The dice is greater than the god.
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"Sure, could you tell me a bit about her?" he asked. Without releasing his embraced arms, he pointed to the other side of the room.
He turned his head and glanced at the little brown-haired girl looking out through the window along the wall. The girl was about six or seven years old. She got excited, giggling and jumping in place as a bird took flight from the human-made bird's nest in front of the window. It was indeed a therapeutic sight.
"As it seems, quite a lively girl," responded the man in a white coat across. The worry was evident on his face as he spoke. "But I wouldn't recommend her much. Well, um. We're not exactly sure about her condition. We've tried to diagnose in line with the book, but we haven't been able to understand the problem yet."
'Cut the fancy words and get to the point,' he thought. 'Anyway, I was right. Hopefully, you didn't just give medication to the poor girl without understanding a damn thing.'
"May I look at her information?" he asked.
"Of course, it should be in that file over there."
He went over and sifted through the papers on the desk. 'Here it is.' He concealed the sudden anger that surfaced on his face. He definitely couldn't leave this girl here. At this rate, these imbeciles would kill the little girl in the most ironic way possible. Death by medication... 'Damn bastards. Of course, she has no one, so you thought we could experiment with her as we pleased, right?'
He turned the page to check the remaining medication given to the girl. He glanced at the doctor talking to another patient a little further away, wondering if this was the person in charge. Normally, someone doing such a thing wouldn't so casually show this file to another person. They couldn't have thought he wouldn't understand a thing. It had to be someone else. Deciding to put his anger aside for now, he left the papers and began to walk towards the girl.
Lina was watching the birds in front of the window as usual. Somehow, watching the birds made her delighted. She imagined herself flying with them. Curling between the buildings and rising into the sky, slowly gliding down with her wings spread open... imagining like this really made her feel good. She placed her hand on the window and sighed with excitement.
One of the white-coated uncles had asked her something like this when she first came here, 'You like watching birds, huh?'
She had responded with the sweet lisping of a child who couldn't speak properly yet, 'I like birds. But maybe because I can't leave home. They are so free to fly wherever they want. That's why...'
The white-coated uncle had smiled and said, 'Look at you!' 'Where did you learn to talk like this? You're a smart girl.' Lina had giggled when she received praise.
Then she thought about when the white-coated uncles watched her from the head of her bed again. At that moment, she was tied to the bed with leather belts. The belts were huge. There was a needle attached to her arm. The needle was huge. The "beep beep" sounds from the device across her bed echoed in the room. The sounds of the device were very scary. A lot of white-coated men were gathered around her, looking at her with sad faces, not saying anything. The men were huge. They were very scary. Everything was very scary. She was flapping, crying, screaming, but no one was helping her."
Upon recalling this, Lina's breathing quickened. She was beginning to panic again. She placed her hands on her chest, and her eyes widened. The more she realized she was panicking, the more she panicked. No. She couldn't panic again. If she panicked again, she would see strange things again. She would cry again. She knew they would tie her up again. She wanted to calm down, but her breathing continued to speed up.
For a moment, she saw the peaceful city beyond the window engulfed in flames. She could hear the screams of the people being consumed by the flames falling from the sky.
It all got even worse. The image kept changing repeatedly. An explosion, a hurricane, a colossal monster... as the monster turned its enormous single eye towards her, she jumped back in a rush and fell on her bottom.
The monster's claw was approaching her. She quickly got back on her feet. She had to escape from here quickly. Her legs were shaking. When the outside suddenly lit up with a blazing lightning, she shielded her eyes from the light with her hand. When she lowered her hand and looked, she saw that the monster was split in half. A man with purple wings was standing in front of the window. He was flying steadily in the air. Lina immediately understood that this man had saved her. Electricity was flowing through the man's wings. The man turned to her and smiled. He winked, and the scene changed. Lina saw the city again, where the birds were flying peacefully.
There was a man kneeling right next to her, his hand on Lina's shoulder, looking in the same direction as her. The warmth of the man's body was comforting Lina. How long had this man been here? Lina hadn't noticed him approaching.
She turned to the man, and when she saw his face, she suddenly jumped in excitement right where she was. "Mr. Purple Wings!" she shouted. Her eyes were shining.
When she shouted, there was a moment of silence in the room, and everyone looked at them. The man, realizing the situation, looked at them with a forced smile and dismissed them with a look that said, 'It's just a kid, hehe.' When everyone went back to what they were doing, the man turned to Lina and smiled, putting his finger to his lips in a hush gesture.
Understanding that she was right, Lina let out a silent scream holding her hands over her mouth.
The man placed one hand on his chest and said, "I am Akir." "What is your name?"
"Lina."
"Do the men here treat you well, Lina?"
