Ancient Gods Reboot - Prologue

A World Torn Apart

"Oh, I see. In that case, come inside. We should have a nice, long chat to catch up with each other!" Her face shone brightly, and her gentle voice was soothing. So much so that, I forgot all my worries and fears that haunted me. I agreed to her invitation instantly and we strolled off to a lone hut in front. The red land and the lack of vegetation in the area made me a bit uneasy, but it didn't matter as long as I was with Shizu.

...

..

.

Hmm, for some reason, the hut looks oddly familiar from the inside. It's like, I have been here before.

"Rimuru, do you remember this place?" She seemed to have noticed the odd expression on my face as I looked around.

"Well... It seems familiar, but I can't seem to recognize it at the moment. Give me some time." I looked around hard to find the slightest clue that could refresh my memory. "Hmm, what could it be? Is it... Nah. Then... no, that's not it either..."

"It is the place-"

"No. Don't tell me yet! I haven't given up trying." I spoke hurriedly. It felt as though the name is somewhere in the back of my mind but my tongue couldn't reach it.

And so, another 5 minutes passed in vain. No matter how much I tried, nothing came to me at all. It was, as if-

giggle

Suddenly, a peal of cute laughter interrupted my train of thought.

"Huh? What's so funny?" I asked her genuinely. All my brain cells had been fried by now, so I couldn't make sense of her reaction.

She bought her hand to her mouth to cover her giggling. "Haha sorry. It's just that seeing you get all worked up over it, I couldn't hold myself back."

"... So, what is the answer?" I finally asked, unable to continue anymore.

"It's the place where we parted ways... Rimuru," she spoke as if she reminisced about the old days.

Huh? Huh! AHHH!!!! How could I forget such an important thing? Just what in the world is wrong with me? I feel very... ashamed.

"Ever since you left, I maintained this place to look the same. It is a very precious memory after all; I couldn't just let myself forget it no matter what." Her tone turned slightly heavy and more emotional as she spoke, and her words only made me guiltier.

"I-I am sorry I-"

"Oh, It's fine. It's been over 7 millennia since that day, and you have a lot of responsibilities to bear as the leader of a nation. It's natural for such small things to skip out of your mind." Ouch. She said that with a smile, but the weight of her words was too much for my heart to bear.

"No, that doesn't excuse me to- Also, it's not a small thing for me either, it's-"

"You don't need to explain yourself, Rimuru. I am totally fine..." Her words seemed to choke out at this moment and her lips quivered, but she still continued. "Anyways, let's talk about something else." She wanted to change the subject, perhaps for my sake.

"... Alright. If that's what you want."

"How are Hinata and the other kids doing nowadays? Did they live a happy life?"

"Ah, right. Hinata is doing very well and the children all grew to be healthy as well. Gale and Gibbson made a name for themselves as successful adventurers before they passed away, and Alice was known as the greatest puppetmaster in the history of Tempest. All three of them were very talented kids and lived a happy life till the very end."