The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  He thought of when he met Stacy... It was when he was twelve years old. Two boys were beating him to a pulp. This had become a regular thing for Dusk. Back then he just wanted to be left alone, but everyone always bothered him, they wouldn’t leave him be. His unmitigated anger pushed him into several fights—fights such as this one. If it was just one of them, he could win, but they had ganged up on him, the cowards. His nose was bleeding all over the blacktop. It was at this moment Stacy intervened. Being the most popular girl in school, the boys listened to her when she told them to stop—she seemed to hold an unknown aura over the entire class—boys were hypnotized by her, girls wanted to be her. Dusk could never understand. Back then, to him, she was just an annoying girl like all the rest. Even so, from that day, Stacy stuck with him always—always concerned about him as if she were his guardian angel. He could never figure out why she wanted to be around him so much, but he had grown just as attached to her. The two were inseparable. He never imagined life without her because he never needed to, they were always together.

  All the way through high school and up to college, when Dusk had dragged her into this game called War of the Elements.

  Yes, it’s my fault, he reflected. She purchased this game so that we could have fun together. She was in this world because of me. She died because of me. I failed her. I failed to protect her. I brought her here to her death. If only I had told her no.

  He remembered when he first saw her character in the game—he reminisced to their life, the countless memories of joy they shared together.

  All of the thoughts flashed through his mind, and then just like that, the memories shattered like broken glass, taking his psyche with it. Six years of joy sliced into countless shards of despair by Kevlar’s merciless blade. He laid on his side, curled up in the fetal position as he grasped his heart, his dear broken heart. The tears gushed out in an infinite river. He writhed in pain, shrieking in a gut wrenching scream of pure agony. But no matter how many times he cried out in torment, he didn’t feel any better. His friends wouldn’t come back. Stacy wouldn’t come back, he was completely alone. There was no more heart, no more spirit—there was only a hollow shell of a man. The immense strain on his body and mind overcame him, causing everything to fade to black.

  Dusk awoke abruptly in a cold sweat, gasping for air. He was laying on the grand circular platform which glowed with a mixture of blood and fire. The only sound that reached his ears was the violent boiling of the lava far below. He opened his friends list, still hoping this was all a bad dream—that he would see his friends online when he opened it. As he looked at his friend list, there was no longer anyone on it. It was a complete black hole: a reflection of his new life. He gnashed his teeth together, driving his fists into the stone ground with no regard for physical pain as he opted to wallow in emotional pain yet again.

  That’s right, this is reality. The real world is no longer my reality. I kept hoping it would end. But I have to make things happen for myself. This is my reality. Right here, right now. No matter how much I want to be in a different reality.

  Dusk was struggling to find a reason to live when suddenly, he remembered something. He remembered Kevlar casually killing his friends, like it was just another day. He remembered him and Shark talking like their lives were meaningless. He remembered Kevlar taunting him before ultimately leaving, saying he wanted to meet ‘her’ again.

  He wants to meet ‘her’ again. Just who is he talking about? Oh well, it doesn’t matter, fuck beating this game and saving everyone.

  Dusk slowly got to his feet, having found a reason for existence—a reason to live.

  I live for one purpose now and for one purpose alone. To kill Kevlar in the same brutal way that he killed my friends. Hell, maybe I can even kill the woman he wants to meet so badly, right in front of his eyes. Maybe then he could understand the gravity of what he did to me. Then once he is dead... Shark, Raven, I’m coming for both of you.

  Dusk walked out of the dungeon with his new objective in mind. To him, he was now merely an avatar of revenge, determined to make those three feel the wrath of righteous judgment.

  In essence, my primary objective is still the same. Kevlar was somehow already level 50. I don’t know how he did it but... I have to reach max level as fast as possible, so I am strong enough to kill that piece of shit.

