Chapter 66 The Truth About The World
As they made their way down the snow-covered mountain path, the wind whispered softly across the frozen slopes, carrying loose flakes that glittered in the pale sunlight. Their boots crunched rhythmically against the packed snow, leaving long trails behind them. Astrid walked slightly ahead, then slowed her pace again and again, unable to contain the curiosity bubbling inside her.
"Alex…" she said, glancing back at him, her breath forming small white clouds in the cold air. "The people in your world if there were no monsters… no magic at all what kind of work would they do?"
Alex smiled faintly. He didn't feel annoyed in the slightest. If anything, her endless questions made him feel lighter, as though each answer peeled away a weight he had carried alone for far too long. At least now, the most important truths were no longer his burden alone.
He slowed his steps and stared at the winding path ahead, snow glittering like crushed glass beneath the sun.
"Hm…" He hummed thoughtfully, then scratched the back of his head, struggling to find words that would make sense in a world ruled by steel and sorcery.
"Because our world is so peaceful, most people are… well very smart compared to this age."
Astrid tilted her head slightly, listening intently.
"You could say the people where I come from are like the Dwemer in terms of intelligence," Alex continued. "They can build flying machines great metal birds that soar through the sky. Some of them even tried to reach another celestial body. We call it the moon."
He stopped walking for a moment and lifted his arm, pointing upward. The sun hung high above them, glaring against the endless white of the mountains.
"That bright thing you see during the day you call it the sun. And at night, the white light shining in the sky is the moon. But in this world, you have two moons." His finger shifted slightly as if tracing their paths in the sky.
"Masser, the red one. And Secunda, the white one. In my world, we only have Secunda."
He lowered his hand slowly, his gaze distant.
"And once… the people of my world competed fiercely to be the first to reach it."
Astrid stopped in her tracks. Her blue eyes widened, reflecting the light of the snow around them.
"Wow…" she breathed. "Your people are incredibly intelligent." She hesitated, then frowned slightly.
"But why compete? Why didn't they unite and go there together?"
Alex exhaled deeply, a long breath that fogged the air before him. His shoulders sank just a little.
"Like I told you before," he said quietly, resuming his steps, "after a great war, the nations of my world stopped fighting each other openly."
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"Instead, they fought over achievements."
Astrid raised an eyebrow, her boots crunching as she hurried to walk beside him.
"Oh? That doesn't sound so bad," she said. "So every nation tried to produce the best people?"
Alex frowned, then suddenly let out a short laugh.
"Hahaha… in theory, yes."
His laughter faded as quickly as it came.
"But some countries grew impatient. They wanted to win at any cost even by cheating." He rubbed his chin, searching his memory.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's how another war began. But most civilians didn't even realize it was happening."
Astrid's brows knitted together.
"You could call it a Cold War," Alex continued. "A war over intelligence, information, and technology. They competed to see who could reach the moon first because whoever succeeded would be declared the winner."
Astrid stopped again, snow crunching loudly beneath her feet.
"Wait civilians didn't even know?" she said in disbelief.
"What kind of war is that? A war should have explosions, cities burning, countless victims."
Alex nodded slowly, his expression serious.
"You're not wrong."
He looked down at the snow beneath his boots, then back up at the horizon.
"But the people who died weren't ordinary soldiers. They were special forces trained to assassinate, infiltrate, and destroy in silence. Wars fought with shadows, strategies, and carefully gathered intelligence."
He paused.
"Even scientists were involved. They were racing to build those machines the ones meant to reach the moon."
His voice grew heavier, as if the cold had seeped into his chest. Alex's eyes darkened as an unsettling thought crossed his mind.
"Sometimes…" he said quietly, almost to himself,
"I imagine what would happen if magic and potions from this world appeared in mine."
He clenched his fist slightly.
"Things would become far worse than any war we've ever known."
The wind howled briefly across the mountain, carrying his words away as the two continued their descent through the endless snow.
Astrid nodded slowly as she walked, the crunch of snow beneath her boots steady and rhythmic. Alex's explanation had answered many of her questions, and for a moment, she felt oddly satisfied almost at ease.
Yet something tugged at her mind.
Her steps gradually slowed. The wind brushed past her fur-lined cloak, making it flutter softly. She stared ahead at the pale horizon, then spoke, her voice quieter than before, almost hesitant.
"You forgot something."
Alex halted mid-step.
Astrid turned to face him, her fingers tightening around the strap of her shield.
"From everything you've told me," she continued, "you still haven't explained how you know so much about Skyrim…"
She lifted her gaze to meet his.
"…and what happens next."
For a heartbeat, the world fell silent.
The wind seemed to die, leaving only the faint creak of snow settling beneath their feet. Alex stopped completely and turned toward her. His expression changed not fear, not confusion, but a grave seriousness that made Astrid's chest tighten.
"I'll explain," he said slowly, each word weighed with caution.
"But I hope you don't lose your sanity."
Astrid swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry, and her fingers trembled slightly inside her gloves. She could feel it whatever Alex was about to say was not something meant to be heard lightly.
