“Where are you going?” a cool, low voice asked. It seemed small in his head, as if she had meant for it to be a pointless question. She gripped his wrist tightly, as if she was about to break it if he didn’t answer her, and her eyes seemed to go wider with every second until he thought they were going to pop out. They drifted away into the sky above, which was now a mix of gray and black, casting a shadow over them. She squeezed his wrist tighter as he gave her an uneasy glance, his black hair flowing past his eyes and falling to the side of his head, where it rested there for a moment.

“Just a few blocks away,” he whispered, moving closer and letting his lips brush across the blonde hair that hung out in a ponytail behind her. He tried to make eye contact with her, but she avoided his gaze as if she would fall under a spell if she glanced at it. “I’ll be back in an hour, maybe more, maybe less.” He twisted away from her grip and clutched the ends of her fingers. It was like it was snowing out, as if her hands had frostbite, but he knew that they weren’t. They were as cold as can be, almost lifeless to him when he examined it with one eye.

“Okay…meet me at seven…if you can? This same spot?” she asked, her fingers twisting around once again like snakes to coil around James’ fingers. He gave her an assuring smile and winked at her, making her laugh softly, a laugh that he enjoyed listening to. It was like music to his ears, a symphony in the world of darkness around him. The laughing ceased seconds later, making his bright smile twist a bit lower to just a meager smirk. She squeezed his fingers, eyeing him closely as if he would never see her again if that happened.

“Of course,” he whispered, letting his fingers break away from hers. She seemed saddened that they had disappeared so suddenly, but eventually started on her way back to her house. She was wearing nothing but tight jeans that seemed to stick to her skin and a shirt with sleeves that seemed a bit too small for her size. Her hands were a light color, one that seemed almost colorful, but at the moment it seemed dull with the gray sky hovering over them. She gave a quick glance back, her hair swooping about over her shoulder as she did so. She gave him that glance that she always did, just to reassure herself that he would be back at that point, and so she opened and closed the door, making the boy feel suddenly alone in the world.

He stood there for a moment, his baggy jeans swinging about in the wind that was picking up around him. He looked down at his shoes, at the laces and how they tore in multiple places around the sole of his foot. He pulled his jacket closer around him, shivering as the torrent of wind started to increase with more and more speed. It was like a whirlwind coming on around him, as if something was trying to jar him in places for hope of not letting him leave to where he wanted to go. Before his body could tell him to move off home, though, James started to move off in the direction he had been hoping to travel to. He didn’t want her to come with, her of all people to see where he was going and what he was doing. She’d feel offended by it, as if she weren’t as important to him in the world as she once was. He moved off down the sidewalk at a quick pace, trying to avoid the biting coat by tucking his chin in and gritting his teeth, trying to think about something else other than the cold.

The walk was a short one to James, as he was just trying to focus on anything but walking and the cold that surrounded him, doing its best to scare him into thinking there might be a huge storm that would freeze him into submission. Of course, James wasn’t the type to submit to that kind of thing, so he kept on moving. The houses he passed were dull colors like gray and tan, which looked even duller when clouds passed over. The gray clouds seemed to be descending upon him, threatening to surround him in the cold that it spread. He took his mind off of it, though, and rather focused at the dim lighting that was given off at this point. The street lamps flickered to life at some points, but stopped and fell black moments later. A few cars passed by at amazingly illegal speeds, teenagers in them with their booming music and drunk friends that would pass away into the night, never to be seen again. He sometimes pitied them for such a fate to fall upon them, but there were always those that were threatened by the smallest of things that you could easily avoid. Peer pressure…yes, he had been through that one before. He pushed the thoughts away, though, and continued to look about at his dull surroundings, even if it was a shiny car that was in an open garage with a few people bustling about with their things.

Crows swooped above, casting their dark feathers down upon him. Faint memories of walking through the open streets of school came to him, at least when there was nobody around. You’d say crows everywhere, varying from immense to diminutive. They were usually looking for crumbs left by the littering students, and obviously found what they needed, but whenever he passed and tried to get a bird to come onto his arm, he found that the flock merely spread their wings and took off into the afternoon air, ignoring the humidity and doing their best to try and ignore the boy that was pestering them. That had been five or six years ago, of course, so he paid no mind to it, but it still came back to him. Memories always did…

James’s walk came to an abrupt halt as he found himself standing before a black gate going up about three feet with pillars jutting up into the air. His fingers ran across the unpleasantly cold steel before opening the lock that was left on the other side. He opened the gate and closed it, opening him up to a small pathway. Life spread about all around him, bushes growing about to the sides while flowers bloomed. Bees buzzed about, getting their pollen from whatever flower they could find, and there were always birds that swerved around him, humming as they did so. It was as if the dullness of life had been taken away from him, replaced by colorful beings that were alive and full of color. He walked across the lush, green grass and felt surprisingly cold at that point. The flowers, plants, and animals that were there when he came were now gone, replaced by the one thing that he had come for. He had almost forgotten the whole purpose of coming here, the whole purpose of why he had come alone and not without family or friends to comfort him. His knuckles popped as he balled his left hand into a fist. There was a swirl of gray up ahead, along with flowers left, and things engraved into the ground with cold, dead things below.

He had come to a cemetery.

James couldn’t help but blink at the sight in front of him, as if he hadn’t meant to come here, but had meant to go to a colorful theme park full of kids and cotton candy. No, this was the place he had come here for, and he was here for a reason: to mourn for those who had died that he knew oh-so well in the past. High School was a time where a lot of people spread about from the man pack and spread into their own groups, breaking up again and again until they fell into a group with idiots, who then pulled them into twisted events that cast fate upon them; their fate was death. The torrent of wind still swirled about in the cemetery, giving him an eerie feeling. He hated coming here alone, especially when it was close to the night. It was a cemetery, close to Halloween, and so far, he hadn’t seen any teenagers trying to scare his pants off. He took a deep breath and sighed, trying to keep the air of the dead away from him. The birds ceased their chirping and the bees stopped buzzing as he started forward across the rocky path that led up a small hill.

It seemed like a long and endless walk to James at this point, but he knew it’d soon end. He looked at the gravestones scattered about, each having their own distinct look to them and their own flowers that were put in front of them. Many were withered, having died a while back from loss of water or maybe loss of sunlight. He doubted either of them were the answer, but they weren’t cared for. Sometimes he bothered to go up to the other gravestones and remove the flowers, as usually they seemed almost as if someone had gone around and burnt them. It was probably a dirty little trick done by a few teenagers who didn’t respect the dead. He could only wonder if they were among them now, looking down upon him with lifeless eyes. He looked up at the gray sky above, noticing the raindrops as they fell upon his head, making his messy black hair move about. It was a hard rain, threatening to hail at some points, but it seemed to slow down once he quickened his pace up the hill. He had been here many times before, probably once every two months or so, but every time it seemed as if he was stopping at many more graves to mourn.

James stopped in his tracks and looked over to the side of the hill, which he promptly walked across, trying his best not to smile or frown all the while. He dawdled a bit with his pace, as if distracted by a few bugs that skittered about on a branch that hung out on a tree grown just a few years back. He stopped in his tracks and turned, kneeling down as he did so to look at a grave. It had been there three years now, maybe four if he was not mistaken. His friend had been so young, so friendly to him. He had died in a car wreck, if he remembered correctly, and had gone to his funeral. It hadn’t been a happy one at that, and the clouds had been the same exact shade, as if mourning for his death. He remembered how he fought inside not to cry like the other boys and girls around him, and never did, yet at some points, he wished he could just reveal his emotions for once. James hadn’t imagined losing him. One day he had been at school, talking to him about his previous test scores, and then the next day…he was gone, just like that. A snap of the fingers, a twist of fate, and he was dead. Just like that. There were words engraved on the stone in front of him, words that were chosen by him and many other kids who tried to make it memorable to all those who passed.

Here lies a friend
who was very dear to all of us
and who had a great heart
who was very brave
and had a dream for the world
that we want to fulfill in his stead.

It hadn’t been well thought out greatly, but they were still just freshmen in High School, trying their best not to fall into something that would follow up with their demise. It was a dangerous world out here, with arrows whizzing about in all directions. They were slow, easy to dodge, but some of the clumsy ones fell to it and were dead…just like that…a snap of the fingers. He wanted to cry at that point, he wanted to cry and punch the ground like it was its fault, but instead, he merely stood up, bowed, and moved off. He knew the next time he’d see the grave was in a few months, but he didn’t give any second glances back as he once again moved up the rocky path towards the top of the hill. He didn’t have time to visit and mourn for as many as he wished, but he had time for the one person that seemed the most important to him previously in life. James’ right knuckles popped this time, a sound that seemed to resound in his mind for minutes on end. He stopped, his chin held high instead of tucked in to protect himself from the cold, and then moved off towards the grave that seemed to be the most important to him. His eyes were ablaze as he stopped and knelt down before the grave, his eyes locked on the text imprinted on the grave, text that he had specifically written for his friend.

Here lies someone close
who meant the world to me
until the day she departed
into the void of darkness.

She’ll never come back
into the light
to see my smiling face
and to smile back.

If only she knew
how much
she meant to me
in this pitiful world.

He, originally, had thought of it as a total piece of crap that needed to go into the garbage, but had put it there anyways. James didn’t quite remember how it had gotten there, on this gravestone in particular, but it had gotten here nonetheless. Tears trickled down his cheeks, which he didn’t realize until they were dripping down on his sleeves below him. His eyes bulged, knowing that the girl was right below him, a small hole in her chest indicating that she had been shot. They said that they had found the man and had him suffering in jail, but he had thought it to be something that showed mercy. He wanted the man dead on the ground, dead so he knew the suffering of dying and leaving your friends in a daze, as if nothing had really happened and it was all just a meager dream. He waited there for a moment, his hands clasped together until he left, rubbing his cheeks with his sleeves and sucking up his guts. He knew what his father would say about this kind of behavior; something along the lines of ‘men don’t cry’ or ‘men don’t do this’…it was annoying, but at least his dad could be humorous in the time he needed a bit of cheering up. He still had no idea what he’d be doing tonight, but at this point, he didn’t care. His mind was clouded enough that he was unaware of the people in the cars who drove at regular speeds, and the lights of fires that crackled to life in the houses around him.

The sidewalks were slippery with water dripping from everything visible in the air, whether it be a street lamp or a tree that hung over the sidewalk. Usually, that provided shade, but he got out of the way, knowing that if he stayed next to a tree too long, he just might be zapped. He could hear the rumble of thunder up above, crackling about and roaring at the neighborhood below. Lightning shook the air, a slice of golden running through the sky as it shot down towards the ground and lit up the air for a brief moment. There was a booming sound that followed, one that managed to make him quicken his pace so he didn’t get zapped…now that he thought about it, he wasn’t really enjoying this rain. The wind was roaring about, still making his cheeks white with the cold while his hands groped about until they found pockets to dig themselves into. The house wasn’t far off…just one more corner and he’d be there, in the safety of a house relaxing in a nice, air-conditioned room. Boy did that seem amazing at this point, even when he had had it his whole life.

Cars passed by, making water roar up on one side of the street, missing James just by a few feet. He wasn’t in the mood to go into a house only to have to take a hot shower. He wanted so much to stretch, to get himself out of the hunched position he was in now, but he knew that was impossible at this point, seeing as he’d probably freeze his arms to death. Too bad he hadn’t worn gloves, less he would’ve been a lot more comfortable with this weather. James turned the corner and headed down the lane, his footsteps hidden behind the continuous crackle of thunder and the roar of lightning. Sighing, James took off in a light jog, trying to quicken his pace before he froze himself to death. His fingers were shaking now, cold as if he had touched the dead while in the cemetery. He would’ve loved to stay longer, but if he had…now that he thought about it, he probably would’ve frozen his fingers off. James walked up the driveway and under the balcony, away from the wind and water, finally having arrived at the house.

