05 | A Dream? [II]

―-

What the hell's going on??

"Oh, let me tell you what's going on," Kismet whispered in my ear before snapping his finger.

I blinked, finding myself sitting on a chair.

There was but a huge ass table in front of me.

The table was full of different drinks and food, but that wasn't important. Kismet was sitting in front of me, on a chair of his own, with the same faceless figure standing beside him like a butler.

"Mark, serve our guest," Kismet ordered and the faceless figure, Mark, served me a glass of clean water―if it could even be called water.

The color of the water was amethyst, and it glowed slightly.

Seriously, what's with Kismet and his obsession with amethyst?

I thought.

Other than the glass, the table was full of plates filled with different types of food and drinks.

There were fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup. Sweet fruits sitting atop a fruit bowl, cheesy lasagna just beside them on a silver plate.

Mounds of sweetened whipped cream on a chocolate cake a bit farther away from me. robust wines—which I definitely wanted to taste. Because of my constitution, the normal beverage was just meh—I needed something strong from time to time.

The smell of grilled meat and pasta was mouth-watering and the spicy stir-fries were just the cherry on top of everything else.

But most importantly, there were a lot—a lot!—of different kinds of strawberry pies. That was just too much for a foodie person like me to ignore. Their smell entered my nose, and my stomach gurgled.

But, I sat there, not touching anything—I wanted to, but I didn't I just stared at Kismet, who was cutting a piece of meat with a knife.

After cutting it successfully, he smiled and took a bite out of it, closing his eyes and enjoying the taste—he seemed to be as much a foodie as myself, which was good. Why? I didn't know. It was just good in my opinion.

After a while, he looked at me weirdly.

"Eat man. I'm not killing you or anything. Just eat. It's gonna take a while to explain everything." He said, and before I could say anything, I found my hands moving on their own.

I squinted my eyes. was he controlling me?

I hadn't paid much attention, but he could control me, he'd done so before, more than once.

"Now." He said, taking another bite out of his meat. "Let's be- "

"I want strawberry pies," I said, cocking my head towards them so that the faceless butler could bring them to me.

I was going to listen to him anyway, might as well enjoy the time I was here.

Kismet was staring at me for a while before he sighed and ordered Mark to serve me strawberry pies.

In the blink of an eye, different types of strawberry pies blinked into existence in front of me. Without waiting further, I dived in, eating like a mad man.

"Sho," I said between bites. "Whatsh the deal?" I asked, much to his dumbfounded look.

"Interesting." He mumbled.

"Something's different about him, ain't that right, Mark?" He asked his butler.

"Affirmative, master."

Different? What? What's different about me? From whom am I deferent?

There were countless questions inside my mind, but Kismet didn't entertain them—which he could since he was able to read my mind—and continued with his meal.

"Anyway." Kismet started.

"Any normal AI would become predictable to me after a certain while," he said, between mouthfuls of burgers.

Wait . . . What? Where did he get them from?

"But you, my friend, are different." He said, pointing a chicken leg at me.

How could he eat so fast?

"I built you differently. Out go my reach. Out of my eyes. Out of my predictions. That's just how you were made."

"You see, eons after I built Titan, everything about it had become predictable. There was no fun in it anymore. I knew the end of the world I made. End of the simulation which has been running for eons upon eons. That's why I made you."

He grumbled, "You don't have any idea how boring it is when you know the end." He said, biting off a large chunk of a . . . humongous mango.

"I want excitement. Fighting. Someone that doesn't take sh*t from anyone. That's why I chose to make you . . . " He grinned, mango juice dripping down his mouth—the faceless butler cleaning it with a napkin.

"I want to change the end, build my ideal Terminus!" he gazed at me like he was about to r*pe a little girl. His smile was creepy. Was this how I smiled? Doryu said I looked like a . . . nevermind.

"Chosen for what?" I asked.

"Chosen to do anything! You can f*ck anyone you want. Kill anyone. R*pe anyone. Conquer anything. I just want nothing but entertainment! You can even do genocide on Titan! It's my world after all!" Kismet said, cheerfully.

His world?

. . . He's the God? The one who's known as the Eternal Flame?? The same Eternal Flame which gives us our sparks!?

(A/N: sparks mean ability In this world, on some occasions, I'd call abilities a spark, flame, etcetera)

"Yeah, I'm a god." He affirmed.

"Wh-what do I have to do?" I asked, my voice trembling, the strawberry pie falling out of my mouth.

"Don't get hasty." Kismet raised his hand.

"Right now, you're just a toddler. Learning everything now will be too much for your measly brain to handle."

"You don't have to do much. Just conquer Titan. Not just Shun. But the whole planet." Kismet clarified. "And for that, you need to become stronger."

"That's it. Period." Kismet slammed the fork on the table.

Conquer Titan? Why are you being so edgy?

