"Hello, Arthur. How are you?"
Time seemed to stop as a gaping hole appeared in Arthur's chest from Zarath's attack. Amidst the chaos, he heard a familiar voice.
"Hello, Arthur. How are you?"
Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief. "Gimir, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me."
Arthur's surprise was palpable as he saw Gimir. Stunned, he sank to the ground. "Wait, did I just die?"
"Sort of," Gimir replied bluntly.
"Are you kidding me?" Arthur's voice rose in shock before he screamed in anger. "What the hell is happening?"
"I don't understand," Arthur continued, his frustration spilling over. "First, you appear to me as a book, guiding me through various situations, then you vanish without a trace. I meet a literal dragon who becomes my familiar, but he barely speaks to me or offers any help. Even in this fight, he could have assisted but didn't. I've trained like hell for almost five years, only to lose to someone like I'm a toy. Where did all my power go? How am I losing even after becoming so strong?"
Arthur's tirade ended, leaving an echo of anger and confusion in the air. Gimir listened calmly before responding in a serene tone, "It's quite simple, Arthur. You've always faced opponents stronger than you. It's your destiny to need ever-greater strength to overcome them. But until now, you never truly realized that you could die in battle, did you?"
Arthur's eyes widened in shock as he slowly nodded.
"You know what, Arthur? Your life was written in hardships by the gods, that's why you're suffering so much. First, you lived your life happily until you got the element of wind. People started mocking you, making you doubt yourself. After that, you lost your parents, and now you have a death encounter. Do you know why?"
Arthur shook his head, his confusion deepening.
"Because you are chosen by the gods."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked in disbelief.
"I can't tell you everything, but I will say this: you need to know the truth behind your birth."
Gimir's voice took on a grave tone as he began to recount a story lost to time. "A long time ago, your great-great-grandfather, Velcane Cifer, was considered the strongest man alive. He encountered a being named Vritrax. When Velcane fought him, he lost easily. Velcane realized immediately that to defeat Vritrax, he needed to become infinitely stronger. It was simply not possible otherwise. He entered a state called 'Dyan Mudra' where he could summon gods. After intense tapasya, he summoned Brahma, the creator of the entire universe."
Arthur listened, spellbound by the revelation.
"When Velcane summoned Brahma, he asked two questions. The first was if a man could become infinitely strong. Brahma answered that a person could grow infinitely if they had the blessing of the wind goddess, Arthina. However, Arthina doesn't give her blessing to just anyone. Velcane's second question was how one could gain her blessing. Brahma replied with three conditions: first, the person must have a clear mind and empathy towards others; second, they must lose everything in order to become stronger; and third, they must become a vessel for Lord Indra, the god of light."
Arthur stopped Gimir, his eyes wide with confusion. "Wait, what do you mean by 'vessel of Lord Indra'?"
"It simply means that one must become a vessel for Lord Indra to be reincarnated."
"So, you mean my body will become a vessel, and I'll be dead when this Indra guy takes over me, right?" Arthur asked, his voice rising in alarm.
"No, you don't understand. Indra is not a person or a soul; it's a title—the King of Heaven. Whoever wants the blessing of the wind goddess Arthina must become the King of Heaven."
Arthur's face contorted in disbelief. "So, even if I die here, I'll become the King of Heaven? Hmm?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face but sounding almost amused.
Gimir smiled patiently. "No, you idiot. You won't die here. You'll just experience the sensation of dying."
"How is that not the same?"
"You'll understand someday. For now, let's not rush it. When Velcane heard this, he asked for Arthina's blessing, and Brahma granted it. After that, Brahma asked Velcane to make another wish. Velcane asked Brahma to summon a soul that knew everything about wind. Brahma summoned me and gave me to Velcane. Velcane then sealed me as a book to guide future generations."
Arthur's eyes widened with realization. "Does that mean you were an Indra too?"
"No, I wasn't lucky enough. But I was actually one of the Five Great Sages."
Arthur's jaw dropped. "The Five Great Sages?! You mean the ones who borrowed magical power from the gods that we use now?"
"Yes, you are right."
"So, you were the weakest of all the sages, huh?" Arthur said with a teasing grin.
"Hey, that's a bit rude! I wasn't weak; the other four were just stronger," Gimir retorted.
Arthur gave Gimir a skeptical look. "Okay, fine, I admit it—I was the weakest," Gimir conceded, sighing. "But hey, I was still stronger than any human."
"Well, now that I think about it, the name you mentioned earlier—Vritrax—he was one of the Five Great Sages too, right?"
"Yes, he was the strongest among us."
"So, my great-great-grandpa lost to him. Doesn't that make Vritrax the strongest person, and not my grandpa?"
"Well, it would, but we were sages, not humans. Sages are an evolution of humans, a step down from gods. We exist between humans and gods."
"Really?" Arthur said in a mocking tone, making Gimir laugh in frustration.
"So, why are you here exactly? To tell me these stories?" Arthur asked seriously.
"Oh, who, me? I'm here to give you my power."
"Wait, power?" Arthur screamed. "You mean I'll get the power of the weakest sage?"
"You can remove the 'weakest' part," Gimir shot back, making a funny face. He sighed and said, "Anyway, give me your hand. I will now merge with you." As they shook hands, a surge of energy flowed into Arthur's body. He felt a deep change within himself, glowing with a yellow light as Gimir began to disappear.
Seeing this, Arthur got emotional. "Gimir, where are you going?"
"I'll stay with you. I will be you. We are one now. But remember, you can only use a percentage of my power. You can increase this percentage by training hard. Initially, you'll be able to use 12% of my power. Also, ask that dragon about Vale. He will explain a lot more things to you," Gimir said as he vanished into the air.
Arthur fell to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion. For the last time, he heard Gimir's voice. "Don't sit there. Kill Zarath."
To be continued...