Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Kaizen remained standing, an imposing figure in the midst of the destruction that surrounded him. His body still vibrated with the aftermath of the energy he had channeled.

Every muscle was tense, every breath heavy, but his eyes, those intense, deep eyes, remained fixed on Gieneno. There, kneeling before him, the once great Warrior of Light looked like a shadow of his former self. His armor, once shining and immaculate, was now in tatters, and his spear, the symbol of his authority and power, lay broken at his side.

Gieneno struggled to stay upright, the pride in his face slowly replaced by a mixture of pain and resignation. He raised his eyes to Kaizen, still unable to fully accept defeat.

"You... you evolved too quickly, Kaizen," he murmured, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Surprisingly fast... I never thought you\'d be able to bend your own light like that..."

Kaizen remained silent for a moment, letting Gieneno\'s words linger in the now quiet atmosphere. He watched the defeated man with a mixture of respect and something that could be interpreted as pity, but his eyes carried an unwavering determination.

"I have evolved as much as I needed to, Gieneno," Kaizen finally replied, his voice low but carrying undeniable authority. "To save Midgard... To protect those who could not protect themselves. I did what was necessary."

Gieneno looked away, trying to process what he had heard. The mention of Midgard brought a glimmer of understanding to his tired eyes, but also an added weight of guilt.

"What about Zylok? What about the Eye of Hermodr?" Gieneno murmured, trying to regain control of his breathing. "You defeated them alone, didn\'t you?"

"Alone? No, but I defeated them," Kaizen replied with a simplicity that made it seem self-evident, as if fate itself couldn\'t have been any different. "But there\'s something I still don\'t understand, Gieneno. What were you and Zukas doing when chaos threatened to engulf Midgard? Where were you when Zylok and the Eye of Hermodr rose up against our world?"

Gieneno swallowed, his hands still shaking slightly from the enormous effort he had put into the battle. He knew that Kaizen deserved an answer, but he also knew that the answer he had to give would not be easily understood by someone like him.

"We... are evolved, Kaizen," Gieneno began, trying to put his thoughts in order. "We are forbidden to interfere in the affairs of mortals. Our role is to observe, to guide when possible, but never to interfere directly."

The explanation made Kaizen\'s eyes narrow in a mixture of disbelief and indignation. "Forbidden to act? Forbidden to interfere? While Mibothen and his people cried out for help? What kind of code is it that allows innocent people to die while you, the supposed protectors, stand by?"

Gieneno felt the weight of the accusation in Kaizen\'s words, but stood firm in his response.

"It is not a matter of personal choice, Kaizen," he replied, his voice now firmer, trying to convey the gravity of the situation. "We follow a higher agreement. We believe that mortals must find their own solutions, that their struggles and victories shape them in ways that we as evolved beings cannot fully comprehend. Our direct interference could... upset the natural course of things.

It\'s natural for high level players not to hang out with lower level players."

Kaizen let out a dry, humorless laugh. "And you really believe that? Do you believe that this \'higher principle\' justifies the deaths of millions? Justifies you, one of the most powerful among us, not taking action when Midgard was on the brink of destruction?"

Gieneno hesitated. The conviction in his eyes seemed to tremble under the weight of the truth Kaizen laid before him. "I... I believe, Kaizen," he replied, but there was a hint of doubt, a wavering that did not go unnoticed.

Kaizen approached, each step sinking slightly into the ruined ground until he stood directly in front of Gieneno. The hand that had been a symbol of power and destruction now rested on Gieneno\'s shoulder with unexpected gentleness.

"And what do you say about Cephal?" asked Kaizen, his voice lower but no less intense. "He is also an Evolved, and yet he helped me. He wasn\'t at the mercy of agreements, he didn\'t hold back because of some law or outdated code. He acted."

"Cephal is... a case apart," Gieneno admitted, his voice laden with bitter acceptance. "He is a lone Evolved, a renegade in many ways. He doesn\'t follow the same rules we do, because he never cared about the codes that govern us. Maybe he\'s right in his own way, but that\'s not the choice we other Evolved have made."

"Choice?" Kaizen replied, a tone of frustration now evident in his voice. "That sounds more like an excuse for inaction than a real choice. How many lives could have been saved if you had acted?"

Gieneno\'s silence was answer enough for Kaizen. He knew that his question would not be answered satisfactorily, for there was no answer that could justify the loss of life, the pain and suffering that Midgard had experienced.

Gieneno, still on his knees, felt Kaizen\'s hand slip from his shoulder and was overcome for a moment by a feeling of disappointment. He had failed in so many ways, not only to himself, but to those he was sworn to protect.

"You seem like a good person, Gieneno... You and Zukas. I think that\'s why Odin sent us here?"

"Odin? Ha... You\'d think so."