Gods, Demons, and A New Reality

The old man stood in front of him without a kink in his back. He stood straight and tall, obviously proud or content with his life.

His eyes were a startling amber color and shone brighter and more youthful than any man Drew had seen.

He wore robes that cascaded down his body like golden sun rays. His hair was white yet long.

The only thing that truly showed that this man was as old as he was, happened to be because of his failing body.

He may stand straight and proud, but his limbs were frail.

His eyes may shine with an undying vitality, but the wrinkles could not betray the years that he had seen pass by.

He smiled gently at Drew and motioned for him to rise.

The man turned around gently and walked through the halls of the temple and Drew followed, albeit hesitantly.

The temple that surrounded them was different than the churches he had been to on earth. Though a church would indeed give one the feeling of sacredness that comes with belief... this temple was on a different level.

It was not faith that was the issue... it was magic. It flooded the temple and healed those within it without a single ask for its gift.

'Gods... Magic... What world have I come to?' Drew thought as the Old man finally seemed to arrive at a place in which they would not disturb others.

It was a small garden that was painted in colored light from the panes of glass above. It was almost as if it was from a painting... too delicate to exist in reality, only to exist in the world of fiction and fantasy.

The old man gently sat upon a stone that surrounded a pond that filled the center of the tranquil garden.

Drew sat down as well, learning that following others' leads was obviously something he must learn to do as he was an outsider to this world.

For a moment, all that filled the silence around them was the sound of birds chirping and a wind that seemed to come from no particular direction.

"This..."

"Is our Garden of Enlightenment,"

The old man motioned toward his surroundings.

"Though some call this place a gift of Bram, it is only a place of tranquility,"

"And tranquility could be of some use to us at the moment,"

Drew nodded as some sort of understanding began to fill his mind.

"Tranquility is something I am indeed in need of," Drew said as he thought of the chaotic thoughts that had filled his mind the past hours that he had come to this world and even before.

The old man smiled a little wider at Drew's acknowledgment.

"My name is Atun, Child of Bram. May I ask your name, Child of Oleander?" Atun sounded out hesitantly.

Drew thought for a moment before nodding and replying.

"My name is Drew Pence,"

"Drew... A warrior's name," Atun stated.

Drew remained silent at the strange fact that was presented before him.

"And Pence... it is not a name I have ever heard of from the lands of Godrick,"

Drew remained silent still.

"You seek help with your memories..." Atun said hesitantly.

"But... I am filled with sorrow that I may not be of help in that matter,"

"For it is not a matter the gods can even fix,"

"For the only being that may cause this and the curse to remain under our humble temple of Bram is a being that is scorned by the world,"

Drew felt chaos fill his mind once more as he struggled to speak in response to Atum's confusing words but fell short as the garden filled him with a feeling of calm once more.

'All will be fine with the passing of time' A thought whispered within Drew's mind.

"The only one capable of manipulating memories would be a being known as Merlin," Atum said with deep emotion evident within his voice. His eyes watched Drew carefully... studying him for any signs of understanding but came up empty once more.

"Merlin is a demon as many would call him,"

"He is the Demon that represents magic and its affinities... as well as a keeper of secrets,"

"And that is why he is the only being capable of tampering with one's memories so fully as to resist Bram's blessing,"

"His power of stealing memories and locking them away is frighteningly powerful,"

"It is to such a degree that none may fix other than himself, and sometimes not even he can fix the damage he has done,"

Drew felt the need to speak at this moment and his voice croaked out from his tight throat with uncertainty.

"Demons? The creatures of myth and faith?" He said as he recalled the man he had seen before his transportation to this world. The man that had sent shivers down his spine.

Atum nodded sagely but stopped halfway through.

"To a degree,"

"Demons are not as what most think of them. It is not well known what Demons truly are but those close to faith know well,"

"They were Humans,"

"Humans who held on to the powers of the world and gods and manipulated it and twisted it towards their own gain,"

"But no ordinary man or woman could ascend to such heights to be called a demon,"

"It requires one to maim their own bodies in such a way that they are no longer human,"

"That is why I cannot help you and fix your mind,"

Drew felt a sense of hopelessness fill him.

'Am I from another world?' Drew asked himself as he felt the memories of his previous life beginning to slip away ever so slightly.

He had not forgotten everything... it was just that all thoughts of his previous life had begun to grow hazy.

'I didn't think my memories were really tampered with,'

"But,"

"I can help you understand the world once more,"

Drew nodded at Atum's statement. An explanation of where and who he was would be useful to him.

Atum took a deep breath and his eyes looked distant for a moment while he pondered over how to explain reality as a whole to someone who is absent from the current one they are in.

"You are in the world of 'Lune', It is a beautiful land blessed with magic by the gods,"

"Many gods have blessed the land, in total there are 8 gods as of current who help our world grow and prosper,"

"Bram and Oleander are two of them,"

"There are two continents known to us as of now in Lune,"

"Godrick and Lyre,"

"Godrick is a land known for being blessed by the gods and is something of a holy land in its own right,"

"Lyre, which we are currently at, is a string of islands that connect to each other and are surrounded by water,"

"In Lyre there are two Kingdoms,"

"The Kingdom of the Sea and The Kingdom of Storms,"

"We are within the Kingdom of the Sea as of now,"

"The Kingdom of the Sea is a place filled with merchants and sailors. Pirates are a commonplace sight but well trusted in our community,"

"We are ruled by a man known as 'Tillan Seaborn',"

"Then there is the..."

---

Time passed as the sun had begun to fall.

Many words have been spoken of the history of the land they now stood upon as well as the land of others.

After a final string of questions Drew found that he was sent off to a small room for which he would receive accommodations for while he needed them.

It was a small room with just a bed and a desk/chair. A fresh pair of clothes were laid down on the bed and a few books were laid upon the desk.

'This is all... so much to understand,'

Drew had learned many things today. Mostly of geographical significance but he had also learned of the social class system in this new world.

There were the peasants... this is the category he fits into currently. Peasants had no magical affinity and had little to no absolute rights within the land of Lyre.

Then there were the Civilians. These were people who had the power to vote and the right to own land. They were people who were born with a basic magical affinity or people who had mastered weapon levels to such a degree that they could be considered 'Weapon Masters'.

Then there were Noble Scions. These were people who were related to true nobles or people who had their magical affinities at the Bonfire rank... which was essentially three ranks above the basic mastery of 'Spark'.

All those above Noble Scions are people with true power... they were treated like minor kings in their own right.

But for now, he was on the bottom rung due to his lack of magical affinity, which he knew at least.

"Looks like I'm just a peasant..." Drew muttered.

[Welcome to the peasant system, Drew! Please work hard to increase your social standings and strength to get rewarded!]

-

[The Peasant System]

---

Status:

Name: Drew Pence

---

Renown:

Peasant:

No bonus gained

---

Affinities:

Magic Affinity:

None

Weapon Affinity:

Scythe: Master Affinity

---

Skills:

Scythe Mastery: Lv: 1

Mana Reaper: Lv: 1

---

Spells:

None Currently Learned

-

'What the fuck?!' was the only thought that went through his mind as he stared at this video game-like panel in front of him.