The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  Her entire body shook violently for the briefest of moments before she recovered from the bombshell. The question hit her like an electric shock. She quickly dispersed the electricity, cladding herself in iron.

  “Why do you ask me?”

  “I heard you were a legendary soldier. Surely you must have killed people, right?”

  “Yeah, I’ve killed countless people. It’s nothing to be proud of.”

  “I know that more than anyone,” Dusk murmured with an aura of grim understanding. He repeated his original question, realizing how the conversation had flown slightly off course.

  “So, how do you get over it?”

  “You don’t.”

  “Is that it?”

  Scarlet sighed, clearly finding it a bother to have to explain this.

  “You don’t just get over killing someone. You never forget it as long as you live. I remember the face of every enemy that I’ve killed. I moved on, that’s all you can do. Or are you gonna live in the past forever?”

  “No, but...” Scarlet had him at a checkmate here, as Dusk could think of nothing to counter with.

  “If you wanna make up for the past, make up for it in the present. If you dwell on the past, you’re just torturing yourself for no damn reason at all.”

  Dusk was completely mute, as if his mouth had been sewn shut.

  “We done here?”

  “Yes, thanks for the advice.”

  A surprised laugh boomed like a gunshot from the legendary soldier.

  “Don’t thank me just yet, Dusk. I may not have killed you, but if I smell even a whiff of you being taken over by that blade, I will.”

  Scarlet left him with her threatening goodbye floating about the room in its imposing glory, mixed in with the smoke, a final reminder of her presence, before leaving the room herself.

  She walked a few feet outside of his room where Dusk couldn’t see her, stopping to lean against the wall as she ejected all of her worries in a single breath.

  I sure talked a big game in there. Move on? Don’t live in the past? I can’t even get over what happened back then on that day, years ago. I have no room to lecture anyone...

  The echoing of footsteps on the marble floor broke her out of her self-admonishment. She swiveled her head to the side to discern the source of the noise that was coming her way. It was then that Scarlet’s emerald eyes caught a glimpse of her fellow Valkyrie, having come back to check on her pupil whom she apparently had an ancient bond with. Scarlet cursed to herself once more at Phoenix’s decision concerning Dusk. It would be so much simpler to take him out now, rather than risk having two weapons of mass destruction to contend with. She was sure if it was just Raven they could take him, so why? Why steer this ship into turbulent waters?

  Having already laid bare her opinion on the matter to the others, she kept such thoughts to herself, merely tossing a slight smirk towards Tsuki.

  “Your sleeping beauty woke up, Karla.”

  A warm tingling sensation immediately penetrated every nerve of Tsuki’s body, setting a fire of joy ablaze in her. She had started to worry he might never wake up again. A heartfelt sigh of relief escaped her.

  “Really? Thank you for telling me, Scarlet.” Tsuki methodically strolled over, ever closer to Scarlet, so she could look her dead in the eyes; “and thank you for keeping me company during this week. I always have fun with you.”

  “Hey, don’t mention it. Thanks to your boyfriend’s little blackout you made good progress on your next book, and we had lots of time to talk. I just hope he’s worth all this.”

  “He will be. Imagine if we had the power of his Eon Blade on our side. It will be instrumental in fighting Raven.”

  “And if he awakens the blade again and decides to fight against us we’ll all be taking a dirt nap.”

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  “I know how strong your will is, girl, if anyone can make something happen it’s you.” Scarlet paused to chuckle. “Or Jed... anyways, we’ll talk later.”

  Tsuki smiled as she exchanged a mutual glance of understanding with her friend before she departed down the halls, leaving Tsuki alone with her thoughts, only a set of glass doors separating her from her kindred spirit. She sucked in a pocket of air as she nudged the doors open, readying herself for what was to come.

  “Hey.” She raised a hand into the air casually.

  “Hey, Karla, or should I say, Kaya?” Dusk grinned.

  “Karla will do. Kaya is a remnant of the past.”