He wanted so much to knock, but he didn’t dare pick his hands up. Instead, he knocked his head against the doorway, mainly because that seemed to be the only thing that he could move other than his legs. He heard the pound of two feet moving across the tiles before the door came open, letting a cold wind come in. She was there, looking at her watch with a slight smile on her face while he walked in and hid himself from the burden of the cold. She pointed to the clock up above, which told him that he was a single minute left. Like he cared. He’d almost turn into Jack Frost after just going to visit a cemetery…seriously. The house was warm, as it always was, and he could see multiple blankets lain about, making the house seem cozy to him. A fire crackled in the corner, flames licking at the sides as if to define the very word to him in all of its beauty. He shivered and pulled off his jacket, trying to get the feeling in his hand. He cracked his left knuckles, only to find that it was almost like trying to pull his fingers off…yuck. James frowned and slipped off his shoes, being careful not to get the floor wet or anything. They were going to be alone, but what they were going to do was the question…yet he knew already he wasn’t going illegal in these next few hours. No way.

She wrapped her fingers around his hands, making a feeling run through his body, a warm, fuzzy feeling that he rarely felt. She didn’t bother to comment on how cold they were, but rather dragged him across the floor, half-sliding and half-walking on the tiles. He was pulled into the kitchen, where she had actually…prepared dinner? “You know, you shouldn’t have done anything like this…I’m not all that hungry and…” He wanted to finish the sentence, but he couldn’t, as she was already giving him glances that said she had been doing this while he was gone and didn’t want to just have to clean up and save the whole dinner for another day. He swallowed and sniffed the air, taking in the delicious scents of her food. She pulled him into a small seat and she took a seat in a chair about two yards in front of him. She smiled at him and started to eat, leaving him to stare into space, as if lost.

“The food’s not poisoned, just so you know,” she said, munching slowly on a roll without leaving a crumb to fall to the plate below her. She set it down on her plate and smiled lightly at him, as if trying to get him guilty enough that he’d eat something, then enjoy the meal and go on to do other things that they’d both enjoy. Of course, the boy was forced into it and slowly, he ate, and ate more, and ate more, until the two were conversing about things and laughing all the while. Jokes were passed and things were eaten until there was only a few things left between them. The boy was tempted to belch, just to make her laugh or put on an awkward glance, but held it in and tried to keep it away from the polite manner he had held for the past hour. She got up and grabbed a few plates, carrying them over to the kitchen and washing them off, scrubbing off any sign of them eating over it. James followed suit, though not in such a graceful manner. How she pulled off being graceful while washing dishes didn’t really come to his mind, but he shrugged it off and did his best to keep up with her. They didn’t talk at that point, but left other pointless jibber jabbering for later in the night when they were hyper and needed to get something off their back.

Once they were done with the dishes and had everything packed away in the refrigerator, the girl dragged him off upstairs. His hands were no longer that icy cold and white color they had been before, but had been warmed up a bit from the dinner and the heat that the house provided. He followed, his socks sliding on the tail until they encountered the carpet floor that led upstairs. She took steps two at a time, dropping his hand for a moment to lead the way upstairs. The roar of lightning could still be heard, along with the faint pitter-patter of the rain that went along with it outside. The curved staircase led to a long hallway that ran in two directions, revealing multiple doorways that led to who knows what. She dragged him off to the right, heading to the bedroom in the far right corner, the door half-open. She pulled him in, laughing at his confused glances to the right and left, to try and make out what she was getting at by pulling him into this mess of a room. There were manuals thrown all about and multiple chairs, along with small drawers with papers thrown out of them. The fan was on, making papers blow about in a frenzy, along with a view of the outdoors, which right now looked very glum. Scratching his head, he walked over to the desk and picked up a manual. The words that he had seen for so long were there, plastered on its surface with big letters that seemed to snap at him with invisible jaws.

James set the manual down and looked over to her as she walked about, picking up random sheets of paper and setting them down on the desk, which held a single laptop computer. Earlier in the day, he had brought his over just in case, but he didn’t expect that she’d go as far as this… He groaned and walked over to the wall, which he banged his head against until there was a dull throbbing that made him groan even more. He turned around, looking to her as she gave him a faint smile. He hadn’t noticed until now that her ponytail was now out and her hair was thrown around her shoulders, making her every movement a graceful one with the hair flinging itself about in a graceful fashion. This tantalized him for a moment and by the scent of it; it smelled of fruit, a sort of fruit that smelled good to him at this point, and he was almost drooling at it, too. When she looked over to him, he resumed his ugly look, as playing that game again would only make his life all the more troublesome. He tried to spit out the words with distaste for what she had said, but instead, they came out in a whining voice that he was definitely not looking for. “Why…?”

The words hopefully etched themselves into her brain, for James didn’t know what he’d do if they didn’t. She had deliberately done this; invited him to her house, had a nice chat during a meal, and now she wanted him to play a game that he had told himself he’d stay away from for a few months, or maybe even years, just so long as he could get the feelings for it out of the way. If he became mesmerized by its graphics and was taken in once again, he didn’t know what he’d do…it was like the game was an addiction to him. She wagged a finger in front of his face, making him jump with surprise. His mind had wandered far enough that he hadn’t even realized that she was a foot in front of him, her lips moving with words he couldn’t quite understand. “-and now it just seems like you have nothing to do all the time. Usually you’d say that you have some random assignment to do at school, but this time you accepted graciously. You never do that, James…and the only thing I could see was that something had happened, something not at school, but from the Internet. Either you’re going to solve your problems with me, or you’re going to get back into the game you’ve been trying to deliberately avoid for the past few weeks. You’re not the type to go into seclusion just because of a talk on the Internet, so it absolutely, positively, must be the game, the game you’ve spent so much time on, the game that changed you forever. James!” She snapped her fingers in his face as his mind started to wander off. “You must go on with this, you must.” She pointed a finger at the computer and then turned it so it could point out the door and to the next room, where he had placed his own laptop. “Come on,” she said, dragging him off out of the room and to her own room, which was surprisingly not colorful. She placed him in the seat, pushed it in a bit, and threw a controller at him, which he promptly caught. Then, the VR goggles were slid across the desk and the computer was open, the mouse already hovering over the log-in screen. Boy, this girl was good. She pointed a finger at it and gave him a glare until he pulled the goggles on and typed in his username and password. Sighing, the boy clicked the ‘Enter’ button, and so he left on an adventure that would maybe be his last.

‘The World’, a role playing game that had thousands of players on the server almost 24/7, from all across the world doing their best to level and concur the many events and bosses that came in their way. There had been so many upgrades to it since the beginning and now it stood as the most popular game the world had ever seen, or at least somewhere close to that. Every person in High School, college, older and younger people…it didn’t matter, because this was the big one, the big explosion that sent the world into a frenzy. It was this game that could change someone’s life and could most definitely change it in a good way or a bad way. Some had seen firsthand what it was like in there, how there were people going into comas and the like from playing it, but some ignored it as just some sort of thing that happened to those that played too much. Yet some seemed too much like a coincidence, like something from inside the game had caused it and sent them down the drain, and quite literally too. There were more bugs than one in this game, not to mention hackers who liked to mess with players’ heads. So many were victims and so many hadn’t come out alive, yet for some reason, the amount of people playing the game ceased to change. If the players knew of what could happen to them while playing, the streets would be empty, the sound of a stray cat or a yawning NPC being the only thing you could hear, and that was just barely. The Delta Server, the Theta Server, the Lambda Server, and the others would be barren with only faint signs of players. No; this was a game that was full of victims, full of people who could very likely die while playing. If only they knew, if only they realized the dangers that could fall upon them while playing this horrid, but addictive game that could change people’s lives forever.

Those thoughts belonged to none other than James Shakehard, a slightly regular boy, yet also a very unique one at that. Most of his friends had known him as the one to frown a lot, one who didn’t enjoy hanging out with anybody, more of some gothic guy who preferred not to do anything in life. His past was a mystery to those who passed him and his head seemed to hang low whenever someone saw him. Not once did people see his chin held high and a smile spread across his face like there was some meaning in life. Not once did someone see affection for another person in his eyes; only the dullness that most liked to call a void of darkness. He had been swallowed in, unable to wade his way out into the world of life and happiness. He only stood, shaking, ungrateful for what had happened to him and hoping for something to end his death. He didn’t go out and hang himself, he didn’t go out and slit his own through. No, he waited for life to either change or life to end, and that was that. No one had really bothered to bully someone, as it seemed like he was bullying himself about things half the time. Why was he bullying himself was the great question here, and many people tended to wonder when they looked at the High School kid. He would sludge past them like a sort of slug, only he wasn’t bulky; actually, he was skinny enough that he tended to resemble some sort of skeleton to many kids. His bones were brittle, his eyes a void, and his lips always twisted in a frown. He seemed to resemble a broken person, one that had been part of many hardships, one that didn’t know what to do with himself. This was James and that was his life, yet his story was something that people tended to try and discover.

Then everything changed. It was a slow ascent to happiness at first, but people could see clearly that he wasn’t quite the person that looked like he had fallen into a void of darkness. He still didn’t look quite that attractive, but things seemed to change, both in his posture and his face, along with his personality. He seemed to talk a bit more with those around him, yet no one seemed to know what the cause was. Rumors had obviously been started, saying that drugs had twisted his mind, but there were no drugs involved with this sudden twist in personality. No one knew him well enough to realize that it was a single game that forced him to meet people unless he enjoyed killing his character a dozen times over. He had spent quite a lot of money on this game known as ‘The World’ and had found that it was a bit to his taste. It wasn’t like he was the greatest gamer on Earth and he wanted to find out why everyone was so pumped about it, but was looking for something to do in the summer and the early school year. Life bored him, and then, it seemed to turn into something that wasn’t so boring, something that could spread into something that could bloom like a flower. He hated flowers, of course, but it was the only idiom that seemed to fit it. He got to know people and found that life wasn’t all that pointless once you got the hang of it. His grades, of course, didn’t really turn from their sub par looks, but there was at least a change in participation and how he reacted to those around him. He was a new person, a new James that could maybe get to know some people. More twists and turns and he seemed to have relaxed into his new, yet old life, and so the story continued on. All if it was because of one small thing, one small game that he had bought, and how a simple hundred-dollar thing could change someone’s life forever.

-----------------------------

Splotches of golden danced around the screen, making James momentarily blink at it. The light that came from the sudden darkness seemed immense, almost as if it was trying to blind him. No matter, though, as the city itself seemed dark enough from where his character was standing now, standing in the middle of a player-infested game known as ‘The World’, a game that he had told himself to quit weeks ago. Now a person had gotten him to play just for his sake, and now he promised himself this was his last outing, no matter what the cost. The last quest had been disastrous enough, with hundreds of flaws that seemed to make matters worse for him. The loss of a good friend never seemed to make James excited, but duller than usual. It hadn’t exactly shown in real life, but if someone really looked into the deepest pits of his eyes, they could see that he had lost someone that he thought would be someone important in ‘The World’. Now he seemed gone, yet not dead. He probably still lurked in the streets of Mac Anu, or worse, the streets he stood amidst now, but right now he could care less whether or not he ran into a hacker. He could hardly remember much of it after having forgotten it for the past few weeks, but now that he was in this world once again, looking about the streets at the excited players that walked about, the memories started to flood back at a frightening pace. He wanted to avoid them at all costs, and almost brought his hands up to his head in defense, but instead stood planted still, trying to get some good breaths going from himself, who sat in a chair, hands shaking with the controller vibrating underneath him as people pushed passed him. His emerald eyes were lost at that point and suddenly, he wanted to fall over and hit the ground, to fall asleep and drift off into the world of dreams, a world that didn’t have a door that led out.

