III · What He Had to Hide

🎧 Ghost of You by 5 Seconds of Summer

✵ ✵ ✵

"I don't… I don't get it Sera. What was my dad onto?"

[The Architect had many, many, many powerful enemies, Ria.]

[Enemies he made along his way, enemies that would do anything in their power not to let him have an offspring, not let it grow and be, even if slightly, like him, because they feared him.]

"My dad wouldn't harm a fly in real life, Sera, that's absurd. Dad used to be terrified of cockroaches even, he would even get out of the way when an ant was passing by near him, that's how ridiculous he was. How is it that an innocent idiot like him made enemies like that, that would make him hide to… raise me?!?" It makes even less sense.

[Not to shatter what you believed you knew of your father, Ria, but, the Architect was anything but innocent and inoffensive. He was, in fact, a one-of-a-kind troublemaker, a real trouble magnet, a walking havoc.]

"What?" I gasped. "My dad? The most uptight and strict rule-biding men to ever walk on earth? That walking OCD? A troublemaker? Where? I can't believe that, that's not the father I know!"

[But you don't know you father, not truly, do you, Ria?]

I swallowed, feeling the low hit right where it hurts. "No, but,"

[An artifact can't lie to their owner, Ria, I wouldn't be able to lie to you. Though Cora and Pollux still gotta bond with you, I'm already bonded to you, so I really cannot lie. Even if I could, I wouldn't.]

But before I could ask something else, the screen changed.

[Time left before automatic transmigration:

00:00:08:00]

"What… what will happen in 8 minutes?"

[You will be sent to Auradoom, Ria.]

[You should be setting everything right for your arrival. I can't control the time, I'm sorry. The only primordial matter I control is space and its dimensions.]

"What is that supposed to mean?" I squeaked, anxiety rising.

[The magic-less human realm is in the dimension 007153728969.]

[Your father, the Architect, managed to configurate me to open a rift that would take him and you there, 23 years ago, in human time.]

[That's why he left me protected in here, not to activate me, or he'd transmigrated back to Auradoom, which would be dangerous to both him and you. He hid everything from you because it was necessary.]

[Without carrying me, the spies of other realms that infiltrated the human realm after him, couldn't get to him, neither could they know that he was The Architect.]

The screen changed.

[But now that he died, it's different. In fact, for him to die in the human realm, he would have to be defeated by an undead, as the undead of hell are the only beings able to harm an artifact creator that is in another dimension, one that he doesn't belongs to, even more taking into consideration how strong your father really was.]

[So, the probability of someone from Auradoom having paid one of the Princes of Hell to send an undead after your father, is high. He did have enemies in all the Seven Hell Courts.]

It changed again.

[Had they known he had a daughter, and with your mother at that, they would all be out for your neck, not caring if you were a little innocent child or not. If your father has enemies, your mother has ten times more than he does, which makes your situation even more precarious than his, had you stayed in there. But since you got taken out of Auradoom by him, and you were raised in a different dimension such as this, they won't be able to recognize you. Not by your looks, aura, core, soul, or mannerisms. However, not to be in imminent danger, you will have to hide that you were here in the human realm, or suspicion might rise, Ria.]

One more time, the text vanished and another popped up.

[My power was initially linked to your father's life force, just like all the other artifacts that are bonded. If, after his death, some people came to you asking for the form I was in, then you are in danger, and you were right to come to me now. Had them caught on the fact that you have me, and confronted you in here, you would die, horribly, and I would be stolen away. All of your dad's enemies are out after me, wanting to get their hands in the power that I wield, the power to travel to dimensions, many of them with the catastrophic intention of slaving and conquering them all.]

Again.

[Auradoom is the dimension 009694, a dominant one, and one that has outgrown all others in power. That's where you're from.]

[You will be in danger as soon as you set foot there, so, can you put yourself together and suit up while you still can?]

[Time left before automatic transmigration:

00:00:04:28]

"You can't just overload me with all that and,"

[Hesperia, we'll be able to still talk there, but you won't be able suit up and prepare yourself there. Focus!]

I clenched my jaw, heart beating like a drum, "Fine."

[Finally. We lost too much time.

Precious time.]

[Do it all fast, don't overthink.]

[Pick the season you feel better at:]

» Winter

» Summer

» Autumn

» Spring

When I pressed on Autumn, another text came up.

[You've picked autumn, now pick the environment:]

» Desert

» Mountain

» Woods

» Clouds

» Wasteland

» Underwater

» Underground

» Underworld

» Central big city

Swallowing anxiously, indecisive, I pressed central big city.

[You've picked a big city, now pick the kingdom:]

» Storm Empire

» Shifters Kingdom

» Vampire Kingdom

» Fae Kingdom

» Dragon Kingdom

Shit, none of them sound very good. But since I didn't pick a class of shifter, vampire, fae, or dragon, whatever that really means, I don't think I should pick them. This Storm Empire sounds more inclusive.

[You've picked a the Storm Empire, now pick your job:]

» Nun

» Healer

» Merchant

» Writer

» Librarian

» Journalist

» Cooker

» Adventurer

» Spy

» Artist (random talent)

» Assassin

» Authorized Researcher

The second my eyes laid on the last one, I knew that was it.

[You've chosen to be an Authorized Researcher, pick your field:]

» Female Interracial Fertility

» Interracial Murderous Triggers

» Genetic Mutations

» Ambiental Interference on One's Core

» Mating Bonds in Depth

» Biology of Dead Bodies

» Artifact Creation

» Magical Awakening in Hybrids

"What the fuck?" I cursed, picking the less worse.

[You've picked what to research, now pick a weapon.]

» Scythe

» Long sword

» Twin daggers

» Bladed fan

» Bat

» Spear

» Poisons

I picked the only thing I could guarantee myself with, thanks to my dad's teachings when he taught me how to fight.

[You've chosen to wield twin daggers, now input the age you want to be there, it doesn't necessarily need to be the age you are now in the human realm.]

[Age: ___]

"I'd rather be honest with my age," I said as I set it on 24.

[Soul Window ·

Name: Hesperia Merikh

Age: 24 years old

Class: Unknown

Date of Birth: Unknown

Occupation: Authorized Researcher

Field: Artifact Creation

Location: Storm Empire

Abilities: Unknown

Stats: Unknown

Artifacts: Three

Level: Unknown]

[Time left before automatic transmigration:

00:00:00:05]

"Shit, shit, wait, Sera," I panicked, unsure of what will happen.

[You might faint.]

[See you on the other side, Ria!]

"Sera, shit, okey fucking dokey," I yelled trying to lessen my fear.

I felt something cold consuming me, taking over everything.

And just like that, it all went black.