The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  “Indeed, I bet you didn’t know that did you, Drexel.”

  “Shut up, Raven, you don’t understand a goddamn thing about what happened!” Tsuki screamed, wanting nothing more than to slice that disgusting tongue of his clean off, that he may never speak again.

  “I understand that you have lied to Drexel since the moment you met him. Is that something a friend would do?”

  The feeling that was enveloping Tsuki was indescribable. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this much anger towards someone. She felt like the rage was going to tear her apart in a violent explosion. She thought Ace got on her nerves, but he was nothing compared to this. Right now, she wanted to beat Raven repeatedly like a piñata. He deserved way more than a punch in the nose; she wanted to hurt him until he begged her to stop. Her wrath had piled up until it unleashed itself in a verbal avalanche. Her normally iron composure was melting, unraveling around her for the very first time, leaving raw rage in its wake. Every ounce of her energy was released from her mouth, causing the air around her to quake in fear.

  “Hey, listen motherfucker! I don’t report to you, got it? I don’t have to tell you a goddamned thing!”

  The thickness of Tsuki’s fury at this moment would’ve drowned a normal man within its deadly clutches, but Raven was no ordinary man. As far as he was concerned, he had no equal; no one could so much as touch him. Raven simply stood firm, staring at the woman before him whose face shifted from angel to demon. He was smiling at the entire display.

  “No, and that’s the problem isn’t it? You don’t tell anyone anything, or you lie to them. It’s funny really, this wasn’t even the reason I came here, but I’m so glad this happened.”

  Dusk finally reinserted his presence into the conversation, his voice a concoction of misery and abhorrence. “Then why have you come here?”

  Raven could tell from the tone in Dusk’s voice that he was very disturbed indeed. One might even say he was near the breaking point. The evil entity mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done.

  “Well, I simply wanted to discuss the future with both of you. It’s been awhile since you’ve all been at 50, and now more players are starting to hit 50 and get their dungeon gear. It will be time for raids soon. After that happens, things will really start to get moving. I have more surprises in store for you once that happens. I was going to talk more in depth about it, but this little display has amused me for the time being. I am looking forward to the future. Oh, and one more thing.”

  He paused for a moment to set his sights straight on Dusk.

  “She can’t be trusted. Don’t trust her.”

  But a second later, Raven had vanished into thin air, leaving the two with something very unpleasant to talk about.

  The invisible prison that was holding the disgruntled duo in place had vanished immediately, freeing their bodies. Though whether their minds were free at that moment was another story entirely. The shadowy skies lashed out in rage, sending a thunderbolt crashing towards the ground in the distance as the lightning lit up in the skies in heavenly fury.

  Tsuki was still trembling like a beautiful tree in the midst of this violent storm, the outrage spilling out from her every pore. Dusk remained perfectly still, even though he had been freed of his bonds. This revelation struck him hard. He felt like a dagger had just been plunged into his heart and twisted mercilessly. He didn’t want to move, he didn’t know what to think. His mind was spiraling like a whirlwind, with him having absolutely no control over where this whirlwind would strike or what it would do. Finally he managed to speak, but his voice no longer sounded like his own.

  He wasn’t crying, but the way his voice came out he may as well have been. His words came out weak and drenched in sorrow.

  “So... it’s true isn’t it? He really is your fiancé... isn’t he?”

  “Drake, I’m in a really bad mood right now. Don’t test me.”

  Dusk couldn’t believe the response that had reached his ears. He gasped at the gall of it.

  “Ha, really. Well join the fucking club! I just found out you’ve been lying to me ever since I met you. Think that makes me happy?”

  Tsuki threw her arm to the side in frustration, as if cursing the air around her for this situation by slapping it.

  “Fuck you, Drake, I’ve given you nothing but gold since we met! I trained you. Gave you a home! Despite that, this is what you bring to me now?”

  “Yeah, I’m grateful that you gave me a home and all, but was it really necessary to lie to me? Why would you do it?”