His hands shook as they groped about his sides, each finger curling about and squeezing the leather until he thought blood was going to seep out. He hid the expression from any who looked, but it seemed as if he might vomit if he stayed any longer. He had all these weird feelings when he came into this world, feelings that he didn’t want. The darkness that shrouded ‘The World’ seemed too immense for him to handle, as half his memories seemed to be in that same place: darkness. He was pushed back again and almost tripped to the ground. Comments were thrown at him to move out of the way, but he could hardly hear them, as memories seemed to flood back in. He wanted to go to a field, go to a quiet place so he could let them flood back in, let them take over his body for a brief second, only to drift away as something made his controller vibrate, or warm arms wrapped around his body for strength. Love, hate, pain; the emotions swirled about in unison, grabbing hold of him at random intervals. He wanted so much to scream at that point, to scream and run and trip and fall and die in the world, but there was that other choice: logging out. ‘The World’ had enough horrors that he actually pulled the analog over to that point, and for a moment, he let his thumb slide over to click the button, only to pull back at the last moment. Was he to face his fears or run away from them? So much had happened here, including the meeting of friends, the changing of his life, and…that group, the Eventide Crescendo, where he saw absolutely monstrous things and was actually temporarily immersed in the game to a point where he could feel the cool air around him in the game. No…this game was too much.

James slowly slid off the goggles and set them on the table in front of him, staring at the bright screen that glowed in front of him, as if trying to intimidate him with its light. Arms slid around him, warm arms that felt as if they were touched by the heat of the sun. For a brief moment, goose bumps ran up his back and then calmed down as the head of the girl slid up next to him, her eyes locked on the computer rather than his face. Her eyes seemed to plead to him, as if she wanted so much for him to go in there and show the world that he wasn’t afraid of a simple computer game. James squeezed the edges of the chair, wanting so much for them to break under his grasp. His eyes bulged. His breath was heavy. In the back of his head, a piano seemed to play out a symphony, a soft one that seemed to represent nature, though he didn’t know why exactly it was playing that sort of symphony. It seemed to play out his life, as if it was calling for him to go out in the rain and think for a moment or to go out into the nature of ‘The World’ so he could solve his problems and make things clear before he left that world to another. Was he going to solve his problems or going to just sit there and listen to that symphony play in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying to make a dive into the many choices that were left open to him. Her breath stung his cheek like ice had been pressed against it. He fidgeted and his grip on the chair seemed to weaken a bit. Her lips didn’t open or close, but were closed. Her eyes seemed to speak for themselves, looking to the game screen that came up. He had been logged out and the screen was now flashing with his username and password typed out, ready to log him back in. Her hand slid over to the mouse, as if to move it for him, but he grabbed her wrist before she could move it any farther.

His eyes met hers for a moment and they seemed to have a conversation that lasted all of a second, but in reality probably would’ve lasted an eternity if they had actually sounded out the words for each other. It was like in a book, as if they were telling each other through their eyes, as if they had just been taught the skill, but indeed they hadn’t. His fingers brushed against the cool mouse and for a moment, his pointer finger hovered over it and then came crashing down, slowly but surely. He pressed down on it, holding it for almost a minute before letting it go and sliding on the goggles once again. Maybe he’d be too scared to do it again, but he had at least gotten a bit of inspiration from someone. Hands brushed against his shoulder blades, making more shivers run down his spine as she left the room. Whatever she was doing was beyond James, but he knew that she was doing something that would obviously help him. Maybe a drink, maybe something to relax him, or maybe she was logging in so she could comfort him from the game, to talk to him and work problems out. She could always try to work out problems, but it didn’t seem possible for her to help with the problems he held now. He wasn’t going to solve them; he was going to lose them. James wasn’t looking to try and solve problems with every hacker he had encountered, every Administrator he had managed to run away from, and just about every person he had been a sorry ass to. Solving problems wasn’t his thing, and if it meant apologizing, he was going to stay out of the way of it. It was all a part of losing them, even if it meant thinking about them for an eternity in there. He remembered faintly the memories that had flooded back in when he had been in previous fields, but those had hardly been a burden to him. They had been more of something that had gone along with the quest, as if it was a part of it…this time, he seemed to actually be thinking about it. The past was something people had to forget. It was just something that his body wouldn’t let go of no matter what…

Splotches of golden came into the screen once again, shattering the darkness and filling his world with bright light. He would’ve covered his arms and shaded his eyes, but he didn’t. He stared into the light, trying to get himself used to the light that came around him. He was aware of moving bodies around him, aware of the talk of people, the murmurs of rumors and the lies that seemed to pass every now and then. His ears twitched as he listened to a conversation going on between a few girls and boys as they talked – no, not talked – gossiped about players both in the real world and in the game, which almost seemed strange to him. He let the rest of their words get drained in the roar of the crowd and tried to listen to something else, but it was so unclear that he stopped to try and take in his surroundings. He had been staring off into the light, staring off into the lanterns that were hung around in Carmina Gadelica and the lights of the shops that seemed to gleam ever so brightly around him, without a flicker or a movement from the wind that passed. He had logged in again, but the memories that flooded back in didn’t ease up. He wanted so much to lose those, to throw them away and stomp on them, but he couldn’t. He tried to take his mind off of it to put it on something else, like a dungeon adventure he could go on, but even a simple dungeon adventure seemed to hook himself with hackers who were thirsty for his blood, digitalized blood, unreal blood that they could suck and enjoy while watching their victim scream with pain that didn’t throw in their own veins; merely pain that their character felt. It seemed so cannibalistic that the boy was tempted to walk away, but he remembered that this game didn’t have vampires but players who had blades and that tore through flesh, monsters and players alike. Everyone seemed heartless to him, as if they had born without a throbbing, living, healthy heart, but then again, not everybody had a healthy heart, did they? No; not in the slightest.

So there he stood, a character that stood amidst a crowd of people, full of lies and bad deeds that lingered above, where no one except those with keen eyes noticed. A question rose up into his mind, a question that lingered a brief second before thrusting itself towards him: why did he focus on the lies that were scattered about the world. Indeed everybody had lied before and everyone knew that, but why was he focusing on that in particular? Maybe he felt he hated the community of the world, the load of people that walked about snickering at those who had bad luck and were shoved into the alleys, only to be grabbed by another player and then smashed into the wall. Teeth broken and blood seeping out of their head, the players would be thrown in the dumpster, their pride and bravery that had once come gone from their minds, only to be filled with fear and anguish. Yet why…why was James trying to focus on these things? He was one of them, just as bad, yet he had never been so cold as to seek out a player and kill him. He, of course, could always go and save the victim when they cried out for help, but he never felt the need and always acted as if he were too lazy to help someone who was being thrown into despair, thinking everybody was the same as them. A string of curses followed that were lost in the crowd, the only one who even noticed them being the one boy who had muttered them. His blue hair seemed to fall his eyes in a messy-like fashion, along with his emerald eyes seeming to not glow with the determination they usually did. Why was that last event bugging him so much? It wasn’t half as bad as the group he had traveled with months before. So many things to tear up to shreds; to leave things behind and push the past back where it belonged…he had to look to the future, not to think back on the deeds done in the past!

Something shook him out of his trance, though, a cold arm that made the soles of his feet lurch off the ground for a brief second before falling down again. It had been so abrupt that he was tempted to scream, but when he looked, it was merely the girl that had urged him into playing. Her blonde hair swung about a bit in the breeze that passed, and her skin was ice cold, unlike the real world. Her eyes were chestnut brown, while her face was pale. She was smiling thoughtfully at him and her fingers ran down his arm, slowly and smoothly. There were a few freckles that he could see on her skin, but other than that, nothing. Her skirt that reached down to her knees swirled about while her shirt was covered by a jacket that was zipped up until about two inches from her neck, where it came to a sudden stop. The leather was cerulean, a beautiful color that seemed to make her radiate with beauty. A few stray strands of blonde hair drifted over to his shoulder, but she merely brushed them with a clean sweep of her hand. Her eyes met his and for a moment, they stood in the crowd, silence coming into their ears and everything else hidden from sight. Then, reality jumped back in and he jumped, the sudden burst of heartiness in the crowd managing to surprise him. His heartbeat quickened for a moment before relaxing to a slow rate. She smiled, a long, easy smile to him and moved up a bit closer to him, letting her long boots slide across the hard pavement underneath her. James was tempted to push the controller forward so he could take her in his arms and dance about Carmina Gadelica, laughing all the way while players stared at the pair awkwardly, but instead, he merely let his own arm trail down her arm, making goose bumps come up her arm and back. His frown slowly pulled into a teasing smile and she was forced to smile back. She was tempted to come up and go in for the kiss of death, but instead, she stayed put, holding back her feelings and then grabbing his wrist without a word. He didn’t argue.

There was a silence between them as she dragged him off through the streets, loosening her grip with every passing second. She ducked between groups, jumped over small crates, and tightened her grip to pull him over when the boy was just about to run into a group of unfriendly looking players. Some could call it teamwork and some could call it looking out for each other, but these days, there was hardly a difference. Every now and then she’d turn back and she’d meet his gaze, both of their eyes sparkling with new brightness that had blossomed in the last few seconds. Then her eyes flicked back in front of her and she’d pull them off to the side to the wall as players walked leisurely past, some giving them evil glares that the Fist Fighter did his best to avoid. There was something about every character he passed, something about them that made him feel like he knew them…it was a strange feeling, but he was almost absolutely positive he knew them. Yes, there were similar designs, but he could still remember the days in Mac Anu when he’d try his hand at fishing and look at the players who passed, some strong and some weak, who now seemed to be at the top of the world, their levels making most players gasp. At this point he saw serious looking players, those who always looked like they’d been through a fight. Some even had armor dented while others were gripping a weapon at all times. It was either the game had taken over them or they had merely gotten used to it and done all the pointless actions to make them look all the better when they were actually pretty weak. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying his best to think back and remember his names, only for his controller to vibrate and throw him off balance as the girl in front of him dragged his character off to the left and into the direction of the Weapons Shop.

Finally, after their long walk-jog-run, the girl stopped and sat on one of the few benches open, which was surprisingly not occupied. A minute before there had been an elderly looking player sitting on it and then he was gone, thrown into the crowd and completely gone from sight. They sat a mere six inches apart, their eyes drifting to the crowd and every now and then meeting each other’s. When they did, both opened their mouth to try and start a conversation, but nothing seemed to come out and form words that would describe how they were feeling at that point, but…it was just so hard for the two of them to try and do it. Five minutes passed and they had opened their mouths, each, about three times in order to try and form a simple word that could spark a conversation that would last an hour, but…nothing seemed to happen. Then, when the six-minute mark came and a clock that rose high above the building boomed, announcing the time for each player around the world. It was only nine o’clock, and they were on the east coast, so there were probably a lot of players getting off at this point… A few players had looked up and then logged out, while others merely shrugged at the time and continued their business, most continuing to talk while others headed to the Chaos Gate. They stood planted there, still wondering what to say to each other and how to start a conversation. They talked all the time over the Internet and plus, they had been talking just fifteen minutes before at the dinner table, but… There were always buts to go along with James’s many excuses and yet he didn’t seem to be able to get them out. Finally, though, the girl finally turned and let the words tip out of her tongue, fast and furious to both of them. A conversation sparked and so the two started to chat about just…life in particular. They weren’t looking to go out to a random field and fight monsters until they died. The pair just wanted to enjoy the scenery, talk with each other, maybe even go out to a field and do a single fight. There was also that other possibility of fighting someone in a duel…yes, that would be quite exciting, only the Fist Fighter rarely had good scores with the judges.

