Chapter 5 | The Meaning of Genesis & The round table

The Meaning of Genesis & The Round Table

The F-22’s that had literally just flown above our heads had just fired a missile straight at the Rift that now appeared to be double the size of a football field over the skyline of Boston.

“What in the hell..!” Kevin exclaimed. “They actually fired a missile at the Rift!”

We watched on as the remnants of the explosion dissipated over the Boston skyline, the Rift showed no visible difference after the explosion. However, in just a few moments it began slowly pulsating, it would dim, and then brighten. The invasion was imminent.

“Let’s just hope we are far enough away when the invasion starts,” I muttered under my breath.

“Uh,” Jackson said, “What do you mean invasion?”

In response, I just pointed towards the Rift.

The pulsating quickened until it was near strobing our eyes. Then a shockwave erupted from the Rift, causing the pair of F-22’s that we could vaguely see far past the Boston skyline to begin tumbling out of the sky, after a few precious seconds, however, the jets flattened their trajectory, this time appearing to be much more careful of the Rifts.

Their caution was rewarded, as at that exact moment the dark black of the rifts began to take on color as they began to shift to a dark red hue, and then open up into the visage of a world beyond. From this far away the details were quite obscured, but I could clearly make out the reddish hue of the world that the rift appeared to open into. If I were to imagine the planet Mars, being much more sinister-looking, then that might accurately describe the world beyond the Rift. That wasn’t the part that frightened me the most, however. What terrified me were the multitudes of what I could only presume were monsters and demons standing at the edge of the rift. There weren’t just thousands of them. No, there were hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of small figures, beyond my eye could see, and at the very front of it all was an absolutely massive figure, one that I could only presume to be a Demonlord. Standing at least six meters tall, the beast had massive draconic wings that billowed out behind it, and a thick tail that would’ve reminded me of a particular dinosaur I had seen in books and documentaries while growing up, a stegosaurus. The beast’s wings moved gently as it gazed down upon the world below. Even as far away as I was I could feel its permeating bloodlust, and, looking at my companions it appeared they felt the same. If this demon turned its attention on us, we would be dead in an instant. This was a true Demonlord, and the invasion was about to commence.

Seemingly having waited for the rift to fully open. The smaller orbiting rifts bore no exception, and their own black interiors dissipated to show the same red landscape of the larger rift. They too held their own, albeit smaller, hosts of figures, however, in each one of them were other massive beings, while each was not nearly as large as the Demonlord, they still appeared to be twice as tall as your average person. This clearly marked them as Demon Champions. While not nearly as powerful, they would prove to be equally as terrifying as the Demonlord for the moment. Until we could get stronger that is.

The moment the smaller rifts completely formed; the shockwave that had erupted from the Rift had also finally enveloped our own position. As it got closer, I could visibly see the wave taking on its own slightly bluish hue. Why would a shockwave even be visible I wondered? And why especially would it be blue?

Just as I finished that thought and the shockwave rushed over me, it alarmingly stopped as it had just barely been pushing me off my feet as it made contact. Glancing around I noticed that not only had the shockwave stopped, but, my companions, the people around us, and even the birds in the sky had frozen.

Just as bewilderment was settling in, the System made itself known to me once again with its own unique message.

“Uhh, what the hell?” I sputtered out. “Did I just get invited somewhere by a Deity?”

“Yes?” I hesitantly agreed.

And with the system message, so too did my world swirl to a close around me. My vision darkened, only to be blasted with a deluge of bright light as the darkness receded. No longer was I outside the cemetery, but I was now in a massive white-domed room. I could clearly say remarkably bright marble pillars that dotted the circumference of the room and stretched impossibly high to hold up an absolutely massive glass dome. Imagine the center of the Library of Congress, but ten times bigger, and like somebody had literally replaced the walls and pillars, and practically everything with strikingly white marble everywhere. Somebody clearly had a marble problem. And speaking of somebody, right in the center of the room was a massive table, surrounded by twelve unoccupied chairs. Actually, scratch that. Count that as eleven, since right across from the part of the table closest to me was a man sitting down. Which, oddly enough, looked almost identical to my Grandpa.

“Uh, Grandpa!? What the hell are you doing here!?” I asked loudly in confusion.

“Grandpa?” The figure chuckled loudly as I began to move closer. “Over the countless eons I have been a God, this would be the first time I have been called ‘Grandpa’. I can assure you though, I most definitely am not your so-called ‘Grandpa’.” The man stated matter-of-factly.

It wasn’t until I drew closer that it became apparent there were some compelling differences between my Grandpa and the man before me. As my Grandpa did not have hair that white. My Grandpa also did not have all of his teeth. While this man had a full set of them. Shined to practical perfection mind you. While the man looked wizened, he most definitely did not look weak. Under the robes he wore, which bore quite a lot of resemblance to an ancient Roman toga complete with its own ribbons of shining gold interlaced throughout, were the bulging muscles of a man who couldn’t be any less than a literal bodybuilder. I mean, the guy had absolutely massive muscles! Which, clearly, my Grandpa does not.

“Now, if you would be done with your quite loud appraisal of me, I would like to move forward with the purpose of your summoning, the Round Table does not support mortals for long.” The man stated.

