Chapter 9: A Godly Presence
As Ian looked forward, he couldn't help but to open his mouth. Where had he seen this person before?
He thought back far. Trying to grasp where the sudden memories were flooding in from.
'Wait…She reminds me of that stat-' His thoughts are interrupted.
"My name is Veyra. Goddess of balance."
"I have been watching over you."
Suddenly appeared in his mind. Like it was some kind of telepathy.
He'd lie if telepathy was something that creeped him out. Wat do you mean you can just talk to me through my mind?
Ian let out a sigh, as his suspicions were confirmed.
'Veyra, huh.' A thought blasted by.
His inner self wasn't as calm as he appeared to be. Though, he didn't know if she could read emotions through her telepathy.
"At ease, Ian Briar." She turned around as she spoke telepathy.
"My goal is not to harm you." She said, this time with her mouth.
'What was I thinking? She's a goddess. Of course she can tell my emotions just through telepathy.
They just stood there, waiting. Or, Veyra seemed to be waiting for Ian to speak. But, he didn't.
He couldn't.
He was right in front of someone at a godly level.
Finally, words fled his mouth. "Right…" He responded.
Veyra looked a little impatient. As she slightly glared at him through the side of her eye.
He was in front of some godly deity he didn't know existed until now. And he was momentarily stunned as he noticed her glare.
'Shit… I made a goddess upset.' He thought. Sweat running down the side of his face, falling into the shallow water around him.
"I said I wasn't gonna hurt you." She repeated, causing Ian to remember he didn't know his true intentions.
"So you've been trying to contact me?" Ian then asked.
Veyra nodded. "Ever since you showed up in Zendrya my eyes have been on you."
'So she knows I'm from another world...'
"Yes. I do know your origins." Veyra stated.
Ian looked at her. "Qut reading my mind!" But he froze once again after remembering who he was talking to.
"Sorry." He quickly apologised.
"You are very strange, Ian. Never the less...I ask of your assistance." She responded.
Ian now gazed at her with a more serious expression. If a goddess needed his help, he knew it was a tight spot. Especially if it was him she was asking.
A silent nod from Ian urged Veyra to continue. Which she did.
"You are familiar with the group "The Shattered Hand". Correct?"
Ian nodded once more. "Correct. I know of them."
Ian was unsure of their goal though. But he had a feeling he might find out soon enough.
"Alright." Veyra continued. "They are causing havoc. Quite a ruccuss. I could stop them easily. But, I'm occupied with the seal ofcthe dragon."
"My abilities are very limited at the moment. And The Unseen Hand are only hindering me further by trying to open the seal from another entrance."
Ian could tell this really was a problem. Not only from her words, but her expression.
She was looking at him urgently. Like she was silently hoping he'd go along with whatever request she had.
Of course, Ian couldn't say no to a goddess. And not to one this pretty.
Trying his best to sound nonchalant, he finally responded. "Alright, I'll bite. What do you want me to do?"
An unexpected flash of shock appeared in her expression. Like she was expecting him to decline.
Then, she opened her mouth. "I need you to...destroy them."
It seemed as Veyra's shock had reflected back at him.
Destroy The Shattered Hand? Him?!
Ian looked down, once again knowing he couldn't decline. But he couldn't secure his success either.
He had only witnessed the strength of one of the fingers. Not even sure if Thar went serious, he'd probably get destroyed by a simple spy.
"I didn't choose you because you were strong. But because you're different."
This caused Ian to look up.
"You can adapt better than anyone I have seen in 1000...years..." She suddenly said. Her sentence breaking slowly as if remembering something.
"Are you-" before Ian could finish, he felt the water ripple. The whole realm shaking from it.
"Tell me. You've heard of the three goddesses and the dragon. Correct?" Now, her expression was a little more relaxed. But her words were still quick.
Ian thought back to the story Charlotte told him. Only now it clicked that he was talking with one ofbthe goddesses from THAT story.
"Yes. I heard it quite recently."
"You didn't hear the full version then."
Ian looked slightly confused.
Had Charlotte left out a part? Or had it been lost in time from countless generations sharing it forward?
9.2. The Hero.
"A detail often left out from the story is that there was another crucial figure." Veyra started.
Ian nodded, the waves splashing against the invisible border around him. Mist likely caused by that single ripple before.
"There was someone called Corneus. He was called 'Hero Of The Central Continent'." Veyra continued.
'Hero? There was a hero too? This is like some typical webnovel story...' Ian thought to himself.
"The hero played a big part in disbanding a corrupt group worshipping the dragon which was sealed at that time already."
"Ah. So this is a repeat in the timeline?" Ian's voice echoed in the infinite looking realm.
Veyra looked a little shocked that he had understood so quickly. "Basically." She responded. Her usual goddess formalities slipping at the moment.
Ian stayed silent for a moment.
"So you want me to become… the next hero?" he finally asked.
'Why me? I'm just a weak guy. There's nothing heroic about me...' He thought. Though, they were interuppted from Veyra's response.
Veyra shook her head, momentarily crossing her arms as she spoke. "No."
That answer surprised him more than anything else she had said.
