Did he have enemies in the Bureau of Economic Harmony now? Wow, he didn’t even want to think about that. Ethan glanced at the cameras on the telephone pole across the street before turning and hurrying back into his apartment. Government agents might be watching him right now. There was surveillance equipment everywhere.
Once inside, Ethan locked the door behind him and studied his living room. It was possible that his home was compromised. Some agents could have bugged the place while they’d been questioning him. They could also probably access all his electronics, many of which had microphones so they could respond to voice commands.
“Well, I’m hard fragged,” Ethan remarked sourly as he sat on his couch.
What should he do now? He needed to stay calm and think this through. Sure, he was probably being observed, but that didn’t matter too much. It wasn’t like he was actually doing anything remotely illegal. In fact, his lifestyle was super tame. All he did was play VR these days, and it sounded like no one could observe him while he was playing Worldshift. He’d just have to keep his life offline as plain and uninteresting as possible so that anyone watching him eventually grew bored and stopped.
Wait. Ethan suddenly sat up straight and grimaced as something occurred to him. If the agents couldn’t watch him play Worldshift, then how had they known he’d found a data key shard? Either they weren’t as blind as everyone thought, or someone had tattled on Ethan.
That was more than possible. The various law enforcement agencies were known to employ countless civilian informants. Ethan had never worried about it before because he’d never been involved with anything they’d been interested in before. He’d always lived a rather boring average life. However, during his time at the university, he’d run into many students and professors who had belonged to harmony activist groups, and it was an open secret that many informants were recruited from those groups. It was easy to see why. Their fervent belief in helping people by furthering social harmony made them the perfect recruits. They bought the official government philosophy completely. From personal experience, Ethan also knew they tended to be the sort of people who liked to suck up to people in power while pretending they were doing it to help others.
Hmm, the list of people who could have told the police about the data key was rather short. The only people Ethan had told were his teammates. It had probably been Jude who’d let the information slip. The way she talked sometimes betrayed her belief in government harmony propaganda, and she was also kind of a jerk.
Ethan himself had always been rather indifferent about social harmony. Of course harmony was good, but he’d never had the desire to repeat a bunch of hollow platitudes in return for handouts and connections. It seemed like a very sad way to go through life to him, although it was possible that if he’d pretended to believe in harmony, he might have a job now. It was another reason so many students joined social harmony organizations. It looked good on a résumé, especially if you were applying for a government job. Ethan had wanted to earn his way based on merit though, which in hindsight might have just been a bit of stupid youthful rebellion. Who cared about merit anymore? Most jobs were make-work anyway. Well, it was too late to do anything about that now.
Having decided that no men in black were going to be breaking his door down any time soon, Ethan got up off his couch and headed to his bedroom. It was time to get an early start on being as uninteresting as possible to anyone observing him. Thus, he was going to log back online and play some Worldshift. He needed to talk to his teammates and try to see if he could figure out why the Bureau of Economic Harmony was so interested in a virtual data key. Throwing the key away was probably the smartest move, but Ethan wasn’t going to do that. He’d devoted himself to climbing the Tower of Ascension in a way that he’d never devoted himself to anything before. He couldn’t give up now, and he needed the keys to win the sweet prize money so he could turn his life around.
CHAPTER 16
THE INVOKERS
When Ethan logged back online to Worldshift, he was automatically sent right back to the spot in the city of Aknabulis where he’d logged off. After giving the temple around him a quick glance, he immediately checked to see if any of his teammates were online. It was rather late in the day now. However, much to his relief, Ethan saw Lily was in the game. None of the others were though, so he quickly sent her a message about meeting up. She replied in the affirmative and sent him the coordinates of a meeting place in the market.
Ethan didn’t waste any time. He immediately headed for the rendezvous spot. After all the sudden excitement in the real world, he found himself wanting to just spend some time talking to Lily. She was fun to be around, and she certainly didn’t act like an informant for the government. She’d been his first ally, and he trusted her. If she had wanted to know more about the data key, she could have just asked.
Exiting the weathered stone temple, Ethan passed several silent monks in long white robes, made his way down a flight of stairs, and walked out onto the city streets. Groups of blue-skinned Aknii wandered around him, and he saw occasional players in power armor as he made his way through the market. Every player eyed him warily and quickly moved away if he got too close to them. The Aknii might have forbidden violence in the city, but it didn’t mean the players could trust each other.
The coordinates Ethan had been sent turned out to be for a quiet corner at the edge of the market district. There were only a few Aknii in dull workman’s clothing there, along with a single monk who was meditating in the shade beside the door of one of the larger buildings. Ethan didn’t see Lily around, so he walked into the shade cast by a shop and settled down to wait.
