Level Up Legacy

1293  A Struggle Against Future

Two days before Arthur's struggles against his own past, Diana was struggling with their future. She met Alaric again after Arthur left her with the task of protecting the sand thieves. Her opinion of the pirate went downhill after he invited Arthur on an otherworldly adventure and fight against Devaheim. After all, this person was trying to separate them.

"I can feel your piercing gaze from a mile away, princess," said Alaric as he closed a book. He was sitting in their inn's lobby, awaiting their descent. Of course, he wouldn't have guessed that Arthur was gone on a mission to stop the war between West and East Sourna. "Did he tell you?"

"Of course, he did," said Diana, folding her hands and glaring at him. "I told him that it sounds like bullshit, but he seems to believe you. I don't mind making a drastic decision and killing you without his knowledge."

"As expected of the princess of Alva, you have your father's tyranny," said Alaric with a sigh as he pushed a cup of tea forward. "Instead of threatening me and breaking Arthur's trust in your decision-making, how about you judge my words for yourself?"

"And allow you to fool me?"

"If a conversation is all it takes to fool you, then you might be a fool," said Alaric with a provocative laugh. The wooden tiles of the inn were rapidly covered with frost, which alarmed the historian into jumping from his seat. If eyes could kill, he would have been dead already. "I apologize! Just hear me out, okay? I worked really hard on this character."

"What are you talking about?" asked Diana with a frown. "Are you hinting that this character is not your real body?"

"This is a mere projection of myself. I project my body into different worlds and learn about them. This is my hobby and career. My mom even brags to her sister that her son is a professional gamer."

"I feel sorry for your mom."

"Hey! No need to be so rude," said Alaric as he gestured toward the seat in front of him with a smile. "Please have a seat. The game is not something that separates us, but unites us. If you listen to what I have to say, you might find a way to be with Arthur forever."

Diana was tempted, to be honest. She pulled the chair with a frown as she sat down and melted her frost. Steam rose from the flooring under the bulging eyes of the owner and the nervous laughter of Alaric. The historian then pulled a chair and sat down.

"Speak," commanded the princess with a frown. "If I feel like you are fooling me, you're dead." Diana knew she was being harsh to someone who helped them and only suggested that Arthur leave their world, but the mere idea unnerved her. Was she going to lose the one person she cared about? Again?

"I will speak the truth, and it's your judgment that will decide whether I am fooling you or not," said Alaric as he sat down and pushed the tea forward again. "Please, let's have a chat. Let's start with your basic knowledge about Devaheim."

Diana did not drink her tea but still entertained the man in front of her. In order to understand whether Arthur 'needs' to leave or not, she decided to set aside her anger and work to keep him here. She told Alaric her basic understanding of the kingdom of gods from what Arthur had shared and what she learned while building Runera.

Alaric corrected some concepts for her, like her belief that the gods were a race of their own. It turned out that the gods were like him, gamers who rose through worlds and reached the closest one to the Gamemaster, Devaheim.

Diana asked him about this Gamemaster and what it meant. Alaric himself was unsure, as the title was given out of necessity rather than actual evidence. It was just known that whoever approves of those entering Devaheim was also the one to have the highest level to ever exist in the universe.

Alaric also explained that these levels were different from the Level Up Legacy that Arthur has created. It was a spiritual level, which would decide your starting point in different worlds. A person who begins in a higher world would be weaker than those who rose from the lowest because of their levels.

The discussion then reached the point that Diana had been eager to know: why should they even attempt to rise to a higher world? And the anticipation of the answer made her sit on the edge of her seat, nervous. Alaric paused a little, seeming to understand the answer that she desired.

"Arthur plans on fighting against Devaheim, right?" asked Alaric while tapping the table. "Although he defeated more than one god already, it doesn't mean a thing. Higher players have a level restriction while they descend to lower worlds. They release that seal through forbidden techniques that eat away their levels, but they would still be nowhere near their real strength."

"Then, Arthur cannot defeat Devaheim, but he can protect our world," realized Diana as she stared at her own reflection in the tea. It was distorted and lost. "What's wrong with that?"

"It depends on what he wants," said Alaric with a shrug. "I just want to see a change in the status quo. Devaheim has been too cocky with their amazing items and higher levels. If he wants to be the king of wrath and lead the rebellion against Devaheim, then he needs to level up. If he wants to protect this world, then he can just stay here."

"…alright," resigned Diana as she couldn't see a fault in his argument. "How do I ensure that we end up together? I don't want to leave his side."

"That's sweet, but difficult to attain. In order to rise through the worlds, you two must both have a certain skill called Red String. It brings two souls to the same world in their next ascension. That is the only option for you two."

Diana was still confused, unable to wrap her head around this 'levels and skills' talk of Alaric. However, if there was a way for them to be together and grow stronger, then she would seek it. As she was considering such a thing, the runic device on her waist began shining. The sand thieves had made their move.