Seraphine Dawnstrike

I...I will answer" Zephyriel the archangel on her last breath replied.

"Go on then"

"We were told to explain about Etherea to the otherworlders or the

'Children of goddess'.

They were meant to aid us in the future when the need arose… or something like that." Her words came haltingly, each syllable a struggle.

"We were also to not use force against them or show any arrogance, but to answer any of their doubts no matter how vulgar or illogical, in the most polite way."

"They created many similar copies of us archangels, using illusory magic which even us celestial beings had never seen before"

'So that explains how every player got a separate tutorial NPC. Nobody ever suspected because they thought this was a damn game'

Ray thought how the signs of this world being real had started from the tutorial itself.

His thoughts spiraled as he connected the dots. "But this level of illusion magic… creating independent entities in such vast numbers? That's impossible."

'Not to say even the system acknowledges the illusion to be the archangel itself' Ray thought unable to make any sense out of the conversation.

He checked his inventory to see if her sword was still there.

"That's what we also thought at first but it is possible for her to do."

"And who is she..?" Ray said confirming the sword to be still there.

Zephyriel's breath quickened, her eyes shining with awe and fear. The mere thought of the name seemed to invigorate her,

On the other hand, Ray's heart sank momentarily at the sound of a name he never thought he would encounter,

Even Celestia the AI which Ray had never heard of intervening in his previous life herself for the first time intervened to save his skin.

"One of four fallen go#%"

"the found*# of light fact+*^"

"Th# Eternal Rad*%n%e -"

"SOLARA"

[FORBIDDEN *#KNO*^*#WLEDGE+^% BEING*^% SHARED*%]

[PERPETRATORS ARE TO BE ANNIHILATED IMMEDIATELY]

In a fraction of second a crack began to appear

With a suffocating and omnious aura leaking

from above the tutorial area.

Ray felt a wave of nostalgia washing over him as the crack formed in space in front of his eyes was hauntingly familiar.

It was the same that the whole world would see ten years into the future regardless of whether they will be playing the game or not,

Because the crack would form not in Etherea but on Earth.

Even breathing became difficult in front of the mythical entity. A gigantic hand slipped through the crack in a fraction of a second slamming them both.

Before his eyes even registered the attack he felt some entity covering him with such warmth as if he was the most precious gem in existence.

[Celestia has intervened]

[Player is now transitioning to the mainland]

Ray grabbed the orb and the feather which appeared in place of the angel where now laid disintegrated remains.

'Store' he thought as his surroundings disintegrated into nothingness.

*********

'None of the four fallen gods except the last one were discussed in the lore of the game.

But if Solara is really in existence, there is no way she allows the war between light and dark faction to escalate and also bringing otherworlders to add fuel to it.'

'I will need to gather more information. Two things I am sure of -

One is that the one who will invade Earth is present in Etherea only,

And the second one is that Celestia is opposing whatever it is'

In the lore of Etherea, four humans have been said to transcend mortal and celestial limits all together by becoming the Pseudo gods.

Although more powerful than any entity they soon met their demise in one form or another.

First one was Solara - the eternal radiance. Known to be the ultimate symbol of divine justice she was the founder of the light faction who united people against the hellish monsters.

It is said that her light was so divine that it outshined the sun itself.

Second one was Kaelor- the abyssal sovereign.

Although once a subordinate of Solara, It is said that he showed defiance on submission to the goddess and wished to ascend as a god himself.

Towering over all in might he was known for uniting the forces of darkness under his will and establishing the dark faction. Although he was said to be killed by Solara herself after transcending as the Pseudo god.

Solara was then stated to have undergone corruption after the battle resulting in her disappearance from the pages of history.

The third one of the pseudo gods was Mythren - The arcane veil. He was only stated once or twice as the most gifted magician in all of history known to bend reality itself.

It was said that it was through his help that Solara succeeded in defeating Kaelor.

No clues were ever given about his end except that his bloodlust consumed him resulting in his exile into oblivion

The Fourth and the last was the nameless god. Nothing was known about him except that he was the strongest of the four neither belonging to dark nor light faction.

While the other three were revered and remembered it was as if he was deliberately forgotten.

