End Online: Volume 5

by D Wolfin

  “I thought she couldn’t affect the outside world?”

  “The child AI can’t, but she can. She was built from a concept found in an ancestral ruin discovered in the middle east for the purpose of controlling other systems, of course she has that capability.”

  I am utterly shocked at some of the things the directors are talking about. I feel for a moment that I am working for a group of terrorists, but this is the cruel world where corporate might rules over all.

  The discussion between the upper echelons of our company continues all morning. The main topics revolve around Xilbril, the AI Fen, and the mysterious Hollis Sylvester. I stand in silence for the most part, occasionally voicing my opinions when questions regarding my reports are directed at me.

  A little after midday, everyone leaves the room to have a lunch break. At that time, Henry pulls me aside and tells me to follow up on my searches in regards to the people in question. Apparently this meeting isn’t going to progress at all, as no one can agree with the others on any topic. I need to go source new information as soon as possible.

  It isn’t just Henry that is concerned about the AI Fen, but I am as well after hearing everyone’s opinions of what the AI is capable of.

  ***************************************************

  ***************************************************

  -Verity(Verde)-

  The morning sun filters into my room through the red blinds covering the window. It creates a pink and yellow ambience through the room that has a warm atmosphere. As we are currently coming into winter, it is the ideal feeling to awaken to.

  Today is the day I plan on meeting Lost and Sir Laurence in real life. Thinking of how I will need to call them Hollis and Markus, it feels a little strange. First on the agenda, however, is escaping from my home without my parents knowing.

  I’ve seen many movies where the person would just climb out the window to escape, even the one where the princess creates a rope from her hair to climb down from the top of her tower. The only problem is that I live on the 71st floor of an inner city apartment building. The view from my window alone allows me to see all the way to the middle district of Taile.

  The only method is to leave the house normally and lose the escorts that my parents always have follow me.

  I wish my mother a good morning in the kitchen; father has already left for work as he has several important meetings to attend to this morning. She asks me what I plan on doing today, and has no problems with me going out to do some shopping.

  Playing the appropriate daughter, I leave the apartment with an innocent smile on my face. As I walk out of the lobby of the building, a man dressed in a black suit with slick hair and another with a more casual, laid back appearance stand and exit behind me. If I hadn’t recovered my memory I would have no idea that these two, who change their disguise every time, are the bodyguards my parents assign to follow me whenever I leave home.

  The central business district is swarming with people in suits, all heading toward somewhere with a purpose. There aren’t many people milling underneath the canopies of cafes this early in the morning. Instead, people bustle about the pop up stands for a quick coffee to take to work. I feel somewhat amused looking at the baristas attempting to keep up with the demand of the morning rush.

  I head toward an underground subway and catch the next eastbound train. With my two escorts following behind me, I exit in the middle district at a station near a popular shopping district. The street I am looking for is called Chapel Road and is lined with shops on both sides as far as the eye can see.

  The street is as busy as I expected. I hurry through the crowd for ten minutes before heading into a clothing shop I have never been to before. Rushing against time, I find a pretty blue dress with long sleeves and a deep cut neckline and vanish into the changing room. Once I emerge from the dressing room, I look like someone else at first glance. Next to the counter, I pick up several trinkets to adorn my neck and wrists, along with some eastern hair sticks to tie up my hair. A small crimson and black bonnet hat completes the outfit.

  I pay for everything at the front desk with my father’s card and wear it out of the shop. The clerk is more than happy to pack my old clothes into some bags for me to carry. Not wanting to be seen as having been clothes shopping, I dispose of my old clothes on the ground around the corner of an alley I walk past.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I can’t see my escorts among the heads of all the shoppers on the sidewalk. A few cars buzz by down the street and I take the break in between them to quickly cross the road, doubling back on the way I came.

  Glancing at the time on my phone, I am still an hour early for our meeting at Silcone Café in downtown.

  Half an hour later, I arrive at the station nearest the café giggling at how I slipped away from my bodyguards. It was rather easy to lose them, so much so that at first I was worried that it was too easy and they were still following me in the shadows. I was looking over my shoulder the entire time but they weren’t there at all. I can only conclude that I successfully escaped them.

  The location around the Silcone Café is rather quiet, very unlike the streets I am familiar with. There are only four shops lined up side by side: a convenience store, a rundown computer store, a pet supply store, and the café we are meeting at. The rest of the area is residential with only a few people wandering around. Everyone else is clearly already at or on their way to work.

  “Verity!” A handsome blonde man sitting at a table in front of the café calls out, waving his hand up high with a gentle smile on his face. Despite the fact that he is sitting down, his long legs beneath the table prove he is just as tall as he is in the game, not that it could have been faked.

  I instantly recognize this person as Sir Laurence, or Markus here in the real world. Seeing him dressed up in a plain black t-shirt and deep navy jeans is strange after seeing him in shining armor for so long. I can tell that he is definitely quite well off and from the inner districts. His clothing is from a famous brand name that I can instantly recognize.

