A Tale After Four Lives - Volume 1: Receiving The Reward Chapter 1 1: Four Lives

In a place of eternal darkness stood a young man, he was in his early twenty’s but the aura he gave off did not match his youthful looks.

Behind the man stood the phantoms of four beings, a human, a titan, an Elf, and a Dragon. They stood there behind the young man and waited with him. The young man did not know for how long he waited, it could have been a few second or could very well have been a thousand years, he did not know nor did he care very much he had learned to be patient a long time ago.

After an unknown amount of time something finally happened, a gate of light appeared and from that gate, a voluptuous woman stepped out and the gate closed behind her. After exiting the gate the woman gave the young man a smile that would cause kingdoms to go to war, as she spoke with an ethereal voice that would make once bones turn to jello, “Alex”.

That one word was enough for her to express the shock Alex had brought her, for a high-God like herself to remember the name of a mortal was no small achievement.

Alex looked at the goddess in front of him but there was no reverence or someone’s in his gaze like he had the first time he saw her. He looked at her and gave a smile of his own, “Goddess Yris” he replied with a slight bow.

The goddess was a bit shocked by his attitude but she was not offended, he was after all not the same mortal he was back then when they first met. “You have finished the task I bestowed spun you without my or any other gods aid you have left four legends upon four different worlds and each legend one that will turn to myth and be passed on for millions of years never to be forgotten.

She turned to the phantoms behind Alex and pointed towards the human, he looked to be around fifty years old, his muscular body riddled with scars but despite that, he gave off a comforting feeling to all that look towards him as if even if the world were to collapse everything would be fine as long as he was there. The goddess spoke, “Your most gallant life, Grand Paliden Lambert, Slayer Of The Seven Princes. In this life, you hounded after demons for two hundred and fifty years, build a knights order in fifty and slew the 7 princes when you only had 10 years left to live. ”

After that, she turned towards the titan her head looking straight into the air as to look him in the eyes. The Titan was truly a monstrous standing 50 km’s into the sky its muscular body giving off a heavy ancient feeling, it’s eye’s deep and solemn as it returned the goddesses gaze with its own.

“The life you were the most powerful in, Ancient Titan Azfius, with one blow you desecrated an army of over a hundred thousand men. You stood still as a city was built under you, but when the city was under siege you struck only once and lay waste to all its enemies. Thus a legend about the guardian statue. After another hundred thousand years you destroyed yourself from inside since nothing else could harm you not even time itself. Do you know after your death a few minor gods wanted to claim your body but no matter what they did it would not budge I recon only the full force attack of a mid-god would be able to even budge it? Titans are truly scary beings especial this one, even I fear I might not be able to physically compete with it, much less kill it.”

The goddess looked towards the next being, an elf. He was like all elves tall and fair with beautiful white hair hanging down his shoulders and a handsome face. The feeling one got from him was that of wisdom and temperance. “Your most interesting life, Great Sage Mythanar, You lived the life of a scholar prying into the mysteries of the arcane. You were, in fact, the greatest mage of all time and had enough mana to reach godhood but unfortunately, a real god came to that world. The demon king laid waste to the world and in its final moments of desperation, the races summoned four heroes from another world. You not only helped train the heroes but also joined them in the battle saving them on multiple occasions and finally you faced the demon king together with them. Unfortunately, the demon king was too powerful for the heroes and you could only sacrifice all your mana and life force to deliver a devastating magic attack, but it seems that you knew this was going to happen thus you created that terrible spell didn’t you.”

The goddess looked at Alex only to give her a nod in conversation as he looked at the phantom of Mythanar as he spoke the spells name [Mortal Spear]. The goddess continued, “Ah yes that was its name it got it from the fact that it not only took all your mana but also your mortal life to cast it. In the end, the demon king was brought to near death and was given the final blow by the combined attack of the four heroes. You, on the other hand, turned to dust, but the people of that world will forever remember your name for the heroes told of your self sacrificing deed.”

The goddess turned to the last phantom, it was a magnificent dragon the size of a small mountain, but slowly it shrank down and turned into a human figure with horns and scales at around its face and at its joints. The Dragon unreservedly released it draconic aura which made the black space bend under its might. The dragon stared at the goddess waiting for her to speak its eyes filled with rage. “You’re most tragic life, Mournomon the destroyer, you were born as a dragon and was suppose to live a free and unfettered life but from the first moments, the world was your enemy. The moment of your birth you and your parents were attacked by humans looking to tear your body’s apart for the treasures they hold.”

The goddess looked at the dragon with sadness in her eyes, “For you to escape both your father and mother gave their lives, even thou dragons are mighty they are not invincible, well that is until you were born. In your rage, you used the powers of a titan as a dragon absorbing the energies of the earth and the sun to strengthen your body. You invoked your knowledge as a Sage to bring forth destruction upon the world, but I know you have never killed an innocent. The nobles of the world claimed you to a scourge upon the world and thus you were. In the hundred thousand years of your life, you burned millions upon millions of evil beings and died with the name of a demon.”

After the goddess spoke the phantom of Mournomon shed a single tear as it bowed towards the goddess in respect before standing up and giving her a wild smile, showing its sharp teeth, as it transformed back into a colossal dragon.

The goddess gave each another look before returning her gaze to Alex. She spoke softly,” You have done your part and now it is my turn to do mine.”

Alex did not respond but kept staring at the four phantoms, each smiled at him even the Azfius the titan. They smiled because, in the end, they were him and together they had succeeded.

The goddess waited patiently as Alex looked at the four phantoms thinking back on all he had done to complete this task. After an undetermined amount of time, he finally looked up towards the goddess.

The goddess smiled when he looked at her and spoke, this time, in a very soft, loving voice. “Tell me, my dear Alex, what is it that you want and where do you wish to go. I, Yris Goddess of Destiny, will do all in my power to give it to you”.