Chapter 19: Forward

After Atlas fell unconscious, Dune carried him to the beach. They rested there, made a fire, and waited for Atlas to wake.

Dune stared into the flames, his thoughts drifting to his mother and twi sisters Eva and Emma. What were they doing now? Had they escaped the chaos?

He hoped they were safe. Glancing at Atlas, who was already almost healed, he marveled at his friend's resilience.

Nely broke the silence, her eyes wide with curiosity. "How is your friend a Purple Zeten? Are you kidding me?

I haven't even seen anyone with Blue Zeten, but purple? This is crazy. It's even crazier that the higher-ups haven't already killed him."

Dune sighed, understanding her astonishment. "Atlas is smart, maybe even smarter than me.. He knows how to hide and fight for his goals at the same time."

Atlas had a past that could break even the strongest. Sold by his family at the tender age of seven, he was taken by warriors from a distant, obscure city far from Fein.

There, he was forced to fight for survival every day, a mere child in a brutal world. He worked as a slave and warrior, battling monsters and often teetering on the brink of starvation. For five relentless years, he endured this torment.

It was during these harsh years that Atlas began to understand his powers.

As he gained a semblance of mastery over his Neba and Zeten, a fierce determination grew within him.

At just twelve years old, he decided to end the torment once and for all. His retribution was swift and absolute.

With a rage fueled by years of suffering, he annihilated the entire city. Buildings crumbled, and every inhabitant, from oppressors to innocents, met their end.

The city, housing between five to ten thousand people, was wiped from existence. They had treated the young Atlas worse than dirt, as a mere slave, not even human.

Beaten daily, his spirit was forged in pain. When he finally unleashed his fury, he spared no one. His Purple Neba and Zeten, even at a mere fraction of their potential, were devastatingly powerful.

After waking up Atlas looked at Dune and sighed with relief, then glanced at Nely with an expressionless gaze. Dune spoke first, his voice tinged with emotion, "I'm glad you're alive. I thought you died back then."

Atlas sighed, mirroring the sentiment. "I thought that too."

Dune had so much to say to Atlas, but he knew this wasn't the time for it. They had to focus on survival, with many challenges still ahead. Instead, Dune laughed and asked, "So, you were the leader of that little crew, right? Why did you suddenly kill them all?"

Atlas was surprised by Dune's perceptiveness, while Nely hadn't considered it. She turned to Dune, her curiosity piqued. "Yeah, Nely, remember? Seven dead bodies and Atlas. He was probably the leader Jake talked about before."

Atlas coughed and asked, "You met Jake?"

Dune responded, "Met? That bastard almost killed me, and his friend Nate too. We were lucky to survive. Well, they're both dead now. My luck wasn't so bad that time, and I made it out alive."

Atlas smiled wryly. "Oh, or did this girl save you instead?"

Dune didn't take it as an insult. He chuckled and said, "Well, pretty much. If not for Nely, I would probably have died before even leaving the building. I owe her my life."

Nely blushed, trying to downplay her role. "Hey, come on, we both did what we could. We had to survive. If not for your plan, I would have died too, you know."

She spoke quickly, nervously, and then a comfortable silence settled over them. They all laughed, the tension dissipating. Atlas smiled, feeling a rare sense of camaraderie.

As the laughter faded, Dune looked at Atlas, his eyes serious. "We need to figure out our next move. we're not out of danger yet."

Atlas nodded, his gaze steady.

Nely glanced between them, sensing the gravity of the moment. "What's the plan then?"

Dune took a deep breath, feeling the weight of their situation. "First, we need to find a safe place to regroup and gather supplies. Then, we can start planning our next steps. We can't afford to stay here long."

Atlas stood up, his movements decisive. "No need for that," he said. Next to him, a purple, spiral-like portal appeared, and from it, he retrieved two small bags.

These were magical artifacts, capable of storing vast amounts despite their diminutive size, fitting easily into the palm of his hand.

"These belonged to one of my crew members," Atlas explained, "I took them before I killed him.

They decided to ambush me when I let my guard down. The battle against the six of them wasn't so hard—they were all weak Zetens, orange and below."

Hearing this, Nely felt a mix of anger and sadness. Atlas had essentially called her weak, and she couldn't even deny it. Compared to him, she was.

Atlas continued, his tone matter-of-fact. "The real problem was the seventh member, Lucas. He was from a different continent, Sarodenly.

He shared some crucial information before he died. Lucas was from a noble family, probably the son of someone important, maybe even the King of Sarodenly or another high-ranking official. At first, he seemed like a nice guy, but he couldn't deceive me.

He paused, his eyes darkening as he recalled the fight. "Lucas had Blue Neba and Zeten, and he used many powerful weapons and artifacts.

The fight was tough, but I managed to defeat him and take everything he had, including these two bags.

They're unaffected by corruption and evil aura. So, when they go into my dimension, they remain unchanged."

Dune nodded, understanding the significance. Atlas possessed a unique Zeten ability: he could store things in his own dimension.

The only limitation was that he couldn't store living beings. However, he could store the dead, who would come back to life and serve him, marked by purple tattoos and bound to his will.

