Ronin woke up with cold sweat again, with Kai looking down by his bedside.
"What did you dream about?"
Ronin was reeling from everything. One word revealed the truth. It took him many years to realize it, so many years...
Just one single word.
But it all made sense now.
IT ALL MADE SENSE!
Kai frowned. "What's wrong? Was it about your past—"
"Get out of my bedroom."
Kai scoffed. "We both should get out because we're here. We've already ported in Ogygia."
Ronin raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell me? Is he already awake?"
"Who? Cermin? Yes, he's—-"
"How many V-points do I have in total? I gained a lot, right? After the constant high stake fighting, surely I must have gained up to 500,000 now. " Ronin asked, looking a bit crazed.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like going berserk any second. The veins that were like lava lines all over his body bulged and look like they would all explode.
"No... You only gained up to 250,000 V-points so far. Why?" Kai asked.
"That won't do..... I need to gain more. I need to gain it fast." Ronin said, his eyes darting around in circles.
It was him all along, the one by his side. Of course. Fate would be that cruel.
Just when he was thinking about killing him with mercy. Just when he was starting to not regard him as nothing but an idiot pervert, but a real person who actually has dignity and depth.
The one who killed him was his 'dearest friend' after all. History repeats itself.
"We really don't know what happens to someone when they log out, don't we?" Ronin asked Kai.
Kai nodded. "Yeah…. Though it's likely that they just go back to the real world and continue their lives."
"But did you ever consider the possibility that how they age in the game, the time spent in HTM... May also be the time spent in the outside world?" Ronin asked.
Kai frowned. "That makes no sense because that would mean that the machine is keeping people alive for hundreds or thousands of years—"
"They don't need to be alive. We're not alive, why should they also be?" Ronin pointed out. "This is the only thing keeping us 'alive' too."
Kai finally dawned upon this dark possibility. So once the heroes lose the game and get logged out...
They die forever?
No longer exist?
But the Ronin laughed bitterly and shook his head.
"Ha! I'd be glad if that was the case, but that theory have a lot of discrepancies. For one, if Shimeifen really have invented immortality, why use it for creating entertainment shows?"
"Number two, everyone gets to the Hub at the same time. Even if you spend 100 years in your story, and your friend spent a thousand years... You still meet at the exact same season."
He gritted his teeth. "So there's a more likely chance that when the hero logs off, he really does go back to the real world with only a small time spent inside here. Like in that movie, Narnia."
His mother loved that movie and had a DVD for it. He introduced his friend to the concept of DVDs, which was odd for him because he was used to watching on the internet and streaming platforms.
That rich boy friend of his that has everything he wanted and more in life. It was no other than Min Cheng.
That guilt he was feeling for that gege, it all made sense.
Min Cheng killed him. It keeps repeating in his mind, that he had been so blind and in the dark all these years about the truth.
'Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me. Min Cheng killed me—'
"Still.... There's also the chance that if you kill Cermin in this game, he will really die." Kai said uncomfortably. "You're really fine with that? I thought you appreciate him now."
"He saved you at the expense of himself and tried to protect you so many times. You don't really bear any ill will than him, it's all part of winning the 1M prize of the game. So—"
Ronin frowned. "You can't read my mind anymore?"
Kai shook its head. "No. Ever since we came out of that cave, I started losing my ability to communicate with you telepathically. And now I can't hear you at all."
"So you don't know." Ronin sneered, and cracked his knuckles.
The bewildered system can't understand what's going on at all. "Don't know what—"
But Ronin left the room and went to Cermin's. The prince was already awake, finishing up in packing his things.
"Ah, Ronin. We're here—"
He was so surprised when Ronin suddenly hugged him!
"Good morning, Your Highness." He said, still wearing that fake and evil smile. His schadenfreude reeked everywhere in the room.
But Cermin can't smell it. "H-Hi...… What's up? Why did you hug me all of a sudden?"
"You're my friend after all, aren't you? I'm just…. So, so glad that we get to be together all these years. For so many years, since we're children."
Cermin felt Ronin was hugging him tighter. "Oh….. That's right. I'm very happy too."
He hugged Ronin back, and said. "I'm so happy to be your friend."
"Mn. I was so lucky to be friends with someone like you….."
Ronin tightened his grip so much, until eventually Cermin can't deny to himself how uncomfortable and suffocating his grip was.
"Uh, Ronin? We have to go now—"
"Out of everyone, I met someone like you. My whole life revolved around our friendship and you."
There was a cracking sound from Cermin's back.
"Kah….. Ronin—"
Kai's eyes widened in panic, and just when he was about to intervene….
Ronin let go before creating any damage.
"I just hope you still keep on seeing me as a friend until you die, Your Highness." Ronin said with a smile, patting his head.
He went outside the room like nothing happened, looking out into the scenery of the island before them with a dark expression on his face.
'That way, it would hurt you as much as it hurt me when I get my revenge.'
—-----------------------------------------
The island of Ogygia was a really beautiful and semi-tropical island. This was Calla Lily's hometown, and the hometown of her father.
It was common to find people with a Pearl Heartstone here. The goddess they most revere was Skolhatti's wife, Nereid, despite technically being part of Sephyrine.
Their culture was quite different from Sephyrine too. They wore lighter and more revealing clothing because of the heat, but spoke the same language as Sephyrine and Welkins.
They were not ruled by a duke or anything like that, but just as a community that look out for each other and provide for themselves with what the island have.
It reminded Ronin of the Oceanic islands in the real world, or the Polynesian ones. It was really calm and peaceful, but also have that joyous flair that Calla has.
"Greetings, travellers! " The porter, which was a woman wearing seashells around her neck, greeted them.
She has an Opal Heartstone, though the blue variant, not the white. Edelweiss also come from this island, though possibly in a more posh and secluded family.
"Where should we be looking for the cave of Aurion in this island?" Cermin asked, stretching a little that still felt a bit sore from the tight hug.
"This island has many caves and coves. Possibly more than any kingdom in the Celestus Realm itself.
He observed the surroundings. They were not divided in half when the Celestus Realm split, and their tiny island received minimal damage exactly because it was small and had too few people.
It was reasonable for people to make their stop here before they travel to Sephyrine to get to the Edge. That way, they can restock and takes some rest, preparing for the dangerous journey ahead.
"Excuse me." Cermin went over to the woman. "Do you know which caves here are regarded as special or seem to have something extraordinary about them?"
Ronin added. "Or perhaps where we can find books about theses caves and other information about gods."
"Book about gods?" The woman thought about it. "Well, that would be in the home of the Priestess Naehmnaid, though she is no longer with us."
"Is she dead?" Kai asked, the ideas of death still lingering in the back of its head and the existential fears that it brings.
"Yes. Her husband is a very kind man and would be happy to take you in his estate to make religious studies, though. And he is also a local here since he was born, so he might also help with the caves."
The trio thanked her, and asked her for directions for the house. The House of Naehmnaid stood by the beach, directly facing the sea.
It was very simple and unassuming, made of bamboo and wood. They went over to knock on the door.
But before they could, they heard singing.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel