3

“Young or old, to-day or ‘morrow, ad-ven-tur-ers await.”

“Song or snow, the wind will blow from day to the dead of night.”

“Valorius hymns they sing of him, the one who saved the light”

“From dust to gold, he must be told, he is the hero who fights”

Cryo’s eyes shot open. The beautiful voice of a woman was singing. It was unlike anything Cryo had ever heard before. It was a voice of compassion and hopefulness, and it was probably the best voice Cryo had ever heard. Each lyric was impeccable, and seemed to drip with liquid gold. It was like a lullaby hand-crafted by God himself.

“The sea, the sea, the shining sea, the one that snares the fools”

“Broadsword, bright light, the he-ro used as tools”

“One demon quenched, another dead, he fought through burning blight”

“But light or dark, rite of the lark, the hero fought through fright”

“The chilling sea with fangs like ice, the devil’s home in hell”

“Nothing worried the hero, for all demons he would quell.”

With the final word, the singing stopped and a beautiful, radiant light, so bright it seemed to have rainbows fluttering on the ends encapsulated Cryo’s once blinded vision. The light was like staring directly into the sun, but instead of his eyes hurting, they felt like they were being softly caressed by a careful hand. This was an experience unlike any other, and the beauty completely overwhelmed Cryo’s infinite confusion. After what felt like an hour of pure bliss, the light dimmed and Cryo felt that he was sitting on something. Looking down, he saw a throne with gemstones imprinted into what seemed like every inch of the throne.

“What in the world is going on?” Cryo’s question was not unanswered, despite him thinking he was alone

“Hello, young one, welcome to my domain.” The familiar voice of the woman he had heard before answered his question.

Looking up from the throne, Cryo stared face-to-face with what was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his entire life.

“Where am I?” he asked

“You are in my domain, I believe you humans call this place purgatory” the woman answered.

“Who are you? How am I here? Why am I here?” Cryo stuttered

“I am the goddess Ultear, I am a guiding light for lost souls like yourself, you are here because I summoned you, you are a brave hero. You are here because I need you” Ultear chuckled at his questions before giving her answer.

“But, that’s impossible! I’m not dead!”

“No, you are not dead. Your real body is in a coma. If it wasn’t for my blessing though, you would be dead.” she answered with a silky, soothing voice.

“Okay, well how do I get back?”

“Do you want the long version or the short version?” the goddess smiled

“Uh, well I guess I have time, so the long version.” Cryo said

“You are tasked with entering a world of despair, corrupted with the evil forces of Lokuul, a high-level demon king who’s wrath you must loosen by smiting the demon king himself. To accomplish this seemingly impossible task, you must collect the 4 legendary swords of the realm, Whisper, Pyra, Terra, and Aq. Obtaining all 4 swords will fuse them into a mighty weapon that can smite down the demon king. Along with these legendary weapons I will also bestow upon you one blessing. This blessing can maximize any one aspect of your choosing.” she said, still with the same silky soft voice.

“One aspect of my choosing?” he asked, slightly overwhelmed.

“Yes, such as your looks, strength, intelligence, you get the idea.” she charmingly said, almost as if bestowing an impossible task onto a normal human boy was fun for the goddess.

“Hmmm, let me think” Cryo replied

“Take your time!” She smiled back

Cryo was deep in thought. He was about to take on a task that didn’t even seem like it was possible by any standard. He had to choose an aspect that would benefit him the most. Knowingly, he would likely be transported to this realm with the same aspects as in the real world. No aspect seemed to be a good choice. If he chose strength, he’d be able to wield mighty weapons and swing them with ease, but he’d lack strategy and would likely end up dying to an enemy that was strong in stealth. If he chose intelligence, he would have mighty, unbeatable strategies, but would lack the raw power to carry them out successfully. Choosing looks would let him charm any woman he chose, but wouldn’t get him very far past that. The choice seemed impossible, until he remembered what had landed him in this position in the first place: his terrible luck.

“I’d like a blessing to maximize my luck” Cryo said with confidence.

“You...what?” The goddess said, suddenly taken aback by his statement.

“I said...I’d like to maximize my luck” He reaffirmed.

“Ha..Haha..HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA” The goddess laughed

“Wh, what’s so funny about that?” Cryo said

“Whelp, nice knowing you, have fun winning some slot machines or something hahahaha” the goddess could barely get the sentence out without laughing

“Wait, what do you mean?” Cryo said

“Your choice is final, see you!” The goddess said, opening a portal that shone with the same light Cryo had seen on his way in.

“Wait, but… I!” His last protest was unheard as he was sucked from his seat on the throne into the glimmering portal.

Bright light shone all around Cryo, it was like the polar opposite of the dark abyss he was in beforehand. Rainbow colors shot past him, but all he could do was look around, his body wasn’t moving no matter how hard he tried.

“Stupid goddess, I’ll show her people with luck always come out on top!”

With that final declaration, the light suddenly disappeared and Cryo realized he was standing up, but his eyes were closed. Merry music was playing and he could see sunshine beyond his closed eyelids. Opening his eyes, Cryo looked down from the sunlight, and when his vision cleared, he gasped.

He was in the world of Ultima Online.

End of Chapter///