[Congratulations, Walker Vikram. You have initiated your First Walk.]
[Complete your Walk by escaping the Blood Desert.]
The notification echoed in Vikram's mind, adding another layer of bewilderment to the already surreal experience. But the first thing that came into his mind was to curse the one who orchestrated this!
When had he initiated anything?
This damn thing was the one who did everything on its own!
But Vikram knew that complaining did no one better. He had known that speaking without power was akin to giving your head to the guillotine. Vikram had an intuition that the world order that Earth had for years was going to be broken down, so there was not going to be any right to speech available from now onwards.
Vikram found himself nestled inside a carriage that echoed the rich tapestry of Egypt. The interior, adorned with intricate hieroglyphic patterns and gilded motifs, transported him to an era steeped in ancient mystique. The walls were adorned with depictions of pharaohs and majestic pyramids, casting a regal ambiance.
As the carriage traversed through a landscape reminiscent of Egypt, the surroundings unfolded like a living tableau of history. Date palms swayed gently in the breeze, their fronds casting fleeting shadows on the golden sands.
He could see all this through the gaps of the white cloths beautifully adorned throughout the carriage. He also saw through the clothes that there were people in front of him that was talking and walking. But all of them had a tired expression.
Vikram was confused, to say the least. One second he was in Kerela, and now he was in Egypt?
But Vikram didn't have time to think.
He had to move.
Deserts was not a place that was welcoming to strangers.
As he was about to move out from his cushioned chair, he saw another string of messages assault him.
[You have fully integrated into your surroundings. You can now access your status by thought.]
[The Mother watches you First Walk, Walker.]
Vikram read through the message, and he got the chills when he read the last sentence.
'That's not creepy at all, really...'
Vikram pondered the colossal statue that descended gracefully from the sky – a feminine figure emanating benevolence and warmth. Could this towering presence be the 'Mother' mentioned in the cryptic notification, extending her welcoming embrace to all who ventured into this Realm?
Vikram fell down on his cushioned chair at the same speed he got up. He couldn't get up now, not when he had information that begged to be analyzed.
First, he had to go up to the first notification. Luckily, it seemed as though every notification was recorded in a log. Vikram pulled the log up and read through the notification carefully.
From that, he understood three things.
First, the statue that descended from the skies seemed to be the orchestrator of the teleportation that had happened now.
Second, that statue had a personification of a Mother. Why?
He didn't know. For all he cared, she could be a predator...
Third, this mother was expecting something from the so-called Walkers. What? Vikram didn't know.
With all these conclusions, Vikram steeled his heart as he thought of "status". A red illusionary screen appeared in front of him.
[Name: Vikram Rathore(Rammess II)]
[Titles: Nil]
[Existence Rank: Non-Existence]
[Cultivation: Nil]
[Soul Memoirs: Revoked]
[Soul Manifestations: Revoked]
[Trait Cord: {Broken Fate}{Tyrant's Fate}{Slumbering Sloth}]
Vikram took it all without any prejudice. He ground the information into neat packets in his mind and then opened them one by one.
Rammess II was the name of the owner of this body that Vikram inhabited.
As for where the previous owner had gone?
He couldn't afford to think useless things.
He had a grasp of what Titles were, but speculating the unknown was a waste of time, so he left it alone.
It was the same for the rest of the things. Existence Rank, Cultivation, Soul Memoirs, and Soul Manifestations were all along the same lines. He didn't know a single thing about them, but reading the 'revoked' words on the screen didn't make Vikram one bit happier.
When he got to the Trait Cord, he discovered that he could click on the traits to get an explanation.
{Broken Fate: You have been cursed by The Foolish One to have a Broken Fate. Broken Fate has the trait of never allowing its host to break through. But in return, they are plagued by all sorts of encounters.}
'Wha...'
Vikram was dumbfounded. Broken Fa... Wait, wasn't the malevolent voice implanted a Broken Mirror into his glabella?
And in exchange for something that was already a disadvantage to him, it gave him yet another disadvantage in return? What kind of absurd trade was that?
Vikram sighed. He looked at the description and felt heavy all over his body. But he dismissed the screen immediately and went towards the next trait. He didn't know what breakthrough did to him, but he concluded that it was something bad, and he was plentifully disturbed by the latter half of the description.
Vikram shook his head as he read his other trait.
{Tyrant's Fate:- Your fate has been inexplicably tied with the fate of a Tyrant.}
...
What was the meaning of this?
Actually, he knew exactly what this meant.
A Tyrant's fate?
In this body, his name was Rammess II, which meant that his father was royalty. If his father was a Tyrant, then it was more or less sure how his son would behave... He had understood the literal meaning, but metaphorically?
It meant his body on earth.
It meant that his fate was tyrannical.
What was it that made him famous in his world?
One might attribute it to his ailment or credit it to his prowess in gaming. However, to distill it down to a straightforward explanation, it was his tyrannical arrogance. Indifferent to everything and everyone, he harbored a disdainful attitude, firmly convinced of his own superiority over others.
Just like a Tyrant.
His arrogance was not to the point of murderous or disgustful intent, which was what a Tyrant was. He didn't have that. What he had was an ounce of that funneled in a way that was acceptable to the society, which made him famous and a very famous influencer, which was like a offspring of
The Fate of a Tyrant. What was the fate of a Tyrant? It was always a bad one.
If the revolting of people or their heirs or their fathers didn't kill them, then disease would for sure do the trick.
Vikram was never a king, he was a virgin to boot, and he didn't have even a person to call a true friend. Although he was arrogant, he had treated everyone with nothing else but kindness.
'Are you freaking kidding me?!'
The reason why he was arrogant was because he was backed up into a corner. He had a few years, and he had to use his liability as a weapon. He had to leave a mark in this world, and that was the sole reason why he had acted arrogant.
...
He was now a Tyrant, huh? Vikram shook his head and moved forward.
{Slumbering Sloth: You dream realistically too.}
'You gotta be shitting me, now.'
Seeing his first two traits was too shitty, he was really hopeful because of its name. This was the name of the game that he had played, and this was where his paranormal activities started to happen in his life. He was hoping that he would get the return of what he had endured at that time, but now...
'Never freaking believe anything that you can't see or touch.'
Ironically, Vikram was an avid believer of God.