The Truth

[3rd Person POV]

Steve let out a small sigh as he flipped through one of the books he had bought from a store down the street. It was a ponderous read, all about the laws of Orario. Important but boring. He needed to know the laws of this city so that he could avoid breaking them or, rather, so that he knew how best to avoid getting caught and what laws he should never even contemplate breaking.

He leaned back in his chair. It might surprise anyone who knew his past that a former troublemaker would be worried about the law but back in Minecraft, there had been a few laws that even he would never dare break. It was the same here. He'd already come across a few laws that he would not dare break. Like the one he had just read about killing a god's mortal form.

Apparently, the gods of this world took on physical, mortal forms when they descended into the mortal plane. While in the mortal world, they were forbidden from using their arcanum without permission from an assembly of gods. There were a few things they could do without permission, and he was sure there were a few things they could get away with without being detected but overall, it was pretty strict. As were the laws about killing their mortal form. Since the gods of this world couldn't use their powers, they weren't that hard to kill but, when they died, they were sent back to the heavens in a giant pillar of golden light. Not exactly stealthy.

According to this book, no god had ever been killed without the culprit being caught with overwhelming evidence. And the punishment? Yikes. If a mortal killed a god, their punishment was for the other gods to essentially erase the mortal's soul from existence one atom at a time. It sounded excruciating and apparently took days. Even gods weren't exempt from that law. If a god killed another god, their punishment was losing all their money, losing their Familia, and being sent back to heaven permanently.

Steve looked up from his book to stare at the door. Bella was later getting back than usual. On most days, by this time, she'd have dragged herself inside and flopped down on her bed. He would spend the next hour or so consoling her and patting her head before they had dinner and went to bed.

Bella's resolve the last two weeks had been impressive, but he could see it starting to crack. He'd been unfortunately right about the Familia's of Orario judging potential new members on appearance instead of potential. Bella still hadn't been able to even meet with a god. She kept getting turned away by the guards.

Steve sighed again. He'd wait another week and if Bella still hadn't found a Familia, then the Miner would go with her to one of the larger Familia's. Probably Loki. If they judged by appearance, he knew they wouldn't reject him. He'd just insist they let the girl in too. He could be persuasive when he wanted to be.

Steve was torn from his thoughts by the sound of pounding feet on the stairs, followed by the door being blown open by a frantic Bella, who appeared to be followed by another girl behind her.

"Steve-kun! I did it! I found a Familia to join!" Bella said with smile

"Well done, Bella. Though, maybe you should introduce your friend first?" Steve said.

Steve looked at the woman in the white dress. No, he realized suddenly. This was no woman. She was a goddess, and she was staring at him with a mix of wonder and horror. That was…interesting.

Oblivious to the thoughts of both Steve and the goddess, Bella continued on.

"Right, sorry. This is goddess Hestia. She hasn't been in the lower word long and is looking to start a Familia and asked if I'd like to be the first member. I told her about you and brought her here to meet you." Bella introduced Hestia.

'Well now, starting a brand-new Familia? If nothing else, it'll be interesting. Though, I am concerned about the way she is looking at me. Just what is she seeing?' Steve thought.

"Congratulations Bella. I'm glad you found someone." Steve said, congratulated Bella.

Steve patted Bella's head as she giggled. It somehow been a routine between both of them.

He then stopped patting her head much to her disappointment. He then looked at the goddess.

"My name is Steve. I'd introduce myself properly, but it seems like you have questions." Steve introduce himself to Hestia

She stared at him for a moment before saying

"Your soul…it shouldn't exist. A soul like yours does not belong in this plane. You…what are you?" Hestia said.

Bell's head swiveled as she looked between them, confused.

"Ah, that requires an explanation that should not be overheard. Do you know somewhere quiet we could go to have that conversation?" Steve said.

"My home. It's an abandoned church. It may not look like much, but it is quiet." Hestia offered.

"Lead the way, this is a talk that should be had in private." Steve said while Bella looked in confused.

