-David Hume

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"I already told you. No talking until I finish my announcement. I offered you respect and I even gave you a threatening warning. Humankind really is foolish. It was a mistake to give you free will...Now, let"s get back, shall we? And just so you know, I will not hesitate to take any of you. THE LESSER THE PLAYERS ARE, THE LIGHTER THE WORK... " The deity returned to his original self just by a deep breath that he quickly took and was rather undaunted of the fact that he just killed someone, even saying beforehand that he is not allowed to lay his hand on us just a minute ago.

He left the pierced body on display, probably as a more potent warning if someone were to interrupt him again. He left it hanging sulking in blood as if the corpse was not human nor an animal. Seriously, what is it with these deities? It"s like they are fragments of each peculiarity that are far too incomprehensible for a simple mind to understand. Their personalities are just too much.

"Back to the subject, you are wondering why we can"t do the war ourselves. Correction. We can do it if we want to. Yet, we believe in the concept of "Whoever started it, must also be the one to end it". Stupid isn"t it? But, your ancestor"s curse had been brought upon you, so you are preordained to move this amaranth loop of war. If we were to decide your fate, it would be unfair for you and would be against the divine judgment and would be void of justice. So, you will take part, receiving our instructions, partly deciding the course yourselves."

"For the game"s systems. Most likely anyone would have had an idea of what it would be." the insane-aurof-deity added.

"It"s called the "Ethereal Paradigm". Unlike earth"s which we called "Reality"s System" where magic is none-existent and supernaturals are almost entirely banned and are deemed as fiction, here, it"s a different one. The Ethereal Paradigm lets you use the magic of your own will with its strength depending on your capabilities. It incorporates mythical creatures being slain for your gain. Legendary weapons also exist here to serve as your equipment! Although it"s very unlikely if anyone of you will get one. That goes on without saying that you are allowed to form factions of your own, given that your faction belongs to a bigger one. "

"Two main factions exist in this game and it"s the mark of our division as deities. The will of Salvation and the will of d.a.m.nation. Some of us want humanity to sever, while some want to hold on to a hope that someday they will perhaps repent and turn back to the right path, which is very unlikely but it"s worth a try. So for that reason, two main factions are in this game vying to win, and these are:

The "MIRAGE ARMADA" -in favor of Salvation, and the ...

"CHAOS ARMADA"-in favor of d.a.m.nation. You can form sub-groups under the name of one. And, lastly under these factions, one can"t trust the other if they are in the same group... just yet. Why? Well, obviously there"s only one wish at the end. "

"But sir Hermes does it incorporate leveling and cultivation? Yes. Your strength lies upon your ability to strategize and as well as the ability to train and to venture every day. Luck. Vitality. Agility. Speed. Health points. Magic points. They, without a doubt, exist here, but unlike your video games, It does not show up in your vision. It is hidden. Why do you ask? I don"t know, I figured it would be cool to have them, but the magistrates think otherwise. Maybe, it"s what makes the game fascinating? I dunno."

"What roles are here in the Ethereal Paradigm? Well, it"s for you to decide. You can be a mage and a fighter at the same time. You can be an a.s.sa.s.sin while holding the status of a paladin. You can be a warlock inhabiting the status of a berserker. Anything! So what I"m saying is, it does not matter for you to think deeply about this. It"s for you to decide. I recommend you choose the best one for you."

"While we are in a game, I would also like to remind you that there"s no resp.a.w.ning here. Once you die. You Die! Without anyone remembering in the real world that you exist of course. Wait, isn"t that for the best? You"ll die without hurting your loved ones! That"s so cool, am I right? You can die worrying about nothing!"

Yes, it does sound cool, for the suicidal that is! What the h.e.l.l is this Messenger even telling us?

"As for the living creatures here, you"ll find many, while some of them may look more like a human, take heed that you are different. Oh and I surely can"t forget the mythical creatures of course. Unlike your own and other"s attribute that you are not allowed to see, you can see their status before engaging."

