Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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"... Then I imagine we're going there for this… Oath?" Dale asked as he placed his right hand on his temple

"Am I obliged to take it?"

/Shake…/

"No, you're not." Roger denied as he shook his head

"However, without it, those that did take the pact won't be able to share what they know with you… At the very least the really critical information."

"You'll become isolated from all, and no matter what you do, few will wish to even interact with you for fear of breaking the vows."

"I'm special in a sense as I can bypass such restrictions, but even for me, sharing anything I've told you today outside of the premises of the Crucible would've had severe consequences."

"And even then, if you leave without taking the Oath… Some of those will still befall me, but I'm ready for it, whatever your choice may be."

"So the Oath is not for me but for others… Is there no one I can refer to who has not taken the Oath?"

"There are few but not many, but they're not reliable nor trustworthy."

"Because you see… For them to learn anything means a breach of security and secrecy for those bound to said secrets by Oath, which means they failed in upholding their vows."

"For them to learn would mean the downfall of others, it is no wonder why the countries cooperate to such a degree, they're all bound by it."

"And the reason why they are hated for they seek the truth without wishing to take sacrifices, at least not on their end."

"They are thus seen as... Selfish. A danger and a threat."

"Those that chose to remain 'outside' have either vanished, disappeared into the shadows, or been replaced by now, the vast majority cannot tolerate such people around them."

"That is why this is necessary for you as well as it's a form of protection…"

"But they're also chains that will bind me, it is also a potential danger for my life aren't they?"

"If anyone finds their way to the secrets I've heard, wouldn't that severely affect me?" Dale asked as his eyes sharpened

"No, not exactly."

"You won't need to uphold secrecy as much as we do, and even if you do, it would not be for long."

"As a member of Generation 3, you do have such privileges, you don't have to put too much effort into things as your generation marks the end of the long wait…"

"Hum… You spoke of this… Generation Null, Zero, and 3. What does that signify and why am I part of it?"

"They mean what you think they do, they mark a group of people that changed, just like Generation Null."

"We call them Null because they came before this 'Power Game' truly began…"

"1000 and 1 members belong to Generation Null and just a few dozen belong to Generation Zero because those were… The original group of developers who created the first Full Dive MMO… Or so it's believed."

"The people who banded together for the creation of a project they did not quite understand, mere puppets in a gameboard whose players are unknown…"

"The developers? Well, I would imagine the developers of Azimuth are strange but…"

Before Dale could finish his words, Roger interrupted him with a grim look:

"Kid… Dale… There are no developers, no one made… Cough!"

Roger began coughing furiously as his words were interrupted, and just for a moment, albeit little, Dale saw blood on Roger's hands as he tried to hide it away.

"Generation... Huff... Zero… The people who were given a task they did not quite know themselves."

"And I'm part of them, well, the last one alive."

"... I'm sorry to hear that."

"You shouldn't be, they went away peacefully, time is just that cruel."

"It is for the best that they went their own ways, instead of being bound and driven to insanity, they chose the easy but painless path while I chose to carry the burden and ease them of such weight."

"Someone had to."

"... Have you ever thought of taking a break?" Dale joked lightly as he looked at the tired old man

"I still hang on. There are things I wish to protect, very much like you do, this is not the time to rest, if anything, this is the time I should be working."

"Once this is all over, then the efforts I set in motion will reward me with the peace I ever so dearly sought."

"But still, we strayed off topic, you must be wishing to know what me, a member of Generation Zero has to maintain my position."

"My powers if you will."

"..."

Dale remained silent, but to a certain extent, that was exactly what he wished to know.

"I wasn't given immediate power like the others before me but instead, I was given a few things:"

"A position… As the sole one who went through with the burden I became the 'Representative' and was given equal power to maintain said position, enough power to rival Generation Null."

"As you must be thinking, Elden Throne is not managed by me nor the board of Investors, they're but puppets that believe to be in power and that still believe it to be but a game for them to profit off…"

"But it's not like we're under the control of some supernatural overlord... The one that pulls the reigns is me, but I still have a goal to follow, how I do it is subject to me at the end of the day."

"Much of what you see Azimuth as was planned and set in motion by me, as the final interpretation was something of my and the 'developers' I hired designs."

"However, who issues said goals is a mystery to me… So I'll have to leave you hanging there."

"Sigh... You can imagine how I felt. With the power to manage the Machine that would bring forth a change in the world and with incredible powers at my fingertips..."

"I had great aspirations once, but that is where my second 'privilege' came into being, to thwart my dangerous and nonsensical ideas."

"Time."

"I had decades to prepare for the following Generations, to create a world where Chaos would not ensue and to also shape its direction partially so when the time comes, it does not descend into mayhem immediately either."

"However, as soon as that time came, I would lose everything I built, including my abilities, everything that was given to me shall be taken away."

"... Is it okay to tell me that?"

"I trust you enough child… You carry on your shoulders the future, just like many other youths."

"It's just that your share is more significant than theirs... For now."

"Whether I'm with you or not, the time will still come, take me down if you wish, but my fall will do nothing but heighten that which I have been constructing all this time."

"I…"

"I understand child, there's no need to voice your position now, I know myself well enough to not trust a backstabber." Roger added with a faint smile as he shook his head

"As for what my powers actually constitute off… That's a bit complicated to explain."

"At the time, there was no power to gift me as we did not partake in any trial, instead, I was given the chance to 'become' someone else."

"Become?... I think I understand."

"That's good since I was pressing myself quite a bit there… My throat's a bit sore…" He said as he touched his head with a tired expression

He took a cup of water and filled it on the side quietly before taking a sip and continuing:

"That about covers Generations Null and Zero, what came after is something you're already more used to."

"Under my leadership, albeit not yet officialized at the time, Elden Throne was established and our first full Dive MMO was published."

"And like before, once the truth was revealed…"

"The players received their in-game character's powers in real life." Dale concluded as he completed his words

"Correct… That sums it up for Generation 1."

"And given there were three major games produced by Elden Throne… Does each represent a Generation?"

"You would be right to assume so."

"Alright, but why?... Why is such a convoluted process necessary in the first place? To create diversity in the power structure of the world?"

"Wouldn't it be simpler to just give everyone the chance to grow stronger? Is it for the chaos?"

"Aren't that so many other ways to achieve this goal?"

"But above all... Why?"

"... It is… Hard to answer that."

"What lies at the end of the journey... After the War that is soon to arrive... I cannot say."

"I fear the ones who know said answer do not belong to our world..."

"..."

'The Gods?'

"... The world of today is brimming with hidden powers, Temples for Otherworldy Deities, Schools that study all sorts of exoteric subjects, Martial Sects, Clans, Families, and their individual inheritances…"

"Decades of preparations, all for this moment."

"A world of silence, tension, build up… It's ready to explode."

"The reason you were targeted long ago was because you were the first sign of Generation 3. And I'm not talking about the descendants of those groups that received their teachings and training from a young age… I'm talking about someone who realized part of the truth on their own."

"Everyone is seeking the one that will kickstart the End of this Era, they believe someone unique will happen to the Torchbearer… As it had happened to the ones before."

"And you are a candidate for such a position… A very strong one at that."

"Their methods were harsh, but they prove your importance."

"There's something you have yet to tell me. How is it that you know the time is now? And how does everyone else?"

"It has been foretold for a long time. That in the Third coming, the revelations would lose their binding power and the world would be left to fend for itself."

"It can only be now, besides, Azimuth itself proves it… You do."

"Me?"

"Yes, you… The one who broke the chains and sought Trancendance, the first Human in Modern History to do so in history."

"!"

"What I haven't told you is that for the past generations, the Maximum Level someone could achieve wasn't indefinite, there was a limit for how much they could grow."

"As such, each Generation is potentially stronger than the last, however, given how there are years, oftentimes a decade between them, that is in itself enough time for the previous Generation to grow used to its abilities and develop a self-

Contained system."

"You do remember, don't you? How Zenith's Maximum Level was 70… That there were ways to gather Stats past that but it was increasingly difficult…"

"It was even lower before, no more then 40."

"Besides, there was no such thing as HardCore and Standard modes… You were either a player or a tourist, nothing else."

"This Generation is free to grow as much as they wish… And you ought to."

"The world outside is rather scary." Roger said with a chuckle as he locked his fingers together

"..."

Dale's expression deepened as he thought about his words, and by the time he processed everything, their transport came to a full halt.

They had arrived.

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Notes

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