The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  The battering rams had been doing work, slowly wearing down the stone entrance to the city gates. Finally, the dying gates could bear no more, falling to the battering ram’s charge. What’s more, the enemy had made the use of several ladders to climb on top of the city’s walls as the Pollusk frontline got in the face of several ranged attackers, forcing them to fight in their weak spots. As the Bermian gate fell to the floor, the Harian frontline unit of thirty thousand strong knew it was their time to shine.

  Shark, who was among the sea of frontline fighters, had to resist the urge to kill those who stood beside her. Just a little longer... and then she would be able to go on a killing spree. Oh, how she fantasized about those moments when she would be able to cleave through infinite flesh.

  With a resounding battle howl, they charged at the enemy force, who met them with the same vigor. The rumbling of countless footsteps vibrated through the city like an earthquake as the clangs of tens of thousands of swords and scythes clashed against one another in a bloody battle for supremacy.

  Shark was having the time of her life as she spun like a tornado, sending her sword ripping through enemy and ally alike. Her demonic laughter was lost among the endless sea of battle shouts. She drenched herself in blood, war’s favorite outfit. To her, this was a dream come true.

  It was nearly impossible to tell friend from foe in this carnage—Bermia underwent a transformation into pure hell. Bodies were falling everywhere. Mutilated body parts littered the ground. Lakes of red and blue blood mixed as the ground turned into a sickening magenta pool. That pool only rose over the next hour, as both sides refused to surrender, sending life after life into death’s arms.

  ~~~~~

  Dusk could only gaze in horror as he saw a beaten and battered city before him. Countless corpses lay at the entrance. Some of them were burned beyond recognition as the sickening smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Millions of light particles rose slowly skyward as life after life set off on their journey to the next world. Buildings were ignited in flame. Thunderclaps boomed over the bloody scene like war drums. The entire city reeked of death and destruction.

  In the heart of the city, the fight was still going on. They hadn’t breached the walls of Fortura Castle yet, but Dusk estimated that at this rate, in another hour even that would be under attack.

  “What... why?” He gasped out in terror at the nauseating scene before him. Seeing an epic battle like this in a movie was one thing, but seeing such bloodshed on a massive scale actually happening... It was truly revolting to see.

  “Behold, Dusk. These are the depths of humanity’s barbarism. This is the low of the common man,” Omni explained with disappointment rife in his voice.

  “How can you all be so calm about this? So many people are dying! Don’t you even care?”

  “Of course we care.” Tsuki spoke sincerely.

  “This is exactly what we are working to prevent,” Reaper stated.

  “This isn’t anything I haven’t seen before,” Scarlet said, apparently unshaken by the gruesome slaughter before her.

  “You see now, Drake?” Tsuki said. “This is our mission. Eventually, humanity will reach a state where we won’t need to have such pointless battles. To get to that point, it will be very difficult. This is what we do. This is what we are. Are you up for it? Can you confront this situation every day? No one would blame you if you didn’t want to be a part of this.”

  “I...” Dusk clenched his fist as fury shot up his veins. “I don’t ever want to see something like this again. For that reason alone, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I will do everything in my power to stop this.”

  “Well said,” Omni nodded, pleased with his answer. “Then it is decided.”

  “What is?” Dusk inquired.

  “We go into Fortura Castle.”

  “Why are we going there? How is that going to stop what’s already happening?”

  “I sense them; deep inside the Capitol. Raven and Leo reside there. I sense other forces too, but the head of the snake must be cut off.”

  “Just who is this Leo? I remember hearing that name before.”

  “There’s no time to explain, we need to act now.”

  “But how are we going to get there? The entire city is blocked by soldiers fighting,” Reaper asked.

  “Through the front door of course.” Omni’s face formed into a clever smile.

  “What, are you crazy? I know we’re strong but not even we can march through a hundred thousand soldiers!” Dusk complained.

  Omni turned to face the skeptic, with that smile still plastered on his dark face.

  “Dusk, do you trust me?”

  “Of course I trust you but...”

  “Then now is the time to show that trust in me. I will deliver us to the heart of this city without fail. But first we need to get down from this cliff.”

  Dusk followed them all as they began their descent down the rocky outcrop. What was he doing? He did trust in Phoenix, but there had to be a limit. What Omni was proposing was suicide. Still, this was his chance to stop Raven here, and he would take that no matter what the cost.

  He looked on at the gauntlet that lay before him. Tens of thousands of enemy troops stood between him and Fortura Castle. Slowly, he sucked in as much air as he could, as if he was just taking a dive into deep water. He was about to take a dive into something all right, though not a pool or the waters of the beach. He would be diving headfirst into the endless depression of war. He braced his body for the inevitable chaos that would ensue.

  “All right, let’s go. Stay close to me,” Omni commanded.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  Several emotions flared through them at once as they prepared their bodies: excitement, anger, anxiety, and fear.

  “Run!” Omni shouted as he sprinted in a forward dash nearly swifter than his physical container would allow.