Okay, soooo, he can read my mind then? That’s only a little bit invasive… And terrifying, but surely not the strangest thing to happen today.

The man sighed, as if in response to my thoughts. “Yes… Within the realm of the Round Table, your thoughts are laid bare to all present deities. Myself included.”

“Okay, I replied. So, I imagine you would be… Astia then?” I replied as I remembered the name that the System had manifested when I had initially received the invitation.

“Yes, you may refer to me as Lord Astia if you so wish, as that would be the most pleasant formality by which to refer to me.”

In response, I simply nodded. “Lord Astia then,” I said with slight sarcasm, while certainly a bit glamorous, the man portrayed himself as one who could maybe justify the title of Lord.

Just as I thought that however, an overwhelming weight exerted pressure over me. Clearly, Astia did not appreciate my tone. As I found myself on my knees.

“You would do best to appreciate the position you are in Thomas. It was I who stopped the advent of the system long enough for at least some modicum of resistance could potentially develop on Earth. So at the very least, some measure of gratitude must be required in one in a predicament such as yours.” Lord Astia asserted as he lifted the pressure that was exerting over me.

“Wait… What do you mean that you stopped the advent of the system?” I asked, as I slowly climbed back onto my feet, gasping for air.

“Ah! It would appear you are now ready to learn young Thomas.” Lord Astia began, pleased at the question. “What you call the system began millennia ago during the first battle of the deities. A tool to empower other races to fight in the ever-expanding battlefield. However, that is a history lesson and not the purpose of your summoning. My purpose here is to inform you of your role in all of this.” Lord Astia stated as he spread out his arms wide.

I continued to look on in confusion, but interest got the better of me, “What do you mean my role?” I inquired of Lord Astia.

Lord Astia’s eyes grew wider as he leaned forward, “Thomas, you are the titleholder of [Genesis]. You were chosen for your victory against the simulated Demon King Balfour. The other deities and I recognized that because of your victory, you have been deemed as the best wielder of the Genesis title, designating you as the future hope of humanity in its fight against Balfour. The Demon King had set his sights on your world decades ago, and like countless worlds before yours, he seeks to devour the life upon it. For this reason, we installed an incarnation of the Holy Arc system in your world, in the form of your game Holy Arc Online. It simulated the environment upon which the humans of your world would ultimately find themselves in once the barrier we created collapsed. Once the Holy Arc system recognized an individual accomplishing the requisite conditions, it chose you to be the harbinger of Genesis on your world. You were chosen to champion against the forces of Balfour.”

“I share this with you Thomas because you need to understand that without your victory, Earth will inevitably fall, and Balfour will triumph. Using the last of the powers of the system available in your world, we dissolved the barrier in order to grant you the requisite skills, titles, and potential necessary to perform your new duty. Along with the mana surge that erupted upon the completion of the inter-dimensional rifts, the System has now officially integrated itself intrinsically upon your world. You will find that your manaless world will now be overflowing with the energy. A power, that if utilized wisely, can strengthen your people beyond your imagination. You yourself have already witnessed it evolving you into a High-Human. Now you will have the ability to be the tool by which others achieve their potential as well. Do not disappoint us, Thomas. For we fear that should Earth fall as well, then Balfour and his armies may never again have a chance to be stopped.” Lord Astia finally finished.

The literal deluge of information was practically deafening. I had been chosen? Out of the billions of others on the entire planet? Somehow, I some nobody in the suburbs of Boston, was chosen to lead some sort of defense of the entire human race against a literal army of demons? I was baffled. However, I had already learned earlier today that accepting the facts was perhaps the only way I might ever survive. Lord Astia had also just provided some of the missing links to the reasons why I have found myself in my current situation. Unbeknownst to me, by beating Holy Arc Online, I had unwillingly forced Earth into some sort of interdimensional conflict that involved Gods and Demons. I facepalmed. “What the hell am I going to do now”. I muttered.

Lord Astia, smiling now that I finally understood the basis of his message said, “I think you know exactly what you must do. From now on we will be enabling the Quest system on your world. It will guide your people, as well as yourself in your most dire of circumstances.” Lord Astia said with finality. “Now, Thomas. Return to your world, and save humanity from an inevitable despair.”

With that said, Thomas instantly felt the world once again draw in around him as his vision blackened, just for him to emerge right where he had been standing right when the message had first arrived.

“No kidding,” I muttered, as suddenly time resumed, and I found myself rocketing backward right into a tree, the shockwave having completed its previous velocity, sending me gasping for breath as the air was knocked straight out of me. “Holy hell!” I managed to stammer. “I guess that served as quite the intro to this whole debacle.”

Despite my own breathless state, I had, at the very least, the presence of mind to glance around myself, searching for my companions, and of course, I suppose I might include Jackson. At this point, it would look as though my neighbor has officially joined our camaraderie of weirdos, apparently tasked with saving humanity. My eyes opened wide however as I realized that all three of them were currently sprawled across the ground, completely unconscious. Then I heard a shifting of dirt several meters to my left, and looking over I suddenly saw a skeletal hand burst from the ground. Thus, in one of the few times in my life, I had ever done so; I swore, “Ahh, s***.”