"Cien must be a good name for me since I am the greatest," the young man said to himself.
[Please, choose your name.]
That is what the notebook asked him while he is floating in the air, at nowhere blackness. No light, no land, nothing. He's been floating he for who knows how long. Until a white notebook appear before him. Asking him his name when it opened on its own.
[Please, choose your last name.]
The page flipped on its own with those words on it. Cien squinted his eyes, suspicious of the notebook. He tried to grab it, manipulating his body to move near it.
"What is this? It's— not that notebook— that kills people, right??" He said, struggling to get the notebook and failing. The notebook seem to have its own mobility.
The page flipped again: [Don't grab me, please. I'm fragile. I'm a good notebook.]
Each page flipped, new words shows up: [Please, give me your last name so we could leave this place.]
"Who said I want to leave?" Cien folded his arms in denial. "You appear before me out of nowhere asking for my name without any explanation, are you mad?"
[You will know after you tell me your last name.]
"Solaris." Cien said without hesitation. The notebook is right, he's been falling in a pitch black darkness for so long, he really have no choice.
Faint white glow spread from the notebook and surrounded Cien until it disappeared.
[Binding successful.]
[Initiating data accumulation from host Cien Solaris, time estimation: 3 days.]
"Does it matter?" Especially since you can't even tel the time in this place.
[In the mean time, we are entering the world of Satharda. Asking the host Cien to make the negotiation successful with its guardian Gaia.]
"Huh? What negotiation?"
[To enter. If not, we are going to be thrown out as outsider, an anomaly.]
"Basically, we're a virus right now. Awesome.
"Who dares enter my domain?" An ethereal voice entered Cien's ears.
"Ah, yes. That's me, Cien Solaris is my name." Casually introducing himself. As he says so, light entered his eyes as he looks at the bottom where he is falling and an almost broken of a world is in front of his eyes. "Oh, nice world. Broken."
"... Are you mocking me? Leave!" Rush of strong air current pushed Cien out a bit.
"Like I have a choice. Your world is almost broken anyway, why not give it to me?" He asked, looking at the world below where everything is burning.
"Are you going to save it?" The voice sounded hesitant yet helpless.
"Hah! You can't save your own world, what makes you think I can save it?"
The white notebook opened beside him: [This is not the negotiation I am asking!]
"Why not do it yourself? You sent me here with no explanation, I'll do what I want." Cien did not ask any of this in the first place. He said loud enough in a grave tone, "Just because you successfully manipulated me into coming here doesn't mean you are above me to command to do whatever you want."
[....that's not what I mean.]
Gaia heard it as well and pondered. "If I give this world to you, will you save it?"
"Huh? No. Why should I? I'm just gonna look and see. Maybe play a bit, who knows." Cien turned to Gaia when he heard the voice. "Aren't you some kind of deity? Why do you even want to save it? Just create a new one. With the way it looks, I'm sure they don't even recognize you anymore. They will probably sell you if they can."
"....Where is your compassion? I created this world far away to live quietly. Yet other gods found it and I cannot save it. I have already exhausted my ability when I created this world. I will give you all that is left of my ability, you can also have this world, if you can save it." One can even hear the tears and plea from Gaia.
"You're asking me this, how sure are you that I can even save it?"
Gaia's tears stopped, 'If you can escape from the other gods monitoring me, you cannot be ordinary."
"Ah." Realizing, Cien turned to the white notebook floating beside him.
[Hehehe.]
"Hehehe." Imitating the notebook. He became serious. "Same question, answer it fast."
[I have three missions.
1. Bind a contract with the person in the pitch black zone.
2. Enter the world of Satharda.
3. Assist the host until the very end.
That's all.]
"I have too many questions and it's hurting my brain. Anyway, can't we just brute force entering since you can bypass those other gods?"
He wants to ask a lot of question but thinking about it, it's not that important to him either. Whether he is stuck back there in that pitch black area or he is somewhere else.
"Those gods cannot enter my world either. They used my people against each other like toys until my world has become like this."
"Hah....You're worthless even in your own place." Cien looked at empty space since there is only Gaia's voice around.
[Your words are too harsh, don't you think....?]
"Am I wrong? Thinking about it, even if I agree to save that broken world, it's already in that state, how do you save it?" Adding the fact Cien don't have that kind of ability.
"I will give you this world if you—"
"Save it. I only said it casually. I don't want to take responsibilty for stupid people like them." You save them, then you will still be sold by them. What's the point?
[I have reset ticket.]
"Really?!" Gaia sounded excited.
Cien has been feeling annoyed since this white notebook appeared. "If you don't explain everything you say, I will rip you apart bits by bits and once I find anything capable of it, I will light you up to ashes."
[I have reset ticket that allows you to go back in time 20 years before today!! I don't know who gave it!!! I don't know what is this for!!!! And I don't know why is this here with me!!!!!!!!]
"Really. I'm so dumb, I believe it."
[...but I'm telling the truth!]
Cien ignored the notebook and turned to Gaia. "There is no free stuffs in the world. You know that, right? I only want to enter your world, that's all. You want me to save it, I don't even know how. Even then, what can you do for me?"
"You're not sure how to save my world yet you're asking me to do something for you??"
"Do you have any choice? Go power up your people, I'm sure some of them still want to save it." Gaia didn't say anything. Cien knows Gaia already thought of that or maybe even already done that and it probably didn't work.
"I have three abilities. A defense shield I'm using to ward off the gods, creation and growth."
"How did you become a god if you don't have anything for attacking?" Cien is so dumbfounded. Aren't gods supposed to be so powerful?
"...this is why I wen't so far away from other gods."
"I don't want any of your skills, so useless. Instead, when I ask of it, use your creation skill for me. Even if you give me one of your skill, won't your world die faster than today? It's more cool to have a god do what I want.
"....Only if you plan to save my world." Gaia said hesitantly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll save it, whatever you want." Is saving the world that easy, hell no.
"...."
[....]
Cien looked at the notebook, irritated. And realising the silence of Gaia and spoke, "I swear upon my name, Cien Solaris, to save Satharda from the clutches of the evil gods who wants to destroy it in exchange of using the owner Gaia's creation skill. And if I fail to do so, I must die." He sighed in frustration and asked, "Happy now?"
[Dying is a bit....]
"I think it's too much too..."
"Shut it. Aren't you two close? Why don't you kiss? Anyway, go use that ticket and be done with it."
[Resetting time, 20 years into the past!]
Cien blinked and the world that was burning and red all around is now a mix of blue and green. And he is still falling. "Don't you want to do anything about this? I'm falling and I can already see the ground over there."
When the ground is so near, Cien closed his eyes and waited for the impact but it did not come. He opened his eyes and he is floating few centimeters before softly landing on the ground.
[Your heart is pounding so fast and loud, are you okay?]
"Are you okay? If you're a monster, just say so. I may not care but I'm still a human, dying from such a height is a reasonable fear."
Looking around, it seems like a forest. Above him is an open sky right from where he must have passed through. He went to the place where he can hear noises of a busy street.
"It really is a street. I never knew car, cemented ground, tall buildings, people with sword, wand, bow, and all that heavy armors can mix well." He said as he observe the place and the people walking around while walking on a sidewalk.
[This is 5 years after those gods found this world.]
"I see."
"Excuse me..." Voices sounded from behind Cien.