The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  “I’m tired... let’s go to sleep, Drake.”

  Dusk suddenly realized that he too was extremely tired.

  “Yeah, sounds good. Good night, Longnü.”

  A heartfelt smile was fixated upon her face.

  “Good night, Ming.”

  The two fell asleep at the same time, locked in one another’s arms under the clear, star-speckled sky. That moment would remain within their hearts forever. Their connection was assured.

  ~~~~~

  The world around Dusk had vanished in the blink of an eye. All that was left was a pitch black void of nothingness. At first it had occurred to him that this might be space, but there were no stars or planets to be seen, just complete darkness as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, the absolute night glittered forth in a luminous splendor. The environment swapped itself from one hue to another, going through every color that Dusk knew existed, and some that he didn’t. The light show had settled itself on a pure white radiance which caused Dusk to instinctively try to shield his eyes with his arm.

  What is this? I have no arm. My body... where is my body? My arms, my legs, my face, they’re all gone. What is going on? Surely this must be a dream.

  Even though Dusk no longer possessed the earthly vessel that humans call a body, he was not afraid. Gentle warmth was surrounding him, travelling through every single part of him simultaneously. This feeling quelled any inkling of fear that would normally try to seize him in such a situation. It wasn’t just gentle warmth. He recognized this feeling because he had felt it very recently from Tsuki. He was encompassed by the sense of unconditional love. But this time, these joyous feelings weren’t coming from her. It felt like they were coming from the entire universe and beyond.

  Yes, this was eternity. But how did he know that? Surely such a determination would’ve overridden all logic. Even so, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was no sense of time in this place, only a feeling of oneness in this plane of infinite light. He felt a distinct presence nearby, penetrating into the very depths of his consciousness. Words had reached him—voiceless words. It felt like they had been injected directly into his consciousness—most of the message so quiet and far away that he could not catch them within his grasp. He was only able to make out one short phrase.

  It is not yet time.

  Another voice had joined in from what seemed like light years above, the words of this creature raining down upon him from the heavens.

  “Drake, wake up.”

  Just as quickly as it had appeared the spectacular light, bright beyond any human measurement, had disappeared, replaced again by an overwhelming darkness.

  “Wake up already, Drake!”

  He felt an invisible hand cupped around his cheek as he gradually stirred back to life, once again returning to the world of the living. The hand which was cupped so lovingly around his face belonged to his new lover. He opened his eyes reluctantly to see her smiling down at him in benevolence.

  What the heck was that dream? All I remember is a bunch of lights, and those words... ‘It is not yet time’. It’s not time for what?

  He once again focused on the angel above him, who was still uncovered, showing her full beauty to him unabashedly. He returned that loving smile, throwing a wrench into the grinding gears in his head.

  Why am I thinking so hard about this? It was just a dream after all. It means nothing in the end, right? Let me focus on what’s right in front of me here and now. I’m glad at least, that the beautiful woman next to me isn’t a dream.

  As happy as he was, a groggy mist was encircling his consciousness. He was still half-asleep. As he looked to the horizon; he noticed the sun just barely peeking over it, as if it was spying on the two lovers.

  “Good morning, Drake. I thought you’d never get up. You really are a heavy sleeper.”

  “Good morning to you too, Karla. What time is it anyways?”

  “About 7 AM.”

  Heavy sleeper? Yeah right. Just because he didn't want to get up at the ass crack of dawn...“Huh! No wonder I’m still tired! You really get up this early every day?”

  “Indeed I do. You really sleep in every day? Slacker.”

  What was she playing at? “You know I do. Your room has been right next to mine for the past month and a half.”

  Tsuki giggled playfully before she leaned down, her lips meeting Dusk’s briefly in a quick but powerful gesture of her affection.

  “Anyways, Drake, I always watch the sunrise in the morning. I woke you up because I wanted you to watch it with me.”

  Dusk withheld his usual sarcastic remarks, letting a satisfied smile take hold of him. He slowly sat up, gazing at the horizon before him.

  “That doesn’t sound too bad actually. It’s been a long time since I was up early enough to see a sunrise. Who better to see it with than you?”

  Tsuki nodded, the expression on her face speaking of a wordless love. She leaned back, relaxing into Dusk’s chest as he wrapped her in his arms. They both sat there, basking in the warmth of this star that would illuminate their planet as it did every day. For a moment, they had forgotten they were trapped within a virtual world. A piece of the waxing red sun rose across the horizon, painting hues of orange, pink, purple, and blue across the unending sky.

  “It’s beautiful, don’t you think, Drake?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “Sometimes I think the sun and the moon are like life and death, two sides of a coin—both different—yet beautiful in their own ways.”

  “Death is... beautiful?”

  “Indeed. Through death we go through a period of learning, only to rise again through life; just as the sun rises every single day after the night has passed.”

  Every time Tsuki spoke in this way, she caused Dusk’s mind to kick into overdrive, forming his own theories and hypotheses. He loved hearing things like this so that he could figure them out. He was indeed like a detective, or maybe a scientist, always wanting to know the answer to everything.

