Chapter 2: Decision

The next day, Zeus woke up in excitement. Although he didn't get enough sleep, he still energetically rushed out of his room to celebrate the 5th year he was born into this world. 

"Good Morning, Dad!" Zeus greeted as usual but as soon as his eyes darted at the quiet kitchen, his smile froze.

Looking at the untouched food he left last night, his eyes narrowed. 

'He's not here yet?' he thought. 

Zeus didn't even bother to prepare his breakfast as he looked at every corner of their house. 

'The weapons are not here… the armors are not here either. Maybe there's a problem at work?' 

Aside from that, he couldn't think of any reason. According to his father, a knight instructor doesn't only teach new recruits but also participates in every event concerning the safety of the kingdom. 

'But he should tell me at least.'

Zeus was anxious.

For others, this fantasy world was nothing full of exciting adventures, amazing powers, and a visually stunning landmass. 

Anyone would consider it one cause why not? 

Imagine flying into the skies and slaying dragons like flies. 

Even Zeus thought of this as 'a utopia' the first time he crossed to this world. 

However, as he lived his life every day, he started to realize that all his expectations were nothing but naivety. 

Reality countered mercilessly. 

If you have parents like knights or magicians, it's either the next day they'll go home smilin' or inside a wooden coffin. 

It's hard to survive here as a child. 

All children are powerless in this world as the age for 'Aether' awakening was 15 years old. They can train their body to the limits but in the end, without 'aether', their potential would stop at a mere novice knight's level. 

This world is cruel for the weak and a blessing for the strong. 

Without power or an overwhelming background, it was just a matter of time before he ended up inside the belly of those ferocious beasts. 

That's why Zeus began to train his body at 3 years old. Fortunately, the concept of the physique in this land was abnormally strong so any child could straight train at any age they wanted without growth repercussions. 

However, even after 2 years of physical training, Zeus wasn't even strong enough to take on a normal beast. Every time he encountered one, his father would always be there to save him on time. 

It was 2 years ago and it was also the day he realized that natives of this world were already struggling to survive, let alone an outsider like him who only knows these things as mere fantasy tales. 

He also already abandoned the existence of a golden finger to assist him on his path to the strongest. 

'Sigh, I guess he'll be late again.' 

Picking out the coat hanging behind the door, Zeus decided to go out. 

Rustle—

The breeze blew into his face then across the towering trees and rows of large bushes that surrounded their little house. 

Despite the sun grinning over the mountains to the east, casting back shadows and shining in the lands, the wind still carried the last traces of a cold night.

'It's cold.'

Zeus shivered and drew his cloak tighter around his neck. 

The weather was good for training but for some reason, he felt exhaustion all over his body. He leaned on the side of the door, looking at the forest trail as he waited for his father to come. 

The heaviness he was feeling grew and anxiety started to bother him after a few hours. 

Zeus didn't eat as he felt like his appetite was full despite it being empty. 

And so he waited… 

5 hours… 

1 day… 

2 days… 

3 days… 

He waited every day at the front door, wondering when would his father come back but after a full week of waiting, not even a glimpse of his shadow showed up. 

…

"Damn it!" 

Zeus slammed him on the table, directly smashing it into pieces. His hand bled at the force but his adrenaline kept him from feeling the pain. 

It's been a week. Till now, he had no idea what happened to his father. 

Was he dead? 

He didn't know. Due to limited resources, he couldn't get any news as almost no one passed by on this mountain. 

"What am I going to do now?" 

With his small body, he won't be able to fight those ferocious beasts once they found the house. Those monsters have a keen sense of smell and for sure, they would be able to sniff his human scent. 

The rabbits and other edible meats he usually hunted were also thinning now that the winter is just around the corner. 

At this rate, he won't have enough food and would be forced to hunt deeper in the mountains. 

'Dad, are you dead?' Zeus whispered but he didn't even have time to shed tears as his survival was already being threatened. 

'If only I trained even harder… damn it. I hate this feeling!'

But even if he trained two times that he normally do, would it make a difference? 

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He once saw his father butchered a giant hyena who could tear down huge trees with just its claws. 

"Fuck it!" 

Having no other option, Zeus stood up, rummaged through his father's tools, and picked up an ax and knives for an emergency. He ran towards the kitchen and grabbed all the frozen meats and a large jug of water. 

He could lift them all easily like foam but in this world, it won't be as abnormal if compared to Earth. 

Zeus put on a plain white shirt and maroon shorts before putting a brown tiger coat around his body. The sun rays streamed through the windows and onto his face showing the mature expression that was hard to find for a mere 5 year old child. 

'This should be it.'

After double checking his things, Zeus stopped by a desk where a photo frame stood. 

It was a photo of him and his father on his 3rd birthday. 

Unable to find a rag, Zeus wiped the dust on its glass with his fingers. 

'Dad.' 

His expression softened as memories of the past played inside his head. 

"My handsome baby boy! Crawl!!!" 

"Say Dada!"

"Ahahaha, as expected of my son! You can already walk in just 2 months!" 

"Zeus, be proud of your name. It's the name of a God!" 

"Train? Hehe, come boy. I'll teach you how to beat people!" 

"When I'm away, always protect yourself, Zeus. I'll always watch you from behind."

"You can already hunt a normal boar?!" 

"I am… very proud of you, Zeus."

Zeus closed his eyes and kept biting his lips

'Dad…' 

As he stared at the photo of his father, unknowingly, tears fell to his cheeks. 

Zeus sobbed silently, holding the photo tightly in his palms. In his 5 years of life, he never cried. Even as a newborn, those cries he did were fakes to avoid suspicions. 

But now, it's a different story. 

He never had a father back on Earth. His mother told him that his father and her only had a one night stand and he might not even know he had a child. 

In his 23 years of life, he wondered what it was like to have a father. 

A father who could teach him from a boy to a man. 

He died and was given another shot in life. 

In this world, he has a father and the feeling he longed for in his past life resurfaced in his heart once again. 

He protected him and the proud smile on his face drew him closer to this world. For him, Abel Walton was not just his father but also a guardian given to him to guide him to the right path. 

Looking back, the memories with his father were one of the best memories of both his previous and present life. 

Zeus wiped his tears with his shirt and placed the picture frame inside his bag. He glanced at the almost empty house and steeled his will once again. 

This time, he decided to go down the mountains. No matter how many days, months, or years it took, as long as he found his answers, he wouldn't give up. 

For his dream and survival, he wouldn't hesitate to jump through the sea of lava and swim through endless sea currents. 

'It's time to leave.'

As he stood outside the door, Zeus performed 3 ninety degrees bow. It was part of the culture in this world where warriors bowed to their homes as a form of 'goodbye and thank you'. They believe that spirits lived inside their houses and they were keeping bad luck away. 

Alt hough the books his father had was only a handful, some of them still contained basic knowledge about the world he was in. 

"Thank you." 

Zeus walked away with a firm expression, ready to take on a more challenging journey. 

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