If you notice any errors, please feel free to give me constructive feedback. English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, please mention them in the comment section at the end of the chapter. I do not own Overlord. All property rights belong to their respective creators. Let's begin the story!
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Chapter-37
The River of Eternal Darkness,
The Eternal Flying Castle of Utopia – Avalon;
Earth - 2138,
Overlord Verse;
The sound of footsteps rang through the vast throne room of the Dark Castle, each step reverberating against the cold stone and echoing through the cavernous space. Shadows clung to the pillars lining the hall, their surfaces draped with the black, silver and gold banners of Vanitas Regnum Anta.
A lone figure strode forward, their presence cutting through the stillness. The Vampire Queen, seated upon her magnificent throne at the far end of the chamber, watched in silence as the player approached her.
The Supreme One of Vanitas Regnum Anta came to a halt before the throne. Their gaze met hers—the Queen of the City of Death, and the Floor Guardian of the River of Eternal Darkness.
Lowering himself to her level, the Supreme One crouched, holding her eyes with an unblinking, unreadable expression. As his face remained emotionless and unmoving just like the rest of his kind.
The silence continued for some time, before the Supreme One commanded the Queen of the City of Death to stand.
"Stand"
The Queen obeyed at once, rising to her full height before him. Yet what followed unsettled her far more than the command itself.
The Supreme One raised a hand and began manipulating something unseen to her, his fingers weaving patterns in the air—gestures she recognized as the strange, and linked it with the otherworldly workings of the console, a tool only the Supreme Ones and the ones called players could wield. She could not fathom its full function, but she watched each precise movement in silence.
Then, without warning, she felt it—a link form between them.
Her breath caught.
She had known this sensation only once before, in the presence of her Creator—the Supreme Lord himself and no one else.
"The days playing Yggdrasil were good," the Supreme One murmured.
The Queen tilted her head internally while she remained frozen in reality, as she was puzzled by his words. She understood Yggdrasil—the great World Tree adrift in the void, its vast branches bearing countless realms as leaves. Her own home, Avalon, was formed and was in one such leaf in that endless expanse of the void. But the meaning behind his tone, the weight in his voice eluded her.
He did not notice her questions, and remained ignorant of her emotions and thoughts.
"It was all fun and games," he went on, his voice low, almost to himself, "but things don't last forever."
She felt it then, a strange power enveloping her. Their link – connection tightened through her inheritance of his prowess and essence. The special and rare racial classes she had inherited from Manabu, interlaced with the unique job classes that followed. The bond grew stronger, as if roots were sinking deeper into her very soul. She with her connection to him, earned her the title of World Champion.
Without answering her confusion, the Supreme One had done it. As he transferred her his everything – his racial classes, his job classes, his gear, his entire inventory. She received it all in silence, though her mind churned with confusion.
What had caused it all. 'Why was he doing this?' she mused, but was presented with no answer.
She knew of Zorsius, another player of Vanitas Regnum Anta, who had once transferred his own classes to Ivis. But Zorsius was only a player, one among many others who were part of the great guild – her Guild. While, Evernight Candidum, Rex Sub Luna, Heiki Kaji, Kindred Star, and Immortal Witch were the true Supreme Ones, residing within Avalon. Yet above them all stood the Supreme Lord—Mor Initium Kai Telos—her Creator.
And now… Rex Sub Luna, the man before her, was doing the same, as if awaiting his end, like those players. The Supreme Ones were eternal, and were powerful, unlike those lowly players. 'The Supreme Ones were among the Higher Beings who were responsible for creation of Yggdrasil.' She mused. As much information she had heard in the passing, from the conversation among the players and the Supreme Ones of the guild.
Without paying her inner turmoil any heed, or rather he remained oblivious of her inner struggle. Rex Sub Luna, continued. "I started playing Yggdrasil for a reason," he said at last, his voice tired, almost hollow. "And now… maybe I'm free of that reason. Or maybe I've simply lost it. I'm not sure anymore. I suppose… I lost the game. A game that I never had any chance of winning."