  “Are you saying you believe in reincarnation?”

  “You don’t?”

  “I don’t know what to believe, to be honest.”

  “It’s not a matter of belief; it just is what it is.”

  She closed her eyes, enjoying every ounce of warmth that Dusk provided as she explained things to him.

  “When we die, our spirits enter a learning period. You could call this the night if you will. During this time, the spirit reviews our actions through our past lives; stripped down to pure information. It is like a spiritual evolution. We learn from our mistakes, gradually. Once this learning period is over we rise again, like the sun... in a new lifeform. We can even reincarnate as a different gender, though this is rare.”

  “Is it possible to reincarnate as a plant or an animal?”

  “No, that cannot and will not ever happen. Animal and plant spirits have different types of consciousness. They are here to sustain life. They are required for humans to survive in the physical belt, as are our bodies. In higher planes there is no need for either of these things.”

  Dusk’s curiosity had reached a climax. He had an insatiable thirst to drink in this knowledge.

  “Physical belt? Higher planes?”

  “We will speak of that another time,” Tsuki stated flatly, forcefully snuffing out those inquisitive fires right then and there.

  “What? Why can’t you tell me now?”

  “It is best not to overwhelm you with too much information at once.”

  “You won’t overwhelm me. I can take it, c’mon!”

  Tsuki’s feminine giggle flew gracefully in the air. She realized that Dusk would sit there and listen to her speak all day about these things if she wanted to. Such thoughts made her smile, but she also thought he needed to learn a little restraint.

  “Not right now. Right now I just want to enjoy this moment. Please.”

  “All right.”

  The two gazed wondrously at the rising sun, while Dusk rumin
ated on Tsuki’s words. They remained this way for thirty minutes, not a single word spoken. Only feelings had a place there.

  Finally, Tsuki broke free from Dusk’s embrace, retrieving her clothes, donning herself once again in the snow white garb. Her soft nature had hardened to titanium in zero seconds flat.

  “Tell me, Drake, you said you were looking for Raven, Kevlar, and Shark. Is that correct? What will you do when you find them? Will you kill Kevlar?”

  The light in Dusk’s eyes vanished, the smile unwinding from his face. He too rose from the ground and fetched his clothes in kind. After covering himself in pitch black, he turned his head towards Tsuki with a somber gaze.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I originally wanted to kill Kevlar after what he did to me and my friends. But now, knowing how much you value him, I’m not sure that I can kill him. That would hurt you deeply wouldn’t it?”

  “Indeed it would hurt me. However, that is not the point here.”

  “What is the point then?”

  “You want to see this world become a better place, right? You want to see peace brought to it?”

  “I’m not such an idealist to believe that true peace could be achieved in our world in this lifetime.”

  “Neither am I. However, what starts as a single spark can eventually ignite into a fire. Several centuries from now, true peace will be achieved. We are the foundation for that peace.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Tsuki put her hands on her hips, the urgency in her stare intensifying.

  “Listen well, Drake. The best way for us to achieve peace in this world is to set an example for others to follow. Be their beacons in the night so to speak. We have to walk the walk. Words alone are typically not enough to sway others. It has to start with us.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you? How many countries are at war with one another right now? How many people have killed in the name of revenge?”

  Dusk’s body began to shake, the irritation boiling over into a contained anger. The irascible Phantom was attempting to keep the emotion suppressed for the time being, even knowing where this would lead.

  “If you kill Raven, Kevlar, or Shark, how can you expect anyone else to put their revenge aside for the greater good?”

  “The greater good? What is that exactly? Do you realize what you are asking of me?” There could be nothing more difficult than asking him not to kill those who derived enjoyment from making his and other's lives pure hell.

  “If you cannot make peace with this, if you think killing is the only answer; then you cannot expect the world to make peace either. It has to start with you, Drake. What kind of example would you be setting if you succumbed to base revenge?”

  “Do you propose to let him get away with what he did? I couldn’t live with that. He needs to pay.” A punishment of some kind had to be in order. To him, threats to humankind had to be eliminated, no matter the cost.

  Tsuki walked up to Dusk, wrapping her arms around him to comfort him. Her voice had lowered to a whisper.

  “And he will pay. But not like that, Drake. That is not the way we do things. Violence only begets violence. Vengeance breeds vengeance. By doing this, you would only perpetuate the cycle.”

  She withdrew her arms from her lover, turning from him.

  “Think long and hard about what I said, Drake.”

  !

  With that, the blinding radiance had surrounded the snow mage, taking her away.

  Now that Tsuki was gone, Dusk released the rage that he had bottled within him, releasing it in a single curse.

  “Damn it.”

  I wanted so badly to make them suffer. I wanted them to understand what it feels like to not even have a sliver of hope in this world. When I took every ounce of hope that they had, I wanted to make them understand that this is what they had done to me. I believed in the eye for an eye mentality. After all, how else could they understand how badly they hurt me? I wanted them to pay with their lives. Sorry, Karla, I know that what you’re saying is right, but I really don’t know if I can hold back or not.