"Furthermore, unlike earth which only has 8.7 million species, There are about a total of 16 million species around here. It"s pretty much understandable... NÆthervale, a realm which is times eight the size of the earth which makes it a very ideal place for powerful Herrschers and contenders to confront each other. And in that 16 million species, some can fly, some can swim, some can only be on land, while some can do both or all three. But, they are divided into types by their physical and magical elements:

Salamander- Fire,

Sylaphe- Nature,

Oried- Wind,

Undine-Water,

Siren- Ice,

Dryad- Earth,

Gnome- Ghost-type which can only be killed through magic...and lastly, as, for those ugly looking monsters, Naethervaleians call them...

Dakini - are none -elemental monsters that can fight with exclusively melee yet strong attacks. Cool names right? "

"That"s about it for the game"s fundamentals. You will discover more as you venture. Let"s move on to the rules. I"m tired."

"First anti-climatic rule. There are no rules. This might seem weird coming from a deity serving the "all-good" magistrates, but I"m just doing my work. You can kill someone by strangling them to death. By stabbing someone while they are sleeping.Poisoning. Bludgeoning. Drowning. Slicing. Crushing or burning someone alive. You can do anything! But, it"s very unlikely for anyone of you here to do that in a surreal realm like this. In a world of magic, you can do something more amazing and rise above the norms! "

"All that matters in this game is that. ONE SHALL BE LEFT BEHIND.", Hermes extrapolated the fact...

"Oh, and I know what you"re thinking. We"re not gonna do anything and we will be safe, right? So the Magistrates decided that if one remains inactive in the game, he or she would be disqualified and disqualification would mean? Right Death! So by hook or by crook, you will kill someone. "

"I hope everything is clear. Tomorrow at three AM, you will be forced to leave this island, and until then, I recommend you prepare for your life in the outside world. You see, this island was the very starting point of the game and it will be the ending point. In the meantime, it will be locked down and will be guarded by four seraphim and whoever wishes to enter this halcyon while the game is ongoing on the background, he or she will face execution. "

"And I almost forgot... You all must decide what armada you are gonna join. Those who decided to join the Mirage Armada, you will take the northern gate on this island to get out and as for the Chaos Armada, you all have to take the southern gate. I suggest you decide your side wisely! For now, you should get your belongings and probably gather everything that you think would be needed. "

"That"s it for the systems and the rule! Oh, and these systems and our one-and-only rule are not final. There will be changes along the way depending on how the game"s progress turns out to be. It"s like you"re in a Beta test of a video game or something, so expect frequent updates. Oh and ...If you have any questions you can call me! I"m only one call away, and I"ll be there to save your day. Just kidding, but I"m serious about calling me though if ever you have an additional question."

"For our Herrschers, good luck! And as well as for our delegates, I wish you all the best! May the odds be forever in your favor! Tomorrow, the official anchor-deity of the game will be introduced to you, and some other concepts as well. And upon your first steps outside, an Anima is waiting for you all, still regardless of the Armada that you"re in. It will give you primary tips and instructions on what to do from there. Dismissed!!! Hermes-sensei, signing off." having said that, the deity together with his presence disappeared without a trace.

Everyone is speechless. They are still blue in the face and their demeanor spelled the horror and the confusion they"re going through, while a bunch of others is quite stupid enough to get a closer look at the dead body still hanged mid-air. Moreover, in their faces, a universal message is clear...It was as of this moment that everyone knew... They screwed up.

Having a kid with me, I quickly aspired to get out of the scene. I can"t waste any more of the time that I have left on this island. Not to mention how Hermes explicitly said that we need to choose between the two factions already. Now, I feel the need to meet Lacrimosa.

(...)

I wonder what happened to my cla.s.smates? Are they still alive right now? h.e.l.l, where did Celes ran to anyway? For now, I should get back to the cla.s.sroom to retrieve some belongings that I left on my desk and I should probably let Shiro eat and get a decent sleep. I"ll meet Lacrimosa after that.

"I wish that the moon would be as big as this, every time I take glimpses upon it", I suddenly heard in my head, the voice of that man who submerged to his decadence that I killed, as I walked. It was my brother"s. Why now?

I looked up and realized that the moon was very big and it appeared closer than that on Earth. It was ethereal, but I don"t like it. The first time I saw such a gargantuan moon had my family killed in the hands of that conceited primate. It"s the very mark of insanity and derangement.

Rules huh? He stated how we can kill anyone by any means we could think of. As for my side, it"s just ludicrous. I wished I could tell this in Hermes" face... That the rules of morality will never be the conclusion of my reasons... for me, at least.