The Gamer's POV

Chapter 347: Sign of the Living Promise

Many months ago, after a training session, Cedric had asked Argentos, "Hey, what does this sign you guys do actually mean?"

Argentos turned to stare at him for quite a long time. For some reason, that question seemed to catch him entirely off guard.

Eventually, he looked away and replied in a somber voice, "It’s the Sign of the Living Promise. It was taught to us by our goddess, Proserpina."

He went quiet for a few more seconds before continuing, "Initially, it was meant as a sign used to offer our devotion to her. But over time, its meaning changed. As the remnants of humanity who are slowly losing our humanity, we began using the sign as an anchor. We also use it to recognize other humans, and to let them know that we are one of them."

He smiled and looked back at Cedric, then demonstrated the gesture as he spoke.

"A hand to the chest means, ’I still feel.’ By placing a hand specifically near where our heart used to be, we acknowledge that we still have the internal spark which is the soul, our emotions, and the capacity for despair or hope.

"For us, whose bodies are empty, touching the chest is a deliberate reminder that we are not just empty shells; we still carry the weight of our history, our grief, and our capacity to love.

"When done toward someone else, it signifies, I recognize the spirit within you, and my heart beats in solidarity with yours."

Argentos then touched his forehead.

"A hand to the forehead means, ’I still choose.’ Touching the forehead honors the intellect, sanity, and the conscious choice to resist the madness gripping this city. It represents the shield against the creeping insanity that has claimed so many others. It is a vow to keep one’s thoughts clear, disciplined, and focused on survival rather than succumbing to the dark.

"When directing this to another person, it means, I acknowledge your sanity and your dignity. We are both thinking, rational beings standing against the dark."

Argentos exhaled as he raised a hand to the side, open-palmed. "A hand to the side means, ’I leave space for you.’ To stand alone is to perish in this world, Cedric. Extending the hand to the side symbolizes that we are part of a collective. It is a gesture that says, My side is guarded, and I am ready to guard yours."

He paused, and with a fading voice, concluded, "It means, We stand shoulder-to-shoulder. You are not alone."

Cedric bobbed his head back as the weight of it sunk in. Then, he slowly mirrored the Sign of the Living Promise perfectly and said, "So, with my heart, I give you my love; with my mind, I give you my vow; and with my side, I will stand as your shield until the end?"

Argentos smiled as a rare spark of warmth returned to his dull eyes, then nodded slowly.

***

The Present...

——

Despite it being noon — according to Cedric’s timer — the sunken city remained shrouded in absolute darkness. Beneath this eternal gloom, which was illuminated by only a scattering of flickering torches, hundreds of the Hollow Ones gathered at the edge of the sprawling graveyard.

Lined up in front of the crowd were the three hundred and fifty children, looking small in the dim light. Before each child stood a designated adult, holding a hollow poleaxe aimed directly at the little gaping opening in the child’s chest.

Nearby, a separate line of adults stood with other executioners positioned in front of them, their weapons levelled at the same vulnerable spots.

Of course, all of them had been briefed by Argentos. And they had all also agreed on the grim consensus that if the attempt did not succeed, they were to be killed and allowed to remain dead.

There was no point in bringing them back to life as anything other than humans.

So as Cedric stood in front of them, he steeled his heart, fully aware that he was either sending them off to an eternal, peaceful slumber or restoring them to true life.

When it was time, everyone, including Cedric, did the Sign of the Living Promise.

A second passed... another... and then, Cedric sighed as he watched the executioners suddenly drive the poleaxes into the children’s chests.

It was terrifying how there was no fear in the eyes of the young ones as they submitted to their fates.

They fell one by one, including the adults, until all of them lay dead on the ground.

’Please work,’ Cedric prayed as he slowly extended both hands to the side. In the next instant, hundreds of screens appeared in his vision, with each hovering above the dead.

He then drew in a deep breath and muttered, "Restore."

As usual, a heavy gale began to sweep through the entire graveyard. But then, all of a sudden, Cedric’s eyes went black, and unexpectedly, blood splattered out of his nose and ears.

He groaned in agony as a heavy migraine suddenly hit him.

Then, as the pain began to intensify, Cedric began to lose his balance until he couldn’t help but bring his hands up to clutch his head, as it suddenly felt like it would explode.

At that moment, a notification from Gamer Privileges popped up in his vision, but he couldn’t see it because the blinding agony completely blocked his sight.

[Triggering the memory of the promise.]

Suddenly, fragmented images began to pour into his mind, after which they began to piece themselves together.

At the same time, other notifications rang out in his mind.

[Gamer Privileges has activated a Non-diegetic barrier.]

[Due to the effects of the Non-diegetic barrier, the Gamer has been granted a slight Pain Mitigation.]

Cedric gritted his teeth as he collapsed to his knees. The agony lessened slightly, yes. But his mind was still reeling.

Meanwhile, through the wind and flying debris, Athena, who had been standing not too far beside Cedric, hurried over to him in a panic.

She couldn’t tell what exactly was going on, so she immediately extended both hands, and a massive cluster of daffodils appeared, all rushing into him.

When she saw him collapse to his knees, she went behind him. Then, she quickly placed both of her hands over his own hands, which were clutching his head, and more daffodils appeared in the air around them, changing into an emerald mist.

...At that moment, the memory settled in Cedric’s mind.

It was a memory that he did not recognize.

It was the memory of a familiar man and a woman on a shore.