NOVEL WEB Chapter 20: WHO ARE YOU?
In the ethereal chessboard realm, Xerxez's mind raced, grappling with the surreal encounter. Questions hammered at him with every beat of his heart: Who and what is this place?
"Dimension?" Xerxez's question cut through the silence, chasing the man who sat observing him intently, his gaze sweeping from head to toe.
The man on the throne exuded a powerful, masculine aura. His voice was captivating and cool, like that of a protagonist in a theatrical play. His physique was fair yet muscular, perfectly suited to his cosmic king's attire. A halo-like cloak glowed behind him, and Xerxez noticed his eyes shining like sunbeams.
His crown, crafted from gold, diamonds, and jewels, sparked a thought in Xerxez's mind: perhaps the embellishments on his dagger originated from this checkered realm.
Why am I here?
"Your life disparately asked for help... that's why you're here, because your heart desired it," the man replied, his body emanating a pure light, his attire resembling that of a celestial deity. Xerxez wondered if this was an entity, or a god of the cosmos, abiding in this realm. "Hmp, mortals always ask such questions."
"Huh?" Xerxez belatedly realized the man possessed a sarcastic streak, the type who would help begrudgingly.
"I am merely an Entity." Xerxez's brow immediately furrowed, his gaze fierce, captivating the man's enchanting presence. An azure halo pulsed around the entity's body like armor.
"Who are you?"
"You," the entity stated. "Yes, you are the boy who found the dagger."
"Then, you were that voice, the one that sounded like an old man?" Xerxez retorted, their brows locked in a silent contest.
"You also wielded my dagger against Ursa," the entity remarked, a hint of awe surfacing in his features.
"That Ursa beast, King Hedromus, I slew him by my own skill! It wasn't because of your dagger!" Xerxez noticed the dozen statues flanking the chessboard realm, each holding a weapon. The dagger, identical to the one he'd found by the stream, was clutched by one of them.
"Hahahaha! But your heart didn't lie." The man roared with laughter, amused by Xerxez's claims. "Do you know we have an agreement, a firm pact?"
"Agreement? I recall no agreement between us. Whoever you are, I would never seek your help!" Xerxez's nostrils flared with disdain at the mention of a pact.
"Why do you dislike entities so much?" The man's voice deepened, probing the reason in Xerxez's eyes.
"Answer me first: why did the Entity of Orion abandon the nation of Thallerion?" Xerxez, like a roaring lion, challenged the seated man.
"Hmm?" The man sighed, his maddening laughter fading. "Seriously, no entity would simply abandon their sworn nation."
The man rose, and before him, a virtual projection shimmered into existence, an ethereal blue that pulsed with advanced technology unknown to Xerxez. To him, it was akin to magic, conjured by the man's will.
The projection coalesced into a complex holographic display, a symphony of light and data. Intricate patterns of glowing circuitry pulsed beneath transparent, shimmering panels. Various icons, each a miniature galaxy unto itself, floated within the interface, representing different functions and destinations. A faint, harmonic hum resonated from the projection, a sound that seemed to communicate directly with the man's thoughts. Xerxez, utterly bewildered, saw symbols and scripts that contorted and shifted, hinting at unimaginable computational power. A central, larger icon glowed with a particularly vibrant intensity, clearly the active selection.
Virtual Interface System:
Destination Coordinates: Abyssal world
Energy Signature: Stable - Quantum Entanglement Initiated
Interdimensional Flux: 0.003\\%
ETA: Instantaneous
Warning: Temporal Displacement Probability: Negligible
[Teleport]
Click!
With a decisive press of his hand through the ethereal blue of the interface, the man activated the system. In an instant, they vanished, their forms dissolving into shimmering motes of light that diffused into the fabric of reality. Xerxez was truly astounded by the sheer, unbridled energy of it, yet recognized it as nothing less than a grand teleportation.
The man did not tread upon checkered marble; instead, with each step, a golden, silvery halo bloomed beneath his feet, pulsating with an otherworldly light. Xerxez's gaze sharpened, realizing the very ground beneath them was in motion. Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of fear, Xerxez fell to his knees, his hand grasping at the floating, silvery expanse—a halo plate with an intricate grand design, like ancient lines curved into the ring.