  “I’m here,” I say gently, sitting at the other end of the table courteously.

  Markus doesn’t have any of the haughty appearance he has in the game showing in his expression. If I had to describe him, I would call him aloof.

  “Lost isn’t here yet?” I ask, a little nervous at not seeing him around.

  “No, I sent him a message a couple of minutes ago saying I was a little early. He should be here shortly.”

  “I-I’m really nervous for some reason.”

  Markus gives me a quizzical look but doesn’t comment any further. At this moment, a person in a wheelchair rolls past us. Or so I thought originally, except it came to a stop at our table. Expecting to have to turn down some charity service, I look at Markus and signal him with my eyes to make the person leave.

  Markus doesn’t notice my message, but stares at the person in the wheelchair in complete shock. Eventually I turn my head to look and am equally surprised. “Lost!?”

  “Haha, please, call me Hollis,” the man says with an awkward laugh. He is in his early twenties, around the same age as me. “Markus, Verity, there is no need to stare so hard.”

  I look away embarrassingly, not knowing what to say. Markus is the first to speak up. “Hollis, I am sorry, I had no idea. Now I understand why you said you couldn’t travel far.”

  “Unfortunately, this is how it is.”

  “Can I ask for how long?”

  “I have tried to avoid keeping track, but it’s been a bit over a year.”

  Unable to stay out of the conversation, I express my best intentions for someone I care about. “How can it be okay? You even had to wheel yourself here! Should I arrange for someone to help you with getting around and everything else?”

  I genuinely meant to help, but Hollis looks at me with shock and even Markus’s jaw is agape. I instantly regret what I said and try to apologize but end up shamefully stammering every word in
panic.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Hollis raises his hand, which I notice is covered in calluses. “Let’s just talk about casual things like friends would.”

  Sighing in relief, I am grateful for Lost covering my blunder. From anyone else’s position, I must have looked like a typical rich girl looking down on the less fortunate and flaunting my wealth.

  We order a coffee, which Hollis insists on paying for and even Markus objects strongly to it until Hollis brings up a sly remark asking if they thought he was so poor he couldn’t afford a coffee. It was a dirty move by him, but effective.

  We spend until noon discussing our daily lives, and what we do for a living. I am surprised to hear Markus has recently inherited his father’s position as the head of an enormous multinational business. Lost is currently making a living off selling game items from End Online. Despite the massive difference between the two, I look up to them and am ashamed to tell them that I currently don’t do anything. My father has been trying to persuade me to begin several courses to allow me to enter his world, but I don’t have that kind of viscousness in me so I adamantly refused.

  “Also, starting next year, I will be attending university,” Hollis says cheerfully, rolling a little closer to the table to get under the shade umbrella and escape the scorching sunlight.

  Markus’s interest piques and he suddenly seems wide awake after hearing this. “Really? That’s fantastic, what are you studying and where?”

  “I will be studying philology and semiotics at Cambridge University.”

  I hadn’t heard of the university before, but I understand what the course is about. With the countless ruins of ancient civilizations around the world, the archaeologist occupation people take after the course is quite popular.

  Markus smiles mischievously at Hollis with a plot obviously unfolding in his head. “It’s funny you should mention Cambridge University. I also will be studying international law there next year.”

  Stated as a matter of fact and completely unlike the Sir Laurence that I am used to, I don’t know how to respond to the situation.

  Hollis is also taken aback. “Wait, what!? Since when!?”

  “Since now.” Markus laughs heartily at Hollis’s ghastly expression. “Verity, why don’t you come study there too? I hear you have been looking to attend university as well, just holding out for the right one, right?”

  “W-where did you hear such a thing!? Whoever s-spoke such things must be lying!” I stammer profusely as I am caught up in Markus’s web that he uses to try and tie us all together. “And you, Markus, didn’t you say you were running your business, since when do you have time to go to university?”

  “I have time for End Online, I have time for university. Besides, there are plenty of people who work beneath me to take care of the day to day needs, and studying international law is also helping my business, you know.”

  “Urgh, fine.” I try to refute him, but end up defeated with every word. This is truly a side of Sir Laurence I have never met before.

  The thought of attending university with the two of them isn’t bad, but my father would never allow such things. We finish one more coffee each, which Hollis agreed to let Markus pay for. A while after lunch Hollis tells us he is expecting a call from his little sisters and takes his leave. The thought of a little sister leaves me feeling quite warm and comforted inside. I only regret that I don’t have one of my own. Hopefully I will get to meet Hollis’s little sisters one day.

  Markus and I also head off from there. Markus offers a lift to Lost and myself, which I refuse and Hollis decides to accept after Markus whispers something in his ear. The two happily chatter away inside the chauffeured car which conveniently has a large boot space that Hollis’s wheelchair folds into perfectly.

  I watch the two leave, then jubilantly head back to the station to return home. Halfway there, I panic and decide to return to the shopping district from this morning. I find my clothes from earlier surprisingly still hidden around the corner where I left them. I slip back into the shop I was in this morning and with a wink to the shopkeep, get changed back into my original clothes.

