34 Hermes's Delayed Display

"The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It's the age-old struggle: the roar of the crowd on the one side, and the voice of your conscience on the other."

-General Douglas MacArthur

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"Sever?"

"What do you mean by that emcee freak?"

"Come on we expected more! Where's your magic ?"

"Who do you think you are? General Douglas McArthur in his quest on the Pacific?"

Few began to say things like that, as they snapped from their mental paralysis now going as far as to even humiliate a deity. Little did they know that the delay was purposed.

Not even a minute after a few crowds again began a noisy extravaganza, large explosions came setting ablaze the same distant mountains where his finger is pointed. It was so powerful that the impact reached us and even woke Shiro up feeling afraid whilst crying. The seas began to roar vehemently from the explosions' wake and so as the wind becoming fierce enough to deem the feeble defenseless and vulnerable.

"That happens..." Celes suddenly talked in connection to where we last picked up.

"A single display of power could take form as a demonstration, a lesson and as well as a warning." She added, while also comforting Shiro in my arms little by doing silly faces (that are not too silly), distracting the child from the brutality of visages while I felt the need to respond if I don't want her seeing me unable to grasp the situation. But then...

"Oni-chama, what happened ?" Shiro asked with eyes which just cleared out of tears.

"It was just fireworks. Nothing to worry about" I replied to her, giving her a straight lying face while assuring her that she is safe.

"It's without question. Basically what you're saying is to instill fear to silence the enemy, right?" Getting back on the topic, I further confirmed her implicit claim.

"Yes," she replied.

I wonder where she could have to get that knowledge from and what's even more interesting is how she felt so sure of her inferential judgment. Or, maybe it's given judging that her family is an industrial icon in the business class. Wait, am I saying that her family resorts to such? Haha. Such a sarcastic and advanced thinking, while here she is comforting a child with what she thought were silly faces.

To the main scenario. As we all know, there are many signs as to how you can deem if someone is being scared. Needless to say, it's : (1)Their heartbeat. (2)Their eyes. (3)Their breathing. (4)Their posture, which by looking at one of those, you can frantically tell if someone is indeed being a scared kitty cat.

And from their looks alone, the en masse of people which was trying their hardest to blame the deity moments ago now stands too corrected to even move a muscle, and every bit of their being has become a very live embodiment of fear. Their expression is an exact replay the same when that Atlas gargoyle began picking the whole island up to be transported here.

Then the just-humiliated-deity began to take hold of the microphone in front of him, smiling and rather proud of the blazing display he just made.

"MacArthur eh? I have you know that his bombs were delayed for a purpose in his venture on the Philippine archipelago. So is mine. There's no way I'm killing the animals there just for my demonstration. So what I did? I sent out a danger prompt to their beastly senses and purposefully delayed the cute fireworks for a while to let them escape the area of impact. Any more questions?"

The crowd resorted to silence, with behaviors that are the complete opposite of what they were showcasing earlier.

"Now that's the behavior I'm looking for! What an intelligent race indeed."

Wait, if by any means he is generalizing us with that sarcasm, he's gonna have to pay the price. I hate it when I distance myself from any troubles and yet when the time comes for pointing fingers I am included. It's just unfair.

"Ehem. Now back to the integrals. I am Hermes, one of the appointed Messenger of this gamble, who are endowed of a very important task... and that task is to ONLY explain to the participants about the rule that governs the warfare and as well as the brief overview. But, before that, I can see that I have to explain some things first...Here goes. What I am about to say is addressed to the people who have no idea what, why, and how they got themselves into this mess. Unfortunately, the game took a different turn even before it started dragging you all along here instead of it just being the Herrschers- the legitimate participants of this game. And now, I am readily privileged yet saddened to delineate to you a piece of good news and of the bad news. Let me start with the good news first as it is somewhat of urgency, for you to understand the bad one. Here are the terms from the Magistrates in accordance with you innocent ones unprecedentedly being here..."

Having declared so, a luminous magical circle appeared right in front of him and from there, a golden scroll gushed forth.

Hermes then opened the seals and was getting ready to read it allowed. I wonder what will happen to them now? Will they be sent back? I mean, it's a little unfortunate for them.

"Here's the message from the Magistrates... Although unlike the Herrschers who fully bare the will of a deity... Congratulations! You all are now official players of the game!"

Say what now? Even Celes is somehow shocked by that pronouncement.

"It says here that in this world, same to that of the system that also governs the Herrschers you now can train yourself and practice magic and as well as melee combat to the highest extent possible! Isn't that great?!"

Everyone was confused. They are all talking on their terms. Yet, some, the moment the deity announced that anyone can do magic and combat, surprisingly decided without second thoughts to stay in the game racing their hand signifying their approval. From my perspective, I think it's safe to call them fiction-loving surrealists. They are those that have nothing to lose and are hungry to experience fantasy themselves. I may be an avid fan of anime and games from different cultures, but there is no way in hell that I would take this kind of sudden opportunity irrationally.

But, amidst those that have already decided, the majority still spelled these in their faces...

"I just want to go home"

"I want my dad back!"

"I need my family back"

"Maybe this is just an illusion and the moment I wake up everything will turn back to normal!"

"That's it! This is just a dream!"

So they hoped and thought. Moreover, this is certainly not a dream nor is it a juvenile illusion...And an old adage it may be, but there is certainly no way to bring back the life of the deceased. I know for sure...

"Well, the message does not end there", Hermes said implying that there is more that remains untold, making everyone fully anticipating the next statements of these so-called Magistrates. But, little did they expect that the next lines of words would break their hopes.

"This is not a dream nor is it an illusion. You all are now in a gamble and your lives are in constant danger. And as unfortunate as it is, we can't bring back the dead as per our limits. "

Everyone again began to show panic, but Hermes still has a few to deliver and he got me, Celes and likely everyone waiting for the continuation of the message relay.

"Oh. But, if you are proven strong and if you manage to stay alive through the end. ANY WISH WILL BE GRANTED WITHOUT FALTERS. May it be riches, fame, power and even the re-emergence of the dead, immortality, are all plausible." Hermes added, incentivizing those that are indecisive in joining.

The statistics now changed dramatically. Who would not take such an offer? As it is written, everyone seeks their own and for their goals, they are willing to do anything no matter how dirty the work might be. That is in the sphere of contemporary common sense.

Still, even with minuscule doubts, more likely everyone now wants to join based on how the underlying incentive was given. But, upon that incentive, there is something that this Hermes guy is not telling the people and I think every Herrschers know about this specially Celes who is now clearly looking suspicious of the offer.

The scroll stated, "If you are proven strong and if you manage to stay alive through the end, any wish will be granted without falters". That seemed enough to serve as a blatant incentive for merely anyone unprecedentedly trapped in this mystical carnage. Little did everyone know that the higher-ups "BARE THE FINAL INTERPRETATION OF THE TERMS".

It's not like many are allowed to stand in the end. There's only one who will remain... One who will receive the special wish. Why did Hermes skip over an integral part? I highly doubt it an accidental error.

Dear Grandma. What are you doing back there? Here I am now transported to a place neither of us believed to be true. I hope you're doing well back there. I'll be fine here... Hopefully. Oh and I'll be adopting a little sister soon! I'll process the papers once I get back. Be safe now! And don't get caught up in being too conservative. It's a pain.

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