  October 5, 2018

  He spent his time thereafter endlessly grinding. He annihilated monster after monster at a breakneck pace. Picturing Kevlar’s face on every ravenous beast as he shattered their bodies, he unleashed his endless supply of rage. The fires of fury within him could not be put out, no matter how many monsters he slaughtered. He cared little for his own life. He only wanted to get stronger and stronger. He ignored protests coming from his own body as he fought endlessly without rest. He numbed out all the agony that howled in his bones through the strength of his will.

  He had been grinding for ten hours straight, having slain over three hundred and fifty monsters by himself, barely stopping to recover his health. All of a sudden, as he was fighting a towering praying mantis, his body locked up, betraying him. His merciless enemy wasted no time in sending its sharp appendage right through his ribs. The unrelenting pain shot through his exhausted form, force feeding adrenaline to his fleshy shell for a brief moment before he fell to the ground. His blurred eyes caught what looked like the finishing blow coming down on him. The grim reaper's scythe was ready for the harvest—to take his soul. A weak smile curled inwardly through his being. Death meant all his struggles and torment would cease. Death meant he would get to rejoin Stacy. Sweet, sweet release. Yet the scythe seemed to vanish suddenly, replaced by a man. His vision was too distorted to make out any features, he could only see a black fog before his entire field of vision plummeted into the abyss.

  He awoke an hour later to find himself laying upright against a rock on a grassy plain. The sweet smell of flowers and sward entered his nostrils. He couldn't decide whether he should rejoice or lament his life being spared.

  How did I get here? This wasn’t where I was fighting.

  Suddenly he was interrupted by a male voice of unknown origin.

  “And here I thought you’d never get up. That was very reckless of you, you know. Have you no concern for your own welfare?”

  He twisted his neck slowly to the side, where he caught a glimpse of that black cloaked figure. He immediately thought of Shark’s crimson robe attire.

  Is this guy with those psychopaths from before?

  Dusk rose to his feet right away, unsheathing his new sword which he had obtained from the dungeon. Red dragon whiskers protruded on the guard. The charcoal blade pulsated with fiery orange symbols, a cruel memento of the dungeon where his friends’ lives were taken. Dusk righted himself into a guarded stance immediately, wary of this newcomer.

  “Who are you?”

  “Now, is that how you greet someone who just saved your life? I’m hurt.”

  Dusk’s eyes tightened as a fresh hatred began to swirl in his blood. He wasn’t in the mood for games right now. If this man wanted to fuck around, he’d cut him down like the countless enemies he had plowed through.

  “You’re wearing a black cloak. Someone I came across named Shark was wearing a similar looking cloak recently. She knows a man named Kevlar, who murdered my friends. I’ll ask one time.”

  Dusk pointed his sword at the hooded man in challenge. “Do you know those two fuckers?”

  The mysterious man chuckled slightly before he ascended into a fit of laughter. He clapped his hands as if Dusk were a dog that just figured out how to perform a trick.

  “Very perceptive, I’m surprised you asked me that so quickly. Yes, I know Kevlar; and that whore Shark, too.”

  “You... you’re Raven, aren’t you?”

  “That’s right. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  Dusk didn’t need to hear anymore, he charged straight at Raven, desperate to soak his sword in this madman’s
blood. Just before the blade reached him, Raven jumped high into the air, soaring backwards so far he would put kangaroos to shame. Even in this game, people couldn’t jump that far. Who the hell was this person?

  “Whoa, that was close, Dusk! You should be a little more careful running with sharp objects, you could poke someone’s eye out you know.”

  “You... you motherfucking bastard, I’ll kill you!”

  Suddenly, Raven thrust his arm in Dusk’s direction, with his open palm facing straight at him. He felt an unstoppable force oppressing him from all sides. He couldn’t move a muscle; it was like an army of invisible men were holding him in place. The dragon he fought yesterday had this same type of move, but it only lasted for five seconds. This was different; Dusk was frozen in place indefinitely. He could only gaze ferociously at Raven, hoping to somehow destroy him with the force of his gaze alone. Suddenly Raven began speaking, his voice carrying an air of arrogance.

