as he remembered. Len could tell that her eyes weren¡¯t focusing on him, her pupils were trembling. Did she knew about me? About what I feel? If yes, then what does she think about it? Was she grossed out? Or was she happy? With every ounce of strength left in his body, Len moved his mouth. His last message to his most beloved. The silent confession. Elaine I saw the world crumbled, broken into pieces and disappeared. It felt surreal and¡­ ethereal. I couldn¡¯t understand. My consciousness slipped bit by bit into the abyss. Just like a passing dream. A memory that you know existed, but at the same time unable to recall. Unable to feel, all my senses disappeared. I cannot see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. The world became empty. And reconstructed itself. Light. Glittering dusts shone with brilliance. It swirled around creating a vortex and the golden light appeared from the sky. The evening sun made the sky turned into orange-ish color along with the clouds. Warmth flowed back into my body and all my senses returned. I stood on a round platform. The surface was made of colored glass like puzzle pieces. They formed many forms, some were people, animals, places, other were random words. The glasses moved on their own and created an illusion of a flowing water, vague and inconsistent. I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on and observed how the platform I stood on existed in the first place. Surrounding the platform was darkness, there was no bottom but the abyss. The sky was similar in a sense, filled with stars, far and untouchable. An infinite world. Why am I doing here? How did I got here? For what purpose? ...Elaine? I lifted my hand to the sky, tried to reach the brightest star in the sky. It was futile. But somehow, I just felt like to. This world¡­ ¡°Welcome, to the Tower of Memorial.¡± A soft voice welcomed me. I turned around and stood a blue-haired girl with a pure white dress. I could see something on her back, a small pair of wings. ¡°An...gel¡­?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I prefer to see myself as a messenger.¡± ¡°A messenger?¡± ¡°A person who deliver a message, a courier.¡± ¡°But, are you a person?¡± Her petite face let out a smile. Her eyes turned slightly crescent and she said. ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Exactly what I meant. Are you sure you are a person?¡± Taken aback by her question, I stared at my hand. Starting from the tip of my index finger, I saw my nail turned into dust and blown away. It crumbled halfway to my hand and showed no sign of stopping. ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?¡± ¡°You are fading away. Soon, you will be left with nothing. No body, no memories, no sense of self. Soulless.¡± ¡°Is this¡­ death?¡± ¡°Where there¡¯s death, there¡¯s life. The Purgatorium will cleanse of every single nook and cranny of you.¡± ¡°And I will be reborn?¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s no such thing as reincarnation. Otherwise, the number of living beings will stay constant forever.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what will happen to me?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± My right hand turned to dust. It continued to my forearm. ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°The girl? Elaine¡­ was it?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Yeah. She¡­¡± ¡°She died.¡± Like being choked, I felt my throat tightened for a second. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. ¡°Instead of worrying about yourself, you worried of other. Is she that important to you? How admirable.¡± ¡°More¡­ than anything.¡± ¡°Indeed, the greatest gift and curse to mankind ever received, emotions. It lingers even after death has come.¡± ¡°...Why are you here?¡± ¡°To fulfill a debt I made a long time ago.¡± ¡°A¡­ debt? To whom?¡± ¡°It gives you no advantage whatsoever for this situation even if you knew. All you need to know is to touch this gem.¡± She held out her palm and the space was distorted. A gem materialized and floated towards me. ¡°This is Gem of Life. You will be resurrected a second chance at life will be given once more.¡± ¡°For me? Is the debt related to my survival?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct. Now, live once more to your fullest without regret!¡± There was no explanation given why I should believe her words. For all I know, she could be a devil in disguise trying to manipulate me for her biddings. A slave contract that will bound me forever to hell. But. I don¡¯t have any other choice, do I? To do the leap of faith, or crumble into nothingness.The odds are pretty bad for me, but... But... ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why am I helping you? As I said. I have a debt to repay. With this, I¡¯m one step closer to clear it away.¡± ¡°This debt you are talking about. What happen if I refuse to take it?¡± ¡°What are you on about?¡± At this moment, both my hands already disappeared and judging by the pace, it wouldn¡¯t be too long before I truly lost my soul. ¡°Tell me who you are, what it¡¯s relation with me or I won¡¯t take your offer.¡± ¡°What are you on about!? You will die and disappear for good you hear!? This isn¡¯t the time to joke about!¡± Her calm demeanor and stiff expression was blown away. Anxiousness and fear crept onto her face. ¡°Then tell me what I want to know. Why are you helping me? What¡¯s in it for you?¡± Gritting her teeth, she stared daggers at me. ¡°...A debt that I made with a man to ensure your safety and well being. See!? This isn¡¯t a trickery! I¡¯m not trying to swindle you into a slave contract or something!!¡± ¡°A debt you made with a man? Who is this man?¡± ¡°...That I cannot tell you. Part of the debt forbid me to let you know anything about him.¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± ¡°You shitty brat! Don¡¯t you know the weight of the situation here!? A second chance at life!!¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then why!?¡± ¡°But there¡¯s something I value more than my life.¡± ¡°...!!¡± This is it. The missing piece that I was looking for. It has shown itself to me at the most crucial moment. The gamble that I must take to ensure her life. If I win, she will live. If I lose, both of us will die. ¡°That man. He¡¯s someone I know isn¡¯t it?¡± My left leg disappeared and I fell on the floor. But I couldn¡¯t care less. I observed her twisted face and continued. ¡°The man¡­ from the future? No, a man from the past! A normal human being!! A mortal just like me!¡± ¡°W-what are you blabbering on about!? Hurry up and take the gem!!¡± Shit. I¡¯m not sure where I¡¯m going with this, but I knew¡­ that man¡­ ¡°That man¡­ is someone I knew very well isn¡¯t it!? Answer me!!¡± ¡°I told you I cannot tell you the identity of this man!!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer! Simply shake your head if I¡¯m wrong and stay quiet if I¡¯m right!¡± ¡°...¡± She bit her lips while looking at the floor. Her hands clenched on the hem of her clothes. ¡°That man is someone I knew very well!!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°A man from the future!!¡± She shook her head. ¡°A man from the past!!¡± ¡°...¡± Through the experience I lived for 14 years, I spent 7 years reading many books, many fictions, tales of many authors. Each tales follows a formula and pattern. Each pattern is essentially the same, but the diverse execution of it made each story unique. For each tale that I read, I began to see. To see the pattern. See the the intention behind a story. There¡¯s a good story and there¡¯s a bad one. What makes a good story good, and a bad story bad? It was all depend on the perspective of the reader, their subjective view. A good story is measured by how well the society received it¡­ is not entirely correct either. There¡¯s no such thing as ultimate method to know a story is a good one or not. It depends on one¡¯s bias and moral to judge a something is good or bad. Then, what do you think of this story? This tale? What happened so far, what is your opinion? Was it to your liking? Or simply distasteful? Well, that¡¯s that then. But for me, I think this tale I¡¯m treading on is bad. Very, very bad and crap. Why? The answer is simple. Because I¡¯m going to pull a deus ex machina. ¡°The man from the past is me!! I am the man you owe!!¡± ¡°H-how did you¡­!?¡± The convoluted pattern has been untangled. ¡°A random guess!! Now that I know, the answer is simple. If I¡¯m the man you owe, then I shall declare that your debt can only be cleansed with one method!!¡± ¡°W-what!? I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on anymore!!¡± She pulled her blue hair in frustration and her eyes turned moist. ¡°This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen!! This, this, this is¡­ this is inconceivable!!¡± ¡°Use the Gem of Life to revive Elaine and your debt will be paid off!!¡± ¡°W-whaaaatt!?!?!?¡± ¡°You heard me! Now do it!¡± ¡°No, wait a second!! What about you!?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I chuckled with only my chest and right arm left. In a matter of few moments, I will disappear. ¡°I will¡­ abide by the law of nature, I guess.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean...!?¡± ¡°This is a crappy story. But no matter how crappy it is, there¡¯s always an end.¡± Everything has a start and an end. Mine just about to end, and another is about to start. Her journey, there was a time where I wanted to be included in her tales¡­ but I guess that wouldn¡¯t happen. ¡°No!! You can¡¯t die!! Not here!! Not now!!!¡± She screamed and ran towards me. I saw her cheeks stained with tears and hugged me tightly. But why? ¡°W-why?¡± ¡°Even without the debt!! Even without it!! I will¡­!!¡± Her voice was getting distant to the point I could no longer hear anything. As my vision turned blurry, I peeked at her face one last time. A cute face, pretty and somewhat doll-like. That was my first impression. But now, she looked like a child mourning her dead cat. I brushed her hair with my remaining fingers, and whispered. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Knowing that there¡¯s no reincarnation awaits puts me at peace. With her crying face as my last memory, I crumbled into dusts. ¡­ Where is this? It¡¯s painful. I can¡¯t feel my body. I gazed around, but I just couldn¡¯t figure anything out. Where am I? Why am I here? A flickering light coming from the furnace. The flame danced on the burnt woods and lit the room. It¡¯s warm and comfy, I don¡¯t want to leave the bed, but¡­ I¡¯m extremely hungry. I want to eat. Anything is fine as long as I can eat it. I couldn¡¯t remember what happened before. I couldn¡¯t remember anything. Where I came from, my home, everything was lost except... A figure walked up to me, an adult wearing a straw hat. ¡°You are awake. Here, drink this.¡± His coarse and rough voice entered my ears. He reached for something outside of my vision and handed me a cup of water. ¡°I found you lying on the road right before the city. There was two of you.¡± ¡°T...wo...?¡± ¡°Take a sip first, you must be thirsty.¡± I do as he said and took a sip. The burn in my throat appeased a little. ¡°The other kid didn¡¯t survive. I heard from the others, that your village up north was¡­ well...¡± ¡°My¡­ village¡­? Where¡­?¡± ¡°W-what do you mean where? Have you forgotten?¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t remember¡­ anything.¡± ¡°Not even your name?¡± ¡°My name¡­¡± ¡°There was two of you, but the other didn¡¯t¡­ let¡¯s say the child¡¯s suffering ended.¡± ¡°Elaine.¡± ¡°Was that the other child¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Elaine is my name. His name was¡­¡± Dizziness spread across the back of my head and I fell down on the bed. ¡°Sleep child, it¡¯s been hard on you. Rest as long as you want. If there¡¯s something you want to talk about, I¡¯m here to listen.¡± Vaguely in my memory, I remember my name. And on the corner was something else. Something vague and fragile. If I don¡¯t focus on it, then it will disappear and I don¡¯t want that. It was precious. I don''t want to lose it. ¡°...Len.¡± Questing A faint sound of water. Water droplets. As if I were being electrocuted, I jumped in shock and inspected my surrounding in panic. My memories were flooding in and I remember everything. Death¡­ and that place¡­ Tower of Memorial. Where am I now? Things kept happening one after another. If I fall asleep again, would I wake up in a different location? Looking up the sky, I could tell this is early morning but I have no idea where I am. Suddenly, a ¡®PING!¡¯ sound echoed in his ears and a transparent blue panel appeared before him.
Name : --- HP : 100/100 Status
Race : Human MP : --- STR : 6 (+1) Beginner Shirt ---
EXP : 0/50 Stamina : 80 DEX : 4 (+1) Beginner Pants ---
Items? Skill? WIS : 8 (+1) Beginner Shoes ---
This is¡­ ¡°Aghh!!¡± An electric jolt coursed through my brain and I lose all my strength for a moment.
Data transfer commenced.
Transfering 8%¡­
Transfering 32%¡­
Transfering 99%
Data transfer complete.
Series of blue panels popped out in front of my vision. I didn¡¯t understand at first but then I realize that I¡¯m being forcefully fed of foreign information. These are status windows. Manifestation of one¡¯s self. Strength and dexterity, all my condition is written clearly in numeric. Levels and experience, HP and MP, Items and Skills, a whole new mechanic was implemented in my mind. A mechanic that govern this land. The absolute golden rule that nobody can break. Familiar, but it feels completely off. Having your world¡¯s perspective changed 180 degrees in matter of seconds stumped me. ¡­ How time flies. Just not too long ago I was stranded in a middle of nowhere. Now, here I am¡­ stranded on the street as a beggar. Somehow I was awoken in a middle of a famous forest known for its nastiness. Beasts live there, dangerous beasts. Just as I wandered about, I chanced upon a bunch of people. They were moving in groups with big animals carrying their baggage. I approached them without much thought, the number written above their head was around Level 5 to 10. I doubt they were bad guys. I was lucky back then, I just didn¡¯t realize it. They were kind enough to brought me together with them to this city, Lime. Apparently they were settlers. One of the elder from those group told me their story. What caused them to travels in packs¡­ their home village was raided. There were around 500 of them but less than 50 survived. Not even 10% of them¡­ They reminded me of ¡®home¡¯. What happened to the rest of them? Not that I miss them, in fact it was the complete opposite. I¡¯m glad I won¡¯t meet them ever again. But Elaine¡­ Did she survive? That blue haired girl¡­ the ¡®messenger¡¯... I was sure I didn¡¯t take the Gem of Life. The debt, it was truly a deus ex machina. A random guess, I¡¯m not even sure myself what I would have done if I were wrong. I know that I would be embarrassed to death though. When we arrived on the entrance gate, a new problem occurred which snapped me back to reality. I have no money or anything. All I had was my body and soul. And you guessed it, there is entrance fee need to be paid. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The elder who spoke to me was kind enough to paid the fee for me. Said I reminded him of someone dear. I¡¯m not sure what to make out of that, but¡­ Anyway, I know that I¡¯m not stepping the familiar land I used to know. I didn¡¯t notice it at first but the people¡¯s reaction when they spoke to me felt off for some reason. Black hair symbolize a descendant of Vernon. An evil god who ruled the eastern land for a millenia a long, long time ago. The evil god Vernon transformed into a human and made a harem consisted of over 500 women. He had many child and grandchild, as the time goes the land was filled with his descendant. It was then another god from¡­ somewhere, can¡¯t remember it quite clearly, came and had a duel with him. For what reason? There were many version of it. Some said because the other gods can¡¯t stand his tyranny and caused imbalance, others said his reign spread too far and wide into another god¡¯s territory¡­ some even claimed he left because he was bored. No matter what the reason, it didn¡¯t end well despite having the evil god vanquished. He died or whatever and his descendants were forever labelled as the devil¡¯s children. The black haired kin, they were hunted and executed by other kingdoms. Through the course of history, many era has passed and not single one of them doesn¡¯t mention the devil¡¯s execution. I¡¯m one of the descendant. A devil¡¯s descendant. Or so they said. Not that I believe that story even though demons and angels do exist. They fought in the mortal realm, causing many disasters and ruins below their wings. Their reaction to my appearance was indifference. They don¡¯t particularly show any contempt or disgust. Well, it¡¯s not like I wanted to be disgusted, but¡­ it was¡­ odd. I¡¯m not used to this. I sighed in frustration. In the end, what happened in the past, stay in the past. But that doesn¡¯t mean the past means nothing. The past made me who I am and the stigma won¡¯t go away just like that.
Welcome to Lime.
A message welcomed me with an indifferent tone. Looking at my situation in a third person perspective, this is usually where I will have a fateful encounter with a person who will proceed the plot of the story. This person will do the ¡®introductory¡¯ segment, telling me stories about this world, introducing me to weapon shops, quests and¡­ Wait. Something is off. This isn¡¯t quite right. This isn¡¯t my memory. I¡­ have no memories about that. I never read any books related to such pattern¡­ It couldn¡¯t be¡­ An epiphany suddenly struck me. Three alphabet letters¡­ an abbreviation. R. P. G. Role¡­ Playing¡­ Game¡­ ¡°...¡± In that moment, I began to understand. What comprises this world. Memories that aren¡¯t mine. They are not just some information about the system. This memory doesn¡¯t belong to me. They are¡­ someone else¡¯s.
You have cheated death and came back unscathed!
You have survived the impossible! The world will grant you a title befitting of your effort.
Congratulation! You have earned the title [Selfless]!
Selfless (Unique)
Luck +10 *Half all damages when protecting others *A low chance to receive random buff (high) when protecting others *A medium chance to receive random buff (medium) when protecting others *A high chance to receive random buff (low) when protecting others
You have unlocked a new stats! [LUK]!
Your horizon has broaden even further. The odds of favour increases.
Strings of messages filled my vision. There were more questions than answers in my mind. How I have these memories¡­ the blue haired messenger, and Elaine¡¯s fate¡­ I don¡¯t have the answers at the moment but I can think about it later. Right now, I need food. I opened my status window and saw a new stats below WIS, LUK. It¡¯s my luck and it has 10 points in it. Is it high? I¡¯m not sure, but since the message said I just unlocked it means not everyone has it. Also, [Selfless] was written beside my name, which isn¡¯t blank anymore. I introduced myself to that elder before as Len. [Selfless] means being not selfish, right? Not stingy, caring about others more than oneself¡­? Did it imply that I sacrificed my life for others¡­? Elaine¡­ I want to meet you again. I want to see your smile. And maybe, this time I will have the backbone to tell you my feelings. I rubbed my face and collected myself. There¡¯s no time to idle around, time keeps ticking and I¡¯m broke without food or shelter. Through the depth of my memories, there were foreign recollection of images and impressions. These memories, they will aid me to survive. Most of it were related to this world, locations and information. But they were scattered around like puzzle pieces. To assemble them, first I need to have all the pieces. Second, I need to know how big the picture of the puzzle is. Randomly putting it together hoping I will solve it with luck is not exactly the best way to tackle it. But these memories are more than puzzle pieces. I just can¡¯t access them one by one and sort it out like document files¡­ Document¡­ files¡­? Ugh, I feel dizzy. Beyond the cluster of these memories, there¡¯s one thing that resurfaced to my mind. I decided to walk around the street while observing the people. As expected of different world, the people surely diverse from each other. I can tell from a glance that this city, Lime, is populated by many different races. From the jaw-dropping one to rock-bottom one, they wander around the street minding their own business. I continued walking until I arrived on a shop. I don¡¯t know what kind of shop this is, but no matter as long it looks decent. ¡°Welcome~!¡± A burly old man welcomed me with a wide smile. He has a black skin and bald, his other peculiar characteristic is his thick, red lips. ¡°Oh? Never seen you around here? You new around here?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just got here.¡± ¡°Ah, a fellow wanderer I see. Is there anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°Do you have anything I can help with?¡± ¡°Huh? You mean, you wanna do odd jobs?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± I ''remember'' that people like me was seen quite often doing odd jobs. People who are not exactly adult and not too young to lift a sword. ¡°Do you know what we are doing here?¡± Honestly, no. There is a sign hanging out the shop but I can¡¯t read it. Foreign language. ¡°I know the gist of it.¡± I lied. I know that I will probably regret this. The shop looks pretty decent from outside, it can¡¯t be anything bad. I mean, looking around all I can see is some misc stuff being displayed. This gotta be an antique shop or a shop that buys and sells random things. ¡°Maybe I can go fetch something you need? Herbs?¡± Gotta admit that was pretty random thing to say even for me. The memories pretty much translated into ¡®people can make and receive quests. There are risks but there are also rewards.¡¯ I¡¯m sure if explore quite enough I will stumble upon these ¡®quests¡¯. ¡°Fetch herbs? No but¡­ ¡° Hm? Is this it? This fast into the game? ¡°We are running out of woods, it would be great if you could get some from the woodsman. He lives not too far from the city, I could give you 15 calds. Enough to fill your stomach, how¡¯s that?¡± Ping!
A new quest has appeared! Will you accept?
Wood Fetcher Difficulty : F
The shopkeeper asked you to fetch some woods for the cold night. The woodsman near the city should have them. Rewards : 15 Calds *Failure will decrease your affinity with the shopkeeper by 10
I can¡¯t help but smile. Could this be my LUK stats in work? ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Alright. Here, take this. That should be good enough for the entrance fee.¡± He handed me a pouch filled with Cald. Quite the weight. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m off.¡± ¡°Careful boy!¡± I walked outside and sighed. That went without a hitch. I honestly have no idea how much is 15 calds, but that¡¯s not too bad for a start. Now that I received my first quest, I better finish it as soon as possible. The sun isn¡¯t going to wait for me. ¡­ The black skinned man with thick, red lips stared at the boy¡¯s back as he left the shop. He scratched his bald head and went back inside. ¡®The boy¡¯s either dumb or a thief. Probably just dumb.¡¯ 15 calds at best could buy a kid¡¯s meal. It''s hardly worth the trouble, walking through the forest and back carrying woods is no joke. He himself wasn¡¯t sure whether the boy could finish the job. He predicted that the boy will run away with his money. He doesn¡¯t like it, but his eyes were earnest. It was hard for a man like him to reject someone like that. He shrugged and sipped his coffee. ¡°Just when is Elva going to come back? She¡¯s been playing with that kid since morning...¡± Performance Summary Were you expecting an event to happen on my way to the woodsman? I mean, I did. I saw the patterns, I know something would happen¡­ but nothing did. I went to the forest according to the minimap on my peripheral vision and found the woodsman. Something conspicuous about him was his left arm. There was none. He chop woods with only one arm with menacing eyes. I called out to him and expected an event to be triggered, but things just happened normally. I paid him calds and he gave me the woods¡­ only I have no means to carry it. The woodsman went back to his cabin and gave me a bucket that I can carry on my back. It was free and I have no reason to refuse. I didn¡¯t think much about it, but it was heavy. Too heavy that I had to rest a few times on the way back. When I did get back, my STR increased by 1. Apparently stats can also be increased by doing certain actions, somehow I felt like I should know this already, but¡­ In the end, no event was triggered. No encounter with any monster nor people. Why did I even expect that to happen anyway? A sense of foreboding crept behind my back through the whole quest. A noteworthy thing from all of this was how the blacks shopkeeper with the thick, red lips¡¯ reaction. He was so shocked that his eyes bulged out. What¡¯s wrong with him? ¡°No-nothing, I just thought that you wouldn¡¯t come back at all.¡± ¡°...Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Ah you see¡­¡± He told me briefly that he assumed I¡¯m a beggar and would probably run off with the money instead of doing the actual quest. Apparently it¡¯s a common thing to happen around the city. ¡°If you thought I would run off¡­ then why would you still give me the quest?¡± ¡°Uhh, let¡¯s just say I have faith on you.¡± I tilted my head, not understanding him one bit. ¡°But why is it a common thing? People running off like that after receiving a quest?¡± ¡°Hehehe, you really lived a sheltered life, eh? This city, Lime is far isolated from the capital. The surrounding area is also somewhat safe, only monsters below level 10 would appear. Even that is quite rare.¡± ¡°A beginner¡­ city?¡± ¡°A beginner- what?¡± ¡°No-nothing. Those people who ran, it count as stealing right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but they usually escaped to another city after doing their deeds.¡± We chatted a little bit while I learned about the city. Somewhere in the corner of my mind, I believed that he was just being sympathetic. Was it because how I looked? I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m thankful to him. Honestly, I don¡¯t think anyone would¡¯ve done the same and explain these things to me. Lime, a city far off in the east. Known for its most famous¡­ limes. Unlike the average limes, its color is golden and not green. Usually mistaken for lemon by people who are not familiar with it. It only grows in this city and nowhere else. The lime has a very potent medicinal properties, making them sought by many, but the supplies are not that much. The price escalated sharply since its discovery. I¡¯m not very sure what to make out of this information, but I listened anyway. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°Elva! Where were you all this time!?¡± The shopkeeper rushed to the front door where a small figure stood. It was a girl, smaller and younger than me. Blond hair with a brownish skin complexion. Her pitch black eyes caught my attention. ¡°Playing with Cally!¡± ¡°This is already past evening! You worried me sick!¡± ¡°Nnno need to worry! Cally¡¯s parent was with us!¡± ¡°O-oh, but I¡¯m still worried okay!?¡± ¡°Uummm¡­¡± The girl ignored his rant and peeked her head at me.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°This is¡­ uh, what¡¯s your name again?¡± I never told you my name. ¡°Name¡¯s Len.¡± ¡°Right, and I¡¯m Brall and this is my daughter, Elva.¡± ¡°How¡¯r you!¡± She made a salute and smiled widely. Is that a trend going on around here? I replied by saluting back. ¡°Hehe!¡± She giggled and ran behind the counter, seemingly contend with my gesture. Well, I guess all¡¯s well, ends well. ¡°Oh yeah, here¡¯s your payment.¡±
Wood Fetcher¡¯s Quest has been completed!
Calculating Performance¡­
Wood Fetcher Difficulty : F
- Complete within 24 hours: Success - Use no more than 100 cald: Success - Carry more than 15 woods: Success - ???: Failed Performance Summary: A rank
A rank reward(s)
- 15 calds obtained! - (Bonus) 30 calds obtained!
Huh? Performance Summary? I didn¡¯t know about this, do I? ¡°You did great, here 15 calds and some extra. Consider it as pocket money.¡±
Your affinity with Brall has increased by 10!
Our meeting and talk didn¡¯t last long. I bid my thanks and farewell. I left through the door and Brall was closing the store. ¡°You don¡¯t have anywhere to go?¡± ¡°No. Not at the moment.¡± ¡°Hang on.¡± He took out a piece of paper and handed it to me. Judging from the design, it looks like a business card. ¡°Go to the address written on it, tell them that Brall send his regard.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t read this.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡­ Is this the place? A small house on the edge of the city. I¡¯m still a bit further from the door but I already smelled alcohol. Why would Brall send me to a place like this? Who lives here? This is not a base for human traffickers, right? I walked up to the front door and knocked it lightly. Not even a second passed and the door was pulled open. And there she was. Tall. Wavy red hair. Sharp red eyes. What is the pattern? What could be waiting for me? What is this small event leading to? I asked these questions a little bit too late. Where are the puzzle pieces? Was there even a puzzle to solve? No, even before that, there is still more¡­ Beside the messenger, and Elaine¡­ What is¡­ My purpose? The pattern is messed up. Not aligned to each other, disconnected without a clue on how to be solved. Like a prologue to a story, the mysteries were presented. What¡¯s left is how the protagonist gather the clues together and reach for a happy ending. However, my tale has already ended. It ended with my death. I was sure I died, but here I am. Alive and breathing. I can feel my heart beated every now and then without a sign to stop anytime soon. Am I truly me? Am I still Len¡­ or am I someone else? These memories... wait. Memories? Memories. Tower of Memorial. That¡¯s the key word. Tower of Memorial. Where I met the messenger, maybe if I get into that place again, I can meet her. But how? Tower of Memorial. What does memorial means? Statue of memorial, a statue made to remember that person or a certain event. What about a tower? I know nothing about any tower. Should I remember something about the tower? These questions were the one I¡¯m supposed to ask in the first place. And to get the answer I¡¯m looking for, I have to get to the tower. There is no guarantee. No, a guarantee is not needed. I have to. I must go. I don¡¯t belong in this world. The messenger, a being beyond common sense. I still remember her. She had wings. She isn¡¯t human. A being above human. I have to meet her once again. And for that, I will become strong. ¡°The hell are you?¡± Heavy smell of alcohol permeated from inside the house, and her mouth. ¡°...Brall sent me to you.¡± ¡°Brall¡­? That old man?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°A place to stay for the night.¡± She puckered her lips to the side. ¡°Nope. No place for you. Scram.¡± She slammed the door. Oy, that¡¯s no way to treat a kid. Even I know that. ¡°Now what¡­¡± I knocked again and the door was opened. ¡°What do you want!?¡± ¡°Help me.¡± ¡°No! Go away!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡± Her eyes glinted for a split second there, don¡¯t think I wouldn¡¯t notice. ¡°How much do you have?¡± I took out my pouch and counted my money. ¡°Uhh¡­ 45 cal-¡± ¡°That will do.¡± And just like that, all my belonging was lost. She snatched my money just by sweeping her hand. Gentle, yet swift and agile. How did she do that? ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°That move. That was amazing.¡± ¡°Ho~, amazing¡­ you say?¡± She let out devious smile, a complete opposite of what I just saw this evening. ¡°Well, I can show you things much more amazing than that, if you are interested~¡± ¡°Uh, no, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Hoho, aren¡¯t you a dear? Hahaha!¡± How am I a dear? She invited me inside the house, and I was welcomed with empty bottles of alcohol scattered around. Above the table, the floor, drawers and closets. But somehow, the rubbish bin is only filled with used tissues and papers. ¡°...¡± ¡°Make yourself feel at home!¡± ¡°... Where can I sleep?¡± ¡°Here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no bed.¡± ¡°The sofa is your bed.¡± ¡°Huh??¡± She sighed while scratching her head. ¡°45 calds can only get me 3 bottles tops! A rent for a room per night at minimum is 250 calds! You should be grateful I already let you in!¡± ¡°...¡± 3 bottles of what exactly? Crap, at this rate I will be dead from the cold outside. Forget going to the Tower of Memorial, getting to the next city would be impossible. Crossing her arms, she spoke with a firm tone. ¡°Are you listening? Starting from tomorrow you will have to earn your keep! I don¡¯t know how, but for a night on the sofa is 50 calds! Take it or leave it! Understand!?¡± And thus, my first day ended with a harsh remark from this lady I don¡¯t even know her name of. The game has officially began in a small city out in the east. Starting tomorrow, I will have to do more odd jobs to earn my keep and save money at the same time. The path I can take is wide and uncertain. My purpose isn¡¯t that clear either. Truly a pathetic tale. As I struggled to keep my eyes open, my mind wandered off to the dream world. There is much to learn in this world, and I won¡¯t give up that easily¡­ A world where I can meet you again. The hope that keeps my soul together. People of the Land 11th April, 1109. Scurrying around from shops to random people on the street, I completed all the tasks that could be done within a month. Each quest somewhat resembled each other. Go fetch this or that. Do this or that act. That pretty much it. There¡¯s no slay this or that and gather what herbs. Maybe because of the lack of monsters around, so the city is pretty peaceful. The red haired lady referred to herself as Phy, she took me in and I paid my due to stay for the night. Living on hotels costs so much more than 50 calds. Honestly, the sofa wasn¡¯t so bad. It was comfy and not¡­ smelly. Better than nothing. Doing these odd jobs earned me quite a lot between 80 to 120 calds per day. I have around 500 calds saved up. It¡¯s not much at all, but for me it¡¯s my life line. There was no EXP gained. All this time I¡¯m still stuck on level 1. But my stats are different compared to last month. These quests sometimes has bonus rewards for going extra mile doing them. Calds or items are quite common with stats increase as the rarest. As of the moment, STR is my highest stats with WIS as the second highest. Why WIS is my second highest stats? Beats me. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That.¡± I pointed my with index finger. ¡°What about my closet?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a uniform inside it.¡± Phy¡¯s gaze turned sharp. She seemed unhappy I brought it up. ¡°...It seems you are tired of living, going through a lady¡¯s belonging like that.¡± ¡°Maybe if the place isn¡¯t reek of alcohol, I might not stumble upon things like that.¡± Not a single day passed without her drinking a bottle. What¡¯s more annoying is how she drink. She spills alcohol everywhere it¡¯s hard to breathe. I have no other choice but to clean the place up before and after she finished. It¡¯s annoying, but once every week my stamina increased. So it¡¯s not all bad I guess. ¡°Ho, for a kid you are pretty cheeky, huh?¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± She closed her eyes and rubbed her left cheek. What is she thinking now? ¡°How about this, I will tell you my secret and you tell me yours.¡± ¡°What do you mean by secrets?¡± She chuckled with crescent eyes. ¡°Secret, something you don¡¯t want anyone else to know.¡± How did things come to this? ¡°You know. You are not from around here, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Nope. that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± She sat on a sofa opposite of me with one eye closed. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit how or why did you come here. Your past and what your objectives are, it¡¯s none of my business¡­ The only reason I took you in is because of Brall asked me to do so. ¡°But you see, there¡¯s something peculiar about you. Something that I can¡¯t ignore no matter what.¡± Something about me? Is it my hair again? ¡°...¡± ¡°You came from a different land, did you not?¡± ¡°...!¡± In that split second, I felt my hands and legs turned cold. ¡°Perhaps, a different world? A different universe, yes that¡¯s right. The term that he would use.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t even bother to try to hide it!¡± She slapped the sofa in glee. ¡°Your behaviour clearly shows it!¡± ¡°My behaviour?¡± ¡°Indeed! Why don¡¯t you look at a mirror once in a while?¡± ¡°Mirror?¡± ¡°Nah, forget what I just said. I can tell with a glance that you don¡¯t belong here. Not in this land for sure.¡± ¡°How would you know?¡± ¡°You reeks of foreign ether.¡± N-now what? Ether? ¡°No matter, an abandoned soul is still an abandoned soul. Let¡¯s pretend this never happened. You can stay here as long as you like so long you pay the rent.¡± What? No, I can¡¯t just pretend this conversation never happened. What does she mean by abandoned soul? ¡°You can¡¯t end it there! You know something about a different world!? Tell me, please!¡± ¡°Yeah? Well, I can. Too bad, hahaha!¡± She stood up from the sofa and walked to the door. ¡°Please wait!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got something else you wanna tell me?¡± ¡°Please¡­ hear me out.¡± ¡°...?¡± ¡°Do you know a method¡­ to go back to my world?¡± Hearing my response I thought she would be laughing or just brush me off, but it was quite the exact opposite. She turned back facing me slowly. Her clear red eyes sharpened, almost looked inhuman for a second. I stood stiffly following her, unable to make a single move. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I gulped. ¡°I want to go back.¡± ¡°...Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­ I have to know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to stay?¡± ¡°Stay¡­ you ask?¡± Something, somewhere inside my head¡­ snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t kid with me! Are you seriously asking me that!? To stay in this world!? I wasn¡¯t born here and I don¡¯t want to die here!! This place, this land is nothing more than a fake!! I can¡¯t feel a single thing talking with people!! I can¡¯t see them as an actual people!! I¡¯m becoming more and more apathetic, and it scares me to death!!¡± I breathed deeply. ¡°I WANT TO GO BACK!!!¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Well¡­¡± She answered softly. ¡°... I don¡¯t care.¡± Did I hear it wrong? ¡®I don¡¯t care¡¯...? That¡¯s it? ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. I¡¯ve got some business to do. See ya.¡± The door was slammed and her figure disappeared. I can¡¯t believe it. Is that all she¡¯s going to say? That you don¡¯t care even if you knew my situation? ¡°...¡± I laid down on the sofa while staring at the ceiling. Have I been ignoring it? All this time I¡¯ve spent feels like a fleeting dream. I can¡¯t tell whether this is a dream or no. Another world exist? Don¡¯t joke around, no way it exist. It¡¯s simply ridiculous. Whenever I open the door, the usual blue sky and sun always welcomed me. If I continue walking, I would see houses and people walking around. How is that any different from where live before? There¡¯s nothing different or unique. Only the alphabet and designs trend are different. I don¡¯t think this is a different world. I can¡¯t feel this world as different. The only thing keeping me lucid all this time¡­ is the system. What is it, and just what is it made for? Today¡­ I don¡¯t feel like doing any work at all. ¡­ ¡°Hoho~, thought it was the kid. What sort of business you have here?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I come just because I want to?¡± ¡°No, not really. You are disturbing my business.¡± Brall answered plainly. Phy reacted weakly by yawning. ¡°I sell all sort of things except for alcohol.¡± ¡°You honestly believe that I would come to your shop for alcohol?¡± ¡°Anything can happen if it¡¯s you.¡± Phy laughed. ¡°What about the boy? How he¡¯s been doing lately?¡± ¡°Eh, the little runt is fine. He pays his rent on-time without fail.¡± ¡°Wait, what!? You made a kid his age to pay rent!? That¡¯s not the reason I sent him to you!¡± ¡°Obviously! You want me to die of starving that badly?¡± ¡°Starving of what!? Alcohol!?¡± ¡°Can you not mention alcohol every time we meet old man!?¡± ¡°Stop yelling in the shop!!¡± ¡°You are one to talk!!¡± As they bickered, the door behind the counter was flung open. ¡°I know that voice! It¡¯s you the savage lady!¡± A petite girl with a brown skin and blonde hair said angrily. ¡°Oh Elva! How are you? Your father didn¡¯t do anything weird to you, right!?¡± ¡°Oy, you wanna die?¡± ¡°Waah! Stop bullying father!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯ll stop, I¡¯ll stop! Don¡¯t cry okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being bullied Elva¡­¡± Phy stopped her teasing and sighed. ¡°Everything¡¯s peaceful, eh?¡± ¡°Always has been around here. Why the sudden question?¡± Brall answered half-heartedly while rubbed his daughter¡¯s head. ¡°I have a premonition¡­¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s probably nothing.¡± ¡°Well, whatever comes, I believe you will handle it.¡± ¡°Huh? Why should I?¡± ¡°You always do, Phy. Then and now, I¡¯m sure whatever it is you can handle it just fine.¡± ¡°O-oh? What¡¯s with the flattery old man? Your taste is a bit¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! Listen seriously for a second! Jeez¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± ¡°...It¡¯s not just me.¡± Brall turned stared outside the window, seemingly in deep thought. ¡°Everyone¡¯s the same. Whenever something happened, you always took care of it. Despite you being a drunkard that always causes problem for the people around you, they care about you. That incident in the restaurant, and also with Elva¡­ people are thankful to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s harsh, but sweet. I didn¡¯t know you could be that sincere old man.¡± ¡°Well, everyone has their own moment.¡± Elva added. ¡°Yeah! You are strong, but my father is much a better person than you!¡± ¡°Hey, that hurts, you know.¡± Elva lowered her gaze meeting the cold, hard floor. ¡°But¡­¡± She spoke with a deeper tone, something rare for a child her age to do. ¡°I¡¯m happy, that you are always with us.¡± ¡°...¡± Phy was made speechless. She didn¡¯t know how to react nor what to say. ¡°You are rude, always teases me and father. Your laugh is scary and your eyes looks like a crockodile. You look like a villain from the story book father read to me every night¡­ but¡­¡± She lifted her head and met her line of sight. ¡°No matter what, you will always be a hero to me!