"Astrid…" Alex began, his voice low.
"Skyrim. The Dragonborn. Alduin."
He paused between each name, as if striking invisible bells.
"Everything."
He met her eyes.
"All of it… can be considered a story."
Another pause.
"Or a game."
His jaw tightened.
"Something even a ten-year-old child could play."
Astrid stared at him, her brows knitting together, her breath caught halfway in her chest.
"I… I don't understand what you mean," she whispered.
Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs until his chest rose and fell heavily. When he opened them again, his gaze was steady, resolute.
"What I mean is this world wasn't created by Mundus. Not by Lorkhan. Not by the Aedra… or the Daedra."
He lifted a hand slightly, as if brushing aside sacred names.
"This world was born from ideas. From concepts."
His voice softened.
"By a group of people who imagined it and then brought it into existence."
Astrid's lips parted slightly. She understood the words, yet their meaning refused to settle in her mind.
"Are you saying…" she asked shakily,
"…there's a god in your world?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"A god who created all of this?"
Alex let out a quiet, almost bitter chuckle and shook his head.
"Not gods," he replied.
"The ones who created this world are humans ordinary people. Just like me."
He looked away briefly, then back at her.
"This world exists because they made a game. A game filled with lore, history, wars, and heroes… all for the sake of entertainment in my world."
Astrid froze.
Her legs gave out, and she dropped to one knee, the snow hissing softly beneath her armor. She stared around her the towering mountains, the endless white slopes, the vast sky above as if seeing them for the first time.
Her breathing turned uneven, shallow. The world felt suddenly fragile, like painted scenery that might crumble if she touched it.
Alex reacted instantly. Snow scattered beneath his boots as he stepped forward and caught Astrid by the shoulders, his hands firm yet careful as if afraid she might shatter if he held her too tightly.
"Astrid," he said urgently, lowering himself to her eye level. "Look at me."
The cold wind returned in a sudden gust, sweeping down the mountainside and tugging at their cloaks. Loose snow danced through the air, stinging their faces as the truth hung between them heavy, undeniable, and vast enough to swallow the world.
"Hey… Astrid. Astrid," Alex said again, softer this time. "Calm down. Breathe. Slow… like this."
He demonstrated, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, his breath visible in the frozen air.
Astrid's hands trembled. Then, as if afraid the ground itself might vanish, she suddenly grabbed Alex's hand, her grip tight and desperate. She looked up at him with pale, shaken eyes.
"Then… what am I, Alex?!" she cried. "Tell me!!"
Alex didn't hesitate. He moved closer, lifting one hand to cradle the side of her head. His thumb brushed gently through her snow-dusted hair, slow and steady, grounding her.
"You are you," he said quietly, his voice unwavering. "Whether this world is a game or not you are you."
His gaze softened.
"And that's enough for me."
Astrid's breathing wavered, her shoulders trembling beneath his hands.
"And don't worry," Alex continued softly. "The story doesn't explain everything. Only major eras."
He leaned his forehead lightly against hers.
"Your birth. Your death. None of that is written. So you don't need to be afraid."
For a moment, the world felt smaller just the two of them, the cold air, and the warmth they shared.
Then Alex pulled back slightly and gave her a crooked smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"All I know is that you'll face three major disasters."
He raised a finger, as if counting.
"But you survive them."
His grin widened.
"And as long as I'm alive, I won't let you die. And if I die first…"
He shrugged dramatically.
"I want you to take revenge a thousand times over, okay?"
Astrid stared at him then finally, a small, fragile smile broke through her shock.
"Tch…" she muttered, her eyes narrowing.
"You really choose to say that after dropping a truth so mind-blowing it nearly drives me insane."
Before Alex could react, she punched him in the stomach.
"Ooof !" Alex doubled over, clutching his abdomen. "W-What was that for?!"
Astrid looked at him really looked. At his careless grin, his unshaken eyes, the way he stood there as if the truth of the world hadn't crushed him at all.
(Yeah… maybe I don't need to worry about things like my past. Alex himself barely knows it.)
She straightened and smiled faintly.
"It's nothing," she said. "I was just annoyed by that sweet smile of yours. It makes all my dark thoughts disappear."
Still in pain, Alex forced a grin.
"Kghh… well, if that makes you feel better, feel free to hit me as much as you like."
Astrid raised her clenched fist threateningly.
Alex immediately shielded his stomach and stumbled back a step.
"B-but maybe not right now, okay? Hehe."
He muttered under his breath,
"Damn barbarian woman…"
Astrid's head snapped toward him, eyes flashing.
"What did you just say?"
Alex spun on his heel and ran.
"Uwaaah! I'm sorry! I meant barbarian sexy mommy! Uwaaah please don't hit me again!"
Astrid stared at his retreating back for a moment then laughed softly, the sound warm against the cold mountain air.
The tension dissolved, replaced by familiar warmth and playful chaos, as they continued their descent through the snowy mountains together side by side, hearts a little closer than before.
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