Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain-Chapter 447 Trials of Aelthar -3

After the third scenario ended, neither Rio nor the voice of Aelthar talked about it again. Both bearing their thoughts in silence. Suppressing their feelings to keep moving forward.

The world around Rio changed once more and this time he found himself in a land whose very air burned his lungs with every breath he took.

It was like there was something mixed in the air, which couldn't merge well with his mortal body. Every inhale was like swallowing embers, an agonizing reminder that he was somewhere he didn't belong.

'So it's finally here.' Rio thought in his heart, already aware of where he was or what was coming next.

The final trial.

The scenario which isn't random and is the same for everyone.

Something which Leon had gone through back in the novel, and now was his turn to face.

'The Traitors Gambit'

That's what the original author called this trial and the chapter it was in.

Rio was standing at a balcony, staring at the morning sun, shining through the clouds, _ dying the skies in the tinge of orange hue.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

The sanctuary was stretched out before him, a sprawling expanse of lush greenery, shimmering lakes, and quaint cottages nestled among the rolling hills. The air itself felt alive with the sounds of laughter and the distant hum of daily life—children playing, merchants haggling, and farmers tending to their fields. It was a vision of peace unlike any he had ever seen before.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The voice came to his ears again, but unlike before, felt closer.

"It is." Rio replied instinctively, before feeling something, and turning his head in surprise to see the very god whose legacy he wished to have. Your journey continues on novelbuddy

"You're…__G–God…does that mean__ you're…" Rio tried to speak as he stared at the incoming god, but his words got stuck in his throat, coming out here and there in broken stutter.

"Ahh, you must be confused to see me here." Aelthar spoke, as if seeing his confusion, "Yes, I am Aelthar. And no, I'm not alive."

The figure of God spoke, and as it came closer to Rio, his eyes still fixed on watching his Sanctuary.

But Rio forgot all about this beautiful scenery, and focused solely on the god standing beside him.

Whose every step forward caused ripples in the air like water. – One whose figure was entirely ethereal and translucent, like mist caught in the sunlight.

The tangible aura of divinity lingered in the air, carrying a pressure forcing Rio to not meet the god's gaze.

Yet as if his curiosity or the calming aura of Aelthar gave him courage to even ignore this pressure and look up.

"As you saw in the temple, I died on the day my disciples betrayed me." Aelthar spoke, answering the question before Rio could even ask it. "The vultures _ those outsider gods_ they made sure of that."

His voice was calm and melodic to hear. Making Rio feel like he could sense every emotion contained within the sound.

"What you see now is just a wisp of my soul, lingering near the veil*, waiting to test my successor?"

"So tell me, are you worthy _ To Be My Successor?" The god asked, and though Rio's initial surprise, seeing a god so close had calmed down a little, he still didn't answer. As if contemplating if he really was worthy of someone like Aelthar.

A god who lived and died by his discipline.

"The trials you took till now, had shown me all there is to know about you. About the way you think, the way you treat people, or the way you'd act under pressure _ but this, _ is your final trial." Aelthar spoke, and before Rio could understand, the god flicked his finger, _ sending Rio crashing through the balcony.

Rio screamed in horror for a second as he looked at the god, while waiting for the painful fall resulting in the broken bones and searing pain.

Yet surprisingly, after a couple of seconds passed, he didn't feel the cold hard ground breaking his back on impact, but a bed made out of fluffy clouds which caught him midway.

Helping him land safely, before turning into white mist and disappearing in the gourd tied around his waist.

(Wait….. when did I have a gourd?)

Rio suddenly thought and looked down at himself again, only to notice something off and feel unfamiliar about his body.

His hands were long, so and was his entire body. When did he gain so much height, and muscle_ he's not even in his 20's yet.

Rio kept asking himself as he tried to feel the changes, before a voice echoed in the sky.

"You've hid a fancy hole for yourself, Aelthar. But this fog of yours won't hold me back for long. Sooner or later I will find a way to get past this, and that's the day you disappear. Truly disappear."

Rio looked up and could see a giant figure of dragon-like creature flying in the sky. It looked frustrated and kept letting out roars which shook the lands - yet surprisingly, the clouds around this beast never disappeared.

Rio instantly understood what was happening. The flying monster was probably a God himself, or some god's mount. The beast chased Aelthar persistently and got a little too close to his sanctuary. Forcing the righteous god to take up arms and trap him in this mystical fog for forever.

"Was he the one who enticed your disciples?" Rio asked the air, hoping to get an answer from Aelthar, which he did.

"Does it matter?" The God asked back.

"...No. It doesn't." Rio replied after giving it some thought.

Just cause there was a mastermind behind the scenes, manipulating you through the shadows, _ would that really be enough to absolve you from any guilt.

No matter how or why, the disciples of Aelthar made their choice when they pointed their weapons at him.

All the reasons they have are just excuses they use to justify their actions. It doesn't change a thing for Aelthar. So why should it matter to him?

"No hesitation." Aelthar's voice came to his mind, "So you think what they did was absolutely unforgivable. That their betrayal was _ inexcusable."

"Absolutely. If your trust is repaid by treachery or abandonment, then it simply means they were never worthy." Rio spoke the dialogue of Leon from the novel. "And traitors don't deserve sympathy."

"But you didn't even ask for an explanation?" The voice spoke, cutting Rio off mid-sentence, "I mean, how can you judge them, when you don't even know their side of the story."

"Maybe betraying me was the right choice for them? Maybe I was a god in my eyes, but a demon in theirs. Or maybe, my death was needed for something much more justifiable and righteous reason than my life… … …" The god spoke, his words making Rio confused about why he was suddenly speaking for his bastard disciples, when all of a sudden the scenery around him started to change.

And Rio found himself floating in air, watching things unfold in a way he never thought about.

Rio watched the dragon, who was known as the god of rain and clouds, threaten Aelthar's disciples, warning them that if they didn't kill Aelthar, he'd slaughter the whole sanctuary.

In another vision, he saw time move in fast pace showing him the life of mortals living in the sanctuary. From Aelthar's perspective all of them were safe behind his back , but only they knew that their lives were worse than death.

The aftermath of battle would've killed them instantly, without a hint of pain _ yet with Aelthar constantly dragging them along, pushing and pulling through the war zones _ they were suffering every second of the day.

The divinity in the air, along with the mystical fog, burned their lungs, corroding their very soul from inside out ever so slowly. — The mortals could feel it spreading like cancer, killing their cells, yet none could do anything against Aelthar.

So if his disciples killed him to save their own race, or in anger for the torture he caused _ wouldn't that justify their actions.

After all, for Aelthar they were just a side project, someone he picked along the road _ and if they died he'd just go to a different corner and pick someone else _ but to those mortals, it was their lives. Their very survival.

So how could he expect them to just sit back and watch their friends, relatives, and family die one by one, and still smile with their murderer.

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Author note - Guys I know this trial theme is getting boring to some , but trust me, it's important. And it's over now anyway so just hold ur curses okay. Believe me, this sad melodrama is needed to get Aelthar over the edge when he finally sees Rio through what he is and what he actually thinks or will do in future --- I wanted to describe how with Rio's influence something so good and righteous like Aelthar, gets turned into something so horrendous. So bear with me for just one more chapter.

Well not one whole, just half more

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