Level Up: Voidwalker

[Addaam reshii a-zaanta - Long live the fighters]

[Al-ladhi yushir al-tareeq sayaquduna ila al-jannah, Azhar'Zul sayakun an-nūr fi az-zulamah-zulamah - The one who points the way will lead us to paradise; Azhar'Zul will be the light in the darkness]

***

Atlas shook his head and cleared his head of the lust because he knew he was too young at the moment, ''Are you into teasing me now, Blondie?'' he taunted with a knowing smile.

Estelle shook her head and muttered with a red cheek, ''I've only done this with you, Le Messie Élu, and I've been called the La femme du Messie, which means I will be your wife in the future, and we'll have to look after each other.''

He smiled when he heard this and asked, ''Is that something you want, though? I wouldn't force you to marry me; that's wrong and not something I agree with.''

"I know you wouldn't, Atlas; you seem like a lovely and decent boy whom I can't wait to see grow up into a handsome man who will do amazing things," Estelle said, smiling warmly. "I was born when Nurani blazed across the Azhar'Zul constellation in the south.

That's when the believers of the L'Église du Messie proclaimed that I was destined to be with the Le Messie Élu's wife and become his shield against the darkness that takes over Valoria."

Atlas, still puzzled, continued washing his body as he asked, "How do they know this, though? What makes them think it's you?"

Estelle glanced down thoughtfully for a moment. Then, taking a deep breath, she dried her hands, retrieved a book from her storage ring, quickly flipped through the pages until she found the one he was looking for, and handed it to him. "Look at this picture."

He took it and looked at the page she pointed out for him. There was a picture of a beautiful woman who looked familiar to Estelle; Atlas looked between the blonde knight and the picture and spoke, ''Is this your mother or another relative? You look like a younger version of the woman, only with a bigger chest and longer hair.''

Once Atlas finished speaking, Estelle splashed him with the water while giggling before she explained, ''That is the wife of the previous Le Messie Élu who lived thousands of years ago. Rumors say she was the start of the Argonia Family.''

His eyes widened, 'This is the previous Voidwalkers wife? Is Estelle a descendant of this woman? Seems more than likely as they share the same blonde hair and blue eyes,' he mused while looking at the picture.

That's when his world went black, and he witnessed a vision of the Great War that began in his name. He saw millions of warriors chanting his name while raising banners with a blade surrounded by thirteen stars with an azure background.

'The stars again! Why is everything connected?'

They were in a beautiful blue canyon that could fit the uncountable number of warriors staring in his direction. However, his attention was redirected when he saw himself, but older, dressed in cool blue armor and a scarf covering his face.

But the one thing Atlas could see was his glowing blue eyes as he stepped forward and held up the same blade on the banner as his older self shouted, ''Addaam reshii a-zaanta!''

The warriors chanted in unison, their voices shaking the ground beneath them. Atlas couldn't fathom why he witnessed this, but the scene suddenly shifted, transporting him outside a city engulfed in flames.

Amidst the chaos, soldiers lay butchered, their bodies forming mountains of corpses. He recognized that warriors standing around facing toward someone wore the same distinctive blue armor he had seen his older self in.

Atlas was confused and disgusted, but that changed when he witnessed the blue armored warriors leading thousands of chained-up people through the city gates and crying with happiness as they started chanting, ''Azhar'Zul! Azhar'Zul!''

'Am I a savor of these people? They do look like slaves,' he thought.

That's when they all dropped to their knees, and Atlas spotted his older self surrounded by seven beautiful women. 'It's them, but Amethyst is older, and the other three look the same,'' he thought.

A group of elders started chanting, ''Al-ladhi yushir al-tareeq sayaquduna ila al-jannah, Azhar'Zul sayakun an-nūr fi az-zulamah.''

Just as Atlas heard this, he returned to the bath, and Estelle shook him with a concerned expression. ''Le Messie Élu, are you okay? You just zoned out,'' she said.

All he could see was her giant boobs in his face, and they were nearly slipping out of her soaked bra. Atlas shook his head, ''I'm fine; I just had a vision of the future.''

''What was it about?'' Estelle questioned while sitting down.