Thirty minutes passed and they were still jibber-jabbering away, trying not to get bored with the conversation, yet the girl could tell that the Fist Fighter was growing bored with the conversation and looking for something more exciting to do, something that could make him move about instead of talking, a useful thing, but a dull thing once you had been doing it for the past hour and a half. The dullness showed in his voice, obviously, and the girl merely smiled and pulled him up again, dragging him off to who-knows-where. “Come on now, Shen,” she told him teasingly, dragging him along until they stopped in the middle square. “You look as dull as a rusty doorknob…come on, let’s get something exciting going.” Words wanted to form on his lips, words that would tell her that he didn’t, in fact, want to go do anything at this point, but there was already a plan forming in her head, one that she was certainly not going to drop just because he was whining. Just so long as they got into the arena, her friend would be forced to fight and obviously he would put in some effort. Rarely did she see him just giving up an instant after the fight started. No. He didn’t give up; he fought to his last breadth. The only problem in this was that she was going to have to find someone annoying to fight, someone that could make him angry enough so he’d make it exhilarating for her to watch. She always enjoyed watching him fight, even when he had been a measly Long Arm who could hardly pull up a spear to defend himself from enemy attacks. A good field, some annoying partners, and she was set for the night.

Finally, after searching the square for a group that seemed like a bunch of nerds ready for action at any point in time, yet what she found didn’t actually look like a bunch of nerds. When she pointed at them and called out their name, they spoke as if she were but a fly trying to annoy her. She almost smirked at their statement, but thought better of it and instead frowned. Unless you were the strangest person in the world, you always frowned at a person who annoyed you. When the man spoke the comment, a man who wore golden armor and had his face hidden by a full helm, she retaliated with her own and so they exchanged rash comments about each other for the next minute. Then, he pointed at himself and another man dressed in shiny, maroon armor. She knew he was smirking at the statement, but at this point, she already had a grip on her blade, ready to battle. She was well aware of her friend whining behind her, but she merely grabbed his wrist and dragged him off to the crowd until they stood before the swirl of blue and gold. The two men stood opposite them, chuckling and conversing between themselves. Both were the same height and bore a blade each. They were a set of Blademasters and also stood a level above them. It didn’t matter, though. Just so long as they got some action in. The Fist Fighter, again, whined behind her, but she merely patted him on the back and smiled before the golden rings took them up and they were off to a battle.

A pointless one at that.

So why of all people did he get dragged into this predicament, where he had to fight two men who were likely going to chop him into small pieces for their little partners to eat up. He was standing in a ballroom now, the floor slick beneath him and slippery so his boots slid across it whenever he moved. He could likely slide across the whole thing if he got a heads start…yeah, that sounded cool, although he was going into a battle and sliding across with a smile on his face seemed long gone. He was frowning, as he usually was, and it was actually quite hard to smile. If he tried, he could only manage to hold his finger long enough on one of the multiple buttons for a few seconds, and then he pulled it off. He had to show his emotions in this world, not hide them like a rabbit ducking behind a tree to avoid a snake slithering about, ready to sink its teeth into something fresh and tasty, something that was full of flesh and bloody. The room echoed his every movement, his every breath, and whenever he tapped the ground, it echoed. The gentle tune of a violin played in the background, along with other music that seemed…sad, almost gentle. It was most definitely not fitting for the battle, but he’d just have to get used to it, like always. He always had to get used to things these days, or else he’d fall into a void that was quite hard to escape from. He had to smile when he wanted to frown and then frown when he wanted to cry and cry when he wanted to commit suicide. It was…hard these days, and the memories kept on pouring in at a deathly pace that made him freeze in place next to the girl. He did not want to fight these people…he wanted nothing more than to tear off the goggles and go to sleep. He had to, though, unless he wanted scolding from the girl about his performance, or something else that he could care less about.

On the other side of the room, which was roughly a hundred yards across, stood the two armored men, their swords held up in defense, waiting for the words to come up on the screen, the words that told them to tear them to pieces. They were talking amongst each other, yet the sounds did not manage to echo across the room to them. It was more some mixed words and tenses that he could not make out, as he was only hearing some of what they were saying. The two, after a few minutes of talking, turned to them, their blades upraised in a ready position. The girl that stood next to him, Kei, held up her blade proudly with a fierce expression on her face, as if she were a warrior rushing into battle. He assumed a boring pose and merely stuffed his hands in his pockets, not wanting anything to do with this fight. He tapped the ground every now and then, waiting for the signal to come, and yet it seemed to taunt them. Red lettering came up that said ‘Ready’ and Kei instantly tensed. He closed his eyes and pulled off his cloak, revealing his shiny blue jacket and shorts. He threw it off to the side and watched it slide off before disappearing. Then, with that, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched them, watched them put a foot forward and pull their blade back farther. ‘Steady’ was the next word, put in gold lettering. Seconds past and his heartbeat quickened as Kei took another step forward and then, the green words came up in front of them. ‘Go.’

Armor clanked about as the two men rushed forward, roaring out in unison, pulling on the same stance as the other. The girl pulled her blade back and rushed forward, her lips curled back in a snarl and her blonde hair swinging about in an elegant fashion. He could hear the tap of their feet resounding across the room and then, after a few seconds had passed, two powerful blades met and he heard the cry of pain that came from Kei. The man had shoved her back and pulled his blade around him to smash her in the side of the head, making crimson splash across the ballroom floor. It was like a pond, reflecting every moment that they made. The girl slid across the ground and finally stopped to get up, holding her blade like a crutch and wiping the blood that dripped down above her eyes. When the man turned to him, his cape billowing about behind him, she merely grunted and pushed herself up so she stood in a crouched position, her blade pulled back far and wide. The boy didn’t want to watch his friend get beaten to a pulp, but it was right in front of him and he could see the look of anger in her eyes. Before he could see the next move play out, though, a blade connected with his chest and sent him spinning back, making dark, hot blood splash onto the floor, giving a short trail to where his body lay, having been thrown into a wall. He moaned and rubbed his arm, which felt as if it had been smashed with a hammer. He wanted so much to get up, to fight and try to beat the man up, but his character didn’t have the strength to do that at this point. This was a done battle, one where he would lose even if he tried his hardest. He got up slowly, watching him and feeling at the wound left on his chest. His jacket had been torn slightly and the skin was exposed, revealing a long cut that looked as if it had almost cut through his ribcage. His character’s head hurt, his arm ached, and his chest had been sliced with a sword, while his health had dissimilated quite a bit from the blow.

The man didn’t do anything to attack as the boy got up and prepared one of his fists, holding it up and watching as his fingers moved shakily about. It was a blur to him, as if his character would faint from the sudden loss of blood. The man pulled his long blade back and rushed forward, making a move to cleave him in two this time. He had no idea what to do at this point, but he could hear the cry from the man as he brought his blade up to decapitate him and then the clash of sparks as Kei fought for her life just thirty yards away from where he stood. He could fight and he could win, but…the energy that had been thrown out of him was such a huge amount… Every muscle ached as he tried to dodge or block it, and yet even with that holding him down, luck caught his arm and held him in its place, preventing him from falling off the cliff and into the forest below. His head tilted down a few inches and the sword was left to cut off a few slices of his hair, which drifted to his back. He was about ready to attack at this point, to smash the man into pieces for having attacked him before, but the heavy blade in front of him was already pulling it in a wide circle. It was to keep up the speed of the other attack and now dodging it seemed gone and luck seemed to have lost his grip. He held up his hands for defense, only to be smashed back into the wall, his back twisted in an awkward position while his lips formed cold curses that seemed to try and fight the hot, sticky blood that now dripped from his arms. He looked down, his emerald eyes wide at the sight of his own blood on the ground. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to get up and run, he wanted to get up and hide…

Once again, the boy picked himself up, using the wall for a bit of support. The next thing would be his legs and then his chest and then his head, which would obviously end the fight. It couldn’t end that way, could it? If he fought, he had a chance, and who wanted to go down without a fight? He wanted to fight and fight and fight until he died, his character on the ground with emotionless eyes. He had seen emotionless eyes many a-time before, dark times that he had considered the worst times of his life. There were times when he found his partners dead on the ground, while other times someone perished in the real world, where he was sitting now. He was trying to throw those memories off, throw the memories that had yet to be revealed, but they flooded in and once again threw his mind away into an endless pit of nothingness. What was his mind leading to anyways? Was it trying to lead him to a place where he could take this all in without any people disturbing him? The thought of keeping away from people seemed impossible to him and yet all too easy…mixed thoughts, mixed emotions, and mixed…well, he didn’t know anymore! All he could do was hope for something to break him out of the trance, for something to wake him up. Was that what Kei had called him over for? To wake him up from the dark trance he had fallen in a year before they met? Was she…trying to help him? Before he could think of anything more, there was a flash of steel that came in his view, making him scream out as his character collided with the wall. He thought he heard a crack follow, but he didn’t know. In fact, he could care less whether he broke every bone in his body or not. This was pointless…he was just being beaten up.

He pushed himself up from the ground, blood continuing to leak from the wound that had been left, this one running from his shoulder down to about his waist. His hand rubbed across it, gathering hot, sticky blood that stuck to it and dripped down like goo. Come on, you can do it! Get up and throw a punch at them. You want some harm done, then go get him! He, in fact, didn’t want any harm done to either of them. He wanted to get off this game…but he couldn’t, seeing as leaving would automatically make Kei fail. Then, once he took the goggles off to go, he’d get slapped so hard he’d lay on the ground unconscious for the next eight hours. Oh yes, she had a hard slap when she got angry…he had yet to feel it, though. The man once again came forward, this time pulling the blade up to smash him in the head. The cry of his voice, an annoying cry to Shenmock, rang hard in his ears and with that, he moved off to the left, narrowly avoiding the attack the man had just dealt. There was a screeching sound and a clang of armor as the man slid the blade across the ballroom floor and pulled it up like before, trying to decapitate him. The Fist Fighter hit the ground, pressing his body against the ground and watching his reflection until he saw the flash of steel. With that, he moved off to the right, letting the steel skim off his shirt, and then pulled himself up. Without further ado, he raised his fist, cried out, put his left foot in front of him, and swung it at the man’s head, hoping for a hard blow.

Wham!

Even though his fist instantly pulled back in pain after the attack, it had been a successful attack that sent the man sliding and rolling across the floor, his armor clanging about and his helmet flying off to bounce across the wall. His face had blood spattered all over it, the full helmet having smashed against his nose and mouth when the fist had connected. His face was finally revealed, showing off brown, shiny hair that hung about with a few black highlights in it. His face had a few freckles on it, while his eyes were ocean blue, matching the armor and the cape that had billowed past him while he attacked. The man frowned and wiped the blood off his face, although there was still a mark that was completely visible, one that was able to throw away most of the dashing looks to pull on a relatively ugly face. Shenmock’s frown curved into a slight smile as the man got up and picked up his helmet from the ground next to him. His eyes were locked on him all the while, digging into his chest like a knife, but the boy ignored it. The man’s face was priceless and had likely been one of joy a minute before, except for the fact that he had nailed him in the face. The joy of battle seemed to rush into his heart once again, and playing ‘The World’ almost seemed like an enjoyable experience, only…he knew very well that the guy had been taken off guard after he had been getting hit so often. He lifted his hands and cracked his knuckles, letting a sadistic smile come to his face while his emerald eyes gleamed. He still heard the clash of blades and yells from both Kei and her opponent, but as he stepped forward, he threw everything away and pulled his focus on the scowling face, the one of his opponent. The man pulled on his helmet and pulled his long broadsword up so it could glint from the light that the chandeliers cast down upon them.

