Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain

According to Apollo, people of the sanctuary revered Aelthar, not because of his deeds, but because they knew who he was - a God.

And that's not what Aelthar wanted.

Aelthar wanted a world of peace and equality. Otherwise what would be the difference between him and the other gods who are vying for a throne.

So he severed a part of his soul and left it here to guard his legacy, and created suitable trials to reach the treasure.

He wanted to test his disciples, _ see their passion, personality, resolve, and resilience _ before passing the torch to them.

His plan was simple – to choose a successor and then retire. Go back to living amongst mortals. Not as a god, but as family.

But alas before any of this came to fruition, the same disciples whom he had high hopes about, surrounded and slaughtered him.

Even in his final moments, he only wished better for the world, hoping those traitors would not find anything about his legacy.

Perhaps even fate felt saddened by his fall, and fulfilled his final wish – by trapping this temple in a dungeon, whose mysteries none could master.

Aelthar's soul had been waiting for his successor ever since then.

In the book, Leon receiving this legacy also served as a foreshadowing of sorts, that he will later on become the true ruler of sanctuary/schilla – getting back what was lost in the hands of others.

…

Rio ignored the thoughts flooding his head, as he raised his arms and touched the book floating in front of him.

The pages swirled to life, flipping wildly, casting a wave of wind to hit his face. Before stopping on a page which held a few lines written on it.

[I don't want my successor to be the strongest, to be the one who's most powerful, or the wisest. Only the one who holds his morals as high as me, is worthy of my legacy.]

[Without the principles, there's no meaning in life. So only the one who stays true to his, can clear this trial.]

[The following scenarios you'll be thrust into are something I've come across in my long life. They're simple, yet something which can test not only the sharpness of mind, but show the mirror to one's soul.]

[After each scenario, you'll be presented with a question, answer it very carefully. For every word, letter, tone, and the time they're told_may hold a meaning much deeper than you can ever imagine.]

[I hope you succeed _ for both our sakes.]

As soon as Rio finished reading the rules, the pages started turning, and magical words started floating in front of him. Arranging and rearranging themselves to form the puzzles.@@novelbin@@

For a second Rio was really curious to see what scenes he'll witness next, as not even Aelthar himself was aware of what scenarios from his past would appear randomly to test the trial candidate.

He just had fixed questions for everything, and judged the candidates based on what answers they spoke at the end. __ which is also why Rio felt this legacy was as good as his, cause he literally rote learned everything Leon said in the novel.

When he opened his eyes after a blink, the world around him had changed. He was in a marketplace, _ crowded to the bone.

With people coming and going from all sides. Rio took a glance around, and soon the sound of curses attracted his ears.

He rushed to the noise, and watched a middle aged man beat a little kid with a stick, while the crowd around them just watched.

Apparently the child was stealing bread, and got caught, hence the beatdown.

"Am I supposed to help him?" Rio said, and stepped forward to protect the kid, only to have the illusion coming to a halt.

[Is this your choice?] A voice which only he could hear, came from the skies.

"It is." Rio said.

[You choose mercy, to act and protect the weak _ ignoring the fact that he stole and broke a law.]

"Laws aren't perfect. They're made to smooth out the lives of everyone, and hence they cannot always be equal, or everlasting." Rio said and explained, "Stealing is a crime, but his survival was on the line."

[But what of the baker's survival?] As the voice finished speaking, Rio was thrust into a new scene, where he watched the same guy who beat the kid earlier getting an earful from his rich fat boss, and getting kicked out of his job for allowing thieves in.

Rio watched the previously angry man cry and beg for mercy, only to be kicked in the face and thrown out.

[See what your mercy caused. Because of your small act of kindness, this baker lost his job, future wages, and the stable happiness of his family of four.]

"I will help them too. Pay for the bread, give him a new job. Feed his family." Rio said and added, "I will never ignore the suffering of others."

