The grass crackled beneath our feet, the scent still burning hairs from my nostrils as we continued. Rotting bodies and skeletons from the last ever war in the genesis still laid waste on the battled field.
"How could they be able to stay intact for so long." I question while looking at the bodies draped in silver black or golden armor. "Oh yeah-" I finally remember a conversation I listened to once.
This land is blessed by the god of death meant to keep the monsters intact no matter how many years passed, and even if they are destroyed it only takes them an hour to regenerate back though only bones will be left. I reply the whole explanation inside my head again.
But why would they take him here to kill him?
Nevertheless, my attention didn't leave the long haired woman in front of me and my courage finally for me to ask. "Tell me.." My eyes pins on her. "What are you and what do you know?"
"I was waiting for you to ask," she replies, her voice laced with amusement as if she had anticipated this moment. "I'll start from the beginning, sure hope you kids like stories don't you?"
"Yes." We both answer though hesitantly.
"In the genesis ear. " She begins.
The gods were mortals just like ourselves: bodies, faces, life span all of them were like us humans, the only differences what that they were beloved, cherished, worshipped, some of the finest people to ever been created.
Then the word god emerged.
They chanted it every time they emerged, and they loved it and that love turned into crave and somehow, they all of them become anew, beings that transcended humans and all matter of existence.
And they built a new place called heaven, where they ruled over us like monarchs, yet the ones who worshipped them the most were carried up into the endless skies and be under them- golden warriors.
That all stopped when the uprising began, an revolution that took root and sprouted into war against the heavens and earth, and it was all led by.
Arlic, the bringer of light.
He fought with a heart of gold, wielding a technique that could bring even gods to their knees. Under his leadership, all rallied to his cause, united in the battle for what was right. But everything changed when the devil himself ascended to the throne after the fall of the first king of the gods.
Vatlis.
The so-called god of 'life' proved to be even worse; he overthrew the other gods and replaced them with deities as cruel as himself. They waged relentless wars, and in the end, Arlic fell, leaving behind his final words for his followers.
As punishment for this chaos, the entire world was obliterated. Every species was reduced to dust, leaving behind only the drastically altered lands.
In the wake of this devastation, he introduced the system—a controlling mechanism designed to ensure that everyone followed a predetermined path. It promised a false semblance of godhood through the defeat of creatures in arenas both within and beyond their reality.
To them, it became a game, observed through a screen that allowed for endless customization without consequence.
One of the two survivors of the Genesis-era purge is the boy on your shoulder, who escaped thanks to a curse that has now become part of his attributes. And me.
I'm Elga.
"You survived the wiping!" Avidia's eyes widened in amazement, disbelief flickering across her face as she stared at me, as if I were something impossible. "How?"
"That's a secret." She grinned, pressing a finger to her lips as she turned away. "It will all come to light later on."
I was at a loss for words; everything felt overwhelming. The girl I had placed in my ring was a demigod, I was walking alongside an immortal, and I held the presence of someone from the Genesis era.
"However, you, my boy, are special." Her gaze locked onto me as she spun around, walking backward while speaking. "You possess the power to challenge the gods, with a mission to disrupt this universe." She paused, a knowing smile creeping onto her face. "The son that never was, the one who holds the truth, right?"
"How did you—" I stammered, remembering that same phrase echoing from the same person who made me chose my part the sealed god.
"That title has been passed down for eons," she explained, her smirk unwavering. "Foretold in the Book of Existence, the last words of the light bringer, said to bring about the end or reveal a new beginning using a system crafted by a god and a monster." She turned back, the playful glint still in her eyes. "The clash of two villains and the grand god of the tenth ring."
"I don't understand…" I muttered, grappling with the weight of her words.
"There's a lot the three of you don't know about this cursed universe," she continued. "Secrets buried deep within the heavenly realm and scattered across the worlds. No one truly understands the sudden rise in power among those who were once human."
"So you're saying something else is behind it?" Avidia's face twisted with confusion and unease.
"Could be, or it might not. I don't know." She glanced at us, her expression shifting. "Yet."
"What do you plan to do with us, then?" I demanded, halting in my tracks. I wasn't about to follow a stranger into the unknown without understanding her true motives.
Why was this immortal revealing all this to us? What was her endgame?
Just as my resolve solidified, something shot toward me—a spear flying at breakneck speed. Before I could react, the sharp sound of fingers snapping pierced the air. The rusted, blood-soaked spear decayed into dust, which swept across my face.
"I intend to train you," she said, her back still turned to us. "To be your mentor at the start of this long journey. I'll prepare you for the world tournament… I'll make you strong for what lies ahead. But I have one request... I need you to end me."
My eyes widened at her chilling confession. "Why? Aren't you immortal?"
"I know, but you will be different," she replied cryptically. "You will wield power beyond human comprehension, create ripples in the fabric of time, and become the villain in everyone's story that opposes you."
"How do you know that?"
"The future never lies. Not even the gods can change the fate that has been set for them."