"W-Well, they treat me nicely, but they get angry when I cry. Th-they give me shots."
"Do you understand why?"
"Y-Yes. Because, um, they say I'm crazy."
"Hmmm... I see."
'Poor girl,' Akir thought. 'Of course, these fools won't say "you're a prophet" to a little girl. Although, I'm not even sure if they understood that. It's good that I found you before one of the Agents of the Oracle Union.'
"Would you like to come outside with me, Lina?" he asked with a smile. "You can be my daugh-"
"Yes!" When Lina suddenly jumped into Akir's arms, he hugged her and smiled. 'Truly a sweet kid,' he thought. "Let's go then," he said, standing up and taking the girl's hand to start walking.
***
Ruvel, smiling as he walked through the wide streets amidst the crowd, suddenly had to stop when the man in front of him stopped. On the back of the man's outfit, the Sun and the 17 planets around it were visible. Below, it said 'Fuck you Align Union.' Ruvel looked around.
There were huge buildings and colorful lights all over the city. Rings were advancing along the poles throughout the way. A long vehicle was weaving through the rings. Everyone's attention was fixed on the giant screen in one of the biggest buildings in the city. For a moment, the traffic stopped on the street, and it seemed like everyone had forgotten what they were doing. On the screen, a tall, black-haired man was holding a blonde woman by the shoulders and saying something. Even the most foolish person could tell where they were at a glance. They were on the Moon. The man was covered in wounds all over. The part of his left arm after the elbow was artificial. It had an interesting shade of purple. His wings, of the same color, were hanging on the ground like a cloak. They were riddled with holes. The woman was crying. The man seemed to be trying to persuade her.
Ruvel couldn't hear any sounds, but by looking at the reactions of the people around him, he could somehow understand that they were hearing their voices somehow. Some were crying, and some were watching the screen without moving a muscle with an displeased expression.
Even if he couldn't hear, he could understand some words.
The woman had said hesitantly, 'Don't go.'
The man had replied, averting his eyes, 'I have to go.'
Ruvel glanced at the people around him and smiled. When he smiled, his wrinkled face looked melancholic in the red light shining from the side. He moved through the crowd towards the massive dome in the center of the city.
***
Awoken by a scream from the adjacent room, Lily opened her eyes, grumbling. Some clothing pieces were right in front of her face. She furrowed her brows in annoyance and picked up one of the clothes.
She looked at the skirt in her hand and said, "Ugh, these messy fools. Who knows whose skirt this is."
As she slowly sat up, beams of light seeped into her face through the wide windows of the castle. She stretched slightly and, blocking the light with one hand, looked outside. She smiled. The weather was so beautiful that she had suddenly forgotten her previous anger.
'Actually, I think I understand a bit why the King had this antique castle built.' she thought. Although the inadequacy of machines sometimes hindered her and the other royal guards, there was an artistic ambiance to the atmosphere. The angle of the sun, the river waters shining at the edge of the hill, the magnificent trees swaying with gentle breezes... The scenes seemed as if they were crafted by a master artist.
And indeed they were. The sky, the earth, and probably even the Sun, everything around the castle, were actually just a holographic overlay designed by ordinary humans, much like her. That's why most of the people inside didn't like this place. They thought it was all a lie.
But Lily was different. She was someone who saw the art in where she looked and appreciated it. Lost in thought and captivated by her musings, Lily had unconsciously walked up to the window, getting lost in the view. She suddenly looked behind in fright where a sound came. Fortunately, there was nothing. A piece of clothing had fallen to the ground, sliding from the blanket she twisted when she got up.
She relaxed and took a deep breath, then turned back to the window. She tried to put on the smile she had just a moment ago, but she couldn't manage it. She furrowed her brows and crumpled her face in a disturbed manner. She looked at the clothes that had fallen on the side. For a moment, she thought she understood the king, but this was impossible.
The ambiance of the castle, with its scenery, was good, but... what kind of a man would decorate the center of the city with the most advanced technology in all of Eser with a theme so ancient that no one remembered how many years had passed? The worst part wasn't even this. He was the first and only permanent ruler and founder of Nemilya. With this fact only ment that he lived over two thousand years. Why would such a man compose the royal guards only of naturally dark-haired women? And to them, why would he give these antique clothes that left most of their bodies exposed?
She narrowed her eyes in contemplation. Could the king be a pervert, she wondered. She dismissed the thought immediately. After all, this man was Supreme King Astil, steering Nemilya's fate since the dawn of recorded history. Every known system and technology they used owed its existence to his wisdom and guidance. Thanks to King Astil, a secluded kingdom emerged, isolated from the rest of humanity, where wars didn't erupt over trivial matters, consuming their kind. Consequently, their technology had advanced far beyond the rest of humanity.