Instead of waiting for his opponent to come like he always did, the Fist Fighter merely charged at him, half-sliding and half-sprinting towards the man who already had his blade in a ready position. He had fought Heavy Blades before, so he knew well enough that he had an advantage if he used his speed. Of course, his battles with them hadn’t been long and epic or anything crazy like that, but he knew enough to think that he could at least bring them down with a dozen hard-earned punches. A plan formed in his mind as he came, one that made his eyes dull a bit, full with concentration now that he knew what he was going to do. Get past him…duck when the blade comes and go around, the boy thought, nodding his head slowly as he continued to come forward. It seemed to last so long and yet he was at such a short distance…two seconds passed before he jumped and then pressed his body to the ground, letting it slide across the ballroom floor. The blade managed to slash his back a bit, but he ignored it as he slid and pulled his hammerchain about and swung it at him. It didn’t go far, but it was enough to wrap around the man’s legs. Smiling with satisfaction – for the Fist Fighter had hardly expected to get it this easily – Shenmock pulled while he slid, making the man fall to the ground once again, only he managed to use his hands to slow the fall a bit. The armor clanged wildly about as the man pulled himself around and swung at the hammerchain that grabbed at his legs, throwing it back a ways so the Fist Fighter was pulled along the floor until he was able to free himself. He slid a bit more and pulled himself up off the ground, panting and holding his knees as he looked up to the man who had his blade up and prepared once again. No damage had been done, but…still, he had been hoping the man wouldn’t react that quickly to his attack.

He let out a breath, trying to calm himself down at the sight of the man. He knew he had done some damage to his face and all, but he had to get in for an attack that could do some serious damage! If he kept on trying to do small attacks, the battle would drag on, and if Kei lost, he’d be a goner! Speaking of her battle, what was going on over there anyways? He found that the man was looking to, and so he watched as the red-clad warrior and the girl swung their blades at each other, making sparks conjure. From the looks of things, she had managed to dent his armor in multiple places, while he had managed to cut her in about every possible place (which definitely alarmed the Fist Fighter). Her eyes still gleamed with determination as she stepped back and pulled the blade away, letting it slide across the floor before coming up again to smash into the man’s chest, sending him sliding back against the floor. The man grunted, doing his best not to show that she was actually quite an opponent to fight with. She pulled her blade up and pointed it at him and the boy was left to look at all the blood that had stained the once-shining steel. Her face had been scratched up a bit, but…how could she get so many bruises in such a short amount of time? It seemed almost impossible for a battle to rage on for two minutes and for them to get this much, but…then again, he remembered how he was one of the slow fighters. Tactics first, rapid punches later…how boring, even for him! He watched as the man charged at her, coming slowly and then bringing it up, making the blade fly up over her head, only to fall back across the ground, leaving her chest completely open for some sort of skill.

Do something! a voice cried in his head, making him run through his inventory in a desperate attempt to find something that could protect her from the wrath of the man’s blade. She might even die if he did enough damage, and that would leave him with nothing! It was strange to think that one girl was your whole life, but she was probably the most valuable player of the party, the greatest of the great who could cut his face in if she wanted to. However complicated that sounded, it really was indeed true. Finally, after two seconds of time that seemed quite endless to him, he found his hand axes and pulled them up from opposite pockets. They gleamed as he thrust them at the man, making him instantly look off to where the weapons were coming from. One thudded into the side of his chest, while the other flew off and slid across the floor until it hit the other side of the room. There was a silence as the man looked down at his armor that now had blood spattered all over it. Taking a deep sigh, he pulled it out and threw it away. His blade had been stopped and Kei had been left to take a few steps back, her blade pulled up in defense as she watched him keenly, prepared to block any one of the moves that came at her. He gave a quick glance to Shenmock and then nodded to his partner, who gave a nod in response. He knew nothing of what happened, but the boy was sure that they had just sent each other flash-mails that told each other to beat the crap out of both of them, more the Fist Fighter than the girl. He wasn’t that annoying in battles, was he? He sucked, after all, and didn’t know much Kung Fu, but…still, he was at least worth having along to save people’s lives from the blade of two regular players. He straightened his posture a bit as the blue-clad warrior turned his head back to him, his blade raised high. This wasn’t going to be pretty, was it?

Nothing was pretty in this world, an imperfect world at that. Unless you traveled to a distant galaxy where peace and prosperity was plentiful, you wouldn’t find anything pretty at all. Everything he looked at was total trash, even a little teddy bear who looked absolutely adorable. Of course, anything adorable would be crushed, stepped on, stomped on by those who hated the world and felt like they could just…destroy it. The world wasn’t a great place to live in, even when it felt as if there was nothing but happiness. There was always some sort of sadness, some sort of death that saddened at least one person. Stories were thrown about and the economy was dropping, along with its prices going up. There was so much pollution now, and their forests were burning all around, along with whole cities being swallowed up in flames. Why was he thinking about these things, these things that would absolutely eliminate someone’s brain? Many people knew of this, but they didn’t choose to speak of it. They thought it’d be better if most of the world didn’t know it, but once you got older, you started to realize how completely monstrous people could be. People would scream, some would even commit suicide, but many tried to either destroy it or save it. ‘The World’ was in that same spot at this point, in its struggle to keep player’s away from that world and into their own dream world, one that couldn’t be destroyed. Yet the dream world could be destroyed and people were actually dying all around him, both people he didn’t know and people that he thought he had seen wandering around the streets of Mac Anu. Now…now it was strange to find that many people were sticking to the alleyways and forming groups to hack into the game, or maybe to even try and investigate in order to save it. It was beyond saving now…it had gone too far. Now he stood here thinking he could just shoo that all away just by doing a simple fight with someone? No…memories stayed put where they were and they refused to leave without knocking some sense into the person.

He had seen enough to know that people weren’t just dying. Some were somehow being immersed into this game, becoming people who you’d think were just ordinary, people who had another person standing behind the computer, but they weren’t behind the screen. No one was. They were empty, devoid of anything but themselves and those that they saw. He had a chance of becoming immersed, but CyberConnect had thrown him out of it. They weren’t trying to save them. Oh no, they were trying to get him, to get information, and most importantly to seek out the so-called hackers that were going too far. They weren’t hackers. They were people trying to save ‘The World’ from so many things, so many viruses, so many…so many monsters. The word threw so many scary thoughts at him, but it was true. There were monsters in this game and the monsters refused to be thrown out without pulling hundreds of innocent players with them. There were so many that he could not defeat, who he could not get passed in that stupid field, and yet the people around him seemed to grab the monsters by the scruff and smash their brains out. He was glad, sure, but…it just seemed like a lost effort when he found that the people there were doing all the work while he managed to only scratch one of them. It was so annoying. It just made his brain squirm and his eyes bulge as if he was going to beat the living crap out of something, as if he might just blow up after so many things happening. He’d try to hold it in, but no one could hold in their emotions unless they weren’t human. It didn’t matter if you were good at keeping secrets or if you were good at holding back. They made you throw your emotions out at them. They forced you to. It was…annoying, yes, but also oh-so pleasing when you managed to land a blow, a blow that you knew was going to save so many lives and maybe even your own. He didn’t give his life for people who would only go in and get themselves killed…no, he wanted to give people a second chance, a chance that could save even more people, and then finally…finally he could make a difference with things. Just to save a single person from peril…

He thought he could save someone, but in reality, he couldn’t even touch that fact. No one could save everybody…no one could do it alone. Now he stood here, with one person at his side, thinking that he could win a battle and change the world. No, he wasn’t going to change the world with this battle. Nope! He was just merely going to get the satisfaction of winning and nothing else. He popped his knuckles and let his frown deepen as the man raised his blade just a tad bit higher. It didn’t make a difference to the Fist Fighter, though, as he was really focusing on his weak points and what he was bad at. There were certain points where if he got around his body, he’d be able to get a hit at, but where were those points? His eyes raced across the man’s body, thinking of all sorts of parts where he could clobber, but really, none came that could make a difference in the battle. All he could do right now was hope for the man to reveal a weak point, yet he’d have to go in and…attack him. Gulp. He raised his right arm and gestured forward, trying his best to put on some sort of smile that would easily piss him off. The man, seeing the smile curve onto his face, grunted and charged at him, his slide grinding against the floor and making him want to cover his ears. Instead, he stood in the same position, watching his every movement and hoping to find some fault. He had no limp, yet he moved at an insanely slow rate, so he would obviously be able to dodge this next attack. If he was thrown off enough, maybe then he could get a hit in, but that, still, seemed quite hard to him. The man stopped about five feet away from him and let his boots grind against the floor. More screeches followed, but the man seemed to merely ignore them. Pulling his blade up with a yell, he let it curve up to try and get a slash in, one that was easily avoidable. Yet it wasn’t easily avoidable where Shenmock was going!

The Fist Fighter, his back hunched over a bit in an uncomfortable position, moved forward and slid right over to his side, grabbing his arm and pulling it back so it twisted up behind the man’s back. An instant later, his right hand curled around the other arm and he pulled him into a locked position, yet it was in quite a peculiar position. His leg wasn’t posited right at his spine, but rather at the bottom of it. Frowning, he tried to slide it up a little, only to find that the cape and some bumps in the armor got in the way. The man, with a roar, pulled away from his grip and slid across the ground, grabbing his blade and struggling to get back, just two feet away from him. It was, to say, an amusing stunt that the man had pulled, but it was so close that the Fist Fighter couldn’t help but pull his fist back to nail him straight in the helmet, making the man yell out in sudden pain as he staggered back and hit the ground. His fist was in a bit of pain, as it shook a bit from the attack, but he was still just as strong as before. Sliding his feet in a defensive position, Shenmock pulled up his fist in a ready position, the smile continuing to curve on his lips until it actually looked sadistic. That was strange for him, yet it also felt quite good. He chuckled a bit and was surprised even more when the man pulled his blade back and muttered a curse. They hadn’t really exchanged a lot of talk between each other, but it was amusing to see that the man was shaking with fury. The boy was pulling enough moves on him that he felt as if he were a tennis player jumping and hitting the ball right in between his legs while in the air. Yeah, he had seen that stunt pulled by a few people…yet still, they had lost the point. He laughed a bit more at the thought and then found that the man was charging again, roaring like some kind of enraged animal. Again, the Fist Fighter found it amusing enough to break out into hysterical laughter.

It was funny how the Fist Fighter had never laughed this much in his life before, but it was also…quite strange. When he was in such a dull mood thinking about just about every fault in the world, you’d think that rather than laughing, he’d be screaming and charging at the man so he could deal a thousand blows, then go on to the next man and strangle him until he was as pale as a corpse. It was very strange indeed, but the laughing and the good memories were close enough that he was able to pull it off without looking like someone choking on a potato chip. The man’s blade fell a bit lower and the edge started to drag on the ground. The screeching sound reached the boy’s ears, yet this time he paid no mind to it. He merely grinned and took a step forward, letting his legs slide enough that people would think he was going to do a split. Actually, he indeed was going to pull a stunt that included some sort of split. It was more something that showed off his acrobatics more than trying to beat the man to a pulp, but…it at least would get him a little angrier than before. He laughed again and hopped into the air as the man pulled the blade under his feet, meaning to both trip him and slice off his legs. Instead, the boy was hopping like a bunny rabbit and was now looking down at him as he closed one eye and spun around in a wide circle. Before the man could blink, a boot collided with the side of his helmet, making him stagger to the side a bit. Gravity pulled him down at almost the same rate he had come up and he was on the ground, three fingers holding him up while his two legs twisted about. He winced, but the job was done and the man’s feet were off the ground. Before he could fall, the boy had shot up, his fist glowing an icy blue color. Then the man was flying away, sliding across the ballroom floor with his helmet spinning off to the side.

Okay, now the man was pissed.