  This was it. It was now or never. There was no time for regrets. No time for hesitation or fear. Dusk’s body responded instantly, trailing behind Phoenix, his new comrades that he felt like he had known his entire life.

  As they approached the enemy troops, they saw it. It was coming. Several bullets flew at them, crashing against Omni’s barrier before bouncing off in every possible direction.

  Fireballs exploded against the protective dome, covering the outside in an inferno, obscuring their sight with smoke, but they pressed on through the black smog.

  They were a mere twenty meters away from the battle now. A large sea of fighters blocked their path, engaging in their brutal game of death. Omni kicked up his mental focus into mastery worthy of a sage, ramming through the crowd of people like an unstoppable linebacker. Multiple bodies were pushed to the side, thrown onto the ground; some even took a line drive into the walls of now ruined buildings. Every single combatant who tried to oppose the barrier was repelled.

  Dusk couldn’t believe he was running through the heart of a massive battlefield unharmed. As powerful as Omni was, this barrier for five placed a considerable strain on his power. Especially when coupled with the fact that he was blocking attacks from several hundred people. Everyone’s legs burned with acid as they spent fifteen minutes in a full on sprint, running straight through the carnage.

  Finally, they approached the walls of Fortura Castle, which stood tall and unblemished. It was a lot quieter here; the battle hadn’t advanced this far yet.

  Everyone sat down for a few minutes as they tried to catch their breath and rest up. They would need their strength for what awaited them ahead.

  “So, how do we get into this place? The front door again?” Scarlet laughed.

  “Why not?” Omni smiled warmly at her, rising to his feet as he held his hand outward, closing his eyes. A loud crashing noise reverberated around them as a large hole was blown into the wall, courtesy of Omni’s telepathy.

  “Looks like the door’s open,” Reaper chuckled.

  Inside, several guards had come down to investigate the ruc
kus.

  “Would you all mind taking care of them?” their guild leader requested. “I need to rest.”

  “Of course, this won’t be a problem. Joanna, Drew, you guys know what to do,” Tsuki nodded.

  “It’s about time,” Scarlet smirked. “It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten to shoot something.”

  “What about me?” Dusk asked.

  “Just stay stealthed and knock them unconscious if you get the chance,” Reaper instructed.

  “Ready or not, it’s showtime!” Scarlet’s voice boomed through the empty hole, blaring into the guards’ ears.

  “There’s someone here!” the guards yelled as they ran towards the hole.

  Scarlet quickly peeked around the corner, shooting each of them in the leg with her pistol.

  Before they could recover from taking a knee, Tsuki and Reaper ran up to them in a flash, knocking them over the head with the pommel of their weapons. The guards were out cold. Dusk didn’t even get to do anything.

  “Where are they?” His question was phrased almost like a demand. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on Raven again. That bastard was behind every single tragedy that happened in this world.

  “In the throne room,” Omni informed him.

  “Got it,” Dusk nodded. He was ready for this.

  “You’re certainly psyched up aren’t you?” Scarlet pointed out, not used to seeing the passive Phantom so eager to fight.

  “It’s that bastard Raven. I won’t let him get away with this. He’s hurt enough people. It’s time to end it.” His fist shook with thoughts of vengeance.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Tsuki smiled. “Let’s go.”

  The guards were no problem for the quintet. In fact, the guards were fodder. Every one of them was knocked out with one or two hits. Dusk managed to score a couple of knockouts on the way to their destination. It had been awhile since he actually fought normal people. He had forgotten how strong he actually was, being around legendary fighters all the time. Finally, they saw it: the throne room. The large doors were already open; all that was left was to walk inside. Every one of them charged straight at the goal, but it was only Dusk who made it through the gateway. The rest of the crew was blocked, running smack dab into a rock hard barrier. The large double doors promptly slammed shut, sealing their view to the inside.

  “Drake!” Tsuki yelled out in concern. She quickly took up Excalibur, charging an attack of pure light from within, before releasing it in a powerful golden wave. Waves of light rippled through the barrier, but it remained unbroken. A grunt of frustration escaped her as she prepared to charge up another attack.

  “Sorry, only Eon users are allowed entry,” a voice rang out from behind them.

  They turned to see none other than Raven. They couldn’t say they were surprised, they knew he was around there somewhere. But if he was out here, who was in there with Dusk?

  ~~~~~

  He had been sprinting in tandem with the rest of his buddies not even two minutes ago, but now the doors had closed on him. By the time he noticed no one else had made it through, it was too late. Dusk was now alone; completely alone. Or was he?

  “Raven you bastard! You’re in here aren’t you? Stop hiding like a coward!”

  “I’m sorry, Raven isn’t here. Try another castle,” a familiar voice called out from behind the throne. But it wasn’t Raven’s. Whose was it then? Where had he heard it before? It couldn’t be...

  Just as he realized the truth, the man in question slowly strolled out from behind the throne. Though it was roughly seventy-five meters away, he still knew who it was. The man whom he hated the most in this entire world, even more than Raven, now peered down at him from the throne.

  Dusk’s heart snapped to and fro like a rubber band. His body began to shake so violently a constant rattling could be heard as his fists practically crushed his swords in their grip.

