Level Up Legacy

Arthur imagined this moment enough for it to turn into a memory. He wanted nothing more than a reunion with his father, but as the man stood in front of him, looking just as thin and gentle, Arthur did not move.

"I can understand your confusion," his father scratched the back of his head, closed his eyes, and gave a bashful smile. "I can't believe that you grew so much older," there were tears in his eyes as he said. "I'm sorry for not being there to see you as a man."

His father walked toward him slowly as Arthur stood motionless. His eyes did not look away from his father, but he couldn't do anything but feel his father hugging him.

"I missed you, Arthur," his father whispered as Arthur's face was buried into his chest. His warmth and nostalgic scent brought memories that Arthur had sealed long ago. Arthur did not think that there were tears left in him, but they poured down.

There were times when he was too tired, lonely, or hungry, but he had to endure it for his mother and brother. Arthur watched as people of his age studied and awakened their abilities while picking his pickaxe or shovel to dig through the dirt.

His father held their hands and took them down the street, greeting all the neighbors and visiting different shops. He would talk to them with a gentle voice, replying to their meaningless chatter.

Arthur did not know how long he cried for, but his father was there for him this time. All the times he had to endure now flooded back to him, demanding freedom. His emotions grew out of control, but there was no destruction like it had happened once before.

"We don't have a lot of time, Art. I still need you to keep going," his father whispered as Arthur stopped crying. "Let us talk in the living room."

Arthur nodded, and the two closed the door to the sleeping young Arthur before going toward the messy living room. His father started cleaning up the mess as if it was the most natural thing.

"I miss this," he said with a smile. "There were times where all of my worries were about a messy living room."

"You are welcome, dad," Arthur smiled as he rubbed his nose. His father gave a soft chuckled as he cleaned the room for them to sit down.

"We need to talk," he said as he sat on the table, gesturing for Arthur to sit on the couch. "I know that you have a lot of questions."

"A lot is an underestimation," Arthur smiled as he sat down. "First of all, where were you?"

"You need to ask where am I, not where I was," his father shook his head. "This place is not real; this is a separate space I created anticipating your arrival."

"That is right," frowned Arthur as he leaned forward. "This is inside an item that Ori gave me. Does that mean you were here?"

"I am the person to create the Council of Recreation," his father smiled. "I gave the lost people a home and a task. I left this letter for you because I knew you would find this place one day."

"How did you know?" Arthur was confused, but his father suddenly went silent. His eyes revealed guilt mixed with resolve. Finally, after a sigh, he answered.

"I pushed you into this path, Arthur. I was the reason you entered the Trial of the Holy Crown, and I am the reason your contract was terminated. I made sure that Master Ronin knew about you, and it was enough to make you two meet each other."

"This can't be true," Arthur frowned. "I applied for the job on my own, without anyone's interference. I awakened on my own, and I went to the arcade on my own."

"You had your free will, but all I needed was to work around it to make sure everything falls into place. Then, finally, I needed you to leave this world so that you receive the legacy."

"Are you saying... this power was given to me... by you?" Arthur's hand was shaking. "You were the one to curse me with this eroding power?"

"I believe that you already know the legacy is not the one giving you power, but the one restraining it," his father smiled helplessly. "The legacy was within you all this time, sealing the power within you. After you fell through the gap between the two worlds, it was time to unseal it."

"The levels," realized Arthur. His father nodded as he waved his hand. The legacy's screen appeared in front of him.

"These levels are more than stats for your body," his father explained. "They signify the amount of power you can use before the legacy restrains them."

"Then, during my breakthrough," Arthur clenched his fist. "I saw the Scholar Guardian, and he pushed me away. Again, when I was fighting against Ellen, the legacy tried to prevent me from drawing too much power."

"That is its sole function," his father raised his hands, and the screens appeared in front of him: his runes, his skills, his stats, and all of his legacy's functions. "I needed to make sure that you don't lose yourself to this power. This was the only way to retain your self-awareness."

"I still don't understand," Arthur his shook his head as he away all of the screens, making them disappear. "Why did you do all of this? Why did you leave us to suffer and did nothing to help?"

"I could not interfere after the incident," his father sighed. "The moment I return to Earth, they would be there to take away what is theirs, and that would be the wrong path."

"The wrong... path?" Arthur was baffled. "Do you have any idea how much I had to suffer because of your plans? We slept with empty stomachs, and our hands bled just to survive."

"The alternative was worse," his father answered, his eyes deep and apologetic. "I am so sorry for leaving you, Arthur. I had no choice."

"The alternative?" Arthur felt betrayed, and his eyes turned blurry, masking his father's face. "What was the alternative, dad?"

"Your deaths," his father's face was cold. "This was the only way to make sure they would leave you alone. Your mother, Oren, and you are the only reason I have to return to Earth."

"Who are they, and what do you have?"

"They are the creatures you were fighting all along," his father smiled before putting his hand into his pocket. "And this is what you have been looking for all along."

His father took out a crystal that looked like a four-pointed star. It was transcalent. The crystal was spinning around itself, glowing a soft blue color.

"What is this?" Arthur was confused.

"This is the artifact that can undo the split," his father looked at it. "This is Isotox, the linker of dimensions. This is what the Enders desire, and it is the reason I had to run away to this world."

"That can't be true, dad," Arthur shook his head. "Sier told me that I would find the artifact in Jerano. That was the reason that I enrolled in that college. So how can it be..."

"The only reason that you are here is because of your admission to Jerano," his father smiled. "You are here because you had to investigate the undead in our city. This led you to this world and then led you to me."

"Are you saying that... the artifact was never in Jerano College?" Arthur was confused. "This is why the Legacy Quest was still active. I was doing it all along."

Arthur couldn't help but laugh because he felt like he was being played with like a puppet. The ironic thing is that the puppeteer was none other than the person he was looking for, his father.

"You have all reasons to hate me," his father read his mind. "This was the only way to bring you here."

"You have no fucking idea," Arthur laughed as he pulled up his robes, "how much I had to suffer ever since I came to this world. Look at this!"

His father looked at the base of his amputated arm before closing his eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he held into the Isotox with shaking hands.

"I'm sorry," his voice was hoarse. "I'm so sorry for doing this to you. This was the only future where I could save you. I'm sorry, Arthur. But, please," his father opened his eyes as he fell to his knees, "forgive me. Forgive me."

Arthur has never seen his father like this. His right hand grabbed into his left shoulder, and the pain returned. It wanted to tear him apart. It was the realization that the one person he missed, the one he thought he could rely on, was the source of all his suffering.

"I am what you chose to sacrifice," laughed Arthur with bitterness. "I was what you chose to break. Your choice was the reason behind everything, and I had to suffer for it."