  Dusk placed his fist under his chin as he glanced downward at the covers, as if he was contemplating the world right now.

  “A remnant of the past, huh. You don’t think our past identities live on in us?”

  Dusk posed this question, hoping Tsuki would deny the answer. After all, he didn’t want to think that even a fragment of the genocidal maniac named Drexel still lived on inside of him.

  “There is one self for each lifetime,” Tsuki explained. “When we die, our personalities are wiped clean, and we are given a new one upon our next life. That is not to say our lessons are forgotten.”

  “Lessons?”

  “All of the things we learned in our previous lives. Lessons are experienced through losses. Through great loss comes great learning. Have you learned anything from your time back then?”

  This question muddled Dusk’s mind into an incomprehensible sludge. When she had watched that holographic history, it seemed as though all of Tsuki’s memories came back to her. Why then, did he not remember a single thing about any of this? He remembered seeing the holograms but he didn’t remember actually being there in the ancient past. All that lingered within him was a terrible feeling, as if a dark aura were pressing down upon him, choking him. Even so, with the rare exception of a few images, he didn’t actually remember any of these events occurring.

  “How can I answer that properly, when I barely remember any of it?”

  “Always so uncertain, Drake.”

  A snarl curled at the corner of his mouth, revealing clenched teeth. Did Tsuki expect him to be absolutely certain of everything? If that were true, he would be a sage or something of the like.

  “I don’t get it, Karla. Hardly anyone remembers their past lives. So why should I?”

  Tsuki closed her eyes as she walked over to the bed, taking a seat next to his blanketed body.

  “Younger spirits typically don’t remember their past lives. But eventually, as the spirit ages they begin to remember more and more. Your spirit is old enough that you should remember at least bits and pieces of the past. The fact that you don’t remember anything is quite odd.”

  “Maybe I just didn’t want to remember you killing me.” Dusk stuck his tongue out at her in jest. “How could you do that anyway, that was cold.”

  The past...she was determined not to have that chain of events repeat herself ever again. Killing her love was the most painful thing she had ever done. It was no laughing matter. “I’d prefer you not joke about that, Drake. I don’t find that funny.”

  “Sorry.”

  An awkward silence lingered in the air like a poisonous gas, stifling the room as Tsuki’s gaze penetrated into the depths of his being.

  “As I said, Drake; great lessons come from great losses. I’m not so sure that killing you was the right way to go about things. The fact that you descended into madness; it was a failure not just for you, but for me too. Surely there had to have been another way to resolve things besides killing you.”

  “Don’t say that. You did the right thing. I don’t know if I could have brought myself to kill you if the roles were switched. But objectively, you did the right thing. Your decision was for the greater good.”

  “I suppose so.” Tsuki sat on top of Dusk, her legs still hanging off the side of the bed as she leaned in closer to him. He thought she was going to kiss him, but instead, she stopped herself before their lips touched; her eyes interlocked with his, connecting with him in a gaze that went beyond th
e physical. Dusk could sense the urgency behind that glare.

  “Listen to me, Drake, because this is very important.”

  Dusk swallowed a lump in his throat as the intensity pressed upon him.

  “Okay.”

  “If you turn evil again, I will try to save you, but there’s only so much I can do. If worse comes to worse, I might have to cut you down again. I can’t have you interfering in our mission, you understand? So control your emotions, and don’t succumb to the influence of the Eon if the time comes. You should control the Eon, not the other way around.”

  “I understand. I won’t go down that path again. And, Karla?”

  “What?”

  Dusk lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Tsuki in an embrace that contained an eon’s worth of love.

  “Thank you.”

  Time froze for a moment as those words flowed gently into her ears. It was always nice to hear him thank her but...

  “For what?” she asked.

  “Scarlet told me that you stayed with me for a week. She also told me that you and Jed had dissuaded her and some others from taking action against me. So, thank you.”

