The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 38: Inheritance (Part 2)

An automaton with emotions. Her words were not spoken with indifference. Each sentence, each word forced her to relive that moment. It was the voice of someone who wanted to forget but couldn't. Someone who saw it as her duty to remember despite the pain it brought.

"Sometimes I curse that my Lady gave me the ability to dream. I see her smiling and then, again and again, I see her die. Right before my eyes, only metres away... yet despite it all, I cannot cry. Tell me Ardent, Aria... what did my Lady do wrong to deserve that fate?"

And there it was. A question that anyone could ask but from how she spoke it, how she asked it, the way her eyes stared into ours. As much as there was emotion, she was a machine seeking to understand.

"She didn't deserve it," Aria answered, hands clenched tight, a tear in her eyes. "God damn it. I swear every time we hear about Witches it just gets worse and worse. Why did they have to suffer?" Her voice shook, "Ardy, I don't want to suffer the same."

"I won't let that happen," I replied determined. "I came back to make sure of it. Besides, didn't you say yourself, you're not a Witch."

"Ha," she smiled wiping her eyes, "That's right. I'm not a Witch."

Elene regarded the two of us, "How strange.... Perhaps I was wrong and you are not a Witch."

"What changed your mind?" I asked curiously, wondering what was going on inside her head.

"Because," Elene began and her attention focused on me. "No Witch I have known ever had a sibling. The Witches were, for the most part, solitary. They had each other but people tended to stay away."

"But your Lady was the ruler of Elastire, she would have had to have dozens of people close to her."

"Yes, many admired her, trusted her and believed in her but none were ever close. We automatons were the exception. Thus, when the Hero did not shy away... she was truly happy."

"Then it's clear. Aria has never had that problem, right?" I smiled towards her.

Aria flinched but nodded, "No, not at all." She looked to Elene, "Um anyway, just how much do you know about the Witches? We need information."

Elene blinked slowly, as if recalling an obscure past, "They met occasionally. Five in total." She blinked again, "I apologise, my memory of those times is scattered. I do recall however that there was always five and once there was four, they called a meeting for a fifth."

"Five...," I recalled the mural that existed within the Sand's Heart. Five Witches. It could be the key to defending the world from the Rift Walkers. The problem was, where were the five? Did the Witch of Sands count? Did Aria count? The Witch of Blades was dead. Then there was the eldest, the Witch of the Void. So far, my deep dive on the topic had never mentioned her. For the ones who died, who took their place?

I folded my arms and leaned back into the couch, "I wish this could have been as simple as me getting strong enough to stop them." But I knew from the start I could never do it myself. That was why I went back to Areithia Online, to change the fate of the game, to have as many people bond with the world of Areithia, to prepare people for the Merge and the Fall to come.

Aria stood up, "Let's just go home."

"Home?" I looked at her smirking. "That's a good idea."

Elene looked at us as we stood up, "You are leaving?" There was a tense edge to her voice.

"Well, yes, but," I again looked to Aria. "Can we?"

She shrugged, "I can send us back into the Rift, but I don't know where we'll end up. We could just arrive back here."

Elene slowly rose her body from the couch, "I can help with that but in return I ask for your assistance."

I nodded, "Sure, so long as it's within our abilities."

"I believe it is," she smiled. "You were brought here due to a connection to this place. I still believe that connection is to my Lady. However, if you connect yourself here, you can rule out the possibility of entering by chance."

"Oh, I get it," Aria clapped. "I can at least make sure not to arrive here. That way we should arrive home."

"Should," I remarked and sighed. "And what do you want in return?"

Elene again looked out the window, "Company. I long for the day to see this city full of life again. Create a gate to our city."

"Our world isn't quite ready for that, but I know others. It might take a while though."

"We have waited a long time already, now we can wait with a clearer hope." She took something out of her pocket, a small black orb. "This is a key to our dimension. Take it."

"Thank you." My plan was to take the key and hand it to Aria but the moment the black orb met my fingers, the space between glitched. It shivered like a bug in reality and a sudden pain of emptiness clutched my body. In an instant the energy I held was sucked away pushing my soul to edge of death.

"Ardy!" Aria screamed as I collapsed.

I coughed upon the ground and suddenly life began to return to my body, "What the hell was that?"

"Are you okay?" Aria asked, deathly pale from fear.

"I'm-I think I'm good." I wobbled to a stand and looked to Elene, "Did you do that to me on purpose?"

"No," she shook her head, skin crinkling as she observed my face curiously. "The key is gone. Now you are the key."

"I'm the key?" I said incredulously.

Elene curtsied, "As the one who has inherited Elastire, I welcome you once again my Lord."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Aria laughed and I glared at her, "What? Isn't this great? We have a castle now."

"Weren't you just concerned before?"

"Well, you said you were fine."

"Ah whatever," I had too many other things to think about right now. I gently placed Zen back on my back. "Let's just go home.

"We will meet again soon, my Lord," Elene politely bowed her head.

I sighed, "Till next time then."