AT HESTIA'S CHURCH

Hestia led Bell and Steve into the basement of her church. They'd both been quiet during the walk over. The more she looked at Steve, the more familiar he felt. She looked past the simple fact that his soul did not belong. Why did it not belong? Despite its wrongness, why did it feel so familiar?

'I'll have my answers soon enough' She thought, as she sat down on her bed.

Bella and Steve sat down on the couch. He seemed to think for a second before saying.

"Is there any specific question you would like to ask? Somewhere I should start?" He asked.

Hestia paused, before saying.

"I can feel divine energy flowing through you. It's not a Falna. It's literally part of you. Your body seems to be closer to that of a Spirit than a mortal yet your soul is a mortal. Almost as though you were created by a god directly. The energy is familiar, but I can't place it. Whose energy is that? Which god created you?" She asked.

"You are not wrong to say that. This body originally not mine but a creation of the said god that later on put my soul inside it thus making me what I am." Steve began.

"He call himself God of Game, Tet. At his bidding, I saved his or my world from countless horrors. Coming here is supposed to be my new quest and live." He revealed.

Hestia's eyes were so wide they could be mistaken for dinner plates.

'Tet! That's why it felt so familiar!'

She hadn't felt Tet's energy in millennia. Not since he began the creation of his Game World. She and the other gods had modeled their own world after the one Tet had created. Unlike him, however, she and her compatriots had only manage to created one world and few races compared to Tet that created countless Biomes, Dimensions, Races, Monsters and more.

That was why she felt the Miner so wrong! When she and the other gods had began to create mortal, they had never created one like his. He was a true definition of living Falna, one that Tet called as a Gamer.

"That explains a great deal. You are Gamer, right?" Hestia said with a sigh.

Steve nodded his confirmed her statement.

"Tet is bound to his Game World. His essence literally cannot leave. Neither can he direct creations because they are, technically, still a part of him. Tet created the Monsters of your world. They are similar to the Great Spirits and Monsters of our world, only far more powerful." She said.

Steve was listening intently as the goddess leaned back.

"The reason you seem to be so…wrong, is that in this world, humans and other races are bound to the laws and rules we set when we made this world. But you is different, you are a Gamer. Someone who can ignore the laws and rules we gods set because you're not from here but from the Game World." She said.

"What it's mean?" He asked.

"It's mean. You can just ignore the Divine Laws of this world as everything you do will follow the Divines Laws of the Game World. Tet once told me that he want to created a world where his creation been given a freedom and right to be anything they want. Thus, the main core of his world's Divine Laws is Freedom. And because of that reason, you basicly free from anything include this world's Divine Laws." She said.

"…I see." Steve said with a nod.

Hestia observed Steve as he sat back. He seemed to be deep in thought. After a minute, he leaned forward.

"I have a few more questions, Bella mentioned a monsters. A Three Great Beasts. From the descriptions, its sounds like it is nearly as powerful as the Monster in my world. How is its so powerful?" He asked.

That stumped Hestia for a second. She had never personally encountered or observed the Three Great Beasts.

"The Three Great Beasts is an enigma. Even to the gods, the dungeon is not an open book. Only Uranus, our Chief and Tet, the God of Game knows what lies at the bottom. That was by design." She said and continue while Steve and Bella listen.

"In the beginning, we craved entertainment above all else. What is more entertaining than something that is a mystery even to the gods themselves? What is more enticing than the trill of discovery? All we truly know is that if we do not send adventurers into the Dungeon, the Dungeon itself will attack the surface."

"The Three Great Beasts escaped the dungeon before most of us had even descended. We don't know why there were so powerful. We know that the Black Dragon is the strongest by far, but not why. However, most of us don't think they were meant to be more than a distraction. Extremely dangerous, yes, but not a true threat to the existence of our world. The 'Doom' of our world, as Tet would say, is whatever unleashed the Three Great Beasts, lies at the bottom of the Dungeon."

"… I see." Steve said while has this thought.

'Look like I will never get my peaceful life is it?' He thought.

[To Be Continue]

[See You Next Game]