The Ancients World

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~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Continent of Alforza)~~~

~~~(Time: 1:22 PM)~~~

Sally and I exit the bank, and I'm annoyed since it took longer for them to get the Gold. However, it's not that big of a deal. Funds are refilled, and we won't have to worry about prices. Now, it's on to the next activity.

Which is checking out the pyramid in the center of Marrinjobic. It's visible from every part of the city since it's the largest construct around.

"If I had to guess, it's about 30 minutes walking to reach. Marrinjobic is big, and the streets are starting to fill up."

The lovely elven princess walking beside me smiles and grabs my hand. I was going to offer a quick flight there, but she seems to be in the mood to walk. I waste no time responding to her hand grabbing mine, and I reciprocate the move.

She leans into my shoulder with a giant smile that makes her eyes squint. It's her best smile, and I never get tired of seeing it. Her pearly white teeth are showing themselves to the world.

"That's perfect. It'll give us time to walk off all that food we ate."

If that's really her reason for being happy, I can't understand how someone so innocent can have such a terrible past. But that's neither here nor there.

We take our time and slowly walk the streets. I almost forget to have our hoods up since the bank knows who I am. They've probably warned the local ruler here. But it's not like we aren't incognito. Since I'm so tall, I blend in perfectly with the people of Alforza.

Minus my white skin compared to their dark skin. I never thought I'd say a sentence like that, but it's not racist. At least, I don't think it is. Racism has been a problem on Earth for centuries, and from what I've experienced in The Ancients World, it exists here too.

"Can I ask you a question?"

This can't be good...

Mom always said that you need to be on guard if a girl started a question like this. Something about trap questions and out-of-this-world scenarios.

"Depends. What are you asking me?"

She looks at me, and I can see the bottom half of her face out of her hood. She cracks a single smile, and from how her lower face shifts, I deduce she might have raised an eyebrow.

"I was curious about what you thought about Marrinjobic so far. Don't worry, if I were to question trap you, I'd do way better than that."

Oh.

I suppose that's better, I think.

"Marrinjobic is a unique take on the places I've been and heard about. And for all the knowledge in my possession, I know nothing about Marrinjobic other than its name. The same goes for the continent of Alforza."

That's the best way I can put it into words, and I see Sally is ready to respond to me.

"I've lived for over a hundred years... Seen very little of Gaia in that time... Thank you for bringing me here... Thank you for taking me with you that day... I don't want to think about how my life would be if I didn't choose to meet you..."

Her voice is small and meek. There is a cute attraction about her when she gets this way. She rarely gets like this, which is why I like it so much.

Why she's become so sentimental is unbeknownst to me... Perhaps it's been on her mind since we got here...

"Where is this coming from? When we have conversations like this, it's usually in private and driven by something..."

I can see the pain her Father caused driving her to talk about this, but this doesn't fit the privacy part. It's the reason I'm a little worried. When people you care about and love start breaking patterns, you should try to find out why.

Make sure that nothing is wrong with them or if they need help.

"I was just thinking... Have you ever gotten those moments? Where you find yourself lost in the past and having a hard time with what's happened..."

She has no idea...

And she knows I've had those moments, which begs the question of why she's asked if I've had those moments.

She wants me to open up right now. And I think it's time I did.

"All the time, Sally... There are lots of things I haven't told you... Many things I regret and things that might change the way you feel about me... I've not directly harmed innocent people... But my actions have had catastrophic consequences..."

It is impossible to ask the 9 or so billion that died because they didn't make characters before The Collision. But I think if you could ask them, they'd blame me.

I've always been trapped in a cycle of not taking responsibility and then saying I will. Just to end up back where I started off not taking it. I've had a lot of time to think about it, and it's not helped any.

The weight of nearly 10 billion lives weighs on me... And even though I know the right things to do, sometimes I don't make that choice... Sometimes, I make choices that I wouldn't have made...

And not just before my second life... Lots of things have changed for me... And that means I've changed... In a twisted way... I'm just as damaged as Sally... That's probably why we get along so well...

"I've told you everything about my past, Cera... My life as a Slave... My vulnerabilities... And you helped me by not judging me from what's happened to me..."

The things that happened to you weren't in your control...

I don't have anything to justify everything that's happened in the wake of my choices...

Angel...

More like Demon...

"So... Will you please share something with me that you're afraid to say?"

Now is hardly the time or the place... Walking down the middle of the street with people around... But it's not like anyone can hear us... But this is a talk meant to be had behind closed doors.

"It's not something I want to talk about here, Sally... Not while we're walking..."

She lets out a little giggle and gently wraps an arm around me.

"Of course not, you goof. I wanted you to know that I'm ready to listen and accept you for everything. I have for a very long time. You just haven't seen it yet... So I figure telling you is the best way to wack some sense into you..."

She's gotten way better at that... At this...

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

~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Continent of Alforza)~~~

~~~(Time: 1:55 PM)~~~

The massive pyramid stands in front of us, and there are guards surrounding it in every which direction. It's one of the most impressive structures I've seen in my life. Living back on our original continent, you get used to seeing the same things...

But this...

It's not anything you'd see unless you traveled to another part of the world.

"How about we go inside?"

My head turns at Cera, and I see his smile looking down at me. The only visible part of his face is his mouth. I nod, and we walk to the area where people are coming and going. It seems to be a public area.

Getting through isn't hard, and I'm surprised by their lack of security. But we eventually make it to the main stairway leading into the pyramid.

"I wonder what it looks like inside..."

There is no way a noble or ruler would let random people come and go from their home, right?

Maybe that's how they do things here... Perhaps the ruler of this city talks to the locals directly to hear their concerns and help...

And a little voice in the back of my head tells me there is no such place in the world...

Bad habits die hard...

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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]