¡± ¡°...Elva¡­¡± ¡°Even if other people hate you, you will be always welcome here! Isn¡¯t that right father?¡± ¡°Hahaha, you said it!¡± A warmth sensation emerged from deep within her chest. It spread across her body as her face burned with a shade of red. ¡°What¡¯s this? Even the savage lady can get embarrassed after all?¡± ¡°Hahaha, savage lady is crying!¡± ¡°You wanna die?¡± It sounded less menacing when she said it while wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. ¡°A-anyway, I¡¯ve got other business to attend to.¡± ¡°Business? What business? All you are doing is bothering other people¡¯s job!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand a woman¡¯s heart, do you!?¡± ¡°A woman? Where!?¡± ¡°Grggh!!¡± Phy stomped her feet and walked outside the shop briskly. ¡°Father, aren¡¯t you being a bit mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Elva. This is nothing compared to what she¡¯s did to me. Hahaha!¡± ¡°Father¡­¡± Elva somewhat looked disappointed. ¡­. ¡°Oh? This is a rare sight? Sorry, but I don¡¯t have any alcohol with me.¡± Phy coughed. ¡®Is the word ¡®I want alcohol¡¯ plastered all over my face or something?¡¯ She regained her composure and said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I came here for you fool.¡± ¡°No? Did the sun rise from the west?¡± ¡°You want me to choke you with this bucket?¡± ¡°If not for alcohol for money, what sort of business you would have here?¡± ¡°I never asked you for money! Or alcohol for a fact!¡± ¡°No, but you did to my son. My son¡¯s business is mine, too.¡± ¡°Well, a-aren¡¯t you being a bit selfish there?¡± ¡°Selfish? Maybe. I won¡¯t bother him with his private life, but you? You ain¡¯t private, you are a menace.¡± ¡°What did you-¡± ¡°The best kind of menace there is! Hahaha!¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°I know that you saved his ass outside the city.¡± The old man let out a thin smile. ¡°He was chased by rogue orcs. I don¡¯t know how they got this far, but if not for you out there, I would be digging graves instead of picking limes by now.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Heh, take this.¡± The old man threw 2 limes. But unlike any usual lime, they were golden colored instead. ¡°...Are you sure? Millions of people would do much more than saving your son¡¯s ass for this thing, you know.¡± ¡°Wrong. Not millions, but billions. Sincerity and attitude is the key to farming these limes. Now, you go take one and give the other to the boy.¡± ¡°The boy?¡± Phy looked confused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Brall he¡¯s staying with you, right? He¡¯s odd, that¡¯s for sure. Rigid face like a stone, does he even has muscles inside ¡®em?¡± ¡®Pretty sure he has them alright.¡¯ Just not too long ago, Phy saw how functional his face muscles were. ¡°Even so, he ain¡¯t harming anyone. It¡¯s the opposite, he¡¯s actually quite the hard worker. It¡¯s about time he show up soon. I was planning to give the lime myself, but after seeing you here, something must have happened, right?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I have a few guesses. But it matters not. I¡¯m old and weak, even being the eighth generation of the great and mighty Golden Lime company doesn¡¯t give me immortality and infinite wisdom. It won¡¯t be that far in the future before the ninth generation holds this company.¡± ¡°What are you trying to tell me old man?¡± ¡°I think you already know something about that kid.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°He came from a place where none of us could reach. From the countless stars in the sky, one of them belong to the kid. Many possess the capability to reach them, but few can guide others to it.¡± ¡°And you think I have that capability?¡± ¡°No. Not me.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Everyone.¡± Thump-thump. Phy could hear her heart beating. For every second, the sound kept getting louder. ¡°What.. do you mean?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m nothing more than an individual, I cannot represent everyone¡¯s heart and mind. It¡¯s nothing more than an old man¡¯s sophistry, but through the time we have known each other¡­ I can say for certain that I have faith in you.¡± ¡°Faith¡­? Don¡¯t joke around old man. A businessman like you doesn¡¯t believe in luck or faith-¡± ¡°As I said before, sincerity and attitude is the key to farming these limes. Not naivety or blind trust.¡± ¡°Then, this faith you are talking about is not faith at all, but a gamble with high odds of winning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it. Anyway, I believe you will your answer.¡± ¡°What answer you are talking about?¡± ¡°If not answers you are looking for, then why have you come here?¡± The old man chuckled and gave her a rectangle box. The box was neatly tied up with a ribbon. ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡± ¡°A gift. I hope you¡¯ll like it. Now get your ass moving, I don¡¯t have all day.¡± He gestured with his hands telling Phy to leave. She didn¡¯t respond and left quietly. Only after she walked out of his house did she opened the box. ¡°Damn you old man¡­ this is bribery.¡± The Golden Wine, 945. ¡­ She didn¡¯t stop there. She wandered around the city, meeting people who she seldom and often meet. Most of the talks always started in a light-hearted mood, but they always goes to the same end. ¡°What about that kid? What was his name again? He¡¯s been helping me pulling weeds in my backyard. He¡¯s not coming today? Shucks, I was about to treat him some of my wife¡¯s cookies. Have you ever seen him smile? I wonder what could¡¯ve happened.¡± ¡°That boy¡¯s got some guts I tell ya. The other day I lost my wallet in the forest, so I went to search for it. Suddenly, a norg appeared and chased me deeper into the forest! I was so scared and thought I¡¯m gonna ended up as a norg¡¯s lunch, but suddenly the boy jumped out and smacked its head with woods! Can you believe that!? He¡¯s much weaker than I am but he has 100 times more guts than me! Apparently he was doing errand for Brall, carrying woods everyday. Not only he¡¯s braver than me, but also more hardworking than me.¡± ¡°Maybe you should start exercise more, grandpa¡­¡± ¡°Len, I remember him. Often times he would come around evening asking me for a job. Usually I would give something to do for him, but lately he¡¯s been looking rather¡­ unwell. So I didn¡¯t give him any for for the past week. Tell me¡­ is his face paralyzed since birth?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s been a helpful hand around here! Won¡¯t mind if he come more often!¡± ¡°Nice kid. Doesn¡¯t ask questions, he just do what he¡¯s told.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s been living with you? You didn¡¯t do anything weird to him, did you?¡± ... Sitting on a bench in the park, Phy gulped down her lime juice. ¡®Bitter sweet¡­¡¯ ¡®How come it¡¯s all old people? And what did he meant by doing anything weird to him? What sort of thing I could do anyway?¡¯ She let her guard down and didn¡¯t notice there were several children approaching her. ¡°Phy!¡± ¡°Uh? Oh, it¡¯s just you guys.¡± ¡°We heard from Elva there¡¯s a new kid living with you?¡± ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± ¡°Is he your child, Phy?¡± Pfffttttt~!!! She coughed and sprayed her lime juice everywhere. ¡°W-what gave you that idea?¡± ¡°I mean, I heard from my parent that he¡¯s been doing odd jobs around. They said that he¡¯s been earning money to take care of you, otherwise you would ended up outside the city being a norg¡¯s lunch.¡± ¡°No he didn¡¯t!! Well¡­ maybe a little, b-but I wouldn¡¯t die in an idiot-sort-of-method like that, okay!¡± ¡°Then! How about you start getting a real job so he can play with us then?¡± ¡°What!? No way!¡± ¡°What sort of parent are you?¡± ¡°You are a failure as a parent.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my child and I¡¯m not even married yet!! Listen to me you brats!!¡± ¡­ Facing the sunset, Phy mumbled to herself. ¡°What is this supposed to mean? Is fate pulling a joke on me? If so, then this the biggest one yet.¡± ¡®An apostle, that¡¯s what he is. The world would be much better without them pricks.¡¯ Staring at the Golden Wine she received, she thought to herself. ¡®Tower of Zephyrus. Is it too late already?¡¯ There is so much more she wanted to say, but decided to stop. There are time and place for everything. Now is not the time for her to say. ¡®What should I now? That kid, Len¡­ was there a reason I met him? The hard work he put into doing quests has helped him this far, but for what? Just like any other Apostle, he will betray their trust and become corrupted.¡¯ She kept thinking and thinking. Many people she knew, she loved has left her alone. This city is the only place she could call home. She cared about the people in this land, she wanted them to be happy. A sincere wish from a savage lady. A side of her that she will never show to other people. Exactly because of this she won¡¯t help him. In this world, the people are real. They are not dolls controlled by some overgod being. They have feelings, they cry, they laugh and get angry. They are emotional and volatile. For Len to say that he could not treat them as ¡®real¡¯ people struck a nerve on her part. Having her precious people being assumed as ¡®fake¡¯ made her mad. So much anger that she lost her appetite for a drink. However, after hearing opinions from the people themselves¡­ she felt something. A part of him that she overlooked, but others did not. Who was he? Why did he come? She knew nothing of him and assumed the worse because he was an Apostle. She did the same thing as he did. She was not higher than him, she was a hypocrite for doing so, and she realized it herself. But there was no shame. She knew what she did, and she did it with conscience. No guilt, but simply confusement. ¡®What should I do next?¡¯ Lost in her own world, Phy wandered around and before she knew it, the door lied before her. The door that leads to her home. Not much thought was given as she held the doorknob. But something stopped her from turning the knob. ¡®This smell¡­¡¯ Not wasting any second Phy slammed the door open. The smell got stronger and denser it almost palpable. ¡°Len!¡± The kid that she just saw in the morning, talking to her, yelling out his frustration is now slumped on the sofa with a knife pierced deep into his chest. Blood was flowing out of it, covering the entire fabric and floor red. So much blood was lost. She saw his pale skins and an alarm inside her head exploded that there was no time to lose. From this point onward, she knew her action will affect the outcome of this tale. The tale this black-haired boy has woven and hers that has reached an end will be intertwined. Fateless One A pillar of light shone up to the infinite sky. A world surrounded by darkness, the light was akin to a place of salvation. And it was. Len stood before the pillar of light that beamed to the sky. He gazed above and saw the dark sky, devoid of stars and life. Then lowered his gaze and found orbs of light the size of his palm wandered around the pillar of light. The orbs were connected with each other. They moved together in rhyme as if they were dancing. Each orbs differed in size, some were small and some were bigger. They formed a spiral and entered the pillar of light one by one. ¡®What are they¡­? Where am I?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t move. He can¡¯t move. There was no floor. As his gaze lowered even further, he saw that there was no floor beneath him. Only the abyss. An orb went by him. It hovered around and followed the spiral of orbs. A shiny thread appeared and connected it with the rest. Len turned around and saw other countless of orbs floating towards the spiral of light. ¡®What in the world¡­¡¯ He tried hard to remember what happened. ¡®This isn¡¯t the Tower of Memorial¡­ where the hell did I ended up!?¡¯ In his confusion, Len saw a figure coming to him. It was not an orb. It resembled a cloak or a piece of cloth that blown by the wind. It flew around, getting closer to him, bit by bit and Len saw a glance beneath the cloak. A face that is not a face. With and without facial expressions. A human, yet not a human. A creature that is not alive and without heart but possess a consciousness. In that split second, Len¡¯s gaze locked with the being. ¡°Curious.¡± It said. ¡°Very curious.¡± There was no air. Len didn¡¯t breathe, yet he was fine. Without air, soundwave cannot travels, so how come he could hear it speaking? ¡°An incomplete soul that met another incomplete soul.¡± The being came closer to Len and circled him. ¡°Pieces of broken souls that coalesced together, forming a whole new anomaly.¡± It stopped before him. Through the gap of its cloak, Len saw what was supposed not to be seen. A being that is not alive, yet move with conscience. A personification of an emotion. It does not breathe nor has blood in it. It cannot die, but at the same time can ¡®die¡¯. ¡°A mutation beyond the control of fate. Death holds no meaning to you.¡± For the first of time of its existence, it chuckled. ¡°A soul that is free from the wheel of fate, unrestrained and is very¡­ ambitious.¡± Len didn¡¯t understand what the being in front of him trying to say. He tried to move his mouth but unable to do so. ¡°You who succeed in fleeing death¡¯s grasp shall rejoice. A freedom that every soul seek, the first time ever since the past, present and future. Once broken, cannot be mended ever again.¡± And at that moment, Len realized. His live is outside Fate¡¯s territory. Fate can no longer bound him to ¡®death¡¯ or ¡®life¡¯. ¡°This world is the bridge between realms. Lost soul seeks a place where they can belong. Without a body, a soul is simply forever trapped in an ethereal body, wandering in the land of nowhere. Without a choice, the only thing a soul can do is to cross over.¡± With his black hair slightly covering his eyes, Len extended his hand. The realization that struck upon him. The limit is imagination itself. ¡°Sea of souls. A place where the wheel of fate brought them. All souls, no matter the place, race, beliefs, origins, ¡®evil¡¯ or ¡®good¡¯, human or not¡­ what is born of ether shall return to ether.¡± With an open arm, it said. ¡°But you, the sea of souls is not a place belong to those who are fateless. You are of separate entity from ether and you will not return to ether. You belong in nowhere.¡± Still with his palm facing it, Len spoke softly. ¡°But there is a place where I belong.