  “I’m bored of that game already.”

  “What?” Dusk tried with all his might to escape this paralysis, but he still couldn’t move his body at all.

  “I’m saying, Dusk, it’s no fun fighting you. You already tried fighting Kevlar right? See where that got you?”

  Raven simply sighed once before continuing.

  “Just to tell you, I’m much more powerful than Kevlar, so it would be an utter bore to fight you. Let me ask you. When you crush an insect, is it fun for you? Probably not, right? That’s how I feel. If I were to fight against you, it would be like a human fighting an insect, and I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t crush you by accident. You see, I can’t kill you yet.”

  “Why don’t you release this insect from your web, and I’ll show you who gets crushed!”

  Dusk felt an unknown force lifting him off the ground, and then throwing him backwards, sending him crashing into a rock behind him with a ferocious thud. A small amount of his hateful blood gushed from his mouth on impact.

  “I guess you’re just one of those people who have to learn the hard way.”

  “Ugh... you son of a bitch. Tell me something.”

  “What is it?”

  “Why did you kill Stacy? Why did you kill my friends?”

  “Your friends were worthless—completely insignificant. All they did was slow you down and you know it.”

  Dusk’s hatred and rage flared again. How he wished he could slaughter Raven right then. He wouldn’t kill him quick if he had the chance, oh no. This person was behind everything. This person was ultimately why Stacy was dead. Dusk would make sure that this person suffered slowly and painfully.

  “Yes, that’s right... hate me, be angry! But in the end, all you can do is bark wildly like the mutt that you are.”

  Raven paused for a moment to push Dusk further over the edge. The rage in his eyes fueled him, amused him. Like a cat toying with a mouse. “Worry not, Dusk, almost everyone on this planet is a worm. Or maybe parasites would be more accurate: parasites living off the spoils from those few people in this world who are truly great, contributing nothing to this world. 95% of this planet’s population could die and we’d be better off without them. They are absolutely worthless, just like your friends were. What will change from your friends’ passing? What did they contribute to this world? Absolutely nothing.”

  The feeling inside Dusk was indescribable. His insides burned into sun-hot heights of resentment before melting into lakes of despondency that crawled down the contours of his face, soaking him in sadness.

  “That’s not true... My friends... were significant to me. Stacy was everything to me, and you took that away for what? Because they were slowing me down in a game? What the hell? So that’s your reason? They died because of that?! What the fuck, you sick bastard.”

  “This is most regrettable, Drexel. Have you forgotten everything?”

  “Who? My name is Dusk.”

  There was a moment of tension, time had ceased to flow. Dusk could hear Raven’s disappointment rushing from his throat.

  “So you too, have forgotten. This makes the third one...”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Drexel? Third one? Haven’t you mistaken me for someone else? Is this why you have kept me alive? You think I am this Drexel person? I’m not. You killed my friends for nothing.”

  Raven smiled wickedly, a contrast to the disappointment and disinterest he showed but moments ago.

  “You are Drexel, no doubt about it. Soon you will remember. I will make you remember. No one will leave this world until you do.”

  Dusk’s blood chilled as the implications of that last sentence dawned on him.

  “No one will leave? What... are you saying you decide when people leave this world? Are you…”

  Raven held up his index finger, indicating he did not want to be interrupted.

  “That’s right. I am the one who made this virtual world real after all.”

  Dusk’s eyes shot wide open as his jaw dropped onto the floor. He could only gaze in shock at this revelation. A bombshell had just been dropped upon him, destroying him in its fiery wake.

  “You... it was you. You’re responsible... for all of this? For every single death in this game. You’re the one inflicting all of this suffering?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I hate you...” Dusk mumbled, his words immersed in venom. “I hate you so much.”

  “Why do you have to be so cold, huh? And here I’m trying to be friendly.”