The look on the man’s face was both priceless and scary. There was a long cut after the helmet had smashed into his nose and face, which ran across his nose and across his cheek and up a bit into his forehead. His hair was in a disorderly fashion, while his eyes blazed with ferocity that the boy had never seen before in a player’s eyes. He wasn’t happy now. He was actually…he was actually scared. He tried to pull his finger to make a dashing, determined pose, but he couldn’t. All he could do was shake and watch as the man gripped his blade even tighter. His helmet was on the ground, still rolling after it hit the wall. So what was going to happen now? He suspected that he was going to charge at him and try to slice off his head, but then again, there were better approaches than trying to cleave someone in half when he was twice as fast as his opponent. He was on his toes, yet still shaking a bit at the sight of the man and the crimson that splashed against his armor in what seemed like slow motion. It almost seemed like he was crying, like bloody tears were running down his cheeks and touching his chin before dripping off down on his sword. He grunted and rubbed off the tears, yet he still looked a bit sullen. The ever-deepening frown had disappeared, replaced by a look of thought, one that he was again afraid of. He didn’t like that look on his face, when his opponent had tactics up his sleeve that just might get a hit in. He had been surprised enough at his performance so far and looking forward, he felt that he might not survive the rest of this, if he might just fall down and perish with this next move. He was tired, after all, and his partner didn’t seem to be faring awfully well with her own opponent. Still…he had to give it a try, he had to stay determined or else he would die. Dying was not an option, and if he did, if he humiliated himself by being thrown off into the walls…well, he was going to give a great fight before it!

The Heavy Blade pulled his blade back in the same position, only it was a bit higher than the last, as the blade came up a foot over the ground. It looked heroic and actually quite hard to pull, but the man was pulling the stunt and charging, his lips curled back in a snarl while his eyes blazed like a fire quickly spreading across a long field that had corn stalks soaring up six feet in the air. He could see his own reflection in the man’s eyes as he got closer, the look of fear on his own face and his blue hair starting to fall over his eyes. The man’s frown appeared again and his brow furrowed in concentration as he managed to jump just a foot in the air. He twisted his body around, coming in a wide arch before hitting the ground again and letting his blade fly around him. It was basically a three sixty used to power up his first attack, yet it hardly changed the fact that it had a low chance of hitting him on the first shot. The Fist Fighter let himself fall back, letting the cold blade come just inches from his nose, nearly chopping it off. All he could think about was falling to the ground at that point, falling back to the ground and then hitting it with a thud. His boots slid across the ballroom floor and then he was on the ground, a man standing over him with his blade raised high over his head. The blade was coming down, and fast, yet his mind didn’t tell him to move. He didn’t have the will to, as the man’s eyes seemed to pin him down until something broke the silence. It was the cry of a girl, the girl he had spent so many years crushing on and the girl who he had embraced for so many months. He only heard her singing voice and ignored her yell of fright, but the voice was good enough. He easily rolled off to the right, avoiding most of the power pressed into the blade. The man dug forward into his arm, meaning to amputate it, but the blade was instead pushed away by his other palm and then he was up, his boot pressing on the blade so it was pinned to the ground while his eyes looked at him menacingly.

“Prepare yourself for a world of pain, bozo,” Shenmock muttered, his hair falling over his eyes and making him feel extremely dark for a moment. He didn’t feel cool in the slightest for the move, as it was stupid and he could be easily thrown off, but the sound of his cold voice and cold glare seemed to pin the man to an invisible wall. He stood there, dumbfounded at the sight of his somewhat lazy pose, and then pulled his blade up. The Fist Fighter pressed his body weight onto it and took a step forward, lifting his right foot so it came up and over the blade before landing on the ground. His other boot slid across the steel and then he came down on the ground. With a mighty cry, he lifted his fist up so it slid up and touched his ear before coming crashing off to the side, knocking the man right in the cheek and sending him staggering off to the side. Before the man could recover from the attack, the boy was up in the air, his body but a spinning figure to the man that watched. His cry still ringing in the air, the boy spun around and let his foot crash into the man’s arm, his boot pressing into the armor hard and fast. If he had been in his bare feet, he would have been screaming from the attack, but with a boot, his character wouldn’t have to endure quite so much pain. Once again, the man staggered off to the side, his blade pulled back in a ready position, but he was too close. The Fist Fighter was upon him, his hand pressed against the ground and his knee faced up. Throwing himself up in the air, he let his knee collide with his chin before coming up in a front flip and bringing his foot down. The impact made him wonder how loud he would scream afterwards, as he already knew of the giant spot that would be visible on his head, just behind the hair. A bump, a horrible bump that the man would remember from the Fist Fighter, Shenmock, who had totally beaten the living crap out of him during a battle, only he was still sure he would lose in the end.

The man was on the ground, spitting out blood while his blade had fallen off to the side. The combo of his had done a lot to him, but he still had a decent amount of hit points left. He was almost done with this man, yet for all he knew, the man’s previous plan - or was it even a plan? – could spell certain doom for him. His eyes still showed that he was strong and determined to beat him in this match, this match that was both pointless and something great to Shenmock. The longer it lasted, the better, and yet it seemed to be taking mere seconds to do these sorts of things. His thoughts were long and yet the battle was short…he was almost sure it had been no longer than ten minutes, maybe even less, yet it had really felt like ten decades of thoughts that filed into his brain. With his fist raised and his feet continuously sliding farther apart on the ground, he didn’t know what he was going to do next. Was he going to fight and actually win this battle or was he going to stall and try to throw away the memories that continued to haunt him? That was the billion dollar question here, and yet he really didn’t want it answered. At this point, he’d only shoo off the memories if he stayed here forever and fought the man until he fell asleep. There his memories would haunt him through dreams…there was no escape from there, there was nothing that could help him at this point. He actually sighed at that point, knowing that he was in a no win situation and his thoughts would take over him eventually. Later, he would have to go to a quiet place, a place where he could recollect his thoughts and try to knock some sense into them rather than continuously being haunted by them. They were a part of him after all…

A part of him that he had to fight.

How much longer would this battle last? How much longer could you fend off the steady flow of memories that continued to try and invade his mind? How much longer would it be until he threw the fears away and let the memories flood in so he wouldn’t have to endure holding them in anymore? It was frustrating to think that he was scared to let them out, but it was something that he had to do, it was something that if he didn’t do, then he’d…well, he’d live with that sort of fear for the rest of his life! However long it’d be, they’d eventually consume him. Being consumed by memories seemed to be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was the truth. It was the full truth. They were things no one could fend off and no matter how long you walked, no matter how loud you screamed, you couldn’t destroy them. The only way to destroy them was not to think about them, and thinking about them was just what he did, the thing that he did probably the most often. Destroy them or they will destroy you. It was fitting for the situation he was in…it was a one on one battle and the thing was, he had no chance of winning against them. Were they going to consume him? Were they going to destroy him? That was the question that kept on reappearing in his mind. He wanted so much to hold up a hand and throw them away, yet he couldn’t. He could always try to get hit by a car so he’d lose the memories, but then again, that would be quite painful and the fact that he lost everything seemed pretty bad. To lose yourself or to lose everything was the real question now, or maybe it was the previous one. Now that he had gotten his brain completely fried, maybe he could try to focus on the battle a bit more…or not. The man’s eyes were still fierce, yet he could not sense that the man was thinking about anything other than the fact that he was going to behead him when he got the chance. Ouch, not pretty.

The Fist Fighter’s jaw tightened as his mind started to hurl itself back into reality. His fingers were shaking while the controller vibrated once in a while as the clash of blades were heard from the battle to their right, the battle between Kei and the other man. When he glanced over to it, though, he found it to be not much of a battle, as Kei was currently being thrown off to the side with her hit points below fifty. That meant she was going to die with the next hit…uh oh. He glanced back at the man who was gritting his teeth and preparing his blade to attack, but instead of preparing himself for it, he ran away from the man. He sprinted as fast as he could toward the girl and just to save a bit of time, jumped and slid a few yards before stopping beside her. She gave him a questioning look and he was well aware that the two men were closing in on them, both feeling the need to slice them in half. Of course, the boy wasn’t quite ready for that to happen. Neither was the girl standing next to him. Her left hand fell to the side and he quickly grabbed it, giving it a brief squeeze before focusing on a plan. There were two men closing in on them and the only way they were going to win was to probably take out at least one of them with a rather strong attack before daring to move on to the next. She squeezed his hand and he stepped in front of her, glaring at the two men who were approaching. Both had their blades raised high, but then they stopped, not daring themselves to charge at them. Now what were the two going to do? A plan was starting to form in his mind, one that required quite a lot of speed and precision. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that it was very risky and the chance that he could die was huge, but what was going to happen if he died? No, it wasn’t going to matter, really. It was just a plan, just a game that he could start over again. It wasn’t like there were huge stakes from this…no, just a game, just a game. “Grab me and throw me at the man on the right.” When she started to argue, he muttered, “Less talk, more action. Follow my lead and attack…it probably won’t work, but it’s worth a try.”

A million voices in his head screamed at him to stop now while he had the spare hit points, but another voice told him to go for it, to try and do a strong attack to eliminate one of the men. She tightened her grip and then, dropping her blade so it clattered to the ground, she pulled on him and spun around before throwing him. It wasn’t a throw, really, but something that would let him slide across the ground towards him. He could hear her grabbing her blade and then sprinting after him, but at this point, he knew it was a pointless effort. It was like he was sliding down a mountain at this point and he hardly had enough time to start up his attack. Clasping his hands together, he muttered two words that would hopefully start up the attack before he met his target. He could see the man in front of him, the man with crimson armor and dark, curling black hair that seemed to make him seem like another hero. Wind burst forth from between his fingers, making the man just a blur in front of him. He saw that his hands were getting cut, but he didn’t care. It was hardly anything and the attack was well worth it. He pulled his left hand away from his right and then, his right palm was glowing blue. More, there was a sapphire sphere in it, condensed with wind, ice, and water. His eyes were ablaze as he came forward, sliding across the floor and preparing to try and throw himself up so he could meet the man’s chest, blade, or maybe even his head if he was lucky. There was a split second before he would hit and at that point, he pressed his foot into the ground and was thrown up. It was a bad move that would send most people flying, but at this point in time, he didn’t care whether or not he was spinning or going straight. He was just trying to land a hit on this guy, and if he didn’t, so be it. His blue hair flashing out behind him, he spun forward, the sphere held back far behind him. His lips curled back into a snarl and his hand was approaching the man’s chest…

That was the point in time where the explosion came, the explosion of wind, water, ice, and the fact that it had met the man’s blade. It was a hard impact, one that sent the boy’s hair flying back while ice cut at his cheeks. It was a blur, but he could make out the furious facial expression on the man’s face. His eyes were ablaze and for a moment, the boy thought he was actually going to pull forward and get through. The thought of winning the battle seemed great and the fact that Kei was just yards away from slicing him in half added on to the fact that he might just pull out with a win. The only problem was that the spell only lasted for seconds unless he actually got them hard in the chest…or something like that. The sphere started to slow and curses followed, then…the blade was up and he was spinning through the air towards Kei, that same frown starting to come on his lips while his eyes started to turn gray. He was flung up and above the girl, listening to her screams and a blade cutting into flesh. She was thrust back, spinning through the air and now just as gray as he was. The battle was obviously lost and the men were standing with triumphant looks on their faces. They gave a high-five to each other and then turned their backs on the two corpses that were left there. Soon, the corpses dematerialized and the two were left to sigh, yet they couldn’t hear each other. They really didn’t care that they had lost, but the fact that they had brought them down a bit. They had been looking for a great battle, but it turned out it had just been a pointless one that had lasted ten minutes, again probably less than even that. Now what were they going to do? Sit and talk for another hour or were they going to go on a dungeon adventure together? Shenmock, of course, had bigger things to do, like fending off memories…and he wanted to do it alone. It was the last thing he wanted to do in ‘The World’, the thing that mattered so much to him. If he was going to quit this game, he might as well throw the remaining memories out before he left…

Memories…yes…memories…

When you jump, you fall. When you hop, you drop. When you fly high into the air, over the clouds and above the galaxies, you eventually plummet down back into Earth, where everything living seems to reside. Even when you think you’re springing up into the air and waving everything away with a simple flick of your wrist, you know you’re eventually going to fall to the ground and start crying, as everything bad in the world seems to be coming at you all at once. You can’t fend off anything forever, even if you’re doing something that seems to be shooing it away. No, everything comes once in a while and no matter how much you do, how far you travel, how many times you throw it off, it will come back and haunt you for the rest of the life. That’s what memories were for. Some would say they were great, as their life had been some big fairy tale from the beginning while others would say they were horrible, as they always came back and haunted you at the worst point in time. It really depended, though, whether or not you were leading a happy or sad life. It all depended on where you were headed, whether or not you would just drop things or to move forward and try to shove some good things into your life, with or without the occasional flowers and butterflies added along. You can cry, you can laugh, you can feel pain, but…things don’t change no matter how much you do. You’ll always know your childhood and your past…those things that continue to haunt you. Your parents scolding you for doing something bad, your friends throwing you into the trash with hard remarks about you, and then all the things you knew you did, the things that only you knew about. If you felt guilty, you could always tell, but some people don’t choose to tell. People tend to keep it themselves, to try and protect it from everybody else in the world…hiding it was truly a hard thing to do, and quite a burden too.