¡± With a snap, the world that once covered in darkness faded with light. The familiar orange-ish sky together with the evening sun appeared. A pillar towered below him from the abyss and stopped on his feet. Len took a deep breath and yelled as loud as he can. ¡°Come out!! You with the blue hair!!¡± ¡°There is no need to yell.¡± Len turned around and saw a blue-haired girl sitting on a chair with her legs crossed. The pair of wings behind her flapped gently as it glowed with brilliant light. ¡°You¡­ who are you? What happened to Elaine?¡± ¡°No need to rush boy. You don¡¯t even know where you are. I doubt you even know what you are doing either.¡± Len shook his head. ¡°There is no need for riddles. Prolonging the solution to these mysteries will do no good to anyone. Everything will end here.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°And if I refuse?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°As expected of you. You act before you think. Hotheaded, but I guess it is charming in a way.¡± With her chin slightly lifted up and squinted eyes, the blue-haired girl scoffed. Contrary to her arrogant attitude, Len felt an odd sense of familiarity instead of hostility. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe asking that thing behind you will help?¡± Len turned around and asked it. ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°I do not know what I do not know.¡± ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°Are you trying to make a gag here? Anyway, do you even know the situation you are in?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ the fateless one.¡± ¡°Life, death, time, age, chances of meeting, do you think these are decided by fate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not answering that.¡± She sighed. ¡°The debt has been paid off. I owe you nothing. Not a single tear or sweat, much less information. Even meeting you like this is already something you should be grateful of.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m so grateful I could die...not. Who are you?¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯ve become more cheeky since we last met.¡± She said with a sharp tone. ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant just because you can¡¯t die. You are still weak than an average teenager in that world.¡± ¡°...¡± Len felt that last remark was peculiar. ¡°In that world?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Len held his chin as if in deep thoughts. ¡®Remember the pattern. The answer I gave her. She owed me a debt from the past me. What does that mean?¡¯ ¡®We¡¯ve met before? Or was it¡­ my past life? No, reincarnation does not exist, according to her anyway.¡¯ ¡°Death.¡± Len pointed his finger to the its face. ¡°...?¡± ¡°You are¡­ death.¡± ¡°Names are meaningless to me.¡± ¡°I understand now. The collective consciousness, that was how you were born. Race, gender, and religions or belief means nothing. People believe in death and life. You are¡­¡± It chuckled. A slightly different voice. ¡°I am the personification of death itself. Through time and age, people¡¯s belief of death and yearn for them. Others yearn for the counterpart. I am death, but at the same time, I am not. Faith and belief of the ever endless souls gave me form and consciousness. How I behave, how I act, how I present myself, my form and my attire. I am me, but I do not belong to myself.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I am ¡®Death¡¯ to you but not to others.¡± The cloak it wore moved, wrapping itself and was blown away. It revealed a figure of a person. A long silver hair with golden eyes, with him was an air of warmth and innocence. ¡°This is ¡®Death¡¯ of another.¡± The long silver hair grew even longer and wrapped itself again, revealing a figure of a woman with black, short hair and 6 pairs of dark wings. Her mouth was thin and extremely wide with canines protruding from the gaps of her lips. ¡°And this also of another.¡± Len closed his eyes and faced the blue-haired girl. ¡°And you too¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If he¡­ she or whatever it is a personification of the collective consciousness of ¡®Death¡¯... then what are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? Take a guess, it¡¯s what you are good at right? What was it called again? Deus Ex Machina?¡± ¡®It was just a spur of the moment, honestly¡­¡¯ Falling into a deep thought once again, Len pondered. ¡®A collective consciousness of people, personification of death, souls and fate. There¡¯s a lot to take in. What about the pattern? Is there something that I can use to see the bigger picture? What is she trying to accomplish¡­ also¡­¡¯ Len reminded of a scene just before he stranded on that world. The blue-haired girl was crying over him, saying that¡¯s not what supposed to happen. ¡®What was supposed to happen? The gem of life, I wonder what happened to it.¡¯ There was so many questions he wanted to ask, but Len doubted that she will tell him anything remotely helpful. ¡°You are a messenger.¡± She yawned. ¡°A messenger for who and from who? It was for me and also from me, that much is certain.¡± Observing the her reaction, Len could tell she was not impressed. ¡®Why won¡¯t she tell me anything? It doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ unless she can¡¯t do so? Why?¡¯ ¡°It seems we are just wasting our time. So, I¡¯m just going to make it clear.¡± The blue-haired girl cutted off Len¡¯s train of thought. ¡°You are thinking about it too hard. There are no mysteries. There are no hidden truths. There are no schemes at play. Everything is just what it is. Plain and simple.¡± ¡°Then tell me. What happened to the gem? What about Elaine?¡± ¡°The gem was used. Elaine is alive.¡± ¡°...!¡± Len lost his balance for a second and took a step back. The way she told him, it was almost an insignificant thing. Like switching off a tv with a remote, something so negligible that it doesn¡¯t even worth saying. ¡°She¡¯s alive¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not repeating it twice.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In your little old world, alive and breathing.¡± ¡°Tell me how I can go back.¡± ¡°You think I know?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Think for a second before replying.¡± ¡°This is not the first time someone ever asked me that.¡± Something oddly peculiar with that last statement to Len. ¡°This question¡­ I asked you once before, did I?¡± ¡°...Not just once.¡± ¡°And did I do it? My past self?¡± ¡°He did. You did.¡± ¡°H-how!?¡± ¡°He can do it. But not you.¡± Len got more and more irritated with the conversation. The way she answered his questions were half-hearted, like he was being a bother. Perhaps he were a bother to her. ¡°Can you just get to the point?¡± She snickered. ¡°You are the fateless one. Bound by no one, die by no one, Fate cannot get ahold of you. Your soul is free, no celestial beings or god almighty can tell you what to do. You are on your own. Those who are trying to hurt you, cannot hurt you and vice versa.¡± Clenching his fists, Len asked once more. ¡°But... at least you can tell me how.¡± ¡°It is useless. Everything is connected but you. There¡¯s a thread that¡¯s connected with each other. It is expanding endlessly, and very much approachable. However, you are of different entity. You cannot touch them. Cannot see them. Cannot use them.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Words can only get you so far. The knowledge I¡¯m about to tell you transcends language, I can tell you a million paraphrased sentences and you still wouldn¡¯t understand. Human¡¯s potential is high, but in the end it is limited. Such is fate of humankind.¡± ¡°...¡± Even after she explained so, Len couldn¡¯t still comprehend completely. ¡®What is trying to say? That the knowledge of worlds is beyond me? That no matter how hard I try it is useless because humankind is fated to be so?¡¯ Still trying to keep it together within him, Len continued the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m not bounded by fate. I can transcends the limit.¡± ¡°Yes you can. But you are a separate entity altogether, therefore you are on your own. You want to get to another world for your most dearest? Find it out on your own. No man or god can do anything.¡± It was then it clicked. What was she trying to say the whole time, Len finally understood. This blue-haired girl was never his opponent or even someone remotely close to it. All this time she was trying to guide him. All this ordeal he experienced, stranded in another world was to help him realize that world travels is very much possible. But there are several things that didn¡¯t make sense to him. ¡°As Death told me, I¡¯m a cluster of souls that coalesced together. What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means what it means. Souls that coalesced together, you are you but not really.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I had to do. You left me no choice.¡± ¡°Why did you saved me? And why did you threw me to a different world?¡± ¡°...Heh.¡± Len gulped. What does that mean? The blue-haired girl answered with a grin. ¡°There¡¯s so much to learn, yet so little time.¡± ¡°I have all the time in the world.¡± ¡°No. No you don¡¯t. Not even Death has all the time in the world.¡± Death, still in a form of the woman chipped in. ¡°That is so. I¡¯m death itself, so I cannot die. But, there will be a time where the concept of life and death disappeared into the abyss whence I came from. It may or may not be forever, but even Death will have its own time to ¡®rest¡¯.¡± Len shook his head. ¡°Enough sophistry. Why can¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°So impatient. What an adult you are, using ¡®big words¡¯ all the time. No matter, everything will come into place in the end.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°This will be it. Anymore time spent will be quite difficult. Whatever questions you have in your mind is useless. ¡®Why did she help me?¡¯, ¡®Who is the past me?¡¯, ¡®Why this and that?¡¯, it¡¯s all useless. Completely useless. It aids you nothing.¡± ¡°I beg to differ. I want to know.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen boy? It¡¯s useless. You are overthinking it. What truly matter is what you will do next. Are you more interested in me than your dear Elaine?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too full of yourself. You might be pretty, but I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡± ¡°P-pretty, you say. Aha. Ahahaha! Look at you, flirting around. Are you sure you haven¡¯t forgotten?¡± Len frowned. ¡®She¡¯s surprisingly easy to flatter¡­¡¯ ¡°What can I say, your majestic aura is overflowing that I can¡¯t help but to praise once or twice.¡± Suddenly, her face scrunched up with sharp eyes. ¡°Oh please, who are you trying to flatter? You think I¡¯m that cheap?¡± ¡®Honestly, that was pretty bad.¡¯ ¡°But, I guess I can tell one or two things. First, because of you are fateless, your potential cannot be measured. Anything is possible metaphorically and literally sense. Whether you can achieve it depends solely on you. And finally¡­¡± Somewhat hesitant, she twirled her blue hair. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Telessia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Remember it well!¡± She stood up and blinked in front of Len. She flicked her finger on his temple as Len felt a shock and a sharp pain on his chest. ¡°Now wake up!¡± ¡­ ¡®Was it truly useless? Was all my questions that I thought hard about everyday useless? Was it just a waste of time? I don¡¯t know. But I can¡¯t help but agree with her on one thing¡­¡¯ Len opened his eyes. ¡°Elaine.¡± ¡®She¡¯s alive and breathing. I have to trust her words on it. I will find a way to go back. With or without her help.¡¯ Euphymina Phy found him lying on the bed covered in blood. His body soaked wet and sticky combined with his pale skin, she couldn¡¯t believe that he was not dead. But the reality was different. His eyes were opened and blinked at her. ¡°Len¡­?¡± Len moved his hands and pulled the knife off his chest. He groaned in pain as blood poured out of his body. Phy stood dumbfounded. ¡°What the heck?¡± Phy took a step back while rubbing her eyes. Could it be that Len became an undead? Phy threw away that thought after seeing him stood up and called her name. ¡°Phy. You are back.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean I¡¯m back? Why are you-¡± Len cut him her off while staring at his own blood. ¡°I¡¯m no longer bounded by the rules of this world. In a way, I suppose I¡¯m an immortal.¡± Phy gulped. ¡®Immortal? Did a screw came loose in your head¡¯, was what Phy wanted to say but she couldn''t. Not after witnessing how Len casually pulling a knife out of his chest like that. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Would you like to listen?¡± Len oddly felt rejuvenated. His body felt really light and his mind crystal clear. Everything suddenly made sense to him. The color of the world returned into his views and without restrictions, he can search for the one answer. ¡®Without fate chaining me to the ground, I can soar to the boundless sky. There is no restriction.¡¯ Len became even more sure after seeing a series of notification windows popped out.
System Error.
Rating ----
Commencing Analysis...
Analyzing...
Analyzing..........
Analysis Failed.
Player Unknown
Adaptation Failed
##################
ERROR
System Restarting...
System Failure.
System Restarting...
System Failure
And it keeps restarting itself indefinitely. ¡®How does this system works exactly? It tries to gain entries inside me?¡¯ Despite having his wheel of fate broken, Len is not an omnipotent being. He simply stopped being a human, Len himself understand this. Human limitation does not bound him, and this world too cannot affect his will. ¡®No more chances of meeting. Pattern no longer affects me. I can make my own decision and it will be truly because of my own will and no others. I believe what I want to believe and live however I pleases.¡¯ A dark line of thought passed in Len¡¯s mind. A line of thought that he fear and believe should not be tread on. ¡®No, I cannot think like that. That was dangerous. If I truly thin like that then¡­¡¯ Len would completely stop being a human. He will become something else that truly belongs nowhere. Not this world and not even his own. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. And for that reason, Len thought. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s better to grant the system some access into me. Some¡­¡¯
System Restarting...