  “Why did you do this? Why did you trap everyone in this game? What can you possibly get out of this?”

  “I’ll save that for another time. Right now I want to go back to our earlier topic; I want to talk about you.”

  Dusk merely stared at him, his rabid stare filled with bloodlust as he practically foamed at the mouth.

  “One day you will understand all of this. When that day comes you will join my cause.”

  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Just the sheer audacity of such a statement made him laugh in astonished rage.

  “Hahaha, join you? You really are insane. Why would I ever join you after what you did? Besides, aren’t I just an insect to you?”

  “True, but you have the potential to evolve into a butterfly, or something even more, if only you could remember your true self—which brings me to the crux of the matter, the reason for all of this.”

  Dusk couldn’t even imagine the reason. He couldn’t comprehend someone as absolutely insane as this person. Even if he had a master’s degree in psychology, he wouldn’t be able to understand. Freud would have a field day with this monster. As he wracked his brain to figure out what the reason may be, Raven began speaking once more.

  “I can sense it within you.”

  “Sense what? What are you talking about?”

  “The timelessness.”

  “Huh?”

  “You have the potential to harness the power of timelessness.”

  The power of timelessness? What?

  Raven answered him, apparently reading his thoughts.

  “Only one or two people per century can harness the power of timelessness, and I sense a hint of that power within you. That alone makes it worth keeping you alive. There is no mistaking who you are.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I do know two things. One is that I’ll never join you. Two is that I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the universe, through hell and back, to make you pay for what you’ve done to me and everyone else.”

  Raven chuckled knowingly, before his avatar vanished into a portal of darkness.

  “I’m counting on it.”

  With that, Raven was gone, and so was the grip that was holding Dusk in place. He fell to his knees, his brain trying to process everything that just happened. A freshly formed mist of rage-filled tears pricked his face. His fingers dug into his palms, drawing his own blood.

  After this chat, I think I wanna kill Raven even more than Kevlar. I jus
t have to keep focus on becoming stronger; I’ll kill them both when I get the chance. What did Raven mean by the third one? Who is Drexel? I do have to be more careful from now on though. I was almost killed by those monsters because I pushed myself too hard. If I die, I can’t exact revenge upon those pieces of shit.

  Dusk watched the sun finally set beneath the lush green horizon. The sky was a mixture of various shades of pink and purple, with what was left of the sun shining down upon him. This world could be very beautiful sometimes, he reflected. Yet he knew that this picturesque scene served to mask the cold, dark truth of this world. Even with this beautiful scene before him, all he could picture were the faces of his friends and comrades twisted in horror, right before the life left their eyes forever. Shortly after that, their bodies would simply vanish into nothingness. That was how death worked there, in this world that was separate from the real world but mirrored it all too well. He had personally witnessed three deaths that day as he was leveling up. The death tally of that world reported over half a million deaths. The three deaths he witnessed that day would be added to that body count.

  How many more will die? How many more people will have to be sacrificed before we can get out of this sick nightmare? He let out a heavy sigh as he contemplated on his situation. How had he gotten himself into this mess? How did he find himself in this unending hell called War of the Elements?

  Dusk arose from his reflection, feeling rested enough to continue his journey. He was level 31 now, and finally strong enough to dual wield blades. He brought out the PvP sword he had won in the tournament about a month ago, clasping it in one hand while the Sword of Verthrax, the sword he attained from the dungeon, was gripped in the other.

  He would spend this day, as well as many other days over the next month, grinding almost all day, only stopping to take the bare minimum of breaks needed. There were also two PvP tournaments that Dusk participated in, both a three vs. three tournament and a one vs. one tournament. He won both. No one who had laid eyes upon him ever saw him smile, even a little. Some people wondered how he could be so melancholy even though he was winning tournaments. That would normally be something to rejoice over. Dusk was only doing these tournaments for PvP experience and the prizes that came with winning. He didn’t care about anything beyond that.