Kaizen was visibly uncomfortable with the idea of gods interfering in the story of Rise Online. To him, this idea was absurd, even though he had already faced dragons, frost giants and even died and been reborn once.
He remembered the countless times he had traveled around this vast world, helping people and fighting terrible creatures. If gods exist, why had he never met one?
The gods, if they existed, seemed to be oblivious to the suffering and struggles of the inhabitants of Midgard, so if they did, why would they help?
The thought took him back to Nilfheim, a dark and icy world, the first world he explored after Midgard.
Nilfheim was a cruel and desolate place, where the cold was so intense that the land itself seemed frozen in an eternal winter. However, the real horror of Nilfheim lay in its 'nobility'. Tyrants were the rulers of Nilfheim, who ruthlessly exploited the region's inhabitants. They established a regime of oppression, where the weakest were subjugated and exploited, while the tyrants lived in luxury and abundance in the mountains. Kaizen remembered the villages he saw, the starving blacksmiths and the constant fear that hung over Nilfheim.
Yet the gods remained indifferent to the suffering of the people of Nilfheim. There was no divine intervention to stop the oppression and misery that had plagued the region for so long.
How could the gods choose when and where to intervene? Why would they choose Mibothen and not Nilfheim? And why would their interference literally destroy an entire kingdom?
Kaizen couldn't accept that idea. For him, Rise Online was just a game, a fantasy world where he sought challenges, but for him the idea was still inconceivable.
Were the gods above or below the Evolved?
With all this in mind, he turned to Alina, his eyes expressing his confusion and disbelief, and said:
"This all doesn't make sense, Alina. If they have the power to intervene, why would they choose to intervene now?"
The magician looked at Kaizen with sadness in her eyes. "Kaizen, I understand your disbelief. But the circumstances surrounding Mibothen are unusual. The sudden and inexplicable destruction of the kingdom cannot simply be attributed to the Eye of Hermodr. If it wasn't the gods, then we must fear, because the gods still have a modicum of reason."
Kaizen sighed, feeling frustrated at the lack of clear answers. "I know it's not your fault, Alina, and that you're only trying to help. I just... want to understand what's going on and how we can help."
Alina nodded understandingly. "I understand, Kaizen. I'll keep searching and investigating. Perhaps we can find out more information that will shed light on this situation."
"Thank you for that, Alina." He thanked her.
Kaizen went upstairs, still lost in thought about Alina's strange theory. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something much deeper and more mysterious going on at the moment.
On reaching the top floor, he was greeted by an unexpected scene. All the invited guild members, Xisrith, Jayaa and Andrew, were standing there, waiting for him.
At first, Kaizen was speechless, and especially confused when he saw Xisrith, as he thought she was still on the plane or something.
"Guys?" Kaizen asked, surprised. "And Xisrith? How...?"
Xisrith smiled tiredly and nodded. "I arrived at my destination and decided to log on from the hotel as soon as I heard about the situation in Mibothen. It looks like something big is going on."
Kaizen nodded, sharing the same concern. "You're right.
Jayaa, who had been silent until then, intervened. "My sister told me about this and, knowing you, I figured you'd want to intervene."
Andrew shook his head in agreement. "This could affect the whole game, and our guild can't be left out."
Kaizen nodded in agreement, with a smile at the corner of his mouth. "It's better than I imagined... We're all on the same page."
Kaizen then signaled for everyone to sit down, forming a circle on the side of the counter.
"Before anything else, I'd like to introduce Xisrith properly, because Andrew and Jayaa have already met," said Kaizen, looking at Xisrith. "She's an exceptional player and, more importantly, a reliable friend. She's a descendragon and a very fast swordsman. We can say that she will be the Assassin of the group."
Xisrith made a graceful greeting, inclining her head slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is ours." Jayaa and Andrew replied.
"And, Xisrith, this is Andrew and Jayaa respectively. Andrew is an Arcane Warrior, and he'll be on the front line with me. For his part, Jayaa is a bard and when Alina can't be with us, he'll be our main support."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Xisrith said to the two boys.
Then Kaizen returned to the subject they were about to discuss. "As you may already know, Mibothen was destroyed, and in the past Alina and I had the suspicion that the Eye of Hermodr was hiding in that realm, but in the end it happened to Mibothen. If it was them who did it, it means that we were wrong, both about where they hide and also about their destructive power."
"What if it wasn't them?" Andrew asked, after raising his hand.
"Alina believes it may have been gods."
The news hung in the air, weighing on everyone. The Eye of Hermodr was a mysterious cult that was always behind all the bad things that happened in the world, but now it could have been gods who did this to Mibothen?
"Wait, did you say gods, Kaizen?" A head that ghosted across the floor from the second floor to the first asked, startling Andrew.
"AHHHH! What is that? A monster?!" He asked, walking backwards in despair.
Kaizen sighed, and Jayaa and Xisrith laughed, because it was only Og'tharoz.
"Andrew, that's the fourth member of the Guild, Og'tharoz. He owned this property until I bought it and became the owner." Kaizen explained, wanting to laugh too.
"Co-owner, you mean, Kaizen." Og'tharoz said, floating until his feet touched the first floor.