  He thought of the amazing night he had with the aforementioned beauty not even six hours ago. He remembered the strength of the love he felt. Those recent memories brought warmth to his frigid body. On the other side of the coin, there was a darkness which clung to him, like moss to a stone; negative emotions that he could not shake.

  Dusk could still see Kevlar stabbing every one of his friends in front of him. He could still see the shock etched into each of their faces. Most of all, he remembered Kevlar’s unmoved expression after the act was done. He acted as though he had just taken out the trash.

  When Dusk thought of how Kevlar treated his friends like garbage, he couldn’t bear it. It made him want to kill that traitorous creature with every fiber of his being.

  Which is more important to me? My love for Karla or my revenge against Kevlar? Can I really be happy with Karla if I let Kevlar and Raven get away with what they’ve done to me and to other people?

  Dusk clenched his fists, digging his fingernails into his palms, nearly tearing out chunks of his flesh. A violent storm raged within his mind. The waters within were rocky and surging. He took in one last glance at the scenery before him, looking upon the sun as it was no longer merely peeking over the horizon. It had shown itself brightly and boldly, no longer hiding any trace of itself. Dusk made every effort to calm his nerves before he finally decided to go back to where Phoenix resided. He had not yet decided what he would do if he met Kevlar again. He supposed that would be one bridge that he would have to cross when he got there.

  !

  Chapter 10

  December 13, 2018

  The message of altruism that Tsuki had imparted on her pupil had lingered inside him for nine full days now, processing itself. Even through that intense reflection, Dusk was no closer to knowing what he would actually do if confronted with the situation.

  He was not thinking about any of that right now, however. Instead he was locked in a bitter struggle against Reaper: a battle of pocket billiards. Their weapons of choice were cue sticks. Dusk had the advantage.

  The fog of hubris was enshrouding him. Arrogance had empowered him. He was already picturing images of victory.

  “You know, I played pool for three years,” Dusk boasted. “I was in a league.”

  “If only you were this good at actual fighting,”

  Reaper quipped smugly as his expression remained stoic. He learned long ago that the best way to get under your opponent’s skin was to not let their taunts affect you. Verbally countering your enemies while wearing the mask of the victor would often throw one’s opponents off balance, helping to ensure success. As it so happened, Reaper was currently pitted against an enemy that would easily be thrown off by such chiding remarks.

  “Bastard.”

  Dusk bit his lip in reception to the stinging words. He had become accustomed to Reaper’s demeanor over time. He even began to think of him as a friend, though not a close one, admittedly. To Dusk, Reaper was somewhere between an acquaintance and best friend. The echo of Reaper’s past words rung through him. He hadn’t really beaten any Phoenix members in a duel at full strength just yet. He had, however, beaten Tsuki at less than full strength, forcing her to reveal more and more of her true power. This meant he was becoming ever tougher for her to defeat as time went on.

  However, at that particular moment it wasn’t a duel of weapons. It was simply a sport. Dusk reminded himself of this fact as he sunk the last ball into the side pocket, sealing his win.

  He smiled wide as his victory was assured.

  “This isn’t actual fighting though. I win.”

  “Like I said...”

  “Hey, Andrew... I’m curious, why did you join Phoenix?”

  Reaper stopped in his tracks. He had to be careful in what he said. Dusk was still too new to know the full depth of their projects. Reaper was not sure he could fully trust the man yet; e
specially after witnessing the way his turbulent emotions swayed every which way like a stormed sea. He chose his words carefully.

  “What did Karla tell you so far?”

  “Only that we are the foundation for a peace that may occur centuries from now. To ensure that happens we have to set an example for others to follow.”

  “Hmm, that sounds about right.”

  This minimal response did nothing to assuage Dusk’s quest for answers.

  “Yeah, but why are you all on this game? For what purpose did you all visit this virtual world?”

  Reaper’s normal nonchalance had vanished, now replaced by a stern seriousness which shone through his hazel eyes.

  “Do you know why we have been so secretive in what we tell you?”

  “I can only conclude it’s because you all don’t fully trust me. But it’s been two months now. Don’t you think it’s time you guys showed a little trust in me?”

  Trust? What a strong and meaningful word. How many people had Reaper trusted in his life, and how many times had a knife been shoved through his back, both literally and figuratively? Sorry Dusk, but my trust is not so easily gained. “Understand that the information we would be entrusting you with is sensitive information that can’t be told to just anyone. People with loose lips have no place in Phoenix.”

  The newest Phoenix leaned forward subconsciously, determined to prove himself.

  “I would never divulge important information to others, especially if I was told to keep it a secret.”

  Did he think that his heartfelt assurances would change anything? That somehow he would just start spilling all of their secrets to him just because of a promise? Simply words. Reaper would never trust him until he showed it through his actions.

  “We’ll see soon enough whether that’s true or not. But I can tell you the reason we entered this virtual world.”

  Dusk pulled himself back into a straight posture, ready to take in the information he had been clawing his way for.