Saga of Atlantis

54  Zaira Talon Ondina 2

"Let's play, Papa!" As she shouted again, her small hands clutched at my sleeve.

"You really shouldn't call a stranger 'papa,'" I gently warned her. While I recognized she was doing it to encourage me to play, I believed it was important to teach her about this.

Her reaction was sincere. "I don't have a papa; please play with me," she pleaded with shining puppy eyes. She stepped in closer, as if she were about to burst into tears.

"Sigh... fine," I relented again as I rose from the bench. The observers' lingering eyes were becoming unsettling, especially after Zaira called me Papa.

'Didn't she say her mother was beautiful?'.

Her enthusiasm now returned, and she quickly drew me toward the great fountain, saying, "Yay!" And now I feel like I have been tricked by her.

"Ayee, no, don't jump in the water!" As we approached the fountain, I chastised Zaira. There was a small patch of water collected, and while holding my hand, she gleefully started jumping into the water with her sandals on her feet.

"You'll get a cold! Quit doing that!" I prodded her again, but it appeared her enthusiasm was too much as she proceeded to leap despite my warnings.

"Hupp".I lifted her away from the water with my hands under her armpits.

"Hahaha, stop! It tickles!" Zaira broke out laughing when my hands accidentally tickled her.

I gently placed Zaira back down on the ground and extended my hand, which she immediately accepted.

We started exploring the area around the fountain together while she was looking for other sources of fun and adventure. The sun had now vanished behind a cloudy haze, giving a fresh light to the city.

As we moved about, I couldn't help but glance up at the sky, observing the shifting patterns of the clouds. It dawned on me that I had been in this new world for a full season.

I diverted my attention away from the clouds and away from any depressed thoughts, on the bustle on the side where a gathering crowd had collected. My interest was peaked, and it was clear that something unusual was going on.

"Let's go there," I told Zaira, pointing to the crowd. The stage became more visible as we got closer. It was set up for theater drama, with an open-air audience already assembling around it. The excitement in the area was apparent.

"What's that?"

Zaira's naive interest piqued as we reached the stage, and she pointed to one of the actors who was in the middle of a performance. He was dressed in traditional adventurer's attire, carrying a sword, and had a handsome face and light golden hair, perfectly suited to the role of a hero.

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"Don't point at people; it's considered rude." I gently eased her hand down.

"And that's an actor portraying the hero." I recognized the character from the banner that read "Hero's Adventures," which reminded me of a bedtime story my mother used to tell me when I was a kid.

"What are they doing?" When we got to the theater, Zaira questioned us, and I only realized that the story had already begun. From her perspective, it probably looked like some people were just bickering and fighting over nothing. Our late arrival at the performance had her a bit perplexed.

"Well," I began to explain, leaning in closer to Zaira, "it's a story about a young boy who lives in a village. One day, he is discovered by a knight, who recognizes his talent and recruits him into the army. The youngster works hard and grows in strength. He eventually ends up fighting a group of bad people who kidnapped the princess. He bravely saves her and, believe it or not, makes her fall in love with him; they marry, and he ascends to the position of king.Everyone lives happily ever after."

"It's too boring," Zaira said after I gave her a brief synopsis of the plot. Her initial enthusiasm had faded, and her response was tinged with disappointment.

"I know, right?" I agreed with her disappointment.

"It would have been better if the bad guys won, or the hero died, or the princess died in front of the hero, and everyone blamed the hero for not saving the princess," Zaira went on, outlining her story options.

'Wow, she's dark.' I couldn't help but think that her darker plot twists were a little unsettling, but I secretly couldn't agree with her more. After all, why should the hero have all the glory?

"Let's go; there's an ice cream shop over there," Zaira said, grasping for my hand. She was bored with the drama and eager to eat more.

"Didn't you just eat like three large-sized cakes?" I grumbled under my breath, puzzled as to where all the food went in her tiny body.

When I got to the ice cream shop, I ordered a delicious ice cream for her.

 We found a comfortable location on a nearby bench where we could rest and she could enjoy her delicious ice cream.

I took some time to ponder about Zaira while she ate her ice cream.

I couldn't think of anyone like her in the game, no matter how hard I tried. Either she didn't appear in the game, she isn't that important, or I overlooked something important.

"Hey, Zaira, do you have a surname?" I inquired, hoping to gather more information about her background.

"Hmm, my full name is Zaira Tal-" she said, but her words were cut off abruptly.

"Mommy!" Zaira sprang off the bench and dashed toward a woman who was approaching us.

'H-hey, Edda?' I stuttered a bit as I called out Edda,my eyes still fixed on her as she greeted Zaira with a warm smile.

[Yes?]

'Check her status,'

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Name: Valeria Talon Ondina

Affiliation: Commoners  faction  leader

Mage Path: Ascension Level 8 Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Mana Points: 8000

Knight Path: Locked

Danger Level: Don't bother; you're fucked anyway.

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Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!