บท 4: Apotheosis (4)
Arthur knew his sister, and he knew her very well. A quick glance at how Lily's hands were shaking told him about how she was really feeling.
"We always wanted an adventure, didn't we? Who knew it would come knocking on our door like this?"
Lily shot him a sly grin. "Oh, great. So, when do we get our swords and magic spells? Are we going to encounter mythical creatures on our way to the grocery store?"
Arthur played along, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "Well, if that happens, I hope our grocery list includes dragon repellent and phoenix treats. Gotta be prepared for the unexpected, right?"
They shared a laugh but deep down, they both knew that their lives were about to take an extraordinary turn, and their lighthearted banter masked the underlying nerves.
But, he decided to not bring it up for the time being. "So, we do it?"
Lily smiled back at him. "We do it."
And, that was all the confirmation he needed. "Let's spin the wheel."
Lily grinned, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. "Oh, I'm so getting that god-rank."
With a mixture of trepidation and excitement, they reached a silent agreement. Their hands hovered above the mysterious wheel, and spun it.
The room fell into an eerie silence as Arthur and Lily simultaneously spun the wheel, their hearts pounding with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. The arrow on each of their wheels began its mesmerizing dance, circling the categories of mortal, demi-god, and god.
In the stillness, Alex watched his own wheel with bated breath. As the arrow gradually slowed down, a glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes. It neared the god rank, seemingly on the verge of granting him an extraordinary destiny. But fate had other plans.
With a twist of cruel irony, the arrow defied his expectations, veering away from the god rank and settling on the mortal category. Alex's heart sank, a mix of disappointment and confusion filling his thoughts. How could he have come so close to greatness only to fall short?
Ding!
<<System Notification>>
[Congratulations, Alex! You have been designated as a mortal.]
The words appeared before him, mocking his dashed hopes. A sense of disbelief washed over him as he read the unexpected outcome. Alex's mind raced, trying to comprehend the significance of his designation as a mortal. A wave of curiosity and uncertainty flooded his thoughts.
Alex's attention shifted to the notification's accompanying description: [Liu - A Chinese Farmer In the Han Dynasty].
The weight of disappointment settled heavily upon Arthur's shoulders as the reality of his designation as a mortal farmer sank in. He couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration, questioning why the wheel had denied him the chance to ascend to the ranks of the demi-gods or gods.
His mind spun with thoughts of what could have been. Images of wielding immense power, commanding the forces of nature, or embarking on epic quests swirled in his imagination. The prospect of a grand destiny seemed to slip away, replaced by the humble existence of a farmer in ancient China.
But, maybe it meant something more? Like those novels where the main character finds out that his ability wasn't actually trash but the strongest after all?!
His hand hovered around the status screen, over his [Legend] and there was nothing just like he thought. Even in a world where everyone gets a second chance to basically re-do their entire lives, Arthur was still dealt with a bad hand.
But, oh well, he was pretty used to it by now. It was kinda his fault for even expecting to get anything more.
Arthur sighed, before turning to Lily only to see that she had an expression that looked like it was frozen in ice. ". . .So, I'm assuming you got something trash too? Don't worry too much about it."
". . . ."
"Besides, it's not like you're the only one who got a [Mortal]. I mean, I got it too. His name's [Liu Qi], and apparently, he's a farmer or something from the Han Dynasty so maybe he's got some secret knowledge on how to plant crops or something?"
". . . ."
"That's why, don't dwell on it too much," Arthur shook his head, before patting Lily's back. "It's just not in our dna to be blessed with talent, I guess?"
Arthur joked but when he saw that Lily was still not responding, he was starting to get worried. "Lily? Is there something wr-"
"Oh my god," Lily whispered, her voice trembling.
"Yeesh," Arthur said. "Is it really that bad?"
Lily shook her head. "Bro, I actually got it. . ."
Arthur looked at his sister, and she looked at him back. See, Arthur had basically raised Lily up by himself and he'd known many of her quirks and habits - especially how she suddenly clams up when she can't believe what she'd just seen. And in this situation, there was only one thing that could shock her to this extent.
"Oh my god." Now, it was Arthur's time to be shocked. He took a step back, scanning his sister up and down before he muttered while pointing at her, "You got the [God] rank?"
His little sister's mouth opened and closed several times, before she gave her brother a nod slowly.
A wave of conflicting emotions washed over Arthur. On one hand, he felt genuinely happy for Lily, proud of her for achieving such a remarkable designation. On the other hand, a pang of envy gnawed at him, magnified by the stark contrast between their outcomes.
Internally, he thought about how or if their dynamics in the family would now change since his sister had gotten the highest ranked, and he'd somehow gotten the lowest rank. And, if their theory about becoming the person/rank that they'd received, that basically meant that Arthur was still just an ordinary human, while his sister had actually become a god. A God - something that were absolutely above the law or any law. . .which brought him to the next problem.
But first he congratulated her. He mustered a weak smile, attempting to mask his disappointment. "That's. . .incredible, Lil. I guess you're. . .a god now?"
Again, Lily could only give him a nod, albeit slowly.
Arthur coughed. "So, who exactly did you. .get?"
It was then that Lily's expression changed, and her eyes started to sparkle like the stars as she let out a giggle. "Athena."
"Athena?"
Ding!
<<System Notification>>
Congratulations, Arthur, for successfully completing the spinning of the wheel! As you embark on your respective paths, it is now time to unveil your true potential. Please call out for your status screens to access your individual attributes, skills, and abilities.
A moment of anticipation hung in the air as Arthur and Lily exchanged glances.
" "Status!" "
They followed the system's instructions, simultaneously calling out for their status screens.
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