...
Booting Up...
Status Confirmed.
He gave the system permission to access his basic information such as names and stat points. It showed his name alright, but his race and stat points were blank. Basic function such as equipments and inventory still exist together with his title and skill, but that was it. His status cannot be measured anymore. Not because Len is extremely strong enough to pierce the heaven, but because he is no longer considered part of the world. ¡®I remember she or Death said that¡­ What was born of Ether, shall return to Ether. Since I¡¯m no longer part of Ether, does that mean I¡¯m my own entity?¡¯ Len learned that the world is made of ether. The sofa he slept on, the floor he stood on, the air and water, everything is of ether. He is not one of them anymore. An outcast that lives very close to Ether. Len felt an odd sense of lucidity. Almost like a stance of being in trance. ¡®This blood that I spilled¡­ it is part of me, right?¡¯ It was then Len understand what he is. The blood followed his will and moved on its own, flowing upward on Len¡¯s feet through his thigh and finally chest. The blood moved against gravity almost as if it were alive, and Phy witnessed all of this. ¡°I can explain.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡­ Phy nodded as she sipped her tea. ¡°So, you are telling me that you are no longer bounded by fate, so you cannot die and became an immortal?¡± ¡°Not exactly. I can die if I wish for it. I just don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Hmm. Makes senses¡­. As if.¡± Phy suddenly felt an urge to throw her tea cup at Len. Len explained his situation very casually as if this is nothing more than auntie¡¯s next door gossiping about her son-in-law. ¡°Yeah I met the personification of Death. Apparently he¡­ or she, whatever it wants to be called, is a manifestation of collective consciousness of death. So he she it can be a woman, man or whatever your imagination wants it to be.¡± ¡°Also apparently there is thing called the bridge where it connects to the sea of souls where all those who died goes to for salvation.¡± ¡°...¡± Phy felt like puking blood. How could such a person having experienced all of this can be this calm and collected? She would not believe a single thing he said if she didn¡¯t personally witness what happened a few moments ago. Len himself felt something peculiar about Phy. ¡®She reacted oddly when I mentioned about the existence of other worlds. Did she know about it?¡¯ Len didn¡¯t mince his words. ¡°You know about the existence of other worlds?¡± ¡°...I do.¡± ¡°This is common knowledge isn¡¯t it? Why didn¡¯t you say anything before?¡± ¡°And why would I do that?¡± Len rubbed his temple. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have a real reason to do so. Sigh, I guess this is it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Phy sensed a premonition. ¡°I have to leave this place.¡± ¡°...?¡± ¡°I have to get back to my world. There¡¯s someone I need to meet.¡± ¡°Hmph, it must a girl.¡± Len¡¯s face became odd. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? No way you are going back for some ¡®friends¡¯.¡± For some reason, Len sensed something about her. A turbulent intuition, it made him somewhat more talkative than usual. ¡°You¡­ have one, too? Someone very dear to you? Did he died?¡± Phy stiffened. She stood up abruptly and grabbed the hem of Len¡¯s shirt. ¡°Watch your mouth boy. Nobody like anybody who can¡¯t read situations.¡± ¡°...Sorry.¡± Len felt imminent threat coming from her. That she would not hesitate to attack him in a lethal kind of way. However, he wasn¡¯t scared at all. Perhaps it was because he understand his position. Phy took her hands back and went back to the kitchen. ¡°I guess you are leaving today?¡± ¡°Not today.¡± ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Len followed her suit into the kitchen. ¡°No. There are preparation that I need to make.¡± Phy didn¡¯t respond and opened a can of beer. ¡®Interesting. I¡¯ve seen it everyday, but I never really noticed. They have canned drinks in this day and age, something that should¡¯ve been invented far later in time.¡¯ Len took a deep breath. ¡°For that preparation, I need your help.¡± Phy ignored him and kept drinking. ¡°Teach me how to fight.¡± ¡°COUGH!!¡± Phy choked herself in process. She thought she heard wrong. ¡°What did you said brat!?¡± ¡°Teach me how to fight. I can¡¯t die, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m an omnipotent being. I need to protect myself out there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!! Why me!? There are other who can help you with that!¡± ¡°You are strong.¡± ¡°There are many people who are stronger than me in this world.¡± ¡°I know. But there¡¯s only you right now.¡± ¡°...¡± Phy narrowed her eyes. No matter how she looked at the situation, it was absurd. To tell the truth, Phy herself haven¡¯t finish processing what just happened to Len. ¡®Fateless? Bound by no one? Live and die simply with pure will alone? Bunch of bullshits.¡¯ It was what she truly felt. What Len just told her was just a tale and what happened previously was just a trick for the eyes. But deep down, she believed Len. She wanted to believe. There¡¯s something that pushing Phy down in the corner of her mind. Something that could change her life for the better or worse. ¡®Bullshit, isn¡¯t it the same for this world¡­? The world is bullshit. The Empyreans and apostles¡­ they are all cursed¡­¡¯ Len noticed the change happening simply by staring at her eyes. ¡®She¡¯s fighting inside her mind. It¡¯s like debating to herself on choosing the lesser evil.¡¯ Len didn¡¯t mind at all. It is her life, her decision, she decide on her own¡­ fate? ¡®Hmm? Something¡¯s not right here¡­¡¯ Does that mean every single one of them has their fate predetermined from the start? Their birth and death is already determined? Does this mean that Phy¡¯s time is running out as we speak? A question that he could not figure out. ¡®This isn¡¯t the time. I have all the time in the world.¡¯ Len thought that no matter what the question is, he can answer it later one way or another as long as his will stays ablaze. ¡°Fine. I will teach you what you want. But I want something in return.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A favour.¡± Len thought her answer was interesting. ¡°What sort of favour?¡± ¡°Kill the twelfth Empyrean, Bathara for me.¡± It was at this moment Len can feel the fate of the world started turning. 10% Only Pain throbbed all over Len¡¯s body. Beaten black and blue with a hint of blood smeared all over his body, Phy sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve still got a long way to go kiddo.¡± ¡°...¡± Len dropped on the ground as the sunlight gave him a pleasant sensation. His chest goes up and down as he gasped. ¡°I thought you were an immortal? Why are you gasping and bleeding like a pig?¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m not immortal. I just can¡¯t die. Not yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference anyway¡­? And why are you not healing yourself?¡± ¡°...The pain that I¡¯m feeling is important. It will serve as reminders for the hard time I¡¯ve spent training in the future.¡± ¡°...I didn¡¯t know you are such a masochist.¡± ¡°Stop blabbering and teach me properly!¡± Phy sighed again. Despite how she treated him, Phy was observing his movements intensely. ¡®He clearly has zero experience in fighting. He doesn¡¯t even know a basic stance or how to hold a sword properly. He can¡¯t read the flow of a fight, how to read enemy¡¯s movement and most importantly... ¡® ¡°Sigh.¡± ¡°What are you sighing about? Are you quitting?¡± ¡°Training you from zero will take a really long time. I doubt you even have the potential. I would be a granny before you can even reach my level.¡± ¡°...¡± Len admitted it himself that he has no talent in fighting. He couldn¡¯t imagine himself being adept at fighting, much less killing an Empyrean. ¡°Why do you want to kill an Empyrean?¡± ¡°What? We just barely started and you want to take your words back?¡± ¡°Can you not answer a question with a question, please?¡± ¡°...What does it matter to you?¡± ¡°Nothing. But you know why I¡¯m doing this, and I don¡¯t know yours. It¡¯s not fair to me.¡± Phy turned around and walked back into the house. She waved her hand and said. ¡°Maybe if you managed to defeat me, I will tell you.¡± Len jolted awake. He stared her back until she went inside the house. ¡°That was a flag, wasn¡¯t it? ¡­ ¡®A new pattern showed itself. The question is how do I tackle this?¡¯ Empyrean, an existence beyond a mortal. Strength and ability that could reform the earth itself, keeper of the world and at the same time, the destroyer. Clashes among themselves on deciding the one true Empyrean have got the earth as their battleground. Wherever they go, chaos and death follows. This caused people of the land to lose their faith on them and their strength dropped. They realized the war they are having will only benefit those who are standing on the side. To combat this predicament, they made a pact. ¡°An Empyrean shall choose an apostle to fight in their stead.¡± Thus, the apostles came and roamed the earth. People of different origin fought for their factions, some fought for honor, some for others, and some for themselves.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡®Apostles, they are pretty much people like me. Someone who came from another world and forced to fight in some deities¡¯ bidding for a throne. But to what end?¡¯ Len reminisced about the past where he spent most of his free time reading books. There were many tales and one of them is about people who were transported to a different world to fight for world peace. ¡®But this case is a bit more complicated.¡¯ The pattern is all over the place. Real life is more volatile when there are many enigmatic factors involved. ¡®There are people with abilities back there, but not magic or system.¡¯ Len lied back on the dry ground and thought. ¡®The Empyreans. They must know something about a method of travels between worlds.¡¯ The possibility was in Len¡¯s favour. ¡®The question is, how do I reach them?¡¯ Len let out a thin smile and stood up. The blood and bruises on his body disappeared leaving him completely healed. ¡®First, I have to clear this flag.¡¯ Len opened his status window and saw the EXP bar increased 10%. A progress was made. Although small, the time spent was not wasted. ¡°...¡± ¡­. ¡°What is the system?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Is it just you that doesn¡¯t know or-¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m an idiot!? It¡¯s already been there since ancient time! People say it exist even before human and Empyreans appear.¡± ¡°Who are these people you are talking about?¡± ¡°People of Rozenwald. They do science and engineering¡­ I think.¡± ¡°Science¡­ and engineering?¡± ¡°Did I say something odd?¡± ¡°No, no¡­ nothing¡­¡± Not even in his wildest dream Len would expect to hear science and engineering ever mentioned in a world with an RPG system and magic. ¡®But it sort of makes sense¡­ building houses, utensils and other tools to make life more convenient keeps progressing. But... ¡® Len asked. ¡°So they are building things with technology?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know? They make all sort of things from conventional things to unconventional things. I don¡¯t use them. I don¡¯t them need.¡± ¡°What sort of things?¡± ¡°Enchanted swords, enchanted axes, enchanted shields, things that goes boom and what not.¡± Len felt disappointment. Is that all they are doing? How is that engineering and science? ¡®No, maybe it¡¯s just Phy¡¯s oblivious. Maybe there¡¯s something more about them? Not that it matters anyway.¡¯ Len realized he got sidetracked and went back on topic. ¡°So, the Empyreans also uses the same system?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m not sure. By how things are, I¡¯m almost certain they do, but there¡¯s no concrete proof. Some said they are the one who created the system themselves and they are the one controls it.¡± ¡°That makes no sense. If they are the one controlling it, doesn¡¯t that mean they can control everyone like a puppet?¡± ¡°As I said, there¡¯s nothing concrete. It¡¯s just a speculation.¡± Len felt a sense of foreboding crept on his back. ¡®The system belongs to the Empyreans? Then¡­ granting the system permission to me was a mistake? No, I have to make sure.¡¯ Len went back to his sofa and lied down with eyes closed. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ Phy gave him an odd look for ending the conversation mid way. But it didn¡¯t really matter to her as she was about to leave the house. Len focused and opened his eyes. The status window opened showing his name, level, race and empty stats. ¡®Technically speaking, the system would require a storage to store information. Could it be that my information is being transmitted to a server somewhere?¡¯ Len contemplated to himself and thought, ¡®Is the system invincible? Is there a way to find out?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t understand how the system works. How can it only appear in front of me? Only I can see it but not others, why? It is connected with me in a way where only I can interact with it somehow. It is the same like Phy and the others. The system is connected to everyone but interaction is limited to individuals¡­ almost like a strand connecting¡­ to their¡­ soul?¡¯ Len felt a shiver down his spine and completely blocked the system access. The system made him felt exposed akin to being naked in public. Len could feel cold sweat on forming on his temple. ¡®I cannot depend on the system¡­ not like this. At least until I find out something about it. But what do I do then? What can I rely on?¡¯ Then a voice echoed in his mind. A familiar voice that he heard a few times. Somewhat annoying and haughty, but soft and oddly reassuring. ¡°You are the fateless one. Bound by no one, die by no one, Fate cannot get ahold of you. Your soul is free, no celestial beings or god almighty can tell you what to do. You are on your own. Those who are trying to hurt you, cannot hurt you and vice versa.¡± It was something the blue-haired girl told him. He forgot about them, but now he remembered. Len is the fateless one. No god almighty can control his fate. Nothing can hurt him and he can hurt nothing. ¡®If that is correct, then the system¡­ and¡­¡¯ Len stood up from his sofa and went outside the house. He looked around and found an ant drifted alone far from its colony. Without a shred of hesitation, Len stepped on the ant. ¡®She¡¯s wrong. People cannot kill me, but I can kill them.