Chapter 83: The Storyteller
He lit a candle.
The flame grew and consumed the wax.
He observed it without any apparent purpose.
Finally, he sighed.
"Just like this candle, we are... Fragile, without the strength to resist."
Gabriel remained seated for a few moments on the old wooden bed.
Only the crackling of the small flame and his rhythmic breathing could be heard.
The emotions of the farewell still lingered within him, mixed with that warm sensation that had run through his body while narrating *The Banquet of the Dead*.
It had been strangely deep and fortuitous. He felt that he was finally beginning to untie knots he did not know existed.
Noel, his friend, could persevere.
And he had to remain strong in the face of the irreversible events he constantly suffered.
Remembering that warm source that had run through him, he was able to regain serenity. It was the most important evidence.
Finally, he lay back on the bed and breathed peacefully.
He had already been connected for too long.
It was time to return to the real world.
He extended his hand and opened the system menu.
When he was about to select the option to disconnect, a new window appeared before him.
It was not a notification he would usually receive.
The silver letters were written with incomparable prose and were completely new.
_________________
ATTENTION, player.
You are participating in the Challenge of the Heavens. Your progress depends solely on you. If you fail by disconnecting, it will be a rational penalty.
_________________
He read it calmly. He did not want to let any detail make him look foolish.
"A rational... penalty?" he murmured in confusion.
Until a few days ago, there had been a huge discussion in the community regarding this type of event.
Many players claimed it was possible to avoid certain challenges simply by disconnecting before completing them.
Others affirmed that the video game detected that behavior and punished it in different ways.
No one had managed to prove either theory.
But now it seemed the developers had gotten ahead.
The system itself had closed that possible loophole.
There was no escape. If a player accepted a great challenge, they had to finish it or fail in the attempt.
Gabriel gently tapped the edge of the system window with his index finger.
His conviction only increased. Since all the key points pointed to certain events that were discussed in any video game community.
"So this really must be one of those big events..." he murmured to himself.
The doubt remained practically imperceptible in his tone.
What was the reason for launching it at that moment?
That was his main question... One that could clarify many things.
Finally, he closed the panel.
His vision began to fade.
***
He opened his eyes again in his classic room.
The monotonous ceiling of his small apartment appeared before him.
He slowly removed the neural helmet. The black casing was surprisingly hot.
Its exterior temperature practically burned.
Gabriel held it for a few seconds in his hands.
"I never imagined I would play for so long..."
He had a tired smile.
He got up slowly, his muscles protesting from the inactivity.
While stretching his back, he began to mentally organize his priorities.
He needed to continue his journey inside the ruin. Complete Charles’s mission. Investigate Baron Miracle.
And figure out how all of that connected with his coincidences.
He thought about reorganizing several of them. And ended up discarding some completely.
He needed to focus or he would only uselessly divide his attention.
He definitely could not pursue every kind of desire.
But his stomach had other plans, roaring like a prehistoric beast.
With impetus and force.
Gabriel gently caressed his stomach.
"First, eat."
He prepared a simple dinner. Just a bit of aromatic flavor.
He urgently needed to recover energy.
Then he dropped onto the bed. Exhaustion finally overcame any other thought.
He fell asleep almost immediately.
***
The sound of numerous sirens pierced through the windows. Gabriel slowly opened his eyes.
Once again in the precarious neighborhoods of Neo-Atlas Inferior.
Sirens and alarms had become an essential element.
He did not even feel curious.
With clumsiness and fatigue, he remained observing the ceiling for a few seconds until he finally got up.
He was still exhausted, but he still prepared a quick breakfast.
He logged into the forums with genuine curiosity.
And for the first time, the entire network was talking about the video game.
Threads with videos and experiences kept multiplying before his eyes.
But above all those publications, there was one thread that undoubtedly occupied the first place in popularity.
Great Ruins: the debacle of a previous civilization.
Gabriel immediately opened the publication.
The author called himself The Traveler.
And its content was extraordinarily enriching. It was not simply a collection of useless rumors.
Instead, it had maps, chronologies, and detailed historical fragments.
The user had gathered information from dozens of different cities.
Gabriel slowly advanced through each section.
With every minute of reading, the effort behind the document became more evident.
It seemed written by an obsessed historian.
He finally reached the last paragraph. It was a note written with evident fascination.
"I don’t know what the creators were thinking. This is too much. Every point connects and develops through time... It is undoubtedly a disciplined work of sleepless months."
Gabriel let out a slow sigh.
He drummed his fingers on the table. According to that compilation, the Great Ruins were not an isolated phenomenon.
They had appeared in all the important cities.
And also in the cities where novices were transported for the first time.
And in each one there was exactly the same warning.
An open challenge. With no apparent limit on participants.
"I suppose this is the global event everyone was talking about..."
For some time an event had begun to involve the community. Where it was rumored that a great event would soon begin.
But even so, no one had managed to imagine such a move.
Gabriel continued reflecting.
He did not fully understand the nature of the event. Perhaps the different challenges hidden within the ruins would end up revealing it.
In any case, it was not his priority.
He slowly massaged his forehead. His objective remained exactly the same:
Complete the mission entrusted by Charles, recovering that mysterious object hidden in the depths.
After a while, he disconnected. Contemplating the neural helmet.
He took it carefully between both hands. Its black surface weakly reflected his face.
He caressed it tenderly.
"Amazías... Who are you really?" His voice did not rise in the silent room.
In a certain way, he was beginning to feel that mysterious name more intimately. Remembering the experiences he had suffered on the first day.
***
He had returned to the same cabin.
The wooden ceiling with its characteristic forest aroma.
There was no change. It was just a little late.
The weak solar rays hit and passed through the window.
Gabriel got up slowly. The wounds were still present, with their pain deeply adhered.
With some difficulty he left the cabin. The firewood continued to accumulate.
The memories of the true woodcutter appeared again.
Stories by the fire, winters and children.
The woodcutter had told three important stories in his life.
If his memories were correct and he counted them, he only needed one more story.
His last narration.
Without wasting more time, he began to walk toward the city.
The streets retained the same appearance as always.
But there was something very different and subtle.
Several people walked with a certain slowness.
Some stopped for a few seconds before answering simple questions.
Others seemed distracted.
As if they were trying to remember something long forgotten.
Gabriel slightly slowed his pace.
He observed those small details with attention. Doubts began to grow within him.
Them too...?
His thoughts had a direction. Were they awakening?
His memories had returned like a spring breeze.
So the differences were impossible not to notice.
The inhabitants seemed to think before acting.
Gabriel finally looked away.
Understanding that phenomenon would not change his immediate objective.
As he advanced, he began to pay attention to conversations he would have previously ignored.
Several coincided on the same name. Baron Miracle.
Gabriel listened to one conversation after another. Each story added a small detail and built a personality.
The Baron helped, protected, financed, and listened to his citizens.
But his behavior was as generous as it was extravagant.
Some even claimed he only appeared when someone truly needed him.
To finally disappear like mist.
Gabriel felt the pieces beginning to fit together.
People received commissions from him, with countless similar stories spread throughout the city.
Would he have to be an excellent storyteller?
A few meters away was the tavern. Laughter escaped through the open windows.
His next destination had remained in front of him from the beginning.
Gabriel managed to calm down.
He did not know in what way he had gotten trapped inside that strange illusion. But to break it, he only had to fulfill its rules until he discovered it.
And the storyteller...
He still had one last story to tell.