*The Forgotten Echo*
The final moments of Yggdrasil were both a celebration and a requiem. Players across the virtual world gathered to bid farewell to the game that had been their sanctuary, their battlefield, and their second life for years. Among them was Ainz Ooal Gown, sitting upon the throne of Nazarick, surrounded by the magnificent creations of his guildmates.
Unseen by them all, buried deep within the heart of Nazarick, was Valtherion, the Forgotten NPC.
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The Chamber of Silent Eternity was a place no one visited. Hidden behind layers of protective wards and labyrinthine corridors, it had become a tomb for an experiment gone wrong. In a forgotten corner of Nazarick's sprawling architecture, Valtherion lay dormant.
To those who designed Nazarick, this chamber was an accident—a byproduct of over-ambitious coding. Yet, the omniverse had other plans. While the guild focused on grandeur and glory, this overlooked chamber became the cradle of something far more significant.
For years, Valtherion's form, a lifeless NPC avatar, had remained still. But as the countdown to Yggdrasil's shutdown began, a spark ignited within him.
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00:10:00
The system message appeared in every player's interface:
"Ten minutes until server shutdown. Thank you for playing Yggdrasil."
In the Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown's voice echoed as he shared a final moment with his guild. Though his comrades had long logged out, their legacy surrounded him. He gazed fondly at the NPCs, each one lovingly crafted by his friends.
Meanwhile, in the Chamber of Silent Eternity, the air trembled. A faint hum resonated, growing louder as energy surged through the room. Runes etched into the chamber walls began to glow, pulsating in rhythm with an unseen force.
Valtherion's form stirred. His eyes, closed for what felt like an eternity, snapped open, revealing orbs of swirling black and violet.
"Where... am I?"
His voice was hoarse, disoriented. Memories flooded his mind—fragments of a life once lived. A player. A strategist. A tactician who had walked the digital landscapes of Yggdrasil not as a conqueror but as a schemer. He recalled the dungeon event that had promised glory but ended in silence.
The realization hit him like a storm: he had been rewritten, transformed into an NPC, his existence buried and forgotten within Nazarick.
But he was awake now. And he was free.
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00:05:00
Valtherion rose to his feet, his movements deliberate yet shaky, like a marionette testing its strings. His attire—a pristine black suit and overcoat—clung to him as if crafted by shadows. On his back, a glowing purple star hovered, pulsing softly.
He extended his hand, and the room bent to his will. The walls shifted, revealing hidden consoles and glyphs. A faint smirk crossed his lips.
"So... they left me here," he murmured, his voice gaining strength. "Overlooked. Forgotten. Yet even the mightiest overlook their shadows."
Valtherion began to explore the chamber, absorbing information stored within its depths. The guild had abandoned this place early in Nazarick's construction, deeming it unnecessary. But its true potential lay untapped.
He found records of the guild's achievements, their strategies, and, most importantly, their vulnerabilities.
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00:01:00
The hum in the chamber grew deafening as the omniverse's will began to manifest. Valtherion felt it coursing through him, a tide of raw power unlike anything he had experienced in Yggdrasil.
"This is no game," he muttered, staring at his trembling hands. The omniverse whispered truths into his mind: the world Nazarick was about to enter, the power he now held, and the possibilities that lay ahead.
He clenched his fists.
"I am no NPC," he declared, his voice steady and resolute. "I am a player. And this world will bend to my will."
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00:00:00
The server shutdown timer hit zero. Ainz Ooal Gown braced himself for the darkness that never came. Instead, he found himself in a strange new reality, his NPCs alive and vibrant, the Tomb of Nazarick as real as the world outside his apartment.
Far below, Valtherion felt the shift. The chamber walls dissolved, revealing a sprawling cavern that had not existed moments before. The omniverse's energy surged through him, solidifying his connection to this new world.
He stepped forward, his gaze sharp and calculating.
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As Nazarick began to awaken to its new reality, Valtherion wasted no time. He had no interest in revealing himself just yet. He observed the hierarchy from the shadows, watching as the NPCs pledged their undying loyalty to Ainz.
Ainz, who sat upon the throne, a king of a domain he barely understood.
Valtherion's lips curled into a smile.
"You may call yourself a king, Ainz Ooal Gown," he murmured. "But every king is bound by the rules of the game. I will be the one to rewrite them."
He turned away from the central chambers, disappearing into the labyrinthine depths of Nazarick. From there, he would begin his work—laying the foundation for a future where he alone held the strings of power.
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The Omniverse Whispers
The omniverse watched, its will subtly guiding the events to come. It had chosen Valtherion for a reason, though even he did not fully understand its motives. A force beyond comprehension, it had intertwined his fate with that of Nazarick, creating a volatile equation with no predictable outcome.
But one thing was certain: the balance of power had shifted.
In the world beyond Nazarick, kingdoms would rise and fall. Heroes and villains would clash. And in the shadows, Valtherion would move his pieces, a forgotten echo of Yggdrasil preparing to shape the new world in his image.
The game had ended, but the true battle was just beginning.
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End of Prologue