  “Kevlar...”

  ~~~~~

  When the group turned to face Raven, they could see he was not alone. Leo was by his side.

  “So you were responsible for what was happening on this game after all, Leo,” Omni confirmed.

  “Still stating the obvious? I never denied I was responsible.”

  “But to think you were in league with Raven, just what are you all trying to accomplish?”

  “Isn’t it amusing, my fellow countryman, how easy it is to make humans quarrel amongst themselves?” Leo managed a slight chuckle of disgust. “Just look, you take one little stone and nations are at war with one another,” Leo said as he took out a glowing sapphire from his inventory.

  The jewel’s beautiful blue gleam filled the entire room with its splendor. The gem was shaped into a single raindrop. They all realized it now. This was the same type of item as the amethyst lightning bolt that Omni had. This was an elemental stone!

  “So you took Necrobia’s elemental stone. No wonder they’re now at war with Bermia. You set all of that up!” Tsuki exclaimed.

  “Guilty as charged,” Raven laughed.

  “Why?” Reaper asked from the bottom of his heart. “Why would you do this? What could you possibly gain from this?”

  “It’s to see how much humanity is worth,” Raven answered.

  “How much they’re worth?”

  “Indeed. Why do you think this game is set up the way it is?” The six nations. The elemental stones—the important role they play in this world’s freedom, it’s because we wanted to see which path the humans would take. Would they cooperate? Or would they fight amongst themselves? As you can see, they choose to fight like animals.”

  “With a nice little push from you guys,” Scarlet spat.

  “I can’t deny that,” Raven laughed. “But how does this differ from the real world? Oh yes, I know all about you Phoenixes. You preach that you strive for the betterment of this world, which is admirable on paper. But how would you plan to solve a situation like this in the real world? Just how do you plan to fix this irredeemable planet?”

  “It has to start from within. We have to be shining examples for others to follow. Only when we help ourselves can we begin to help others. The media is a great tool to show the right messages to others; to teach them the way... to guide them. Only then can we take the next step in uniting the people. A leader who possesses charisma, strength, and the gift of love in their hearts—humanity can eventually be guided under such a person—if only to make them realize how petty they have been. This will take centuries to achieve, but we cannot give up. You all have given up on the world,” Omni explained with a hint of sadness stirred into his words.

  “Silence, traitor!” Leo’s voice boomed like thunder. “You who abandoned us have no room to speak of sending the right messages. You are no guide or sage, you are simply a duplicitous fool!”

  Omni sighed at this man who held so much hatred for him within. He had a pretty good idea now of where Leo came from, but he was still at a loss as to who exactly Leo was. “You are mistaken, Leo. I never abandoned anyone. You all abandoned me.”

  “Hmph, the words of a traitor mean nothing to me.”

  Raven broke out into a fit of laughter. “So, this is your solution? Be a role model for others to follow? You think your idealism is going to magically fix what’s broken beyond repair? Wake up! How long have we coddled these foolish humans? They need to face the proper punishment if they are to change. Drastic measures are needed. This planet doesn’t have time for this idealistic drivel.”

  “Harsh punishments will simply exacerbate the problem. Humans can only stand so much before they rebel, don’t you understand that?” Tsuki said with vigor.

  There wasn’t a trace of Raven’s usual condescension in his voice, only an endless supply of passion.

  “I’m not speaking simply of punishment. I will wipe out this planet’s population to all but a hundred thousand people. All of those people will be hand selected by me. The chosen ones will be either telepaths or those who have evolved beyond the common man. If all of h
umanity is united under one banner of absolute power, conflicts will cease entirely. It will be the Utopia we have strived for since the dawn of this planet’s existence. If I don’t do this, every single life on this planet will be extinguished one day.”

  “And you think you have the right to play God?” Scarlet shouted.

  If only these fools knew what was to come. If only they had seen what he had seen, they wouldn't presume to preach at him like this. Thirty years at most. If he didn't go through with his plan, humanity would drive themselves towards extinction in such a short time period. The day of reckoning would come, and then where would Phoenix be? Where would those fluffy ideals of theirs get them? Nowhere. These Phoenixes didn't understand a thing.

  “Who better than me to be this planet’s god?" He challenged. "I have the power and wisdom required to give humanity the wake-up call it has desperately needed for so long. Yes, with Drexel by my side, I’ll be able to cull this planet in half the time. All we need is for him to awaken his power. Once he reclaims the Eon Blade, he will wake up from his foolish dream and realize the truth once more.”

  “You misuse the wisdom you have amassed, the power you have gained. You use it for evil. This only causes humanity to regress instead of progress. But then, you don’t really want to better humanity do you? I won’t let Dusk become like you again!” Tsuki affirmed with complete confidence. “Whatever the cost, I won’t let that happen.”

  “Are you sure, Kaya?” Raven laughed. “What can you do against me? Right now, I’m taking the necessary steps to ensure Drexel returns to his former self.”

  Suddenly, Tsuki’s stomach dropped to the floor like a weighted stone. She remembered her other half was all alone in the throne room mere feet away.

  “The necessary steps. What does that mean? Who’s in there with him?”