He didn’t have to wait very long. After a minute or two, he saw Lily’s white armor come into sight. The blonde girl gave him a wave and smiled as she saw him looking her way, and Ethan smiled and waved back. As his eyes met Lily’s, Ethan felt his mood lighten. Suddenly, all his problems didn’t seem so pressing. It was great to have friends he could trust.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” Lily said as she approached.
“Oh, no. I just got here,” Ethan quickly replied. “I was surprised to see you back online so soon though.”
Lily playfully rolled her eyes. “I just couldn’t stay away. This game has its hooks in me.”
“Well, I hope my message didn’t interrupt you.”
“Not at all.” Lily laughed. “In fact, I’m glad you’re here. I really want to show someone all the things I’ve found here. Some of it’s beyond awesome.”
It was Ethan’s turn to laugh. “I don’t doubt it. I mean, we are standing in a city inside a tower that is populated by the most realistic NPCs I’ve ever seen. That’s pretty incredible stuff right there.”
“Just come and see. This city is full of surprises,” Lily said as she grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.
Without resisting, Ethan let Lily drag him down one of the nearby streets and up to the gate of a temple complex. It was surrounded by a stone fence with an ornate stone arch above its gate. The complex beyond the walls was made up of three sprawling buildings with peaked roofs. It wasn’t all that different from many of the other temples that spotted the city.
“Why this place? What’s here?” Ethan asked Lily as they walked through the gate.
“I was curious about how people with medieval tech could possibly deal with players armed with sci-fi weapons, like Katari claimed they could,” Lily replied.
Ethan’s brow furrowed as he thought. “I saw more than a few Aknii carrying energy weapons on the way here, although I don’t know where they got them.”
Lily nodded. “They actually make a lot of those themselves. They have these craftsmen called spellsmiths who do that sort of thing. Apparently, the forest beyond the city is full of materials and bits of tech. However, I don’t think it would be enough to deal with players in armor, so I kept asking around and found this place.”
“So is there something special about this
temple?” Ethan asked as they approached the main building. It was a long rectangular structure made from stone blocks, but it was far from plain looking. The stones had been carefully and artistically stacked, and its slate roof was ornate. The design was eastern looking, almost Buddhist.
“The monks here specialize in teaching meditation. They believe it is their sacred duty, although they accept donations.”
“Hmm, this certainly seems like a nice scenic place to learn to meditate, but you’ve got me confused now. Why are we here?”
Lily gave him a cryptic grin. “You’ll see soon enough.”
As soon as they entered the building, they were confronted by an Aknii monk in a long robe. The garment was more Greek or Roman looking than Asian though.
The monk gave Lily a brief bow. “Welcome back. How may we help you?”
“I’m taking my friend here to see Adhut, so he can get an introductory lesson. I know the way,” she replied.
“Very well. May much knowledge reveal itself to you, and may you take your first step toward enlightenment,” the monk serenely replied.
Lily gave him a respectful nod, which Ethan copied, and then they headed deeper into the temple. Together, they passed through silent hallways until they came to a plain wooden door. Lily gently knocked, and before she could knock more than once, a steely voice from within answered. “Come in.”
Immediately, Lily grabbed Ethan’s hand again and pulled him into the room. The chamber on the other side of the door was tight and cramped. There was barely room in it for three people, and its only decoration was a small table to Ethan’s left, which held a candle, a teapot, some cups, and a jar of incense sticks. The only light came from a small rectangular window at the back of the room that was far too tight for anyone to get through, and below the window, a monk sat cross-legged on a pillow. His eyes were closed, and he didn’t move as they studied him.
Like all Aknii, the monk had blue skin and elongated ears, and like the other monks, he was wearing a white robe. However, this man was completely bald and sported a long bushy purple beard. Huh.
Awkward silence filled the chamber for a few moments until the monk opened his eyes. They were a steely grey color. Seeing Lily, he gave her a polite nod before turning to study Ethan. He didn’t seem to like what he saw because his lips pursed in a way suggestive of disapproval, which caused Ethan to squirm in discomfort. The monk radiated an aura of authority.
“This is the child you were talking about?” the monk asked Lily. His gaze never left Ethan’s face.
Ethan wanted to reply that he was not in any way a child, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to annoy the monk, and maybe it was a religious thing.
“Yes, this is him, Adhut,” Lily replied cheerfully. Ethan briefly noted she was being rather familiar with someone she had just met earlier today.
The monk sighed and gestured at Ethan. “Very well, have a seat.”