I didn't ask him, but I was pretty sure he read my mind. He decided against answering me, though.

"That's it?" I asked, bewildered at the whole situation.

"But why choose me?" I asked.

"Coz I'm bored as sh*t watching my own world. It was supposed to bring me entertainment! But it doesn't! And it's all that f*cker's fault!" he bellowed, his whole body exploding into a raging fire.

The faceless butler, Mark, sighed and conjured a big fan out of nowhere. He turned it on and the cool air thrust out like a storm—I even noticed some snowflakes. But strangely enough, I didn't move from my position.

Who's the 'f*cker'?

Kismet calmed down, "Thanks Mark."

"You are welcome, my lord," Mark bowed.

"Anyways. Simply put, Do whatever the f*ck you want. It doesn't matter because, in the end, you'll chase power . . . Like they all did . . . " He mumbled the last part.

"That's all you have to do."

I stared at him, silently. Pondering over the options I had.

Should I accept? But wait, there isn't a choice, right?

"No choice." Kismet clarified.

F*ck my life!

I groaned.

"Okay- " I sighed.

'God' was in front of me—though a questionable one indeed, a God nonetheless. Not that I had a choice. Though it was strange how easily I got persuaded.

"But!" Kismet rubbed his hands, like a gambler who had bet his whole life. "I need to give you a golden finger."

"A golden finger?"

what the actual f*ck is that

I thought.

"I have three gifts for you that will make your journey to power far easier."

"Three gifts?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, three gifts," Kismet leaned back and ate a grape.

"Your dad's a coward and your family's situation isn't optimal. The nobles suppress you. So, you'll need some help. Otherwise, it would become impossible for you to reach any significant level of power."

Kismet swiped his hand.

Nothing happened.

But after a few seconds, the sound of glass shattering echoed and a crack appeared in front of his hand.

It disappeared as soon as it came.

"I sent your weapon in the cave, you'll find it. This is your first gift." Kismet explained.

"Your next gift is access to your Terminus file." He said, making me frown.

Terminus file? What's that?

"Don't bother thinking about it. You'll find out about it when you reach home and want it to appear, though you'd need to experiment with it to find its uses."

I nodded.

"And as for your third and last gift," Kismet smirked.

"You can ask me anything and I will answer honestly. I need to explain the whole situation to you anyway, so might as well satiate your hunger for knowledge as well." he smiled.

I blinked in surprise.

Is he an idiot?

I thought. If I could ask him anything, wouldn't that mean that I could just ask him how to get out of this situation? How to kill him? Or become a 'God'?

"You can. But you won't remember sh*t. The memories will unlock just like the strange knowledge that keeps 'popping' up inside your mind." He said, giving me a look.

"You never thought it was weird? Your intelligence, your knowledge?" he smirked.

"I gave them to you, just like I am gonna answer all your questions now." He said, smugly.

"What? But I don't remember meeting you before this!"

"Magic bulls*t." He commented, waving his hand in a swipe.

He didn't elaborate further though.

Now, this changed how and what I should ask.

After a few minutes of consideration, I spoke up.

"Alright," I peered straight into his eyes. "So, my first question is . . . "

With a jerk, I found myself blinking in confusion. I looked around in confusion, there were towers upon towers of plates―Though most were on Kismet's side meaning he'd eaten them―and other things, the table was empty, and my stomach was full to the brim.

Wh-what? What happened?

"You just asked your last question." Kismet's voice bolted me out of my stupor.

Looking straight at him, I noticed that he was somewhat different.

Which last question?

That's when I recalled that I would lose my memories. So, I asked all the questions I wanted to ask. But I really didn't remember anything.

I sighed.

Kismet seemed angry for reasons I didn't know or forgot.

"I think this is enough for today," Kismet said and snapped his fingers.

"Wai-" before I could say anything, he vanished, everything vanished. Everything blackened.

Kismet and his faceless butler, Mark, were gone. Or was it the other way around?

I was gone.

***

After spending quite some time inside the darkness, my eyes throbbed open.

Blinking in confusion, I looked around, but as soon as I moved my head, I felt a bolt of immense pain reverberate through my neck onto my whole body and then stop on my right shoulder.

I wanted to cry out in pain, but I had trained myself to be strong in these types of situations, so I managed to hold it in as I'd always done.

Noticing that I was inside the cave again, I looked around.

The place was dimly lit and was big enough to hold a lot of people. Which it did, as I noticed many humans and elves lying around. They had pale complexions. Some were groaning, some crying silently, a bunch just staring somewhere blankly.

The disgusting smell of corpses wafted in my nose and my stomach gurgled. I wasn't hungry, but it seemed that my stomach wanted everything outside. I wanted to vomit, but I didn't, I controlled the urge.

What are they doing here?

I thought. Looking at the people, I noticed the corpses I'd smelled.

"Can you heal him, hon?" a voice whispered near me, and my eyes bolted in its direction.