  Her chest swelled with delight. It was always nice to receive the proper gratitude for helping someone. Throughout her life, she would go out of her way to aid others, rarely receiving even a ‘thank you’ for her kind gestures. Her smile beamed brightly, unbeknownst to him.

  “It’s fine,” she replied in a neutral-positive tone, not wanting to appear too emotional, even if that emotion was happiness. She returned the hug, coiling her arms around him for but a moment before breaking the hold.

  “Now... you’ve been lying in that bed for a week, Drake. Talk about a lazy bum,” she laughed. “That means you’re a week behind on training. I think we should get started right away.”

  Dusk’s face lit up in a smile.

  “Yeah, it would be nice to get some exercise.”

  He spoke in a relaxed manner as he rotated his arm in a circle, trying to unwind his convoluted muscles.

  Tsuki swung around, her boots planting themselves firmly on the wooden floor as she readied herself to leave this place. Dusk shot out of the bed like a spring, landing silently like a ninja. It felt so good to be moving around again. His muscles had been lax for too long. They needed to be broken in.

  “So, where to?” Dusk inquired of his teacher.

  “The usual place.”

  !

  The two shared a mutual smile as they faded into nothingness.

  Dusk took in the familiar sights of the snow covered Boreal, the site where they conducted the majority of their training. The snow glittered like a floor of spun glass. The numbing cold was already beginning to bite at his bones. Why did she enjoy coming to this place so much?

  “So are you ready, Drake? I have a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise, huh. What would that be?” he asked.

  “You’ll see.” Tsuki flashed a beaming smile at him.

  “All right, go easy on me at least. I’m rusty now!”

  “I’m past the stage of going easy on you, Drake,” Tsuki teased. In truth, she still wasn’t using her full power in any of her duels against him. She used a little more than half of her strength.

  Dusk chuckled softly. “At least you’re not taking me lightly anymore. Let’s do this then.” He unsheathed his swords, readying himself to combat his love and rival.

  They both gave each other an intense stare as the duel timer counted down.

  As it hit zero, both fighters shot off the snow instantly; two asteroids headed straight at one another in a collision course. Their swords met with a resounding clang.

  Several sword strikes and lightning bolts later, Dusk actually had Tsuki on the ropes. She was swinging her one sword so fast that it seemed to be a blur to the untrained eye; but Dusk could see every single movement of the blade. He caught her sword between both of his, disarming her as he threw her blade to the wayside. He was about to strike her, but she sprung backward like a cat. The two merely stared at one another.

  What is she doing? Doesn’t she realize she is beaten? he wondered to himself.

  “What’s the matter, Drake, are you scared?” Tsuki taunted.

  Dusk scratched his head. What kind of game was she playing here? Was she going to use her telepathy to bind him again? Is that what this was?

  “What’s the deal, Karla? This duel’s over... surrender.”

  “No, I don’t think so. If you want to win the duel then come here,” Tsuki grinned. She had a nice surprise ready for him.

  “You really don’t know when you’re beaten do you?” Dusk teased. “All right then, here I come.” As promised he charged straight at her, ready to end this duel.

  In the instant of his overwhelming hubris, Tsuki equipped a new sword in her hands. The sword had a rich blue hilt, the blade hammered out of pure gold. A yellow light glowed magnificently around the blade. In fact, the light was becoming more profound. It looked as though she was charging something within the blade.

  Oh shit, this is bad. Dusk stopped in his tracks, but it was too late.

  Tsuki swung the blade forward, unleashing a wave of golden light which devoured her Phantom opponent. His scream rocked the snow as the light burned every inch of his body. His crisp body sizzled like bacon onto the cold ground below, sending steam rising from his motionless form. If this wasn’t a duel he would have been dead.

  “What happened, Drake?” Tsuki laughed.

  “Karla, heal me. This hurts like a bitch...” he cried out.

  “What’s the magic word?”

  He really wasn’t in the mood to play games right now. This pain was intense.

  “Please!”

  Tsuki felt a little bad at hearing him cry out like that, but only a little. Did it really hurt that much? Well... steam was rising from his body.