Now he was standing in front of the Chaos Gate, looking at the blue and gold that swirled about in unison. Players wandered about around him while he could hear the clatter of blades and the roar of laughter. It was just the usual things you’d find in a place like this, and it made him feel almost uncomfortable that things were acting so usual when he actually thought it was strange. The night air was cool and he could hear the wind in his ears, but the crowd blocked out most of it. He could’ve always walked over to the Grunty farm and said hi to Blue or something, but right now it seemed to be pointless. He just wanted to go to a quiet place, to recollect the memories that continued to haunt him, and then to get on with life without this place stabbing his every bone. Shenmock took in the air and let out the breath, both in the game and behind the computer. He tried to relax his shoulders from their tense position while he kept an eye out so he wouldn’t run into the two men he’d fought in the ballroom. He chose to forget about the whole battle and then to move on with other things…he could always log out and go talk to her, but at this point, he might as well just stay in a bit longer. It didn’t seem fitting for him to get a Game Over and then just quit, just like that. It seemed pretty bad, even for him. He let a smile touch his lips and looked up at the moon that shone bright in the distance, yet it wasn’t as bright as it usually was. Most of the lanterns that swung about above seemed to throw off the mood of just lying there and watching the stars. A group of girls passed, pushing him off to the side so he was almost thrust into another crowd. He quickly dodged off to the side and then took his position up to the side, letting his thoughts continue. So, what was he going to do now? Was he going to just stay here and maybe search for Kei, then talk to her about regular life or was he going to go to some place and try to see if he could at least get one last big thing to happen before he left?

He gave a quick nod, knowing that if he just stood here for a while, he’d sooner or later decide that he’d just leave and then go to bed or something… Yeah; he definitely didn’t want to just go to bed…that would indeed lead to a lot of troubles. Sighing, he raised one hand and pressed it forward, opening up the screen. With a few scrolls, he made his way and decided he’d head off to Mac Anu for a bit, seeing as he really hadn’t bothered to visit there in a while. He had been more sticking to this server and had almost forgotten about the usual crowds and people he had met in Mac Anu. Golden rings enveloped his character and his data dematerialized, leaving the crowds of the Lambda server behind and teleporting him to the even bigger crowds of the Delta server. The golden rings were down again in seconds and then he was there, standing amidst the crowd of Mac Anu, his emerald eyes gleaming while his thoughts raced. The sight of so many people wandering about gave him enough energy that he felt like bouncing off the walls in the room he was sitting in now. The smile that was on his face seemed to turn smug, one that he actually enjoyed using. It was that sunset that had thrown him into this whole game and the crowds that had made him determined to get stronger…well, not as much the crowds, but most of the people that he’d seen and came to know. Some were bratty, some rapacious, while others were actually quite nice to him. Those were people he remembered, but half of them he hadn’t just encountered in Mac Anu. More or less, the message boards had brought him to a lot of the people who knew today, while some of the time he just happened upon someone and got to know them. Most of the people he’d actually grown to like…in fact, all the people he’d quested with were people he had liked to be with. It was strange for him to say that, but it was the truth and…maybe, just maybe he could say that ‘The World’ wasn’t such a bad role-playing game, if not for the many hackers that lurked around the edges of it.

Now where was he going to head out to? Was he going to go to the abandoned room that held oh-so many of the memories that continued to haunt him today or was he just going to go to some place where he could recollect his thoughts in peace? The thought of going and facing his fears actually seemed welcoming at one point, seeing as if he faced them and got over them, he might just be able to get over a lot more things in the real world. Though, recollecting his thoughts and trying to fix a few things that were broken in his mind seemed a bit nicer to him. He watched the crowds for a minute, taking in the scenery and inhaling, then exhaling. It was so peaceful, so enjoyable to watch, and the mere fact that it was all in some game cartridge that he had bought a year ago seemed…huge. Of course, buying the game had cost quite a bit of money and he had gotten in a bit of trouble with his mother, but…still, it had been well worth the money. He hadn’t bothered to admire the graphics and how well they had done things at first, but really, months after buying it he had seen gotten acclimated with the game and wandering around staring at the scenery seemed like something big all on its own. Now he stood here, watching the sunset and admiring the crowds while thinking about the graphics. At this point, all he knew was that the game had made a big impact on his life and the sheer fact that one hundred dollars could alter one’s destiny was certainly amazing. One dollar was not enough, and neither was fifty, but one hundred dollars…wow, just like that. It had altered his destiny and made him a whole new person, someone who could actually fit into things a bit better, almost like a puzzle. He took a brief turn back to the Chaos Gate, already knowing where he was going to go. He was going to a quiet place full of events and also a place that would maybe set his life on a different course. Golden rings enveloped his character and he closed his eyes, letting everything come over him all at once…the memories, everything…

Yes, the cathedral surely would bring back memories.

It was quiet here. Some would say it was too quiet, while others would say that it was like music to their ears. It was like standing in the middle of a hallway, deep inside the darkest of castles just waiting for something to happen. He had been here dozens of times before just so he could recollect thoughts or just plain think about things, but there was always some sort of thing that came. It was like a random event, but it always seemed to include someone who played a large part in his digitalized life. It was a place that thousands of players had visited, where no monsters came, and where so many stories were planted. He couldn’t even remember how many rumors he’d heard about there even being books about this place, yet he was positive they were just short stories that were posted on the Internet. All kinds of things wandered around the boards about that strange girl and what was beneath the bridge…there were a lot of stories that could follow the cathedral, but none seemed to fit it completely. He hadn’t really made up his own story for it, as it had really never come to his mind except when he was there, but at this point, he was more focused on the constant memories that were flowing into his head. They were mostly of ‘The World’ and of his past three years. Anger, sorrow, happiness, love, hate, and surprisingly enough, happy-go-lucky came to his mind first, and then scenes flashed through his head. He had a completely twisted mind, sure, but he really hadn’t expected to see all these strange things flashing through his head like some video he’d see on Youtube… He didn’t hold his head and scream. More, he just let it come and stayed silent, trying to make his character completely relaxed at that point. He held it all in, trying not to throw out his anguish into the world around him, and was doing actually quite well until they suddenly seemed to stop, as if they weren’t going to throw themselves at him all at once when he was ready…strange, but it was also all because of himself.

He blinked and looked up, his emerald eyes locking on the cathedral before him, one that cast a shadow over his character. There were all sorts of glass windows thrown about it, while the sides were probably made of old stone, yet the ancient feeling put a sense of wonder into it. The roof slanted up and what looked like a long stick pointed up, yet there was no flag to go along with it. There were two double doors in the middle that stood at about twenty feet in length, while they were quite wide. One was closed shut while the other was slightly opened, as if to tell him that there was already somebody there, waiting for him, knowing that he was there to confront him and his memories. He wondered momentarily who it could be, but threw the thought away. It could be one of thousands and yet he knew very well who it would most likely be. It was, to say the least, probably one of the people that thrust the bad memories at him and he was also sure that that person was probably going to put something in his mind, something that would explode without warning. Was he going to step forward or step back? He took a deep breath and stuffed both of his hands into his pockets, letting his thumbs stick out while his four fingers bathed in its sudden warmth. His cloak flapped about in the wind that was all around him, while his eyes glared at the double doors. He thought he heard the echo of steps, but a second later, they had died down, leaving him with nothing but silence. He held his breath, let it out, and started to walk forward in a sudden brisk pace. The pace made him sweat while his palms sweated, yet he couldn’t help but smile lightly. He knew there was something here, something that would dig itself into his destiny. Maybe even alter it, for all he knew. Really, he didn’t care, just so long as it didn’t fry his brain enough so it was nothing but a burnt waffle…or worse, French toast.

He started up the steps, letting the noise resound the empty space before starting towards the doors that were just ten yards in front of him. His brisk pace had slowed and when he reached the door, he stopped. His fingers curled themselves around the door’s edges and then stopped. He was sure that eyes were falling upon them, deadly eyes that were like a snake’s. He froze for a moment, prepared to retract them at a moment’s notice, but instead, he pushed the door open. There was no going back now and he wasn’t going to just run away like a little baby. He was an adult now, or so he thought in his mind. He was ready for anything, and by anything, he meant anything that had ever come into the world itself. He was even ready if it was the Geico gecko. It didn’t matter, because he was ready for this part to play out. It was like flipping a page in a novel, a page that was near the end…maybe. He pushed the door open until it crashed into the wall, making the stone rumble and grumble a bit. He didn’t dare look towards the statue, as he knew there would be eyes locking onto him. He slowly turned, his gaze falling on the floor and at his perfect reflection. He stepped forward, being careful to try and listen for any fidget of the man, but there was no fidget. Any man would probably let his voice be heard, try to make him either annoyed or satisfied with what he saw, but there was no noise that he could hear. That leaned so much more into that big fact, that fact that spelled out the one word that he hated so much: coincidence. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was a fact that the man knew his whereabouts and almost where he would be headed to later in the day. He knew the man and he had done so much. He was his mentor, first of all, and had been a sort of hero in his mind at a point. Now he was but a villain in his mind, a traitor who had completely destroyed what he had thought to be a great man. He squeezed his fist and let the familiar crack echo around the room. He wasn’t sure, but he knew that the man would’ve chuckled if it weren’t for the fact that the boy would’ve instantly looked up at him.

Nonetheless, Shenmock dared himself to look up and so he did, pushing his head up and letting his jaw tighten at the sight that he beheld. There was a man sitting on the fence with his fingers wrapping themselves around the hard steel. They were gloved hands, ones that he had seen before. The gloves ran over his knees and then they were followed by silver armor, along with black pants that were quite tight. He didn’t have anything on his feet. They were bare. He didn’t look up at the face, as he knew the smile was concealed at this point. His arms, of course, were folded. He knew for a fact that the man would’ve probably thrown a witty comment at him if it weren’t for the mood he was in. He was, at this point, angry that just by some mere coincidence, he had come up here and instead of finding peace and quiet, he had found the very person that he’d love to knee in the balls enough times to call himself the ‘Nutcracker.’ He didn’t enjoy thinking of himself as someone who did that, but he would’ve enjoyed doing that at this very moment, as the man probably was opening his mouth at this very moment to talk. He didn’t want to talk, but he knew it was inevitable. He’d have to push past his fears and admit the fact that he was going to have a hateful, yet long talk with him. He was sure that the man would be all calm about it and try not to bring a fight afterwards, but the boy knew very well that the man was going to come up a few million times after this chance encounter. Now he stared at the masked face, his pursed lips forming a snarl while his arms crossed in the same way the man had them. The man simple cocked his head to the side and then let them fall back to curling themselves around the fence. They were both silent and then the man spoke.

“It’s good to see you again…Shenmock.”