Initially, the royal guards were just a joke. Everyone knew that the king didn't need protection. Lily had never seen any of them with her own eyes, but there were records about His legends. Even in Nemilya, he had qualities that couldn't be explained by science.
Another scream from the next room woke up Lily from her thoughts, causing her to jump up and rush to the adjacent room. Lily called out, "Tina!" She opened the door anxiously and found Tina attempting to cook with a primitive oven. Tina was sitting on the floor, nursing her index finger with her mouth. Lily quickly realized she had burned her hand. When Tina saw Lily, she stood up and began to speak, hiding her hand behind her back.
"Ah, I was trying to cook with this antique thing, but I think I woke you up." Lily rolled her eyes. "If you scream like that, I'll wake up anyway," she said. "And why were you even trying to cook? You're new here."
Tina laughed nervously and scratched her head. "Ashley is with the King. The others, um..." She hesitated. It was clear she didn't want to say something. "They argued about the Scenarist, and... they reported his death on the news." Tina had her hands clasped and her head bowed. She seemed on the verge of tears. Lily suddenly felt awful.
"And you believe them?" she asked sharply. It was obvious that Tina was one of the Scenarist's fans, and seeing her like this, Lily had wanted to reassure her. When Tina looked up in surprise, Lily felt she was on the right track and continued, "He's alive. He can't be killed that easily you know? News reporters always do the same thing anyway." she said.
Tina seemed to have perked up again. Excitedly, she said, "Yes! That's what I said too."
"Anyway, let's forget about this for now," Lily said. "Show me that burned hand, and then I'll teach you how to use this stove. Afterward, we can look at the news together until it's time to start work."
Tina jumped up happily. "oke-" she suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute but I didn't tell you that my hand was burned."
Lily crossed her arms, giving Tina a look that said 'come on' and said, "You're giving it away too easily. Don't worry; it's normal to be like this in your first days. Even Ashley, who looks so awesome now, burned a part of her hair while dealing with the stove in her early days." When it came to Ashley, Tina seemed more interested. "Oh, so that's why her hair looks weird," she said.
***
Astil sat on his throne as usual, observing his surroundings. He managed to stand out somehow within the enormous throne, several times his own size. The spacious throne room resembled a wide corridor with long windows on both sides. Astil's royal guards were engaged in a heated whispered discussion a little further ahead.
'Do they really think I don't know?' he thought. With rapid and expansive hand gestures, occasionally checking on their king, they continued to whisper, making sure he was unaware of their suspicions. Astil rested his hand under his chin, locking his eyes on them with apparent indifference. He concealed his excitement.
'Here it comes,' he thought. Things were about to get interesting in a moment. His guards were still attempting to conceal the situation from him. He truly did not understand people. He had observed them for thousands of years, dating back to ancient times, yet he still didn't comprehend what they were thinking.
Shortly after, a loud bang echoed as a massive hole appeared in the wall to Astil's left. Fragments of the wall flew into the room. The lights from the artificial Sun rushed through the hole in the wall as dust filled the air. Amidst the dust settling, the coughs of the shocked guards could be heard. In the middle of the hole, the silhouette of a man was visible. He slowly walked inside. "You're still insisting on not getting up, I see." he said. It was the voice of an elderly man. "Aren't you tired of sitting in this little hole? Come with me, and I'll tell you marvelous stories."
Once the dust cleared, the old man's figure emerged. He looked to be in his fifties. Most of his hair had turned white. As the man walked towards the throne, he continued speaking.
"If you knew what you missed while sitting here," he said with a sigh. "Robu breaking the 'Universal Law' imposed by the System, the rulers of Aluh imitating humans and falling in love, Arora betrayed and trying to find a new purpose, Tarurra starting a rebellion against the artificial sun, Hatnu awaiting his return and struggling between safeguarding his planet and his own emotions, Tyros turning into a conqueror to protect his loved ones... and so many more stories. And of course, there's Akir."
"So, what shall we do now?"
"Hahaha. I expected you to resist a little more, but I guess you're also open to quality stories and bored. Don't worry. The story is just getting started. But you'll have to be patient because this is a long story, and it's already begun. I'll tell it to you in my own style. Let's get going without more delay."
Knowing this was his last chance, Astil immediately threw his crown aside and started chasing the man. His clothing suddenly changed as if it were an effect, transforming into a one-piece white outfit resembling biker attire.
Everything was going great until... Ruvel said to him that the story would begin Four hundred years later. The old man was lounging on a sunbed on one of Nemilya's beaches, enjoying himself. He was wearing sunglasses. Astil eagerly asked, "Why did we come here? Is this where it starts?"
Ruvel replied, "Be patient, my child. This is a long story."