Atlas divulged everything, causing Estelle's concern to escalate. "We'll intensify your training!" she declared. "Starting tomorrow afternoon, we'll run around the city before our fight to boost your stamina."

He gulped nervously but nodded in agreement. Before he could speak further, the blonde knight kissed him on the cheek and gracefully exited the bath. Atlas's cheeks were red, but he smiled as he sank into the hot water.

After that, Atlas got out of the bath, put on some fresh clothing, and decided to buy some armor while getting new weapons. Once dressed, he returned to their room, where he found Artemis, Estelle, and Amethyst sleeping while Grishna was still awake.

The orc girl turned to him with a big smile, ''Handsome! Do you want to go out and have a few drinks? They fell asleep just after you left,'' she pointed at the others.

Atlas chuckled before nodding, ''Let's go Grish.''

''Hold on, let me freshen up,'' Grishna said while jumping up and leaving the room. ''Meet me outside, but don't stab or hurt anyone, Little One.''

''I haven't got any weapons; my dagger broke in the last fight, and I need to get new ones,'' he retorted.

Then, Atlas went downstairs and stepped onto the street outside, only to feel the cold wind brush against his skin. He quickly put up his hood and wrapped his cloak around his body as he shivered.

Atlas watched the city, now lit with mana lamps spaced out down the street; he noticed the shops were dark and closed for the night. There were food stalls posted at random points, which intrigued him.

Grishna reappeared wearing a woolen coat, warm pants, and sturdy boots. Atlas couldn't help but admire her appearance and complimented her, saying, "You look great, Grish."

The orc girl beamed at him. "Thank you, my Narava."

After that, they found a tavern where they could drink and get food. The duo wandered through the streets and soon found a half-empty restaurant that caught their attention, ''Should we try that place out?''

He nodded in agreement before the couple headed toward the front door and entered, only to have the places other customers turn to them with curious glances but shifting back to their meals.

It looked like a normal restaurant, with tables all over the place and pictures of certain parts of Volantis City. That's when a waitress approached the two with a smile, ''How can the Golden Fox serve you both? We have today's special and Firestone Ale.''

Atlas was about to reply, but Grishna was quicker, ''Can we have a double special and a keg of ale, please?''

The waitress looked skeptical, but Atlas pulled out some gold coins, which caused the woman to nod, ''Yes, Young Master and Mistress, I'll bring it straight away and will tell the cook your order,'' she said with a smile.

She rushed off as the duo took a seat; as they got comfortable, Grishna questioned, ''Do you know what weapons you want to purchase?''

''Yes, a short sword and long knife,'' Atlas answered with a smile.

''Good weapons for speed and fast striking,'' Grishna explained. ''I've seen your training with the blonde, and you're quick.''

Atlas smiled as the conversation shifted to Volantis and the Seashell Dungeon, topics that piqued his interest. Grishna mentioned that the dungeon was teeming with weak sea monsters, which he found intriguing.

Eager to explore the dungeon, he was told by the orc girl that the group would venture there once they had got him some new weapons. Atlas beamed just as the waitress brought their food to the table.

He spotted two bowls of delicious-looking stew, and soon, the sweet smell of the meat hit his nose, causing his stomach to rumble. This made Grishna giggle as she spotted his azure eyes glowing with greed.

Soon, the duo thanked the woman and started eating, which they found hot and spicy. Atlas's tongue started burning, making the orc girl laugh at his reaction. The two of them continued once he got over the hotness.

Atlas loved the soft, easy-to-chew meat. It took the couple half an hour to eat all the food. He also loved the Fireheart Ale, which was refreshing after washing down the food. By the time they were done, Grishna was leaning back on her chair and holding her stomach.

The waitress returned with the bill shortly after handing it to Atlas. The meals cost 1 gold, which surprised the two of them, but he handed over the needed coin with a few silver coins as a tip, which made the older woman smile with gratitude.

The duo got up and left the restaurant behind; when they stepped outside, Grishna spoke, ''Want to go on a walk, Grak'Thar Gromog'ar? It's cold but refreshing to feel the cold air on my skin.''