Saicharms ~ Us-Sapphire ~ On Moving Forward While Carrying the Past

The following events took place two years ago, I will never forget it.

 

꧁ ꧂꧁ ꧂꧁꧂

 

Stepping back on the world of Arinar in my old and worn out gears has been both a new and nostalgic feeling to me at the same time. I have disappeared for about three years in game, yet despite playing here for straight five years— the three years that I was gone was enough to make me a stranger. 

 

Viewing every player's info and inspecting them feels like solving a puzzle. It made me ask questions to myself. "Have I met this player before? Did this player change its name?"

 

I was saddened by the truth that they have forgotten me and I have forgotten them as well. Was three years that long to cast such forgetfulness? But what saddened me the most is that those who awaited my arrival were no longer here.

 

My previous Guild to which I have poured my entirety and loyalty to for five years was nowhere to be found. It may be a small guild but our bonds were not easily broken, like chains made of steel. After pondering for a while a familiar name suddenly popped up in my friends list, someone whom I remember well and remembered me— an old guild mate.

 

He is now currently staying in one of the strongest guilds here in the Legion side. Seeing that he was in good shape and his gears greatly improved from the last time I saw him three years ago greatly filled my heart with joy. 

 

Before turning all my efforts on being a Charmer I was a guild-less Shaman before all throughout the final quests of Irselnort when the Leader of a small guild stumbled upon me and sent me an invitation. It was a blessing since I met him during my time of distress in Berengar's Cave in the fifth town of Irselnort where there are a lot of Boss quests I still can't do on my own. If not for my old Guild Leader Deeznutzzz I wouldn't have reached far or maybe I would have backed down and stepped away from Arinar forever. From that day on all of my Characters were devoted to his small guild, the guild <DeepImpact> which is nowhere to be seen. 

 

Being stuck in the past is not the right way, maybe the chains of our bonds were truly strong. I too must break the chains holding me and move on forward and find a new guild. Other players find it easy to join a Guild, a single ask for an invite and you will immediately get one. But for me that was not the case. Finding a new Guild to join was not an easy task, well for me that is.

 

For some reason people were skipping me as if I were some droppings left by an animal. A day has passed of asking and still not a single invite, then came the second and still none. No matter how hard I try to shout and ask I still didn't receive any guild invitations even from low level guilds.

 

Looking back on how I ended up on my previous guild I didn't ask for any invitations yet a guild Leader invited me anyway. Maybe that has always been the way for me, just wait for it and it will surely come. But the waiting time sure is taking long, and I have long the companionship I have missed throughout the years that I am gone. 

 

Is it because of my gears that I am getting no invites? I checked my equipment and it is quite under level for the current era, you might even call them "relics of the past" but I believe they pose no problem since I too am under level and no longer at the maximum level cap which is 34. Or is it because I lack bracelets? Maybe that's it! It is something the Gods of Arinar has permitted during my absence, maybe that is the reason why. Having no bracelets equipped make me do look suspicious, like a Sentinel spy. I rushed to the nearest dealer and browsed through his wares, and to my surprise the prices of items have gone ridiculously high compared to three years ago. Anyways, I bought the cheapest bracelet I could find and equip it right away without hesitation.

 

I tried to ask once more for a Guild invitation and waited for some moments to take by.

 

Yet I still didn't get any guild invitations. 

 

Getting desperate each passing time I remember seeing there was a single Unity Sign on the Dealer's ware for sale while looking for a bracelet, and that one thing crossed my mind—

 

"What if I just make my own Guild?"

I laughed since it was a terrible idea. That would be hard and impossible for me.

 

I know it since in my previous guild we even had to share our gold to level it up since our leader isn't someone financially able to. And we even had to wait for the right time to do so during the fateful time of the Guild discount events. I remember it took us a year to level our Guild from level 2 to 3 and another two years to level it up to 4. Also Guild Points and Unity Signs don't grow on trees and sprout out of nowhere like rainbows after the rain.

 

Managing a guild is not something I can do in my current state, but I still bought the Unity Sign from the dealer with the intention of creating a new one. I have already begun thinking of a good name for the Guild I'm about to create. 

 

Little did I know that after leaving the dealer's shop I would receive the one I thing I have been asking the whole time— a Guild Invitation from a player who was just watching me stand beside the Dealer.

 

"Player Xprohealer has invited you to the Guild SLAYER."

 

Finally, after all my hopes had been lost and darkness had engulfed everything, a beacon of light came at the right time. If it had been a minute later then the world of Arinar must have witnessed the birth of a new Guild. But I guess this invitation is far better than me making my own Guild or else I would have wasted a Unity Sign.

 

That Shaman Xprohealer who invited me in the Guild got a scolding from the Leader and Heirs as he was only a Challenger and he needs to ask permission first to recruit other players. He was demoted back to being a Rookie, well the same rank as me now. I felt sad for his demotion, so in order to pay him back I deposited the Unity Sign I bought earlier in the Guild Warehouse in his name.

 

I was surprised at first since it was one of the Guilds I expect not to get into. Even back then when I was just starting out it has been one of our front line Guilds against the Sentinels. I promised to myself that I will not disappoint them by any means so I did my best to earn Guild Points by doing daily quests on Ayvondil and the main quests of Almahad.

