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POV: Arthur
When Arthur was inside the realm of the void, he was moving at a ridiculous speed, his eyes darting in every direction, scanning every inch that unfolded beneath his sight.
And amid that exhausting focus, he exhaled and muttered tiredly:
"I thought I knew where her house was… but of course, the moment I started moving, I saw places that never appeared in the opening scenes. There's no way I can remember every scene and detail I saw… After all, the game had more than 1600 quests. Who in their right mind memorizes all of that?"
As he shifted through the stream of space, he reached the capital.
It was breathtaking—like ancient Japan fused with immense technological advancement.
But what caught his eye most was the massive tower at the center, the tallest and largest structure…
It looked like a lighthouse, except it was actually a giant energy shield protecting the capital.
A stunning sight, especially from above.
And every day, every passing moment he witnessed all these places, his admiration for this world grew deeper.
If not for the Abyss… would peace have remained?
Or would the races have returned to war?
A question that would remain unanswered… until he witnessed the truth himself.
He left the capital and continued navigating through the void, but found nothing.
Even though being here felt strangely like being home… his mind was getting heavy from the relentless focus and shifting scenery.
In a moment of frustration, he decided to return to the real world—to breathe, and maybe… to eat something.
He didn't feel hunger inside the void, which made him forget he hadn't eaten for a long time.
He descended into a quiet forest and sat on a large rock.
He took out a meal—still warm because it had been stored in the system's space.
He swallowed hard, starving, and took a piece of fried chicken, inhaling its perfect smell before savoring it.
It was soft… juicy… amazing.
He took the first bite slowly to enjoy every detail… but before he realized it, he had devoured the entire meal without tasting it properly because of his hunger.
Without hesitation, he took out the second meal, and this time, he made sure to enjoy every bite.
The chicken was tender and perfectly fresh.
The meal included fries, fresh bread, and sauces that elevated the flavor even more.
After downing two bottles of water, he took out the third meal… and finished it just like the others.
The system kept nagging:
[Slow down! We have plenty of food!]
But Arthur didn't listen.
He had never tasted food this good in his life… never lived without the fear of poisoning at any moment.
And that alone… made a hot tear slide down his cheek.
When he reached for the fourth meal—
He heard a rustle between the trees.
His anger flared instantly, almost triggering his "Berserk" skill from the active rage he felt.
Someone… dared to interrupt the best moment of his entire life?
But what emerged from the bushes…
made his anger melt away, replaced by guilt.
Two little children.
From the looks of them… they belonged to a beast tribe—maybe wolves?
Small ears… tails… and terrified eyes.
He tried approaching them, but they attempted to run away.
He said calmly:
"Hey… kids… wait. This place is dangerous for you."
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POV: Children's
After begging our older sister to let us go out to play, she finally agreed after endless pleading and tears. She sighed and said:
"Fine… but you must be back by five. Clear?"
We shouted happily:
"Yesssss!"
And we rushed toward the nearby village.
Our house was far, so we had to run for half an hour to reach it.
We played with our friends with pure joy—
from football, to throwing rocks, to holding-breath contests.
After playing, we went to an old game shop… one with computers from the era they called "The Age of Legends."
Even though those devices were obsolete due to modern technology, some shops still kept them.
We went inside… and played several games on an old Xbox.
The graphics were terrible compared to what we knew…
but we didn't care. We were having fun, especially since we didn't have the money to use advanced holo-rooms.
On the way back I was happy, humming, then I kicked a rock on the path.
It bounced and got stuck between two branches.
I turned to my brother and shouted:
"Did you see that? That wasn't luck—this is pure skill! You should train with the best!" I said proudly, pointing at myself with my thumb.
But my brother ignored me and whispered fearfully:
"Let's go! Sis will be mad… it's already six! We'll get punished!"
I answered:
"We're only an hour late… she'll forgive us."
But when I looked ahead—
I froze.
We were back…
to the same place.
Same rock. Same two branches.
A shiver ran down my spine, but I tried to dismiss it:
"Maybe it's a coincidence… maybe we just took a wrong turn."
We walked again—but faster this time.
And again…
We returned to the exact same spot.
A heavy knot formed in my chest.
My little brother didn't understand because he was only six…
But I was eight, and I knew whatever was happening… was not normal.
I pulled him close, hugging him as my body trembled. I held back tears and whispered:
"L-let's change direction… maybe… it's just dark…"
I grabbed his hand and began running, my heart pounding like a beast trying to break free.
Inside, I was praying:
"Please… sis… come quickly… I'm scared… so scared…"
My instincts screamed inside me:
Something is watching us… and it's very close.
We ran in every direction…
But no matter what we did…
We ended up in the same place.
My brother started crying…
I was gasping, choking on fear… but I refused to cry in front of him.
Then… my brother grabbed my arm and pulled hard, shouting:
"They're… they're here… they're coming for me!"
I turned toward him—
and stared in horror.
His eyes… were glowing with a moonlit blue light.
He said:
"Let's run! Come on! I can see the path!"
He dragged me without waiting for my reply, pulling me through trails I had never seen before.
And indeed… the path changed, and finally, we did not return to the same place.
But—
The voice behind us made my heart fall apart.
"Hehe… so this is the fourth vessel?
Truly… you are a special child.
My domain is very hard to escape… especially for two cute little kids like you."
It was a woman's voice…
kind in tone, but terrifying—disgustingly terrifying—like something that freezes your bones.
She stepped out of the shadows…
A woman from the royal fox clan.
She had six tails—
and that alone spoke of immense power.
The third tail: human transformation.
Fourth: awakening.
Fifth: wisdom.
Sixth: stable elemental harmony—
A level only the purest bloodlines ever reached.
This woman was…
the traitorous princess:
Renar von Trix.
Eldest daughter of the Tsukinori continent.
She betrayed her family out of greed, killed her mother, and nearly killed her stepmother.
If not for her father's intervention… everyone would've died.
She fled afterward…
And now she had returned.
This time…
for the fourth vessel.
She smiled coldly:
"I'm in a very good mood today… so we'll play a little hide-and-seek.
You'll run… and if I find you, I'll take the vessel… and as for you—
I'll make sure you feel every grain of pain before you die.
If you win… I'll take the vessel anyway, but I'll kill you quickly… painlessly.
Now go on… start running."
Terror swallowed me whole…
but my brother was the one who pulled me and dragged me into a frantic run.
Through the bushes…
a crushing pressure fell on us—
similar to that woman's aura…
but deeper.
Darker.
Then suddenly—
the pressure vanished.
And we heard a cold voice…
one that made my spine tremble violently.
We turned—
and saw a black silhouette…
with purple eyes slowly turning into a bright, burning gold.
He said quietly:
"Hey… kids… this place is dangerous for you."
My legs gave out.
I fell to my knees from sheer terror…
and we began crying uncontrollably.
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