¡¯ The ant was crushed under his feet and died. ¡®Also¡­ there¡¯s another thing I want to try.¡¯ Len went back inside the house and took a piece of bread on the table. He chomped it down and gulped it greedily. ¡°...??? A-are you that hungry?¡± Len didn¡¯t answer her question and simply stared at his palm after he finished eating the bread. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Huhuhu¡­¡± ¡°???¡± Phy felt even more weirded out by him. ¡®Did I hit him a bit too hard and a screw went loose inside his head?¡¯ But then Phy noticed something on his palm. A piece of his skin moved and peeled off, it condensed itself and became a small bead the size of a nail. Phy became even more confused. It was surreal and a bizarre phenomenon. How and why did Len do it? While Phy was busy getting confused, Len was one step closer to completing the pattern. ¡®This is it. This might be the key to use the system.¡¯ Searching for a way home back to his world seems like a fleeting dream to him. But with as a fateless one, there is hope. It was small and seems impossible at the moment, but Len was determined to do it. He needed to become strong enough to venture the world and possible meet one of the Empyrean. Is it possible to do it without the system? Perhaps. ¡®But if there¡¯s a method to use the system without being exposed, then¡­¡¯ Len might not be talented in combat or possess high intelligence, but he believed in his ability as the fateless one. ¡®I¡¯ll try once again.¡¯ And so Len lied down on the sofa with his eyes closed. ¡°...¡± Phy who witnessed this bizarre event could not comment anything. ¡®It¡¯s best to leave him alone for a while I guess.¡¯ Observer of the Show ¡®Who am I? What am I made of? The very essence of me is my body and mind. Consume, and make it a part of me.¡¯ Len, in a moment of clarity understood, that he himself is an enigmatic entity. For what he consumes become a part of him that he could control in a literal sense. The bread he ate was digested and become a part of him, thus allowing him for an ¡®extra limb¡¯ to move. With that extra limb Len coalesced it into a small bead, however he could not retain the form too long. For a moment, Len felt a heavy strain weighing over his body. The bead returned into a piece of flesh and fused back with him. ¡®No matter. There¡¯s something much more important right now.¡¯ Len lied on his sofa and closed his eyes. He allowed the system to access his soul. Almost like a hallucination, Len could almost see a string attached to him. It shone with brilliance in the dark, a beacon for a lost soul. ¡®How does the system works? I¡¯ve been asking the wrong question all this time.¡¯ Len reflected back to the past few days he spent pondering over the system. He felt something odd and somewhat insecure with its existence. But now, Len could finally relax because this time he¡¯s going to make the system his. ¡®A string that could connect the soul directly to a place beyond¡­ I don¡¯t know who is pulling the string, but I sure am not gonna be your puppet in this little show you¡¯ve got.¡¯ The string strained. The radiance it gave off intensed. Len moved his mouth quietly. A whisper that nobody could hear echoed. ¡°Consume.¡± And so the string snapped. It swayed lifelessly in the dark and the radiance dimmed. The guiding light dissipated leaving an eerie silence in the abyss. The rest of the connected string fused with his soul. Like a moth to a flame, the string didn¡¯t stop to avoid him. Len¡¯s soul were a fire blazing in the dark and the string were a moth searching for light. Once it wrapped itself around, it slowly drowned and consumed by Len¡¯s soul. When he opened his eyes, there were a series of new notifications appearing. [System Reboot...] [Adjusting to a New Host...] [Adjust Complete.] From that much, Len could tell that he has become the new ¡®server¡¯ for the system to operate. ¡®I¡¯ve become the new master for the system. I am my own system.¡¯ [Unable to create ¡®Quest¡¯ function.] [-Quest- section has been removed completely.] [Unable to create ¡®Map¡¯ function.] [-Map- section has been removed completely.] [Unable to make ¡®Title¡¯ function.] [-Title- section has been removed completely.] [...] Len read through them one by one. From what he had gather, it appears that all functions were removed except -Inventory-, -Skills-, -Levelling-, -Status Bar-, and -Equipments-. Len gained the system¡¯s authority, but he also lost some of its vital functions. ¡®Can this system be called a true ¡®system¡¯? I can only gain stat points by levelling up now. I cannot receive anymore quests for rewards. There¡¯s also no minimap, I have to be more careful when I¡¯m venturing to an unknown land, taking notes for places and some other stuff. The title that I got before is also useless because there¡¯s no slot for it anymore¡­¡¯ But Len wasn¡¯t about to be frustrated with it. There¡¯s always a price to pay for something as precious as this. Len understand this better than some people. An experience that he gained also for a price. The good news is Len can still go levelling. He can still get stronger to a certain degree with better advantage than without the system. ¡°Now the real training begin.¡± ¡­You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. While Len was busy with discovering new abilities about himself, there was an imminent danger approaching. A war was about to happen. It was signaled with a fallen star that is heading their way. A star burning with ruby-like flame, leaving a trail of blood in its path. It reminded one of a stage. A stage that is prepared by a mastermind about a show full of wonder and mysteries, drama and tragedy, bravery and betrayal, and it was all for nobody except for the beloved audience. However, to create such show, meticulous preparation and intricate planning is a must. The mastermind will take its time very, very slowly and carefully agonizing which path the show must take to create a deep impression and dream-like experience for the audience. It could take a second to think up the show. It might take a minute. An hour. A whole day. Perhaps a month. Presumable a year. Most likely, a decade. Never, if the mastermind gives up. Who is the mastermind? Who is the audience? Who are the actors? Who are the actresses? Do those people realizes their respective roles? Like a never-ending dream, Len is caught up in a spiral of an extremely delicate design called fate. It plans his daily routines, what he eats, what he drinks, who he talks to, who he hates, who he loves. However, the puppet was unhappy. The puppet gained self-awareness and decided to cut off its own strings. It fell and broke into tiny pieces, never to be reassembled again. The ultimate price for a ¡®true freedom¡¯ is ¡®death¡¯, is what the puppet might think. However, that is not so for others. Each person represents an idea. The ¡®actors¡¯ and ¡®actresses¡¯ also have their own ideas in playing their roles. The audience is no different. The audience has an authority to ¡®observe¡¯. It can see, judge, and think for itself. What others see as one thing might be different for someone else. The show was perfect. Everything is going to the script. Even the rebellious puppet part. However, an audience is not a singular entity. An audience is not a collective hive mind that think in one unison perspective. Observing the stage, many of the audience clapped their hands in amazement. There was one individual, sitting on its chair with cheeks resting on its palm. Its gaze is filled with animosity and wrath. It wasn¡¯t impressed at all. As an audience, it knew what was going happen as they are the observer with the ¡®hindsight¡¯. Unable to stomach the show, it silently wordlessly spoke. ¡­ ¡°Why do you want to kill this Empyrean?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You know this is going to happen right? You can¡¯t expect me to not ask ques-¡± ¡°I know. Be quiet for a bit.¡± ¡°Also, this is the first time I saw you cooking.¡± ¡°Quiet and eat your fill!¡± ¡°...¡± Len took a spoon out and drank his soup. ¡°It¡¯s plain. I need more salt.¡± ¡°Salt doesn¡¯t grow on trees! Buy your own!¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°500 calds for 5 grams.¡± ¡°Too expensive. Isn¡¯t there any alternative seasonings?¡± ¡°You can go buy an orange and mix it with water.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty bad.¡± ¡°Just eat.¡± Len ate his soup in silence before he spoke once again. ¡°Why is your name Phy?¡± ¡°Why are you so talkative these days?¡± ¡°...¡± Len pondered, ¡®Am I that nosy?¡¯ Perhaps not inquiring private questions for the time being is a wise decision. ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t you have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°Get out!¡± ¡°No.¡± Phy slammed the table and pulled Len¡¯s collar. ¡°What did you say.¡± ¡°I said n-.¡± Before Len could even finish, his vision turned pitch black for a moment and a numb, stinging pain coming from his face made him cringe. He was thrown outside with a punch. For him it was nothing, but facts won¡¯t diminish the pain. ¡°...¡± Len didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°You think I would hold back just because you are a kid?¡± ¡°Not at all. I knew you were gonna do that.¡± Phy snapped her joints one by one with menacing eyes. ¡°Seems like you are looking for more.¡± ¡°You suck.¡± An uppercut was thrown to his chin, Len cannot keep up with her speed and flew for a few metres before hitting the ground. ¡°Is that enough?¡± ¡°...You¡­¡± The blood and bruises on his body disappeared. Without much expression, Len continued. ¡°...are a sack of shit.¡± Her kick landed on Len¡¯s face, breaking his nose and a few teeth. Of course, the damage inflicted disappeared in mere seconds. ¡°You are no woman. You are an ape.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t keep your pie hole shut, can you!?¡± Her hands reached Len, the veins in her hand bulged and grasped his neck tightly. Her nails digged into his flesh and her eyes burned with intense emotion. Len recognized that face. A face of that has lost all reasons, consumed by emotion and rage. Len noticed it ever since they met, but he didn¡¯t paid any heed back then. But now things has changed. Len needed her strength, however she wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind. Len could tell something was bothering her. It was written all over her face. Being alone for a long time, Len spent most of his time observing people. How they talk, laugh, eye movements, tone of voice, posture and body language, Len subconsciously judges people by these criteria. Whether they are in a good mood or bad, he could tell. But he himself realized his judgement is never 100% accurate. Everything is circumstantial, nothing is certain. So, Len would test the water. To see if his guess is correct, he would try to probe the person. If it gets ¡®warmer¡¯, then the odds will increase for him. If it gets ¡®colder¡¯, then it is very likely that he is wrong. Probing in a sense somewhat similar to gambling. If he¡¯s correct, then Len could find a way to approach that person. If he¡¯s wrong, then it is very likely the person will avoid him It is something that he does unconsciously, something hard-wired in his brain to solve a problem he faces. Like the ¡®pattern¡¯ he always mentioned, Len would gather ¡®puzzle pieces¡¯ that is made of circumstantial evidences, and try to make sense of everything. The result he arrived will be considered as ¡®chances of probability¡¯. Like the way he saw the ¡®pattern¡¯ of the situation. When Phy said ¡®if you managed to defeat me, I will tell you.¡¯ Len took it as a flag, some sort of a ¡®sign¡¯ that Phy wanted him to be stronger and eventually surpass her. However, her behaviour is full of contradictions. She wanted him to be stronger, but refuse to give a proper training. Len had a feeling that she is holding something back. Something that held her to do what she have to do. Len could feel a sharp and dull pain in his neck. The air won¡¯t enter his lungs, causing his vision to blur and face redden. He forced his neck to retain its form and not crushed under her pressure. ¡°Are¡­ you¡­ going to¡­ kill me?¡± ¡°...!¡± Through the small air gap left in his throat, Len forced out a sentence which stunned her. The strength on her hands left, and her body turned limp. She dropped on the ground with tears flowing down her cheeks. She sobbed while covering her face. Len couldn¡¯t really describe and understand what he was seeing at the moment. It seemed surreal. From a normal dinner turned into a this situation. Len touched his own neck and felt that ¡®death¡¯ was closer than ever before. Not even when he stabbed himself with the knife. A true killing intent was directed at him, and it was almost palpable. His heart stopped breathing, and he can¡¯t move a muscle before it. For a brief moment, he believed that he was going to ¡®die¡¯. And despite all of this, Len said quietly. ¡®Was I correct after all?¡¯ Tower of Nerio July, 1129. ¡°I wonder if it will rain today?¡± A strong gust of wind swept over the city, along with it, dark clouds large enough to cover the blue sky. A girl carrying a bunch of scroll to the point of overflowing from her backpack muttered to herself. ¡°This can¡¯t be a good sign.¡± She tapped her backpack lightly, an act to reassure herself and sighed. She took out a large bamboo hat and wore it on her head. Not long after, the rain began to pour, and gradually increased in ferocity, making it a heavy rain and a high chance of becoming a storm soon. She tottered on the road, almost looked careless and somewhat in aimless direction. But her eyes betrayed that expectation. With subtle movements that one could barely notice, occasionally she would glance behind her back. Two? No, three people. All men. Amateur. A smirk for less than a second appeared on her face. She kept walking and stopped in an alley devoid of people. Behind her were the three stalker, each of them wore a leather armour and swords. Their faces were covered with masks with only their eyes remained visible. They showed as little as skins as possible, trying not to leave any clues or hint of who they are. The girl stopped in the middle of the alley and faced them. Despite their masks, she could see them through as if she possess clairvoyance ability. Their vulgar expressions and desires seeped out through their body, that even an insect could feel it. Their ugliness is almost palpable¡­ Who are they? Where did they come from? What do they want? These questions were irrelevant to her. It does not concern her at all. The only thing that she cared about was, these stalker are trying to harm her. That gave her enough reason to do what she was about to do. ¡°Ohohou, what¡¯s this, what¡¯s this? What could you people possibly want from me, I wonder?