  The volcanic eruption that had been slowly gaining steam within Dusk finally erupted powerfully, causing Dusk to shout at the top of his lungs.

  “You knew that I knew Kevlar. As soon as we met, I asked you if you knew Kevlar, Raven, or Shark. You said you had never heard of any of them. You lied to my face—why?”

  A tidal wave of fury came forth from Tsuki, clashing against Dusk’s volcanic rage, threatening to drown him in its wake.

  “You still don’t understand do you, Drake? You think I’m stupid or something? I could tell from the way you spoke his name that you harbored hatred for the man. By the way, he’s my ex-fiancé; I haven’t been with him for at least four months. Why would I tell you that he’s my ex-fiancé after realizing how much you hated him? You were incapable of receiving this information at the time so I had no choice.”

  Dusk couldn’t take it anymore; he exploded into the levels of nuclear.

  “Incapable! I’m incapable of receiving this information! Who are you to decide that for me? What gives you the right?”

  “You’re proving it right now, Drake! Look at you! Look at how you’re completely flying off the handle about this. You are not in control of your emotions at all. You have no idea how fast you’re repelling me at this very moment.”

  A single spark of vexed laughter ignited from Dusk, amazed at these words.

  “You really think I care right now if I’m repelling you? After you stabbed me in the back like you did?”

  Tsuki threw both arms back in a furious passion, wanting to release the wave of anger that was swelling within her and engulf Dusk in it until he couldn’t breathe.

  “Holy shit, you’re such a drama queen, Drake! I didn’t stab you in the back. Would you really have joined Phoenix and let me train you if I told you the truth right away?”

  “Do you still love him?”

  “What?”

  “Do you still love him? Just tell me the truth.”

  “Fine, you want the truth? Don’t cry to me later. I still love him, but not in the same way as before. I love all living things, even my enemies. So do I still love him? Yes. Do I still want to be with him? Fuck no.”

  She brought a hand to her head, shaking it in profound disappointment. Why was he focused on such petty matters?

  “Why you even care about this is beyond me. Why do you have no confidence in the bond that we possess? Why should you even give a shit about him? You think I give a shit about him when I’m talking to you? I don’t. How can you be so insecure? How can you be so weak? Yes, that’s the truth that you wanted so badly. The truth is that I think you are extremely weak and are attaching yourself to me, seeking strength. You get riled up so easily when anyone makes fun of you; it’s why they continue to do so. Well guess what, Drake; weakness repels me faster than anything else. Weakness is an unvalue that us members of Phoenix highly detest, me included. So toughen up and stop being so fucking weak!”

  “Weak! Me, weak? Excuse me if I don’t have godly telepathic abilities at my disposal.”

  “Ha, if you think I’m talking about that kind of strength, you are truly oblivious. I speak of your mental and emotional stability. You just let your emotions carry you away, without attempting to harness their power into something more potent. This right here is a perfect example of that!”

  “You have no idea what you’re even talking about, Karla. You have no clue why I even hated Kevlar in the first pla
ce.”

  “That’s another thing. You’re mad at me for lying to you when you never even told me how you know Kevlar in the first place! You’re such a hypocrite!”

  The swelling river of lava within Dusk had waned into a smolder. He was contemplating it heavily, whether he should tell her or not. A second later, he made up his mind. It was here. It was time. Amidst these dreary gray skies, he would reveal everything to her. She would come to understand the reason for his hatred.

  “All right, Karla, I’ll tell you why. I’ll tell you why I hate Kevlar and Raven more than anyone in the world. Guess what? Your little golden boy that you love so much…”

  Dusk took a pause; the hot droplets of despair which had been pent up for over a month were already streaming down the contours of his face.

  “Your fucking golden boy. Your ex-fiancé, murdered my friends without batting a fucking eyelash! Including my best friend that I had known for six years! All on Raven’s orders! That’s right. I didn’t leave my friends behind, he killed them.”