"I want you to survive."
The words felt heavier than expected.
"And for that… you must become stronger."
Ian looked around at the endless water.
"You mean training?"
Veyra nodded once. "Here."
Ian frowned. "Here?"
"This realm exists between moments," she explained. "Time flows differently."
Ian wasn't sure he understood, but one thing became clear.
This wasn't going to be optional.
Then Veyra's expression hardened.
"There is one condition."
Ian looked back at her.
"You will not speak of this place."
Her voice sounded colder than before.
"Not to the knight."
"Not to the medic."
"Not to anyone."
Ian stiffened slightly. "And if I do?"
For the first time, Veyra didn't answer immediately.
"The balance will correct itself."
Ian wasn't sure what that meant.
But he understood enough.
He nodded slowly. "I won't tell anyone."
Veyra studied him for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Good."
The water around Ian's feet rippled.
At first he thought it was nothing.
Then it started rising.
Slowly.
He looked down.
"Uh…"
The water reached his ankles.
Then his knees.
Ian looked at Veyra, she looked back calmly. Not moving a muscle.
"Is this part of it?"
She didn't answer, causing him to panic internally.
The water climhee to his waist.
Then it reached his chest, now caressing him like a wet hug.
Panic started creeping out. No longer internal.
"Veyra?" He repeated. Still, no answer. Her cslm gaze still fixated at him.
Inspecting, no observing.
The water reached his shoulders.
His breathing grew heavier from the pressure ov the liquid mass weighing him down.
The surface reached his chin. He looked upwards, as if trying to delay the inevitable.
Then his mouth.
He was dumb enough to try speaking. Causing the water to flood in through his mouth and down to his lungs. Filling them like water balloons.
Everything went dark.
The last thing Ian heard was her voice.
"Absorb it."
9.3. Endure.
As he heard Veyra's words, he suddenly opened his eyes.
He could tell from where the light came from that he was upside down.
He only saw the blue water. Most likely the size of an ocean at this point.
The pressure made him think he was most likely at the bottom.
"Endure..." Echoed in his mind. Just like his name that got called out from time to time.
With a flip he turned around 180 degrees. Then he swam like never before.
Feeling his lungs ache out for air didn't stop him. He continued swimming.
It had been a while since he swam like this.
Too scared to look down, he continued up. The light getting closer and closer for every second he swam.
Then, he reached the top.
He made a last effort and...couldn't get out.
He tried again. But to no avail.
It was like an invisible jelly layer was covering the top of the water.
"Endure..." echoed once again in his mouth.
Suddenly, he turned once again, placing his feet by the top and pushing off as he swam down once again.
'I realised...what endure means now...'
As he swam through the blue void he could tell as the absence of light got bigger as he descended.
Eventually, he reached the bottom. Laying as close as possible to it.
"Endure..." echoed for a third time.
The pressure grew drastically after that. Like someone had pur a weighted vest on him.
'So heavy...' he thought.
The pressure reached a point where he felt like his head might explode. But it quickly lowered after that.
He was about to catch his breath as the pressure faded, but he realised he was under water still.
"Endure." Fourth time.
This time, he tried bracing. But this time, the weight was double than that from before.
He felt his vision fading once again. But it quickly returned as he forcingly pinched his arm as hard as he could.
The same feeling from when he had absorbed wounds appeared. Was he...absorbing damage?
After what felt like an eternity, the pressure faded once again.
He knew he wouldn't make it through a third wave if the second was that intense.
Luckily, the water was disappearing. The light got closer once again, causing the deepest and darkest depth look like it did once before.
After a while hevwas laying on the ground, gasping for air while coughing up water he had swallowed in the beginning.
"I...I can't absorb wounds. But I can absorb damage. At least if it's...given by the...elements..." He spoke between breaths.
Veyra stood in front of him. "I must say, you are smart."
Ian couldn't physically form a sentence after his last one, but Veyra could swear she heard a "thank you" through all that coughing ane breathing.
He could tell he wasn't wet at all. But was too tired at the moment to care.
After a hot minute or two of short recovery, Ian resumed to a standing position. His coughing hadn't ended,but it had drastically gotten calmer.
Not until now could he feel the aching in his body. Was he...sore?
"That. That is your training. This is not water. But physical enhancement imbued liquid mana." Veyra spoke.
"It's what now?" Ian asked, clearly not cqtching the last part.
"Physical enhancement imbued liquid mana." Veyra repeated.
"Right..." Ian responded, slightly confused still.
Veyra turned around. Snapping her fingers, all the water disappeared.
"Was that all the training?" Ian asked. A question Charlotte would call dumb if sje heard.
Veyra turned around. "No. This is just the test. I had to see how hard I can press you down. Trust me when I say, you will be indestructible when we're done."
She then turned around. The ground started rumbling after she took a step forward, ginormous amounts of liquid appearing.
Storming out through even larger gates from behind her made of what looked to be pure gold or some other similar material.
His air started blowing in every direction from the wind created in from the liquid.
Ian hadn't felt a single gust of wind since he woke up on the dry ground of the realm.
He could only look up, before it all smashed down at him.