 

Well, there was something I noticed that upsets me a bit about doing daily quests in the T4 sector. Back then we would always do it in a party since the bosses were too strong for us to handle, but now everyone has gone strong to go alone that they don't need a party anymore to complete all the daily quests. Lucky for me that I am a Charmer and I too can manage the daily quests on my own with the help of healing potions. I still always look for a party when doing the daily quests here. Does becoming strong really isolate us from each other?

 

Maybe that's the reason for the discovery of the island of Almahad then so we must join hands with each other. Well, who knows? Maybe it is. The island of Almahad is not for the lone wolf after all, players who have isolated themselves from others have given up on it. It is not something someone can do alone. Good thing for me is I have found a new guild who can help me face its adventures.

 

We have received a message earlier from our Heirs that we need to gather in location of King's Library in Er-Sahil. Well that just happened to be near the Adventurer's hideout where I am about to submit my quest to the guild master. The wide bustling town of Er-Sahil on Almahad was the biggest town I have seen on Arinar that it could rival a whole territory of a sector in Ayvondil. Getting from one end to the other will take some time, bringing quests items from one place to the other is frustrating. It reminded me of that one quest in my beginning island of Moraktar when I had to collect multiple dice quest items on locations far from each other.

 

After submitting my quest I darted of towards the flagged location in map. There for the first time I have witnessed many players whose names were in color green, the color of a guild mate.

 

"What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know."

 

Those were most of the words that came out as we slowly gathered. Our numbers increase in the marked location as Guild Heirs call out every single player that's not in the location.

 

I just noticed that we had members of the strongest Legion guild in the realm joined in our ranks, the <SiThLoRdS>. They stood out from us just by their presence alone. The Guild Heirs explained to us that they will be leading the event called "In Search of Almonomicon".

 

"Almonomi- what?" I asked myself.

 

It is a Guild Event that my new guild has failed to complete due to their lack of knowledge on how certain mechanics work inside the event. 

Being in a small guild for most of my time these big Guild events were something I am not wary of and accustomed to, even back then before my three year leave I did not have the idea that they exist if they have existed back then. The events we held back then on our very own small guild were simple ones, such as all of us running through the easy difficulty of Champion's Colosseum, going through the Astral Labyrinth or just whatever crazy stuff our guild Leader decides. Little they were but for us little players they were big.

 

"Everyone, make parties!" They ordered us.
 
We made parties and waited for the event to start. The anticipation grew each passing second. Then at last, the countdown began.

 

"3, 2, 1"

 

The event started, the gates of the temple opened and we all rushed inside. 

 

"All stand near the NPCs!" Shouted the ones leading us. 

 

I didn't really know what was going on and about to happen, but we obeyed the orders. We stood beside the NPCs and they started to move, we followed them as they walked towards the next location. Just as I thought that it would be an easy task of standing beside the NPCs and following them then I was dead wrong— a wave of monsters appeared on all sides! They were insanely strong that some of us began to fall on the ground. I too would be one of them if I haven't used a healing potion in time. 

 

"Shamans use Heal Totems! Tanks spam agro! All stand on the NPCs!"

 

The orders continued while chaos ensued. I kept on summoning my wolves to deter the monsters while also casting Bird and heal on myself and my injured party members. I also hope that I won't run out of healing potions before this all ends.We all marched together, as if linked by an invisible chain pulling us together towards the end. Without noticing it we passed through the stages one after another by just following the orders and sticking together.
 

Finally the dark and damp enclosure has been replaced by the blinding glares of the sun on the sparkling sand and marble buildings, we were now back outside. We actually finished the event! It was also my first to hold the newest currency: Silver Dirhams. I have only earned a handful amount for now but having it for the first time feels like I have achieved so much. What felt like an endless battle came to a conclusion, victory was ours. It feels like I have taken a big step on the Land of Arinar, the sudden urge to experience all that I haven't experienced yet came to me. It felt like a new game, a new beginning.

 

"I want to play again, and catch up to all I have missed. I regretted that It took me this long to return." Is what I said to myself. 

 

We celebrated as if something monumental had happened, to me it was more than that. 

 

I felt something familiar as we rejoice. Those feelings I felt before in our small guild when we succeeded on even something small, that feeling finally came to me after all the years. The feeling of accomplishment together with friends. Celebrating with others is better than celebrating alone after all. 

 

I felt them, my old friends were here too.They are all happy that I have finally returned. They are pushing me to go forward, and to where I go they will be there too. This is also their victory, not only ours. 

 

I don't need to cut the chains shackled to the past, these chains are what connects us, I will carry them. The experiences and the memories. The victories and defeats, the lessons and laughter. 

 

These chains are my strength. They may be heavy as they grow in numbers but I'll muster up and carry them all. They might tangle with each other but as the one carrying them it is my duty to untangle them. They might break but I will try my best to hold on until my hands no longer can hold them. I will keep on linking chains on everyone I meet, and keep on hammering them until they are strong.

 

꧁ ꧂꧁ ꧂꧁꧂

 

-fin.... 

 

 

Edited June 21Jun 21 by saicreed