In a flash, they were thrust into a new world—the Abyssal Multiverse. The very scent of the earth here reeked of rotting blood. The sky, overcast and drizzly, frequently erupted with flashes of lightning. Xerxez heard distant roars, unlike any earthly beast, but the growls and rustlings of savage creatures.
"Where are we?" Xerxez muttered, slowly rising and stumbling, much like a child learning to balance. But soon enough, he mastered standing on the hovering halo plate.
"We are here in the Abyssal Multiverse," the man said, turning to Xerxez with a smile. "The world of beasts!" Suddenly, a creature lunged from behind him, its massive maw drooling with fangs ready to consume him.
"Monster!" Xerxez shrieked. But the man merely stood, as if the creature's attack was calculated. His right hand moved swiftly, and a blue light erupted, transforming into a long, sharp spear. He thrust it into the monster's mouth, piercing through its head like a needle, and then the creature's head exploded, leaving nothing recognizable.
"Whew!" the man exhaled, his feat seemingly effortless. The other monsters retreated, their skin like that of reptilian devil-lizards—reddish with black, white, and yellow spots. Many fins adorned their jaws and backs, and their claws were sharp, like eagle talons. "Listen carefully," he began.
"It has been a long time since I sealed this dimension to prevent it from harming mortals... but it required a great portion of my power." With a mere wave of his hand, the man wiped the monster's blood and saliva from his armor. He then paused, observing Xerxez's stance, and inhaled courageously.
"They call me Orion. The great hunter. The entity of the hunt." He declared with a valorous stance.
"You're Orion?" Xerxez's eyes widened, struck dumb by this revelation. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fiɾe·net
"Yes, I am that Orion, though I have my own name. But no matter... if you call me Orion, that will suffice."
"Tell me, what truly was the reason for your abandonment of Thallerion?"
"Abandonment?" Orion chuckled at the word. "I never abandoned the people I vowed to protect... the truth is..." He drew a deep breath from the depths of his being.
"I have done everything to balance my duty to the people and to this place. But I couldn't, because I was trapped in this multiverse. So, I created a dozen weapons. And one of them is the Dagger you kept hidden."
"So, it's true, that dagger came from you," Xerxez said. "There's no doubt, because I saw it on one of the statues in your checkered realm."
"Hehe, your sight is keen. But aren't you wondering why I haven't stopped calling you?" Orion asked.
"The pact," Xerxez replied. "But how did we come to have a pact?" Xerxez struggled to understand when their agreement began.
"Let me clarify this for you: Anyone who holds my weapons, and possesses them, I can call Orion's warriors. But because you blessed that dagger with your blood, that is why I was able to return to my kingdom, and why I can now return to your world through you. Now, I also admit to you, we have formed a strong pact. The truth is, I never chose a designated warrior; instead, I allowed the destiny of humans to find their fate as my chosen one."
"I am... your chosen one?" Xerxez uttered.
"Yes, you should not resent me because of what your ancestors believed—that I abandoned Thallerion. The reason I say I never abandoned the people I vowed to protect is because I left them weapons that were a part of my power. I gave them my weapons to use against invaders. But what they did was discard the value of those weapons, burying and forgetting them."
They sat on the halo plate, navigating deeper into the abyssal. The roars of monsters grew louder. In the center, a massive hole, as wide as a volcanic maw, smoked darkly within.
"When my weapons were thrown away, I thought everyone had forsaken my power, but I never imagined a child like you would be hunting in the forest alone. That day on, I believed you would retrieve my dagger, although I was already amused by your hunting of bird nests. I could see you clearly through the dagger, even when it was submerged in water—a happy and vibrant child... but you changed when your parents died."
Xerxez's gaze dropped as if recalling those days. "I feel that you are angry at the entities that destroyed the perfect family you once had. But remember, not all entities aim to destroy the lives of others."
"Enough," Xerxez said with a heavy sigh. "It's enough for me to hear the reason for your disappearance."
"And tell me, are you willing to help Thallerion again?"