Anything stored in his dimension would become corrupted by evil Neba, including food, which would turn poisonous.

Even Atlas himself would die if he entered his own dimension. These bags, however, remained pure and untainted, a rare find.

Atlas continued, his voice grave. "About the information Lucas shared, it seems like this whole ordeal was orchestrated by the gods and their human apostles.

The man who killed us claimed to be an apostle of the God of War. Lucas also mentioned something about Zeus's curse.

I had heard of it before but never thought it was real. I didn't even believe in gods until now. It seems that one of Zeus's curses prevents gods from harming humans directly.

Thinking about it now, it makes sense. We've never seen or heard of an incident where a god descended or killed any human directly.

Even in the building where everything started, the creatures were awakened by a

subordinate of a god, not the god himself. Even when Zetens died, it was by the hands of the god's apostle, not the god himself ."

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "So, gods need people like us to do their dirty work. But here's the confusing part:

we aren't apostles. We're supposed to be blessed by the gods if we survive here. Why are they giving us power and asking nothing in return?

Apostles pray and sacrifice their lives to the gods. They believe what they do is right, they love the gods, and let Gods use them for their will. But we don't.

They can't change our will. So, why are they blessing us? What's the point of this whole blessing ceremony?"

Dune interjected, " Either way they want big part of Zetens gone because of their potential to rival gods …Or they need us for something greater.

The god also said other gods would choose their blessed ones. If we survive, Atlas, you would probably be a god's favorite. And that means one thing..."

Atlas's eyes widened as he grasped Dune's implication. Dune continued, "It means that whoever chooses you will gain the most, and the other gods will hate you.

Other gods will try their best to kill you. Choosing a side means one god will support you while the other nine will be against you.

I think this is the gods' way of challenging each other. Maybe I'm wrong, but from what we know so far I believe the chosen ten will eventually become enemies.

Think about it, if the continents knew there was someone blessed by a god, the higher-ups would probably want to kill them. While others would try to protect their greatest treasure."

Atlas nodded, the reality settling heavily on him. Dune pressed on, "We need to find Ned, Ezra, and Liam. Then, we survive until only ten people are left."

Nely, who had been listening intently, finally spoke. "So, it's a divine game, and we're the pieces. But why? What do they hope to achieve?"

Atlas looked at her, his expression serious. "Maybe the gods are testing us, challenging each other through us.

They want to see whose chosen one will come out on top. It's a power struggle among the gods, and we're caught in the middle.

But we're not just pawns, we have our own wills, our own strengths. We have to survive, not just for ourselves, but to destroy their plans, to prove we're more than mere tools."

Atlas took out everything from the bags, starting with meat, water, and medicine, including bandages and more, he then pulled out a long white sword and threw it to Dune.

"Take this," Atlas said. Dune's eyes brightened as he examined the sword.

"This sword is also an artifact," Atlas explained. "It seems like noble families can be strong even without their own powers.

This sword doesn't consume your own Neba; it consumes others' Nebas. It can also speed you up. It's sharp, so be careful."

Dune nodded appreciatively. "Thanks. I hope I won't be so useless in a fight now."

Atlas nodded in return and then turned to Nely. He took out a thread wound on a ring and handed it to her.

"Inject your Neba into this. The thread becomes sharp and can cut through rock, skin, and bone like it's nothing. But it can't harm the wielder or anyone the wielder wishes not to harm."

Nely took the thread, listening intently. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Atlas took out one last item from the bag: a small box containing five small, circle-shaped objects. Dune and Nely looked at them curiously.

"I don't know what this is called, but let me show you how it works." Atlas handed one to Dune and one to Nely. "Put this in your ear."

"What?" Nely asked, puzzled.

"Just do it," Atlas insisted.

They complied and then heard Atlas's voice in their heads. "Nely and Dune jumped in surprise. "What? Wow, I heard your voice," Nely exclaimed.

"This is a communication device that Lucas had," Atlas explained. "I think he had companions here.

He used to talk to himself a lot, but it seems he was actually communicating with his companions. They already knew about the gods' plan before it started.

They were confident in surviving here. This device must be enhanced with very little of your Neba. It can then send your thoughts only when you wish to, and it sends to whoever is wearing the other circles.

We can communicate over long distances with this. Dune, you should be able to use it. It takes very little Neba. We need every advantage we can get. With these artefacts, we stand a better chance."

But then Dune asked, "Wouldn't Lucas's companions be able to hear our thoughts too?"

Atlas nodded. "Yeah, they probably will. That's why We shouldn't share sensitive information like our location, as that could put us in danger.

It's a double-edged sword. But if used wisely, it can give us an edge. Let's only use these artefact for critical information, and never when we're separated unless it's a dire emergency."

Nely tested the thread, feeling its power surge through her as she injected her Neba into it. She could sense its potential, the sharpness ready to cut through almost anything.

Dune, on the other hand, swung the white sword experimentally, feeling its balance and the way it seemed to hum with latent energy.

"Let's not waste any more time," Atlas said. "We need to find Ned, Ezra, and Liam, im sure they are alive.

The gods have their plans, but we have ours.