He turned away from her, his gaze lifting to the black, silver and gold banner of the guild. The flicker of its embroidered crest seemed to draw him backward through time, into memories that stung his heart for all the joy and emotions they held.
She stood in silence, unable to comprehend the situation.
Something about the way he spoke—calm, distant—made her uneasy. Yet he offered her no further explanation, as he informed her of his decisions rather than to converse with her.
For a moment, with their link and being the NPC of Vanitas Regnum Anta, they were meant to serve the Supreme Ones of the Vanitas Regnum Anta, she wondered if she would see him here again.
Arcueid, the Queen of the City of Death, stared hard at the back of the Supreme One, Rex Sub Luna. Oblivious to her inner turmoil as she was assaulted with 'what ifs,' her mind was occupied with negative thoughts—facing a crisis at the prospect of the end of a Supreme One. Rex, unaware of her state, continued. "I played this game for her, gave it my all, and spent my life in this game till the end," he muttered, his voice laced with sadness.
He spoke to no one but himself as he unloaded thoughts he had kept buried most of his life. "I am not special like Kai or Shouko…" His mutterings lingered in the air as Arcueid struggled to comprehend them.
Finally, Manabu, also known as Rex Sub Luna, stared at the ceiling and muttered, his voice heavy with resignation. "I fell in love with the wrong person."
The silence after his words felt like an eternity. Manabu shook his head and repeated with clarity and composure, added with a self-deprecating laugh. "I fell for the wrong woman." Turning around, he looked at the Queen of the City of Death. "Arcueid, you were my favourite NPC of this guild—and maybe in this game."
"Hmm, you both have polar opposite builds and are quite different. Your lore and flavour text is nothing like her personality, but you were the bridge that brought her attention to me and helped me find conversation topics. She helped me and provided suggestions for your customization after Kai was done with your creation. Though I hate Kai as much as he gained her love."
His words broke Arcueid for reasons she could not identify. Hearing him speak of his love shattered her heart, and she could not reason her emotions. While, she failed to identify the emotion that pulled at her heart, as she felt like a broken toy.
Leaving her in confusion, Rex Sub Luna continued as he turned to walk away from the throne. "I gave Yggdrasil—and her—my everything, and made new friends. But in the end, I lost her to him and my close friend Hitoshi in this cruel, uncaring and unforgiving world," he said, his tone carrying quiet powerlessness.
Unaware of her thoughts, Rex Sub Luna stepped out of the throne room, his last words lingering in the air. "After everything, here I am, talking to an NPC, trying to collect my emotions… and maybe regain my composure before I talk to Kai. But I would have never imagined talking to a NPC… I have lost it."
******
A tear traced down Arcueid's cheek as she looked over the city—her city. She brushed it away and steadied her heart, comforted by the presence of her master, her creator. Yet, a quiet dread lingered at the thought of the Supreme Lord casting them aside. From her interactions, she understood the powerlessness of the Supreme Ones, their circumstances not so different from the players. After all, – All but her master faced an inevitable end—just as NPCs such as her, too, would one day meet their end. 'Everything in this universe will one day meet their end, except my master.' She mused.
Yet, she struggled to imagine a future without her master's presence. Though the Supreme Ones, like Rex Sub Luna, who caused her great deal pain, the feeling that she still failed to comprehend were 'still' incomparable to her Master, and creator. The comfort his presence offered to her and to the other NPCs of Avalon.
'The day that parts us from the Supreme Lord is still far… until then, we will serve him with all we have. Such is the cycle for beings like us, bound to an eternal master.' She drew strength from the thought and turned to speak.
"Get things in order, Alucard, Ivis, Belordius. We live to serve the Supreme Beings, and we should strive to meet their expectations. Making sure to never disappoint them"
Her downcast look had raised concern among her area guardians, but as they witnessed her renewed vigor in commanding them, they pushed the thought aside. Her energy seemed to spark a faint motivation within them, though their curiosity lingered about the source of the aura.
Reading their expressions, Arcueid sighed. "I am not aware of the details, but the aura we felt came from our master. Something must have happened that earned his wrath," she muttered.