  From the busy shopping district, I return home in high spirits. Back at home, I notice the two escorts aren’t back yet, and begin to worry slightly. I feel bad that they may have been fired for failing at their jobs.

  “I’m home!” I call out after entering the large apartment on the 71st floor.

  “Sweetie, I’m so glad you’re back!”

  My father surprises me by being home already and is eating a late lunch in the kitchen.

  What makes me the most concerned is that neither he nor my mother seem to be aware of my short disappearance or just don’t care. Something inside of me is telling me something strange is happening here that I am missing.

  I spend the entire day suspicious of my parents. Hollis and Markus agreed that we will log back on tomorrow so I have nothing at all to do today. I spend some time browsing social media websites, the local catalogues, and practicing cooking with my mother.

  The strange feeling increases at dinner, where father decides we will be going out to a restaurant he has been fancying all day. We take his executive limousine to the expensive eastern restaurant in the upper district. The waitresses here are extremely gaudy and lavishly adorned. What catches my eye the most is how they all have their hair tied up by two eastern hair sticks adorned with gem encrusted flower designs or dragons at the end. The hairstyle is extremely similar to how I had my hair today.

  ‘No, there is no way possible he knows. This must be a coincidence.’ Despite the sinking feeling in my stomach, I vehemently reject the notion that we are here tonight because of my short escapade today.

  “Verity, have you reconsidered the option of studying corporate management at university?” My father asks curiously, giving me a quick glance from the corner of his eye.

  “I’m sorry father, but I have no wish to live in that industry, and I will tell you the same every time you ask.”

  “Is there nothing I can do to convince you?”

  “Nothing, father.”

  “I will let you study at any university that offers it of your choosing though.”

  “No- wait, any university of my choosing?”

  My father gives me another quick glance which causes my suspicions to climb. “Of course, any university.”

  “Then I want to study at Cambridge University, but I still won’t take over your business.”

  “Fantastic! The application has already been sent off!”

  It takes me nearly a minute to comprehend what he just said, before I stand up in a flush, my chopsticks dropping to the ground. “H-h-how!? Y-you followed m-me today, didn’t y-you!!?”

  My shout causes an uncomfortable silence to come over the entire restaurant, yet my father doesn’t respond. He continues to eat his dinner as if nothing is wrong. In fact, he even has a slightly gleeful expression on his face after finally getting me to study the course he has been wanting me to for so long. The pedigree of the school doesn’t matter either, he will simply replace all the teachers related to my course.

  I feel a headache coming on and excuse myself from dinner, taking the chauffeured car back home and secretly hoping my parents are stranded there at the restaurant.

  Back at home, the troubles only increase when I find a variety of eastern hair sticks sorted by size in one of my drawers. There is a little note on top of them in my mother’s handwriting that says, “You looked so beautiful today, I arranged for some more hair sticks in the hopes you will use them more often.”

  I go to sleep early while screaming into my pillow in frustration. Tomorrow is the day I go back to End Online and can take out some of this frustration on some players from other kingdoms. I don’t care about Lost’s opinion, we are going on the offensive!

  ***************************************************

  ***************************************************

  -Hollis(Lost)
-

  As I am lying on my bed staring at the ceiling, I replay today’s events in my head. A coquettish smile adorns my face in response to my peaceful and elated mood.

  The real life meeting at Silcone Café was quite exciting. I arrived there incredibly nervous and if my legs had worked, I would have run away as fast as they would have taken me. I could tell Markus and Verity were equally as nervous, but slowly the conversation eased and we all became more relaxed. My biggest surprise was that they are both from extremely wealthy backgrounds.

  I had a thought that if I find any good equipment that they need, I could sell it to them instead of taking the chance that it wouldn’t sell well when listing it at the auction. It hasn’t happened yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. They gave me a scrutinizing look while I was thinking that and I worried that perhaps I had let something slip in my expression.

  When I revealed that I applied to university, Markus immediately declared he would be going as well. Being so used to the cold outward demeanor of the knight in shining armor, this kind of warm and friendly camaraderie caused me to question if it was the same person sitting in front of me.

  The morning passed and our conversation came to an end a little after lunch. I excused myself as today is the day my sisters will be calling me, and if the past weekends are any indication, they will call sometime between 2:00pm and 3:00pm.

  True to my prediction, they call me at exactly 2:00pm. I boast that I will be attending university next year, which causes them to be incredibly happy. We spend an entire hour speaking about school and university. Unfortunately, I also had to put up with them talking about boys they do or don’t like.

  The Wanderers aren’t meeting up in End Online again until tomorrow, so I spend the afternoon shopping for necessities and cleaning the house. Well, cleaning as much as I can.

  ***************************************************

  My boots crunch in the hard snow as soon as I log back into End Online. The area I left is currently experiencing a light snowstorm and the entire sky is a sheet of white and grey. My cloak wards off most of the storm, but visibility is still very poor.