"No, I . . . Can't." Another voice whispered back. "I tried already. His arm is beyond recovery."

That's when I noticed them, a man and a woman, sitting near me with their faces laced with worry.

Peering a bit behind them, I took notice of two other women, elves to be exact, and a young boy. He appeared to be an elf as well. And if I was honest, they were beautiful, I had heard that elves were beautiful, be it a male or female, and it seemed to be true.

Groaning slightly, I chewed on my lips as I shifted in my place, trying to sit straight.

I felt a hand wrap around my waist, pulling me up, helping me sit.

I looked at the man and parted my lips.

"Where am I?" I asked, my voice barely a croak.

"Are you okay?" Ignoring my question, the man asked one of his own.

I stared at him for a bit. Shifting uncomfortably, I nodded.

I was fine. Yes. Nothing wrong. Just met a God. There's nothing wrong. It's just a normal occurrence. Yes. Everything's fine.

At first, I wanted to believe that I'd just been dreaming, but the floating screen in the corner of my vision said otherwise.

]Proceed[

There was nothing much written on it but just that.

I ignored it.

I knew that my worldview was going to get obliterated into smithereens if I proceeded with whatever that was. And I wasn't ready. Far from it. So I just ignored it. As if it didn't exist.

Instead, I focused on the place around me. I noticed some red Dor lying near me before thinking.

What? Where Did they come from?

⟨A gift from me.⟩

Kismet's voice grumbled inside my mind for a second then vanished.

Before I could question him, I felt the damp air caress my face as I stiffened.

My mask . . . Where's my mask!?

"M-my mask!" I exclaimed. I wasn't supposed to show my face in public, not so soon.

I definitely wasn't supposed to show my face.

"Calm down, kid." The man soothed me, pointing toward the ground.

Looking where he'd pointed, I heaved a sigh of relief. My mask was there on the ground.

Suddenly, my neck throbbed as if on fire, and blood seeped out of my right arm.

F*CK!

I groaned and looked at my arm. Sure enough, It was f*cked. My whole right arm, from my shoulder to the tips of my fingers, was charred black. The f*ck had happened?

That's when I remembered that the zombie had injected something inside my right shoulder blade with its nails. For f*ck's sake! What did he inject!?

"Holy mother of- " curses after curses left my lips. The surprised looks on the three women and the man were something to look at. I mean, in their eyes, I was nothing but thirteen years old, and I was cursing.

Yeah, it was weird.

The woman with the man skidded forward and raised her hands towards me when she got near.

"Don't!" A voice sounded, it was one of the elven girls. "Don't do it. His arm is turning into one of those, your healing is just going to worsen his condition."

Healing? But where did she get the steam to use her ability?

The woman backed away, her eyes glistening.

. . . Why? I don't remember the world being this kind. To each their own. This applied heavily in the world. So, why was she so keen on helping me, why were her eyes glistening?

A dry chuckle escaped my lips.

Heh.

At least, I found the missing people.

"Who are you people?" I asked.

The woman who had tried to heal me opened her lips, "Sofia."

The man said after her, "Callahan."

I looked at the elven girls and the boy. "Aria," one of the elf women said, her voice dry.

"Hi! I'm Ariadne. We're twins! It's nice to meat you!" the other girl said, acting cheerful while hugging Aria sideways.

The boy just stared at me for a while before saying.

"Feyrith," And that was it. He looked away.

"Ah . . . Finally! I'm bac-" Doryu's cheerful voice resounded inside my head.

The f*ck!? Wasn't he running outside in the darkness!? Where did he pop out from!?

I had so many questions.

"Sh*t!" he cursed, puffing out of my body and startling the ever-living sh*t out of the four people near me.

Callahan and Sofia got scared, and so did Feyrith, but he was a bit calmer than the other two. Aria and Ariadne bolted up rocks from the ground and stood on guard. They were in front of Feyrith.

Interesting. From their defensive stance, I inferred that they were trained, and from how they seemed to protect Feyrith, he was someone important. At the very least, a noble elf, and the twins were his guards.

"Don't be surprised, I am his . . . Uh . . . I'm his cool summon. Yes! I am his summon." Bulls*tting his way through, Doryu pointed at Callahan with his front paw.

"You, come here . . . "

Seeing Callahan pointing at himself, Doryu growled.

"Come here!"

Callahan flinched and ran towards me, "yes?" he asked.

"Hold him tight," Doryu said moving towards me.

"Oh . . . And don't let him move." He said, his canines protruding out from his mouth, he grinned in an animalistic manner.

Then he looked at the three women and gestured for them to do the same as well.

What does he want?

I couldn't help but knit my brows and think.

"Oh, nothing much." Doryu—apparently, reading my thoughts—clarified. Smiling evilly as he continued.

"I'm just gonna rip your arm off."

F*ck my life!

**

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