Belordius's brows furrowed, his voice a low growl. "If I find the wretch responsible, I will tear them apart piece by piece, until there's nothing left to bury." His tone sharpened with each word, the air around him briefly stirring with killing intent before he reined it back with emotional suppression, yet the fury burned his soul.
Ivis's voice was measured at first. "Such insolence… to provoke the Supreme Lord…" But his composure cracked with emotion suppression of the undead, but he continued with his tone rising. "It is unforgivable!" He caught himself, exhaled slowly, only for the calm to slip again moments later. "No—utterly intolerable! Those maggots." His voice rose and fell in that same cycle, frustration simmering beneath his attempts at restraint.
Alucard said nothing, as he planned for ways he could skew and torture the one responsible for upsetting their Master.
Their reaction and their bubbling anger resonated with Arcueid. She stood satisfied with their commitment, and with a faint nod, gave them her approval. Wishing and praying to the Supreme Lord to grant her the opportunity to enact her revenge for upsetting her master and by extension her with their pointless existence. She begged to be given the opportunity, while everyone remained oblivious about the reason for his burst of anger.
******
Similar situations could be observed throughout the guild, as the Floor Guardians scrambled to find the source of the incident, before Arrodes visited the Ninth Floor, Chaos Sea.
Meanwhile, on the Tenth Floor, Sebastian stood on the balcony of Agartha, gazing at the garden of the enormous castle at its centre. Behind him were beds – Doraemon, the assistant butler, had taken from his supposed pocket. The nature of that pocket still puzzled him, a creation of the Supreme Lord that amazed him. A topic they hadn't had time to discuss before.
After the mysterious incident where the oppressive aura washed over the guild base, everyone on the Tenth Floor—except for him, the Children of Yggdrasil, and King Hassan—had fallen unconscious. While King Hassan oversaw the castle's security, the Children of Yggdrasil split tasks, focusing on finding the cause of the aura and surveying the guild base. Sebastian tended to the unconscious and worked to heal them.
He began with Doraemon and Dorami, the assistant butlers, with the help of Jeanne d'Arc, who was possibly the strongest support NPC and the guild's best healer. Once Doraemon and Dorami were awake, he assigned Dorami the task of managing the maids. Sebastian watched Jeanne d'Arc work alongside Dorami as he stood with Doraemon by the balcony railings.
"Your pocket is quite intriguing, Doraemon," Sebastian muttered with curiosity.
Unlike other storage pouches in Yggdrasil, Doraemon's 4D pocket was supposedly infinite in size, holding many old, failed projects from the guild's members and Supreme Ones, few from the old times. Sebastian had also heard that the Supreme Lord—the guild master of Vanitas Regnum Anta and his creator—had once purchased the treasuries of many falling crafting guilds and clans, and storing them within this pocket and in the other pocket of Dorami. The mysteries of the 4D pocket fascinated him, as he wondered about its usefulness for a butler. When he thought of ways he could better serve his master with such an item.
"It's a gift from the Supreme Lord himself, granted to me after Master had finished creating Truth and Babylon. So, of course, it will be amazing," Doraemon replied with pride oozing from his speech. The many goods acquired from dying clans and guilds were mostly entrusted to Doraemon and Dorami for safekeeping. Kai, enjoying his role-playing, made sure his NPCs follow their lore closely, though with his vague recollection, their flavour text wasn't entirely accurate for most of them. Added with their loyalty and dedication, combined with their self-sacrificing nature, many of them were a bit different compared to their original counterparts.
Sebastian was about to delegate the task of managing the tenth floor, Agartha to Doraemon and the rest of the maids. Just as he was about to convey his wish to depart from the castle to join his master and to stay by his side as the loyal butler he was; he observed a commotion brake out between the Children of Yggdrasil.
And behind Sebastian and Doraemon, the maids and other significant NPCs had woken up, and their duty to awaken the regular maids, other staff and the rest of the NPCs of the guild continued as they strived to fulfil their duty of upkeeping the Guild Base.
******
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**The End**
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