[Your helping hand stems from your strength. But what if you don't have any. _ What if you're just as hungry and broke as the baker whose future you ruined. What would you do then?]

[Or are you starting to regret your earlier decision now?]

Rio thought for some time, but still chose to refuse this option. "Never."

"I may not be able to save the baker and his family, but at least I saved someone. Why would I ever regret that.."

[Cause of this.] The voice spoke, and Rio watched a new sun rise, starting a new day. He was back at the market, in front of the same kid he saved yesterday.

Rio followed the kid, watching him just breeze through the market, stealing stuff here and there. Pulling chains and jewelry off of old women, pickpocketing some elders, and swapping tattered shoes for a fancy pair at a temple.

[You see, just cause you let him go free after stealing that day, he made it into a habit. A crime unpunished breeds a criminal un-learned.]

[Had you not stepped in that day, the baker's punishment would have helped him grow better. By showing mercy , you blocked justice. And this – is the result.] The voice spoke and Rio watched the kid push an old man off the stairs as he stole his bag and ran off again.

Not even looking back to see the man he killed.

"...."

[Do you regret it now?] The voice asked again, and this time Rio was speechless.

Did he really make the right decision? If so, then why would it feel so wrong.

Rio was lost in his thoughts, pondering over the scenario when the world around him changed once more. This time he was at the borders of a rundown village.

He started walking forward and soon noticed the ominous silence permeating the air, along with the foul smell of rotten flesh and bones.

[A plague has hit the world, wiping out nearly all of the population. Once you're infected, there's no other choice but to die horribly after suffering in pain for a long time.]

[But magically, you have found the cure. Alas only one vial is available for now.]

[So who would you use this vial upon now, the innocent infant, born mere moments ago, or the suffering elder, who helped you build this cure.]

[Life is important. It's precious. It's the greatest gift of God. – But when two lives are on line, how do you choose which one is more important than the other?]

Rio heard the voice and then glanced at his hands which held a small vial of golden liquid. And at his feet were the very lives he had to judge, the crying kid unaware of the dangers and the threat of death, or the elder, holding his knees and begging him with bitter tears.

Should he pick the kid, betting on his future potential and just hope that he won't turn out like the last kid he saved? - or should he pick the elder, who probably helped him day and night so I can save himself.

One is the hope for the future, while the other's been hopeful from the past.

Watching him just stand there and not make a decision, the voice spoke again, pressuring him further.

[So what's it gonna be, the elder, who holds massive alchemy knowledge, or the kid with huge untapped potential?]

"What if I gave them both half a vial. It can delay the disease and by then I can just make another cure. Anyway I made it once, I can make it again."

[Hehehe funny how everyone says this.] The voice laughed as if it heard something it expected long ago, and then refused immediately, [But no, that's not how it works. The medicine can only save one life. – Choose fast, or by the time you decide, maybe both will perish.]

Hearing the warning, Rio looked back down instantly, only to see both people bleeding from their mouth with pale faces and moist eyes.

Rio took a moment and then sighed audibly, before announcing his answer. "I choose the elder." He said, as he bent down to pour the medicine into the dying man's mouth.

His stable hands which didn't shake in the heat of battle, even as he slaughtered many himself, shook for the first time, as a small hand slapped itself upon him.

Rio ignored the infant's dying moments of struggle and it's painful cries,_ while trying hard to not look into those small eyes whose light of life he forever extinguished. Read latest chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

[.... May I know why?] The voice asked subtly, as if even Aelthar felt saddened about something when he remembered this scene.

Rio took a deep breath, gently placing his hand over the kid's face, closing the eyes of a corpse as if it was a ritual of sorts, before standing up and answering the god. "As you said, this world is suffering from a plague. And that this elder helped me make the cure and has massive knowledge. – it may seem like I only saved one life, but with him being here, maybe together, we can save many more."

[.....] The voice spoke no further, and the scene around them vanished into nothingness once more. Changing into something else.