The Ancients World

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~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~

~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu'bor, The Kingdom of Nu'bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~

~~~(Time: 10:18 PM)~~~

Sally is calmly and patiently waiting for me to start talking. I don't know where to really start. The only other person that knows is Hailey, and she figured something was wrong on her own. I've never actually out right told someone the truth.

"What do you think about time travel?"

It's not the best way to open this conversation, but it's the only way that I can think of starting it. I'm not really that great when it comes to talking about my own problems and faults.

Her face tells me everything. That wasn't a question she was expecting, and I'm betting she wasn't ready for me to open this conversation with a question. Most of the time you just start talking, and that's one thing I never fully understood.

"Umm... I don't know I suppose it's possible, but I don't think anyone has ever done it before. Why are you asking me this?"

Sally may not be ready for the truth, but I've come this far. And I'll not stop now.

"Well, the reason I know so much and why I always know what to do is because I've already got the answers... The reason why I am the way I am is because of time travel..."

She straightens up against the tree as we're relaxing on the branch, and I have her full attention. I had it before, but this is a look of focus I've only seen a few times on Sally.

"What are you saying? That you've time traveled?"

I slowly nod my head, and she raises her eyebrows. And before long, she's laughing. Actually laughing, and that's when I realize that she's not taking this seriously anymore. Basically, she doesn't believe me.

"That's a good one! I was almost taking this seriously!! Now, c'mon and tell me what you really want to tell me."

She wipes some tears from her eyes and stares at me, but I give her a neutral expression and stay quiet. This is the truth, and I don't need to say anything else.

Her smile falls, and her eyes dart around my body for any signs that I'm lying or I'm uncertain, but she sees nothing. She straightens up again and tries to find the right words. Her stumbling is buying me time on how to further proceed with this conversation.

"So... You're like from the future?"

That's not the way I'd put it, and I know this conversation is gonna be a long one. I think I should start at the beginning. The place where this all started.

"Not exactly. What I've done is something similar, but I've relived the same two lives. My first life was shit. Mom died, Hailey died, and Marcus was a mess. Dad lost his will to live. And that's when I went searching for an item in The Ancients World."

It's not the best recap, but it's what I can do at the moment.

"After I found the item, I wished to go back in time before the launch of The Ancients World. The Ancients World and Gaia are the same places. I retained all my knowledge, and I used it to become who I am."

The best term for what I've done could be considered a regression. And not time travel, but that's semantics at this point.

"That would mean you know the future, right?"

No.

Not anymore.

My decisions have had repercussions, and the timeline I knew has been completely destroyed. And I currently only have some uses for my future knowledge. It's almost worthless these days.

"I used to know the future, but after my decisions screwing with the timeline, everything was fucked. The Collision, all the shit Players and NPCs have been through... It's all consequences of my meddling..."

I don't know how Sally will react. I'm not looking at her right now, and that's because I don't want to see the look on her face. From the corner of my eye, I can see mass confusion on her face.

"Does this mean you knew you'd meet me, and you knew everything to win me over?"

My heart sinks in my stomach, and I dart my head in her direction. She's not looking at me anymore. And I need to answer her quickly.

"No. I met you for the first time way back then. I never knew you before I came back in time. You're actually one of the only good things that have come from my altering of the timeline. I don't think we would've ever met if I didn't do everything I've done."

I'm not looking at her anymore.

My choices weigh on me and seeing them affect Sally makes the weight heavier. But to my hope, she grabs my hand and brings it up to kiss it.

"So this is the stuff you've been hiding all this time... It makes sense that you're the way you are now... Why you're so knowledgeable, and how confident you are in your decisions... I'm glad I have the answers..."

She moves over and sits in my lap, kissing me and holding me tightly in her arms.

"Does this change anything between us?"

The words come out with no control, and as much as I hate feeling insecure, I can't help it at this moment. This might be the first time I've ever felt insecure. But I can't remember if it is.

My eyes are closed, and she hasn't said anything yet. That's not a good sign.

"It doesn't change a thing... But it does make me wonder... How much more is there that you haven't told me? Like how you came back? What item did you use to come back? And I'd like to know what happened to your Mom and Sister."

We have plenty of time for me to answer all of those questions, and I feel like Sally should know them. They're my deepest secrets. After I tell her everything, there won't be anything left to hide. And that feels good. I don't know why, but it does.

"I guess I should start with The Ancients World from my old future. The one where our worlds didn't collide."

I think that's a great starting point.

~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~

~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu'bor, The Kingdom of Nu'bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~

~~~(Time: 12:33 AM)~~~

My eyes are pouring tears as I hear the end of Cera's story, and I can't believe he's been through that much. I knew Cera had a hard life. I never imagined it was something like this.

He wipes my tears away, and I take a couple of deep breaths.

"Hey, it's not something to cry about. Technically, it's never happened now. And I don't think you should be crying for what happened to me."

Of course, he'd think that.

He tries to play down the terrible things that have happened to him and make them seem small compared to others. I've been through my own hardships, but Cera's is one of tragedy. Mine was one of abandonment and misfortune.

"It's big to me, Cera... That's one of the most painful stories I've heard... How are you not mentally damaged from all that?"

It's a genuine question. From everything I've seen, Cera is a very powerful man mentally. Anyone else, and that would've broken them for life.

"I never said I wasn't mentally damaged..."

Oh...

God, this fucking hurts...

I never knew that I could feel so much pain for another person. I wrap my arms around him and cry my eyes out into his shoulder.

He holds me and cuddles me closer. He wouldn't like me using that word, but this is my mind, and I can use it how I please.

"Well... That's everything... The truth about me is free..."

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A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4]

[Exp: 42/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra's Panties (Black Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [Slash Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun]