I remained seated, swirling the glass of wine in my hand.
My mind wandered back to the retard who had been staring at me and for some reason I couldn't forget the look he gave me.
'Something doesn't feel right.' I couldn't help but muse.
The gaze… it was strange and unsettling, the type that reeked of trouble.
But the worst part was I didn't particularly remember seeing anyone like that back when Echoes was still just a virtual reality.
This might sound strange but I clearly recalled those who I had wronged because I thoroughly enjoyed the looks they made when I crushed them and I could say with all certainty that I had never seen that potato face before.
I had his face etched into my memory now though, it was definitely the face of someone I would enjoy tearing apart later.
My eyes narrowed as a curtain of blonde hair entered my vision.
The moment the newcomer sat, the hall was met with another silence.
That was because the person in front of me was none other than the second rank of the global leaderboard in Echoes.
I sighed.
"What do you want, mist?"
Her lips parted into a rather coy smile, one which didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Alistar, it's a pleasure."
"You know full well I hate interacting with people, what do you want?"
"Do I have to want something to meet a former acquaintance?, you know, had everything worked out the way it should, we would've been raiding the last floor of Lucifer's tower."
My brows furrowed.
I had encountered Mist a couple of times within the game enough to know that she wasn't someone who would reach out like this, she didn't speak if something wasn't wrong.
And she certainly wasn't someone who would be reminiscing about the past, mind you… that was a day or two ago.
Well it could be that I was overthinking, maybe her real personality was different from her character in the game but recalling the character synchronization and the effects it had on me, I ruled that possibility out.
'She wants something.'
"Well this is refreshing," she laughed "I didn't take you for the type to think much."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"Not yours, everyone knows what a beast you are when it comes to fighting, and few are unfortunate enough to experience it firsthand, I wonder, will that side of yours still remain the same now that Echoes has become our reality."
"I wonder as well."
"Hahaha."
Wait, now that I listened closely, I noticed something.
This chic was Russian.
Not like it mattered though but unlike the game, her accent was different.
And there was something else, a strange feeling tugging at my being.
I couldn't explain it but it felt like if we fought, I could probably beat her. Which was just bullshit considering the difference in skill between us.
Mist fought like she had been accustomed to battle, way before Echoes even became a thing.
Unlike her, I was just a rich kid with his fair share of problems.
Something in me stirred, it was quiet and certain as If telling me that if we fought… I wouldn't lose.
Then it clicked.
Mist had red eyes.
While it wasn't rare for a character to have them, I noticed the subtle glint from her fangs whenever she spoke.
Yes, fangs.
Also, I seriously don't know why my eyes wandered to her lips, don't judge me.
Mist was a vampire.
And I just so happened to obtain a title which was quite effective when dealing with blood type creatures.
Still I didn't think I could beat someone like her yet, but that was going to change soon.
"You… have you noticed anything strange about the situation?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
I arched my brow.
Noticing the confusion on my face, she spoke.
"It's strange, I can remember we got to the tower of Lucifer but I can't seem to recall my progress, and all traces of players climbing the towers have been erased as well, I wanted to ask if it was the same for you as well."
I stared at mist for a few unsettling moments with a stoic expression.
My demeanor was calm but I was deeply disturbed.
Eventually I spoke up.
"I can't seem to recall my progress as well."
"Ah, I see."
She looked rather disappointed as she got up from the seat, her gaze lingered on me for a few seconds then she smiled.
"Let's meet again Alistar, formally perhaps in a more… convenient setting."
I watched her leave and when she had finally gotten to a considerable distance I let out an exhale.
'Losing memories of climbing the tower? Was she testing me or was she being sincere.'
That also begged the question, why?
What could be her goal in doing so.
If people actually had no recollection of climbing the towers then it worked for me.
Because…
I could perfectly remember every information of every single floor in each of the towers I climbed.
'I'll investigate later.'
The constellation event had begun.
****
My footsteps reverberated through the hallway which led to the Olympus faction.
From the distance I could pick up the chatters of people… no, that was putting it too lightly, I could hear their conversations perfectly all thanks to my race.
Although my status screen displayed that I was human, Alistar's race was actually nephilim, a product of the unholy union between an angel and a human.
The wine swirled lightly within the glass with each movement I made as I traversed the hallway.
You might've been wondering why I still held the wine glass.
The answer was rather simple.
You see… to gain Zeus' interest, you had to insult the statue of his father, Cronus.
It could be as simple as spitting on it, sometimes simply defiling the statue with a thing or two would get you Zeus' interest.
The bolder the insult, the more his interest in you would skyrocket.
What I planned to do was simple, I just had to empty the wine glass on the statue and I would be granted an audience with Zeus.
Or so it was supposed to be.
Staring at the scene in front of me, I couldn't help but feel a raw emotion eating me from the inside, something I hadn't felt before.
The overwhelming desire to kill someone.
CRACK!
The wine glass cracked within my grasp and the tiny fragments of glass dug deep into my skin but I didn't register the pain.
My eyes remained on the familiar figure of the potato faced bastard who was staring at me earlier.
Not him but rather the statue next to him which was drenched in his piss.
It was Cronus' statue.
I instinctively understood what had happened.
Some bloody bastard had just stolen my ability.