  Tsuki’s waterspout of vexation had immediately evaporated. Her mind was thrown into disarray. She had control of her emotions 99.9% of the time. Even the unrivaled fury she had directed at Raven and Dusk was of her own will. But this... right now, she felt shaken. She didn’t know what to think or what to feel. She was completely nonplussed.

  “What... there has to be some mistake. There’s no way John would do something like that. You believed Raven’s lies didn’t you?!”

  “Screw you! I saw him murder my friends in front of my very eyes. I watched helplessly as the life left their eyes forever. I could do nothing but stand there and whimper as Kevlar snatched all of their hopes and dreams away for eternity.”

  “No... That’s not true. It wasn’t Kevlar. It couldn’t have been him.”

  “Oh, it was. Guess why he did it?”

  Tsuki hadn’t even bothered to reply by this point. Chaos had swallowed her consciousness whole.

  Dusk, noticing the somber silence from Tsuki, decided to clarify the rest of the story for her.

  “His last words to me when I asked him why he did it—he said it was so that he could see you again. This is the man you’ve been lying to me about knowing. I’m going back home to my room now. I can't stand being near you any longer.”

  All of a sudden Tsuki grabbed hold of his arm tightly with both hands.

  “Don’t go. Please.”

  Dusk promptly shook her hands off, as if she was a repulsive disease that he wanted nothing to do with.

  “Don’t touch me. Leave me alone.”

  .

  With that, Dusk was gone from the area. Tsuki gazed up at the solemn sky, a river of tears flowing from her eyes uncontrollably, staining the very same ground where her and her cherished pupil had trained together not even thirty minutes ago.