  I guess I overdid it a little, she concluded. She didn’t think that attack would be so powerful, but in a way it was a good thing. This new sword would be useful against actual enemies. She gazed at her reflection in the gold, shining blade one last time before looking down at the cooked Phantom before her.

  Dusk imagined that this must be what it felt like to be burned alive. It was definitely one of the most painful sensations he had felt in this world thus far. There was one advantage to having to go through such agony. Knowing that the pain couldn’t get any worse, he began to have less of a reason to fear pain and death. Suddenly, countless light particles enveloped him. It felt like the most potent anti-burn balm was being rubbed all over his body as every cell tingled wildly. Tsuki was healing him. Five minutes later, he took several gasps of relief as his body lost its charred texture, returning to normal.

  He looked up at Tsuki, a look of scorn sealed within his eyes.

  “What the hell, Karla?” he yelled out.

  “I did say I wasn’t taking it easy on you anymore,” she replied as she stretched out her hand. Dusk took it, squeezing it extra hard as he got up. Tsuki winced slightly from the pressure, but that was still nothing compared to what she put him through.

  “Don’t you think that was a little overkill?” he protested.

  “Okay, okay. I didn’t expect the attack to be that strong. I never got to test it on anything since I got it. You were my first test subject. Sorry.”

  “Well I’m so honored I could be your guinea pig. What the hell was that anyways? Where did you get that blade?”

  “Weren’t you there? I got it during our raid in the Forgotten City,” she explained.

  “I don’t remember you getting a sword from there.”

  “Ahh right, you were passed out when I got it. This sword here... is called Excalibur, you might have heard of it.” She was grinning proudly from ear to ear.

  “Oh, you mean probably the most famous sword in all of history? No, I’ve never heard of it,” Dusk said as the sarcasm assimilated his voice completely.

  “It’s a legendary item,” T
suki boasted as she ignored the sarcasm. “Literally, it’s labeled as a legendary one handed sword in this virtual world, which means only one person can obtain it, and that someone is me. You can’t imagine how envious Joan was. She was the only other person who could wield a one handed sword.”

  “Aren’t you forgetting someone?” he hissed.

  “Hmm? Did I forget someone?” Tsuki stuck her tongue out at him, clearly knowing what he was insinuating.

  “Me, Karla! I can wield one handed swords, too.”

  “Oh right, you. On a scale of 1-10, how mad are you that I got the blade and you didn’t?” she laughed. She certainly was in a teasing mood today.

  “A friggin’ 12.” He spoke snidely, but in truth he actually was a little upset over this. He might never get another chance at a legendary item.

  “Hey, you snooze you lose.” Tsuki was referencing how Dusk was passed out when the loot was contested for.

  “I mean, I can’t really help passing out in a situation like that.”

  “You’re being a little selfish, aren’t you, Drake? Can’t you be happy for me?”

  Selfish, she said? Why couldn't they have waited for him to wake up before opening the loot chest? Wasn't that selfish in and of itself? “Of course I’m happy for you; I just wish I at least had a chance at rolling on the sword,” he complained.

  “You will soon possess the most powerful sword in the universe; I don’t know why you’re upset.”

  “Fuck that!” he boomed. “I want nothing to do with the Eon Blade! You saw what it did to me last time! I’m never going to let that happen again. Never...”

  Dusk’s body began to shake slightly from the horrible recollections of genocide. Tsuki, understanding his feelings, approached him and embraced him tightly until his shaking stopped. She traced her fingers tenderly across his face.

  “Hey, everything’s gonna be fine, Drake. You need to have confidence in yourself. I forgive you for what happened back then. The past is the past. But you’ll have to confront this eventually; it’s not going to go away. If you master the power that lies deep within you, you’ll become stronger than any of us. Don’t run from it, embrace it. Don’t become drunk with the power. Control the power without letting it consume you. We all face great trials in our lives, this is yours.” The way she spoke to him was like a soothing lullaby.