The Main quest of Etherea Online was primarily based on dark faction trying to summon the nameless god on to Etherea and the light faction preventing them.

It was during this quest that players got to know that unlike the other gods, who were corrupted in power, the nameless god never fell willingly.

Instead, he was betrayed by all the three pseudo-gods, sealed away to prevent his power from disrupting the balance of the world.

The main quest revolved around unraveling his story, the reason for his erasure, and deciding whether to release him as a potential ally—or face him as the ultimate foe.

'Well, nothing I can do right now. First I must do something about Asmodeus'

Ray thought as he was grinding some herbs that he found in the paladin's bag using a small stone he found in the basement.

"Whatever you are trying to do, don't you dare think to come near me," the golden-haired paladin said still holding the sword raised in her hands.

Both of them were currently sitting in the dull basement beneath the ruined blacksmith's workshop. The intense rumbling could be felt of demonic monsters rampaging and absorbing demonic energy overhead.

"I UNDERSTAND but can you PLEASE remain quiet for a bit" Ray said irritated by hearing the same thing over and over.

'She is really acting like an npc now' Ray thought as he mixed the grinded paste in the water bottle from his inventory

[Beginner potion (E) crafted!]

[You have crafted your first potion!]

[ Skill acquired: Alchemy (E)]

This skill grants a 10% increased chance of success and effectiveness when crafting potions and elixirs. More advanced recipes will unlock as proficiency improves.

Although Ray knew how to create basic potions from his previous life he suddenly felt more proficient in alchemy after learning the skill.

'Inventory' Ray said

[ Inventory ]

5x bread

4x drinking water

20x bronze coins

1x hunting knife

1x Archangel's feather

1x Crystalline orb of resonance

Ray focused on the last two object.

-Archangel's Feather(??)

Description: A fragment of the divine, said to restore life and hope.

Effects:

-???

-???

-Crystalline orb of resonance (??)

Description:??

Effects:

-??

[*Player's level is insufficient*]

Ray had killed hundreds of archangels in his previous life and was well-versed in the effects of both. He grimaced remembering how he used to massacre hordes of them to farm these things for his guild.

The feather was an important reagent for alchemy which sped up high-rank alchemy process and also increased its affinity to divine energy.

Crystalline orb on the other hand was a one-time use that can store large amounts of divine energy and release all of it in one go when activated.

Both of these were treasures on their own but Ray had some other use for them in his mind.

He quickly took out the feather and dropped it into the potion he created without letting the divine energy leak above.

"Wha- Wasn't that Angelic Feather? Whom did you steal it? That's not a treasure someone bearing the mark of fallen can have." she replied ready to strike him if the need arised.

The feather instantly dissolved leaving a golden hue in the potion.

[You have mixed (A) ranking reagent with (E) ranking reagent]

[Synergy: 40%]

[Alchemy skill: (E) is below the required level]

[Potion of life (Incomplete)(A) created!]

He threw the potion at the confused lady and said "Drink it quickly or the monsters are gonna be attracted by its divine energy"

Hearing the rumbling stopping for a moment overhead she quickly drank it all in one go.

All of a sudden she felt the potion flowing through her mana channels healing her battered wounds from days of fighting.

Her mana levels were filled all of a sudden giving her full control of her divine powers again.

She felt as if she just got out of a long bath feeling rejuvenated instantly. She finally lowered her sword.

She was certain that if he hadn't come, she wouldn't have lived to see the next day.

Ray then approached her seeing the cursed bindings to her feet,

"This... I think this is a cursed mythril " Ray said examined the runes on the bindings.

[The curse Sovereign of the Abyss, is resonating with the runes]

Ray felt as if could now control even the minor intricacies of the runes. He manipulated the mana flow to short circuit inside the bindings disintegrating them into dust.

"You... Are you really not corrupted..? But you bear the mark of fallen" She said finally free after almost three weeks of endless battles.

[You have saved an important story character from her eminent fate]

[Favourability with Seraphine Dawnstrike has increased]

[Hated---> neutral]

'Important character..? Dawnstrike..hmm.. I think have heard that name bef- Oh shit, No way she was here of all places...???'