  The same ground where they smiled at one another: where they laughed together. The lifeless gray skies now perfectly reflected the mood. The only feeling which flowed through the dignified Sword Mage at this moment was sadness—a profound grief which seemed to tower over her like a mountain.

  ~~~~~

  Raven made his way back to his virtual castle, hidden away deep within the abyss of this digital world. His sanctuary was so thickly shrouded in darkness that it would never be found by anyone. Only those who he had given access to could make their way to and from this place as they pleased.

  Opening the door in front of him, he took a seat on the plush white sofa behind him, a self-satisfied smirk behind that deep black cloak.

  “Was that really necessary, Raven?” a new voice called out from the shadows.

  “Whatever do you mean, Leo?”

  “I’m talking about the mental games you played with those two. You didn’t even say what you had wanted to say to them.”

  “Turning those two against each other was satisfaction enough for me. Kaya has always been a weakness for Drexel. Even more so now than back then. In order for Drexel to fulfill his purpose, it would aid our cause to create a rift between those two.”

  Raven paused for a moment to release an elegant chuckle before continuing.

  “Besides, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, isn’t that enough?”

  “You failed to complete your objective,” Leo replied.

  “Leo, relax! I guarantee you everything will fall into place. Remember that we control this world and everyone in it. You really should try toying with people’s minds sometime; it’s so amusing to watch their heads spin.”

  “I have no interest in such pointless things. Exerting such effort on lowly humans is a complete waste of time.”

  “That’s exactly why it’s fun!” Raven shrugged, realizing he wasn’t going to change Leo’s mind anytime soon. Oh well, as long as Leo was his ally; that was the most important part. Everyone else was expendable, but Leo was a valuable resource that he needed to keep on his side.

  “Oh well, all the more for me.” Raven slouched back into the recliner, giving up in his attempt to appeal to Leo’s sadistic side, which by all means did not seem to exist. It was at that moment he heard a resounding knock on the door. He knew who it was.

  “Enter.” His voice boomed with authority.

  The man who entered had thin rimmed glasses plastered to his pale face. The man on the other side of those spectacles was none other than Kevlar.

  “Raven, Leo.” Kevlar uttered the bare minimum of introductions.

  “Kevlar! How are you doing?” Raven asked, covering himself in a veil of feigned camaraderie.

  “You know how I’m doing. I’m pissed off. I’m burning to see Karla, yet you haven’t revealed her true identity to me yet. I don’t even know the name of her character. Why won’t you let me see her? I’m starting to believe she isn’t here,” Kevlar barked in protest.

  “I have to keep her as insurance, you know. I still have things for you to do. What’s to guarantee that once I let you see her that you’ll stay with us and fight for our cause?”

  Kevlar grunted in indignation. He hadn’t told this to anyone, but once he found Karla, he planned to defect and rejoin Phoenix. Even if they parted on bad terms in the past, they would surely accept his aid once they knew what they were up against. Kevlar absolutely had to protect Karla no matter what, even if it cost him his life.

  But right now, he was backed into a corner. He had often tried to uncover the truth in secret, but Raven seemed to know his every move. He was never allowed access to the database of players which Raven kept on file. If only he could access that database, he could find Karla and warn her. For now, he’d have to play along, even if it meant that innocent people would die in the process. Truth be told, the fact he had participated in the killing of innocents burned him up inside. It tormented him in the night. His paltry amount of sleep was often haunted by gruesomely visceral nightmares. His eyes had turned into dark bags of exhaustion on his face. No one here cared about his suffering, he knew that. So he endured the pain all alone, letting it fester inside.

  “You still don’t trust me? I’ve already killed innocent people for you. What more do I have to do to earn your trust?” Kevlar posed the question, attempting to conceal the knife in his soul that had been waiting for even a second of weakness; that he might stab Raven in the heart.

  “Ha, innocent people you say. No one is innocent in this world. Anyways, I have new orders for you to carry out,” Raven informed him. “Open your mail.”

  Kevlar did as instructed. As he read the message within, he felt sick inside. His stomach felt like it was doing back flips as he became dizzy and faint, nearly stumbling over himself.

  “Just when I thought your orders couldn’t get any viler, you’re asking me to do this? Do you even realize the repercussions this order is going to cause?” Kevlar cried out, baring the fangs of his outrage at Raven.

  “What’s wrong? Is your connection to Karla so weak that you cannot carry out this simple task?” Raven asked, knowing exactly the right bait to use
to get Kevlar to bite.

  “Simple task? Bullshit! I’m not a sociopath like you. How do I even know that Karla is here? You showed me her real name and her level and that’s it. I haven’t seen her and I don’t even know her class or game name. You expect me to do horrific things like this when you only give me such weak assurances in return? Give me something more, or I walk.”

  A disappointed gust escaped Raven’s lungs as he resigned himself to the fact he’d have to throw the dog another bone to satiate him.

  “Very well,” Raven conceded, bringing up a holographic picture of Tsuki’s character, which had her character name hidden away beneath a blur. Without the name, finding her amidst millions of people would be near impossible. Especially with Raven constantly keeping an eye on him.

  Kevlar’s breath was stolen away as he beheld the mystic beauty in front of him. The hair was different, but that face... he’d never forget that face as long as he lived. Even seeing it on a picture, he could feel her presence burrow into his heart, filling his body to the brim with warmth.

  There was someone else in the picture, however. That man looked somehow familiar. Wait, now he remembered. Seeing that man brought back immense feelings of guilt. He couldn’t believe he had played such a heartless monster in front of that man. But he didn’t know what else to say to him. Sorry definitely wouldn’t have cut it. You don’t say sorry after killing someone’s friends right in front of their eyes. Even with his own life, he wouldn’t have been able to make amends. What was that person doing in this picture?

  “Dusk?” Kevlar’s voice whispered in an utter chill, as if he was possessed.

  “Oh, so you noticed? Yes, that is indeed Dusk. It would seem he has crossed paths with your beloved Karla.”

  Kevlar’s mind began reeling as his heart smashed against his sternum. He knew that Dusk would love the chance to get revenge on him. He couldn’t blame him either. If he knew that Karla was the woman he was after, then...

  “Raven, if you won’t let me see Karla, at least kill Dusk,” Kevlar pleaded.

  “Why should I do that?”