"Allow me to explain this thing to you?"
*Blink!!!
In a flash, they were thrust into a new world—the Abyssal Multiverse. The very scent of the earth here reeked of rotting blood. The sky, overcast and drizzly, frequently erupted with flashes of lightning. Xerxez heard distant roars, unlike any earthly beast, but the growls and rustlings of savage creatures.
"Where are we?" Xerxez muttered, slowly rising and stumbling, much like a child learning to balance. But soon enough, he mastered standing on the hovering halo plate.
"We are here in the Abyssal Multiverse," the man said, turning to Xerxez with a smile. "The world of beasts!" Suddenly, a creature lunged from behind him, its massive maw drooling with fangs ready to consume him.
Roar!!!
"Monster!" Xerxez shrieked. But the man merely stood, as if the creature's attack was calculated. His right hand moved swiftly, and a blue light erupted, transforming into a long, sharp spear. He thrust it into the monster's mouth, piercing through its head like a needle, and then the creature's head exploded, leaving nothing recognizable.
"Whew!" the man exhaled, his feat seemingly effortless. The other monsters retreated, their skin like that of reptilian devil-lizards—reddish with black, white, and yellow spots. Many fins adorned their jaws and backs, and their claws were sharp, like eagle talons. "Listen carefully," he began.
"It has been a long time since I sealed this dimension to prevent it from harming mortals... but it required a great portion of my power." With a mere wave of his hand, the man wiped the monster's blood and saliva from his armor. He then paused, observing Xerxez's stance, and inhaled courageously.
"They call me Orion. The great hunter. The entity of the hunt." He declared with a valorous stance.
"You're Orion?" Xerxez's eyes widened, struck dumb by this revelation.
"Yes, I am that Orion, though I have my own name. But no matter... if you call me Orion, that will suffice."
"Tell me, what truly was the reason for your abandonment of Thallerion?"
"Abandonment?" Orion chuckled at the word. "I never abandoned the people I vowed to protect... the truth is..." He drew a deep breath from the depths of his being.
"I have done everything to balance my duty to the people and to this place. But I couldn't, because I was trapped in this multiverse. So, I created a dozen weapons. And one of them is the Dagger you kept hidden."
"So, it's true, that dagger came from you," Xerxez said. "There's no doubt, because I saw it on one of the statues in your checkered realm." The genuine article resides on M|V|L&EMPYR.
"Hehe, your sight is keen. But aren't you wondering why I haven't stopped calling you?" Orion asked.
"The pact," Xerxez replied. "But how did we come to have a pact?" Xerxez struggled to understand when their agreement began.
"Let me clarify this for you: Anyone who holds my weapons, and possesses them, I can call Orion's warriors. But because you blessed that dagger with your blood, that is why I was able to return to my kingdom, and why I can now return to your world through you. Now, I also admit to you, we have formed a strong pact. The truth is, I never chose a designated warrior; instead, I allowed the destiny of humans to find their fate as my chosen one."
"I am... your chosen one?" Xerxez uttered.
"Yes, you should not resent me because of what your ancestors believed—that I abandoned Thallerion. The reason I say I never abandoned the people I vowed to protect is because I left them weapons that were a part of my power. I gave them my weapons to use against invaders. But what they did was discard the value of those weapons, burying and forgetting them."
They sat on the halo plate, navigating deeper into the abyssal. The roars of monsters grew louder. In the center, a massive hole, as wide as a volcanic maw, smoked darkly within.
"When my weapons were thrown away, I thought everyone had forsaken my power, but I never imagined a child like you would be hunting in the forest alone. That day on, I believed you would retrieve my dagger, although I was already amused by your hunting of bird nests. I could see you clearly through the dagger, even when it was submerged in water—a happy and vibrant child... but you changed when your parents died."
Xerxez's gaze dropped as if recalling those days. "I feel that you are angry at the entities that destroyed the perfect family you once had. But remember, not all entities aim to destroy the lives of others."
"Enough," Xerxez said with a heavy sigh. "It's enough for me to hear the reason for your disappearance."
"And tell me, are you willing to help Thallerion again?"