¡± The stalker in the middle threatened with a deep voice while pointing his sword at her neck. ¡°Hand over all your belongings, and we might just let you go.¡± The girl in turn answered with a small chuckle and escalated to a hearty laugh quickly. Tears dropped from the corner of her eyes and her cheeks filled with the color of red. Her small canine teeth were visible to the surprised stalker. The stalkers stared at each other and reached a conclusion on themselves that the girl they are robbing, is for a matter of fact, ¡®have a screw loose in the head¡¯. ¡°Oh, oh! Apology, apology! It is not my intent to confuse you gentlemen at all! Not at all! It was just- hahaha! I can¡¯t believe you just said such a cliche dialogue! It almost as if you came straight outta the novel I just read the other day! Hahaha!¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The stalker didn¡¯t reply, they nodded to each other and approached her. A triangle formation, surrounding the girl. Ohohou, these amateurs seems to have a good judgement. Well, not that good if they know what¡¯s good for them! Hehehe~ The stalkers knew that the girl they are targeting isn¡¯t someone ordinary. They realized that she possess some capabilities to protect herself and prepared themselves to take her out. After a brief moment of silence, the girl¡¯s laugh stopped and she remained motionless in the centre of the stalkers. The heavy rain dampen the stalkers clothing, making them somewhat heavier than normal, thus restricting their movements. However, the girl was not exactly in a better situation herself. On her back was a giant backpack filled with unknown scrolls, and some of it even caught the rain which made it even heavier. Technically speaking, the situation should be more favourable towards the stalker. But that was not the reality. The stalkers made the first move and tried to stab the girl at the same time, but she dodged it by jumping and kicked two of them. A movement that seems very unlikely to happen coming from a girl like this. But it did happen, and what¡¯s more surprising than that is, she knocked both of them with one kick. The last stalker couldn¡¯t comprehend what just happened. It happened so quick that he could not process it fast enough. A silhouette of a punch flashed in front of his eyes and everything turned dark. Everything happened in less than 5 seconds. It was all over. ¡°My, My, that¡¯s not fun at all~¡± ¡°Shall I entertain you then?¡± The girl jumped away with a somersault and faced the figure that appeared out of nowhere behind her. ¡°Reki¡­? Ohohou, so this is was a trap you made after all? NO PROBLEM! COME AT ME!!¡± The canine teeth in her mouth grew sharper as she provoked the man in front of her. His red long hair was wet from the heavy rain, it faintly swayed around blown by the wind. He who called Reki, shook his head. ¡°It was just a coincidence I met you here. Though, I figured they followed you, so I just tagged along.¡± ¡°You knew!? Why didn¡¯t you do something!?¡± The girl jumped in surprise and her eyes turned into a slit. ¡°Why would I? After all, we are¡­¡± ¡°As expected the Flame Breaker, you would try to down your rival with every means necessary! I can¡¯t believe you are what people consider as my equal! I can¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°Hold your horses there, do you actually think I would use such underhanded method to down you?¡± ¡°How should I know! You are the type of guy that would burn even ladies into cinders! I can¡¯t trust you!¡± ¡°Gender has no meaning in a deathmatch, furthermore¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore¡­?¡± The girl tilted her head awaiting his answer. ¡°...We are not equal, Ghia, The Lightning Wallop.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!!¡± Reki scoffed and turned around. He walked away without even bother to answer her retort, only to give a cold farewell under the heavy rain. ¡°Humph.¡± The girl called Ghia crossed her hands and sticked her tongue out. Being surrounded by passed out stalkers didn¡¯t give her any comfort and she left only after taking any object of value from them. ... The day is nigh. An event that will be held every 100 years soon will arrive. Over thousands of participants will come from all over the world and gather to compete within the sacred land not quite far from the capital. A place where only people of importance can visit, guarded by the best knights chosen personally by the Sage of Bitia, the Tower of Nerio. Those who possess the bravery and valor to conquer their enemies, overcome them, and claim victory shall obtain the ultimate reward they wished for. The Tower of Nerio exist since ancient times, before even the Empyrean War. Nobody knows how long it has been around, but experts claimed it exists for billions of year. Ancient mechanism that is believed created by an Empyrean that contains all sorts of treasure and relics that could advance mankind toward the future. Each century, the tower will begin to activate by itself, and along with it, Dymos, the messenger that will be present on behalf of the Empyreans. To choose a candidate and to make them a ¡®protagonist¡¯, and to fulfill their wish. At the end, All 71 Empyreans will be present and the ¡®protagonist¡¯ will have to choose a side. A large scale event that involves the whole resident of the planet. Gender, cultures, morality, races and languages are irrelevant. Empyreans¡¯ only concern is one. Will the winner be worthy of them? Somewhere in the capital, there was a black-haired man. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and a shoulder holster for carrying swords made of leather. His hands were covered in bandages, leaving his fingers exposed. He didn¡¯t want his clothing to get wet, and decided to take shelter inside a small noodle restaurant. He ordered the cheapest one from the menu even though he wanted to spend more. He needed a place to sleep with roof above his head for the next few weeks at least, every single cald saved is cald earned. As he stared outside the window of the shop, he muttered. ¡°...The time for a conclusion is near.¡± Episode 1 - Emergence (1) It wasn¡¯t long before sunrise come. A black-haired man sitting on his bed with crossed legs opened his eyes. His hands were placed relaxedly on his knees as he breathed deeply. Bit by bit, the sunlight shone through his window and gente warm caressed his skin. His long and unkempt hair covered half of his face, blocking anyone who tried to take a peek on his expression¡­ not that there¡¯s anyone but him in that room. The deep black eyes through the gap of his bangs lighten up, filled with expectation and uncertainty. Drowned in his own thoughts, he pondered. ¡®How long has I waited for this moment?¡¯ He closed his eyes for a moment before picking up his belongings; leather holster, a satchel, and a short sword made of steel. He readied his heart and exhaled. Blood pumped from his chest and spread across his body. As the event drawing near, he could felt the doubt and nervousness grew in his heart. ¡®The Tower of Nerio, tomorrow will be it.¡¯ He clenched a necklace on his neck, a red crystal tied crudely with a string. ¡­ He prepared many things. Spare short swords and daggers, herbs of many origins and various effects, it was all stored inside his inventory space. However, not a single one of them contains healing attribute. It was all purely for offense. Right before the ¡®day¡¯, he wanted to take a breather to calm his heart. Everything that he has done, every single action and decision he made, it was all for the sake of tomorrow. The heavy burden that he carried on his back became the very fuel for his motivation, but at the same time he knew that it could also haunt him. The stress and frustration he endured all these years became a double-edged blade, it could either hurt him or hurt his enemies depending on himself. As he pondered and wandering around without aim on the street, he saw a girl and a bunch of children playing on a park. The girl was slightly older than the other children which made her somewhat more conspicuous than others. The girl was scolding one the children, and the others were laughing. An ordinary scene. Nothing strange about it. A daily life of ordinary folks in a big city. Everyone would not spare a glance, no reason to do it. If that was the case, then why can¡¯t he avert his eyes from them? Even as he walked way past them, his eyes wouldn¡¯t listen to him. His heart shook. He understood why. Nostalgia and sentiments. A scene that he almost forgot. A livelihood without bloodshed and violence. Innocence of the children who could not tell what is good or bad, only to live in the moment and enjoy the present. A mindset that he envied long time ago and still going until now. He walked still with his head glancing to the back and accidentally bumped into someone. He fell down on his bottom and panicked. He lifted his head and saw the person he bumped into. A girl carrying dozens of scrolls inside her backpack. He could tell she was young because he peeked through her bamboo hat from the ground. The girl didn¡¯t move and stared down at the man before her. Yellow eyes with a slitted pupil glared right into his eyes. She didn¡¯t budge and slowly opened her mouth. ¡°Eyes on the road will ya.¡±Stolen story; please report. It was more of an order instead of a question. The man who fell on his but let out an awkward smile and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will be more careful next time.¡± Just as the girl about to leave, she noticed something on the floor. An item that fell from the man¡¯s pocket. A copper emblem engraved with a seal. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The man hurriedly picked the copper emblem and put it inside his pocket. The girl with an incredulous expression couldn¡¯t help but to ask the man. ¡°You are also a participant?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put it inside your inventory? Such an important item¡­¡± ¡°My inventory is full.¡± The girl lifted one of her eyebrow. ¡®How can it be full? Are you carrying a mountain inside your inventory?¡¯ ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, that emblem is not something that you should carry outside of your inventory. What if it got stolen?¡± ¡°Hahaha, who would steal a copper emblem?¡± What he said has some truth in it. A copper emblem is the ¡®entrance ticket¡¯ for people to participate inside the Tower of Nerio. It is however, the lowest tier of all. Gold, silver, copper, this man is on the weakest side. To obtain a copper emblem, a test would be carried out by the Sage of Bitia herself. The gold, silver and copper emblems would be created and handled to the people who passed the tests. People who completed the tests will receive the emblem together with a reward according to their tier. However, the word ¡®test¡¯ is merely formality. The truth is anyone can obtain the emblem directly by buying them. The ¡®test¡¯ they are facing is nothing more than aptitude test on their attribute. People who are ¡®average¡¯, ¡®above average¡¯, or ¡®strong¡¯, they can obtain them after their aptitude has been recorded. In a way, selling your own information for the emblem. In fact, obtaining them isn¡¯t that hard at all. The emblem that has been given will not be returned, thus decreasing their scarcity¡­ for every 100 years. The event has been held numerous times, even searching for people who possess a golden emblem wouldn¡¯t be that hard if one put efforts into it. ¡®But this man¡­ he said something peculiar¡­ hmm¡­¡¯ The man told her that his inventory is ¡®full¡¯ and ¡®nobody would steal a copper emblem¡¯. She felt something sprouted within her. Doubt. ¡°Not even a child would put such thing outside the inventory space.¡± ¡°As I said, it¡¯s full.¡± ¡°How can it be full?¡± ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± The man in front of her became annoyed. The girl felt even more curious. What could an ordinary person with a copper emblem fill his inventory with? And how can he filled his inventory to maximum capacity? The man stared back at her eyes directly and she could feel something unusual of him. ¡®What is it? I¡¯m not scared, but¡­ what is this?¡¯ The man felt stranger by the second. Her sense of curiosity was tingling. ¡°Hey, who are you really?¡± ¡°A man who was born far from here. What¡¯s that behind you? Why are you carrying that many scrolls outside your inventory space, huh?¡± ¡°They are not any ordinary scrolls idiot.¡± ¡°...You¡­ what?¡± The girl didn¡¯t respond and left the place silently. ¡°...weird kid.¡± The man tapped the dust out of his clothes and continued wandering around the area. He walked through many markets and other parks. Silently looking around the place, confirming that he prepared every single item that he needed. He returned to his room in a small hotel double checked his inventory and nodded to himself. Through the window, he can see the Tower of Nerio protruding mightily, piercing the night sky. Surrounding it were halo rings made of complex rune, protecting it from intruders, demons, and monsters. ¡°...¡± The end is near, or so he thought. In a few more hours, the sun will rise once more, marking the beginning of the new ¡®protagonist¡¯, and a new faction will soon rise no matter who got chosen. ¡®I won¡¯t let it happen.¡¯ The night sky somehow looked especially stunning for him. Many stars in many colors twinkled, it reminded him of a distant memory. ¡®The bridge between realms, a pillar of light surrounded by many particle of lights seeking salvation¡­¡¯ An image forever burned inside him. Many years has passed, he learned a lot of things and experienced what others could not. It made him unique, but he knew better than anyone that he is not special. Everyone that breathes will one day, stops. But there is something that he must do. After everything that has happened, this time, he wanted to do something properly. An end that he desired, even if the odds are unlikely. No, unlikely is a severe understatement. It is basically beyond impossible, perhaps even for the sage. But he will do it. ¡®But I will do it.¡¯ Despite the odds are against him, he will fight. ¡°...¡± And so, the sun has risen. The hue of the sky changed, and along with it was people¡¯s heart and mind. Those who prepared themselves for years might felt doubt and fear, and those who just suddenly decided to enter might be more calmer than others. Resting his necklace on his chest, he felt his heart beating. ¡®Why am I so calm and relaxed?¡¯ It is simple. ¡®For I am the fateless one. Odds and probability are meaningless before me.¡¯ The time has come to fill his promise.