"You are vampires, aren't you? Familiar with the long-lasting war against the demons?" Soran spoke flatly, "I don't claim to possess more knowledge than yourself, but let's start the story there, from what I know."
It was an immensely prolonged war, unrecorded in history, with its origins and causes lost to the passage of time. It was as if both existence were opposing forces that could never find reconciliation. This conflict extended even into the realm of the upperworld, where the humans resided.
As a frail creature far inferior to vampires and demons, humans would never have stood a chance in the all-out war. Land by land, the abodes of the upper world's inhabitants fell victim to the ravages of vampires and demons, gradually being seized and conquered.
And who came to their rescue? The adventurers.
"Do you grasp the context now? This world seems to be structured in such a way that adventurers are the saviors of its original inhabitants, and indeed, they are bestowed with many advantages. Can you guess one of them?"
"They come back to life after dying," Anubis replied promptly.
"Exactly," Soran affirmed. "We call it respawn. It's essentially a feature or ability unique to adventurers, not shared by the world's original inhabitants."
Anubis didn't dispute that, he had learned about it ever since his awakening. It was the very reason why he no longer felt particularly inclined to slay non-playable characters (NPCs), aside from the minimal experience they provided. However, he was certain that there were other routes that the natives could take to possess the respawn ability, but he decided to set that aside for another occasion.
"Well, that's just the basics, really. This is a world of limitless possibilities, boundlessness or so they say," Soran continued. "In the essence, the adventurers kinda like the pawns of the gods and goddesses."
In addition to the powers of the underworld and upperworld, there was one more existence that stood above all others. They were the divinities, those who held the authority, power, and ability to govern the laws of this world. Many referred to them as gods and goddesses, and that was what they had been called for who knows how long.
"Do you see that moon?" Soran inquired, as he gazed up at the faint lunar presence. "Supposedly, they dwell there, and I believe it too... for I have been there myself."
While Anubis glanced at the moon, a familiar sensation rushed through him. Since his first awakening into this world, it was as though he had a bond that couldn't be expressed in words with the moon.
"One day, or we call it the Land of Dawn Update Patch, Dravenic managed to open the gateway to the upperworld," Soran continued his narrative. "They wrought havoc, plundered the homes of the upper world's inhabitants, and expanded their dominion at an incredible pace. But it appears that seizing power in the upperworld was not Dravenic's initial objective."
In such a situation, adventurers or players, as Soran referred to them, carried out their duties. From their standpoint, it was known as a raid or full raid. The areas that had been captured by the enemy, be it demons or vampires, were referred to as dungeons.
"Although it's a little far from this time frame, I did participate in that war, but we're not talking about that now," Soran stated. This was his viewpoint as a player, quite distant from the primary plot of his tale, also had little to no relevance.
Dravenic's power was insurmountable, uncontrollable, and unrivaled. This event was beyond the gods and goddesses' expectations, so they had to intervene personally.
"From the very beginning, Dravenic did all of that just to lure the celestials down from the heavens to the mortal realm. Then, that old man moved on to his next plot, which was to declare war on the divinities."
With years of the game's experience and immersion in the lore, that was the limit of Soran's knowledge as a former player. If he delved further into the pinnacle of the plot he wished to convey, the story's perspective would alter.
"That's the background I knew before becoming Dravenic's partner... partner? Is it really like that? It sounds like that old man was just using me," Soran added, his voice gradually becoming a whisper as he questioned himself.
There were certain aspects that Anubis felt were factual, while the rest seemed to diverge from his understanding. But at least, it was evident that he did, indeed, feel that the celestials were enemies he had to fight - like an instinct, a part of his very existence.
Just a few more pieces to deepen Anubis's understanding of this tale, so he would simply ask. "Is the story based on a personal experience you went through, or is it a story that was narrated to you?" These two questions held vastly different implications, and Anubis regarded Soran with a grave stare.
Soran went quiet for a moment. "Those eyes... Ah, so that's how it is, huh? Aaah," he sighed, reclining on his back on the ground. "It seems that you truly are his child. Dravenic gave me a look like that once too. He never told me why he went to such lengths to fight against the divinities."
Even from his perspective, Soran could perceive the resolve of the divinities, who were willing to do anything to defeat the Vampire Lord. "Due to my own personal aspirations at the time, I joined forces with Dravenic against these so-called gods and goddesses," Soran sighed deeply.
In the end, it was impossible for Soran, a mere human, to contend with the celestials who possessed extraordinary powers and unique abilities - especially considering that the battle to which he referred took place on the moon, the stronghold of the celestials. Soran gazed up at the moon, which he believed to be the same lunar body he had visited before. "And then I died, and now I'm here... It's a story full of nonsense, isn't it?"
A convincing narrative often rests on having some form of evidence or supporting proof. Even if a story seems implausible, as long as there is supporting evidence, it can make the improbable more credible
"Is that all?" Anubis inquired, curious about any other contributing factors. "I had expected your companion would provide some additional information, perhaps evidence or something of that sort."
Soran was taken aback, raising his head slightly to understand why Anubis asked such a question. "My companion?" he countered, quite certain that he had come here alone, or more accurately, had been sent to this world alone after his failure in the past.