That…voice. That horrible voice that he had heard so many times before, but not quite like this. He said the words now with such venom instead of that nice touch he had always added at the end when they’d have a casual conversation. What had happened that casual conversation? What had happened to the voice that always seemed to make the boy just a tad bit more satisfied with what he was doing? It was gone now, replaced by something that he hated, something evil. He couldn’t exactly call the man the antagonist at this point, as the man had never gotten the chance to give him much information on why he had done it. Why was he a hacker? Why had he deliberately taken so much information from what they were in to transfer it into something…something bad? Anger seemed to well up inside him, but he held it back, knowing if it were to burst that a fight would come and he’d never be able to answer the questions. He exhaled and continued to glare at the man who oh-so lazily cocked his head to the side as if he was amused by how the boy was fidgeting every now and then. His fingers curled around his cloak and squeezed until he thought they’d go numb or break through the fabric, although breaking through the fabric was not possible at this point. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He could hold on to sanity at this point, but if the man dared go into anything deep, he’d really lose it. He didn’t say a word, knowing that if he screamed rash comments at him, the man would just brush them off as if he was a little eraser bit on his big piece of paper. So what was he going to say that was actually okay to say, other than the curse words that boiled up with the anger inside him. What could he say that the man might listen to? He wasn’t going to argue with him and beg for him to come back. No freaking way that was going to happen. The man had left them and so had he. They were done. Now it was just in between them…

“Let’s get to the point,” the Fist Fighter hissed in between his teeth. He wasn’t here to dilly dally with things. No, he was here to settle things so he didn’t have to deal with this man anymore. His fingers continued their drilling on the fabric. “I didn’t come here to have to deal with you and your little hacker friends. I’m not coming for a fight either.” He wasn’t trying to avoid one, really, as he knew one was almost inevitable, but…still, he had to at least tell him that he wasn’t here to just talk about lollipops and teddy bears. “If you’re here to try and terrorize me with your little comments, I might as well leave now, but if you’ve got something to say about why you left and why you deliberately attacked me weeks ago, I’ll stay and listen for a bit before I leave ‘The World’ behind in life.” He crossed his arms and snorted, anger still welling up inside him. He wanted to punch the computer and his hands were almost shaking with fury from what he was saying. He knew he could’ve been a little harsher with things. Yeah, he could’ve been a lot harsher with things at this point, but he’d only make the man tease. He absolutely hated the man when he teased him… He held his chin high and let his eyes lock onto the man. This was serious, and he was most definitely not going to leave here without getting at least a bit of information. Maybe then would he be satisfied and then…maybe then he’d just go leave this place.

The man swung back and forth on the fence, a steady pattern from what the boy could watch. Back and forth, back and forth…for a moment, it almost had him wanting to fall to the ground, but he blinked it away and found that the man was still sitting there, as still as a wall. The man, from what he could see, was running his fingers across the fence that he was sitting on. There was a chuckle from the man, one that made him freeze up for a moment. He was tempted to pull out a weapon in order to attack him, but he held back instead and stood planted in place, his eyes this time narrowing just to check if any of his other friends were here. From what he could see, there was no one there. It was just him and Kai, two friends and now two enemies. He had never been betrayed in life, but he sure had seen his friends turn his back on him. Not like they had gone to people he really hated or joined the idiots, but…still, it was not a pretty experience for him just watching them go like that. He wasn’t sure if the man’s mouth was open or not, but he was almost sure that the man was preparing himself to speak. Then…after a few seconds silence, he spoke in that horrible, horrible tone. “You’re not here to just play, eh?” he asked in a low, teasing voice. The boy only let his glare intensify at the words, knowing that if he threw enough rage at him, maybe he’d just stop and get to the point. “Then it’s story telling time, and I’m sure you have enough time for something as small as this. Maybe after my story we can have a little spar, or maybe just a nice talk?” The boy’s glare didn’t fall, so he was left to cross his arms like before, sighing to himself while turning his head to look at the ceiling, as if amused by the intricate patterns that were above the two. He said he wasn’t here to just see him stall things and yet that was what the man was doing. He was waiting for him, waiting for him to just come and attack, but he knew better than that. He seemed to be…almost testing him. Why was the real question, but…really, what was the point of testing someone who hated you? That was the question…

There was a minute’s silence, one that made the boy actually turn around and look at his surroundings. There were a few chairs, along with small candles that flickered on the sides, while light filed in from the windows at the top. The fence he sat on protected everybody from the alter and the statue, the one that held that girl. Her face was full of sadness and sorrow, and at points it was said that you could see a tear trickling down her face. He wasn’t sure if the story was true, but he was almost sure that the last time he’d seen her that he’d seen something interesting…yet what? So many questions and so little time to answer them… He grumbled and looked back up at the man, who was now standing on the ground, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He had never seen the man assume that pose. Why? It really didn’t fit him in the slightest… “So, you ask why I attacked you back there? Well, you’ve already guessed that I’m a hacker and that I mean to try and foil any good plans in ‘The World.’ Yes, I’m well aware that you’re freaking out over this and that you’ll never join me in my plans, but I’ll tell you this much: it’s for good reason.” He held up a hand as the boy opened his mouth to scream at him. Shenmock, as if the hand was thrown at him, clamped his mouth shut and listened. “I’m sure you think that I’m insane by saying that it’s for good reason, but I assure you, it is. Now…let’s look at ‘The World’ from the real world’s perspective.” He started pacing and threw a glance to him every now and then, as if his expression changed every few seconds. The Fist Fighter made sure it didn’t. “Right now this is just a massive online game that’s played by millions of people. Yet in the back alleys stand the articles about those who have been disappearing in the game, or maybe even dying. Most say that it’s just by playing so much and then falling out of hunger because it’s so addicting.” He held up a finger. “Hard to believe, am I right?”

Instead of shaking his head and growling at him, the Fist Fighter actually gave a firm nod, knowing that indeed he was telling the truth and indeed this wasn’t just a little game that was played by a bunch of people. There was more to it than that, a lot more to it, and that small little detail made quite a difference. If you said ‘The World’ was a great place to be and no harm could be done, you were a liar. If you went too far, if your curiosity got a hold of you, then there was no going back, and some people didn’t know that until it really hit them. Smacking them in the face, something would send them into the hospital, where they were either saved or thrown in the trash. It was hard to believe that one game could do that to somebody, but it was also quite easy to believe, knowing that he had seen firsthand what there was out there… “Disappearances, deaths, comas; you already know, though, don’t you? I’d expect that anybody like you would know this, seeing as you’ve probably researched this stuff or at least seen it in a magazine article. Even the newspaper has it, and even the Internet!” The boy slowly nodded at his words. His anger had swelled and was being held back quite easily now that he had calmed down a bit. So now what was he trying to get towards? ‘The World’ had a lot of problems with things and he doubted they’d get fixed. So what? “What I’m leaning towards is that ‘The World’ is a dying place, leaving many dead and hundreds, if not thousands gone. Disappeared!” He threw his hands up and started making wild gesticulations, all the while throwing glances at him. “Do you see what I’m getting towards now?” Instead of smiling and nodding his head, he frowned and shook his head, knowing nothing of why he had just bothered to explain so much to a person who would care so little about it. He crossed his arms, still deep in thought and trying to think about why he had been the one to hear it. So…what was the reason?

“You can’t be serious? I even taught you better than that.” He started to walk forward, yet the Fist Fighter knew very well that if a battle was to come, he’d already have started it. He didn’t fidget as the man walked up to him until he stood a good three yards away. The boy could see his eyes, burning with rage and so many other things. He thought he could see flashing images too, but at that point he wasn’t even sure what he saw anymore. “This place, this game, is doing so much, and yet the company doesn’t close it down. They’re trying to keep it safe for all those players, but you know, you know that it isn’t a safe place to be in. Trying to destroy it is the only thing we can try to do. ‘The World’ isn’t a safe place anymore, and if we want thousands more to die, well we’ll just leave it as is. But if we want to save it…we have to do everything possible to destroy it so the game can do no more harm.” All the while, he threw his hands up and down, left and right, and at one point almost slapped him straight across the face. The boy could see the eyes boiling with rage from what he was saying, along with the fierce determination to do what he had told him he’d do. So why was he explaining this to him? Why was he using ‘we’ when he said this? “You see…that last organization was pointless. Right now, we’re actually working for some real results.” The boy opened his mouth, closed it, and then actually smiled at him. The man almost pulled his axe out at that point, but he didn’t, as the Fist Fighter wasn’t making a move to do anything as of yet. That smile, that high, curving smile that almost crept himself out. What was wrong with him? He didn’t know anymore, but he knew very well that if he was going to save ‘The World’, he’d have to destroy this madman first before he could go on and help it. Then again, leaving the work for a few other people to do seemed also like quite a good idea, so…brushing it away would be okay too, right? Right.

“You’re a madman if you really think you’re going to destroy this game. No matter how many people you come up, whether it be hundreds or millions, or even billions, you’re not going to be able to destroy it, not without invading and destroying the building while acting like a bunch of terrorists.” He snarled at him and then, seeing almost no other thing to do, spat on the ground. Why was he spitting on the ground? Well, he sure had no idea why, but he felt that it’d get him angry, and from the looks of his eyes and how the man was shaking with anger, he knew very well that a fight might just brew up. The man, before he could even say a word, was up in his face, letting the white hawk mask press against his own nose. He didn’t move and merely stared boringly into his eyes, as if not a word made a difference. All he could see were his eyes, those eyes that were almost wide with insanity, enough insanity to kill hundreds of people without warning. This man wasn’t working to save them. No…even he was smart enough to tell himself that he had no chance of saving everybody. He was just another man, just another player hacking into the game and trying to make it so he was the greatest while others were the worst. He had spoken the truth, sure, but that last bit, that last bit about saving hundreds of people was just a black lie, just a little lie that he used on everybody so they’d join him thinking that they were going to save the lives of so many people. No…

“I tell you so much and you still understand nothing,” he muttered, and then he turned on his heels and disappeared, golden rings enveloping him while his character data dematerialized. The last thing he saw was the hair and what he thought was a piece of wheat stuffed in his back pocket, signifying that he still kept his old habits. The boy wanted so much to sigh and just leave right then and there, but instead, he merely stood and looked at the statue, waiting, wondering what he thought he had seen. Sunlight filed in and gleamed on the girl, and for a moment he thought he saw a hair drifting through the air. It was likely his imagination or one of Kai’s that drifted off, as it was brown, but…maybe the stories in this place were true after all. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and disappeared, letting the golden rings envelope him and then teleport him back to the Delta server, where he stood by the steps to watch the sun go down. Players left and the boy was left to smile smugly, trying to relax a bit so he could enjoy it fully and completely without any thoughts or memories to terrorize him. So, another page was flipped and another chapter was finished, leaving him at the end of the book. It could be the end of the book, or it could be the very beginning. It didn’t really matter at this point, as he had already gotten past most of the obstacles that had stood in his way. He knew a few more things, he had an encountered another madman, and…now he was standing here thinking nothing big had happened. There had been all kinds of things happening and at a lot of points, he had thought that Kai might just try to bring a fight around, but that would be saved for another day. Of course, if the boy was on that day…he’d likely quit, though, seeing as the past hour had probably been one of the most troublesome in life other than that Juk Prison field that he faintly remembered. It was still in the back of his mind, lurking somewhere, but he preferred not to think about it. Now what?

James pulled off his goggles and exhaled, already aware of the warm hands running down his spine. He turned his head back a little to see the girl massaging his back and smiling, a warm smile that seemed to throw away the coldness of the room to replace it with what seemed like his own personal microwave. Well, he didn’t like to think of the girl as a microwave or anything, but she sure felt like one at this point. “Thanks,” he muttered, his fingers trailing across the laptop screen until he came up to the top and closed it. She pecked him on the cheek and then dragged him out of the seat, leading him through the hallway, almost skipping like she was still a little girl.

“No problem.”

Shenmock --> +2 Levels - +Dark Dragon Fist - +Lightning Cap - +Quakebeast Fur - +Thunder Gloves - +Thunder Boots