ON THE ISLANDPain. That was the first thing that register on his mind. A gut wrenching pain that seems to be traveling to every nerve on his body.
It was like something sharp grinding on his every nerve, flaying him softly.
Cold. That is the second thing that register in his mind after the pain subsided a bit. Those two combination does not feel great.
That"s all he felt. Cold and pain.
His teeth chattered because of the chill and his hands and body was trembling and shaking from the impact of the pain.
The developer even included this in their VR. For what reason, he couldn"t understand.
It was a pain like no other. The area that he was stabbed feel very hot. This is how the people who died because of his sword felt. What a useless thought, he mused
Searing hot pain. Unspeakable pain.
For one moment he could understand the pain that he inflict on the players that he killed during the war.
And he pities them. It"s not sympathy. It"s empathy. Aero could see the blood flowing from his stomach, drenching the white sands beneath his body with red.
He also has coughed up blood for how many times now. His internal organs are all ruptured
He is sprawled weakly on the white sandy beach. Poseidon has already disappeared into the sea. It was absurd.
The event how he comes to this state came flas.h.i.+ng back.
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"Who are you?" Aero asked again.
Tension filled the air. Aero could sense this is not an ordinary old man. And looking at the old man and the trident he holds, Aero could already guessed who is the old man
"I am Poseidon, G.o.d of the Sea, The Earth Shaker." He declared.
The wave behind him rages and roars. The horses behind him neighed and winds swirls beneath their feet.
Aero on the other hand paled on his face
"A G.o.d? A G.o.d! This is absurd. G.o.ds exist?" He thought to himself. Aren"t they just a flavor text to add the immersion to the game and to explain the religion of this world?
Aero knows that the so called Seven G.o.ds is just AI but he didn"t think they actually have a body. Aero thought they are just like a program.
"You"re kidding right?" asked Aero not quite believing what he just heard.
"Kidding?"
He said, his tone rising. Then suddenly he calmed down. Then he smiles.
"Well, no matter, you"re not going to be here long. And I don"t have that much time to waste talking too much to a mortal"
Then he opens up his palm. Aero Sword of Mars fly towards him. Poseidon take the swords gracefully like it always belongs to him.
"Wha—" shocked by this sudden action, Aero was speechless.
Then suddenly Poseidon was already in front of him.
"Freeze" he ordered
And Aero body could not move, every single nerve of his body was frozen. In that moment, Aero accepted the truth.
This is Poseidon. The G.o.d of the Sea.
No matter how absurd the idea is, it seems the G.o.ds AI is not the type of G.o.ds AI the players imagine them to be.
They are usually like the story background of the game, also an integral part of the VR, only there to add some spice to the game.
But the stories are real.
Then for that fraction of a moment, Aero had a revelation.
What if all the stories in Brave World are not just text to enrich the gaming experience? What if, the NPCs have their own world?
This world. What if this world is not just a game? A real world. With history and their own culture.
Created and evolving all the time. Then his thoughts reeled back to his predicament. And without a word Poseidon stabs him in the gut.
No explanation. No nothing. He just stabs Aero intending to settle this as fast as possible. Aero even thought he would get some quest but nothing.
Bloods starts flowing from Aero stomach. Aero then coughed up blood.
Poseidon just watch with glee. Then calmly Poseidon walks to his chariot and dove into the sea like nothing happened.
The moment Poseidon dove into the sea, Aero collapsed to the ground.
And that is how he came to be. Sprawled in the white sand, he waited. Waiting to be log off by the system.
It seems this will be the first time he will die in Brave World. His most prized sword was stolen.
And after he died if he wants to retrieve back the robe he needs to find this island again.
But Aero don"t know where this island is. Is it in the Northern continent? Or is it in another place? He was drifted here by the ocean.
Then slowly the pain numbed. The cold become unbearable. He began to sense his end is near. He will be sp.a.w.n at Vanheim.
But he can"t log in for a while. Then Aero senses tingle. He senses something. He looked up weakly.
The sky opens up as something powerful is about to descend from the open sky
He saw a light that almost blinded him and this light covered the entire island.
From that light appears a woman full with full plated war armor. Her appearance was majestic and dignified.
She has a crested helm, armed with s.h.i.+eld and spear.
Her helmet was ornamented in the most beautiful manner with griffins, heads of rams, horses, and sphinxes.
Her s.h.i.+eld depicts two ravens. One was black, the other was gray. A snake trimmed aegis cloak wrapped around her breast and arm.
Every armament that she wears was golden.
She was glorious, blinding as the light itself. And Aero thought she looked fierce and warlike.
Her eyes were grey but shone brightly.
Aero impression of her is that her figure is thoughtfulness and earnestness. Her hair is rich and generally combed backwards over the temples, and floats freely down behind.
The whole figure is majestic. She was rather strong built than slender. Her hips are small and the shoulders broad, so that the whole somewhat resembles a male figure.
But to Aero she was beautiful in a pure way. Not s.e.xy or cute. Not that kind of beautiful. Fierce and fiery. Yes, that"s the word.
"Just like Amy." He guess dying makes you remember ridiculous thought.
When she stepped down on the island, the sandy white sand floats a bit from the ground and the sea trembles with rage.
She steps towards Aero and looked at him.
"O mortal. How unfortunate for you to have invite Poseidon ire towards you. Yet this is a breach of the Divine Law"
Then she sighed as she looked at the raging wave. She shakes her head and said
"But pursuing Poseidon on this matter will not bode well for the G.o.ds."
She said. Her voice was smooth and calm. "Was she explaining or lecturing me? I"m not sure" Aero thought to himself.
Then she continued.
"I have always paid a special interest towards you, mortal. I was with you when you fought. I was with you in your time of glory. I was with you when you strike your opponent down. I helped you in ways you could not have imagined. I plant fears in the hearts of your enemies. I was with you with in every swing and every slash"
She said sadly while looking at Aero withering body.
"I am the G.o.ddess of wise counsel, war, and heroic endeavor, Athena."
She declares as the thunder boomed in the sky like acknowledging her declaration
"To see you die here unjustly, does not sit well with me."
"But I can help you adventurer. Will you pray for my help?"
She offered. With all the strength left in his body, Aero nodded.
"Good. "
She smiles
"Pray to me when you"re there" she said.
There? Where is there? Then suddenly Aero felt like he was falling. Falling into a world of darkness.
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Part one of the chapter. The second part of the chapter will be posted in a few seconds