Ethan did as he was told. There were some more pillows stacked under the table, so he grabbed one and sat on it. He still didn’t understand why Lily had brought him here. How was it going to help them climb the tower? Was she just really into spiritual stuff? If so, Ethan didn’t see any problem going along with it.
Ethan’s thoughts were interrupted by the monk’s gravelly voice. “You are wondering why Lily has brought you to me.”
Ethan turned and gave him a tentative smile. “Yes, I am. I mean, you seem like a nice guy, but meditating isn’t a priority for me…”
Adhut’s eyes narrowed into a glare, and Ethan shut up. “The art I teach is far more than mere meditation. It is the path to true being. My people have refined these teachings for countless generations in the quest to better understand our world and the laws that bind all things. It allows us to peer past the illusion and impose our will on the merely material.”
Ethan must have looked skeptical because Adhut’s glare hardened, and he raised an open hand. As Ethan looked to see what he was doing, a bright pinprick of light burst into being above the monk’s palm. Startled, Ethan drew back. What was that?
“Is that some sort of tech?” Ethan asked in surprise.
It was Lily who answered, with obvious excitement. “No, there is no tech involved. Adhut is creating the light directly.”
“With his mind?” Ethan asked doubtfully. This was a sci-fi game, not a fantasy one.
“With my awakened will,” Adhut replied coldly.
“You can learn to do it too. I did!” Lily said.
“Really? How do I do that?” Ethan asked. He still didn’t understand how this had anything to do with climbing the tower or fighting players, but it definitely looked cool.
Adhut sighed and stood. “First, you must partake of the sacred tea. It will open your mind and help you reach out to the Origin.”
The monk moved to the table and poured some liquid out of the teapot into a cup, which he then placed on the ground in front of Ethan before sitting on his pillow again.
“Drink,” he commanded Ethan, who was staring at the cup suspiciously.
“What’s in it?” Ethan asked as he raised the cup to his mouth.
Adhut gave him a disapproving look. “Nothing familiar to a man from another world.”
“Good point,” Ethan replied before sipping the tea. It barely had any flavor at all, except for a slight minty taste, so he quickly downed it all. He was fairly sure virtual drugs couldn’t hurt him much, probably.
“Now what do I do?” Ethan raised an open hand. No light appeared, and he didn’t feel any different.
“Now you listen,” Adhut explained. “The key to enlightenment is believing in yourself.”
Ethan suppressed a snort of amusement. How cliché.
Adhut ignored him and kept talking. “You must realize you are far more than the matter that comprises your body and surrounds you. You are real in a way it isn’t. You are self-aware. However, to truly understand this, you must realize the world you perceive is merely an illusion. It has meaning only because of your will and the will of others.”
“Right. That makes perfect sense to me. I totally believe that,” Ethan replied with a nod. This was a game, and he was a player. Of course he was more real than everything around him. Duh.
Adhut sighed again. “Yes, you pilgrims are oddly quick to accept such assertions. I’m told it’s a common religious belief among your people.”
“Something like that,” Ethan answered. He didn’t want to bring up the NPC thing again. Adhut would probably get offended.
“Try to pay attention. This next part is harder, and you will need to listen carefully,” Adhut told him. “Now, focus on a spot in the air above your open hand. Imagine it as a single infinitely small point. This is the Origin. It is a single pure thing that can’t be divided. Focus on it. Meditate on it. That point is isolated from the world and thus uncertain. It is no place and all places.”
That didn’t make a lot of sense to Ethan, but he tried to picture it anyway. He relaxed and focused on a single infinitely small speck of light that floated in complete darkness as Adhut’s harsh voice echoed through his mind. Apart from the world and yet the origin of it.
“Everything is made from the Origin, and yet it is separate from the illusion we normally perceive. It lies beyond it. You must reach out with your will and recognize this truth.”
“I think I understand,” Ethan muttered dreamily. He felt a little out of it now. Maybe the tea was having an effect after all?
Adhut continued talking. “Through will, you can deny and shape the illusion by seizing the Origin. When held by will, the Origin becomes uncertain, and a proper application of will can force it to manifest as a familiar shape or force.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?” Ethan asked as the image of a pure white spot floated before him. Why had he asked that? Were his eyes closed?
“What you saw me do was use my will to draw forth light from the Origin, but anything is possible. The Origin is all. It is limitless, even
if the will and imagination of humans isn’t.”
“I’m imagining light, but nothing is happening,” Ethan replied.
“Imagination isn’t enough. You must reach within yourself and find a familiar pattern. Everyone’s being and experiences are unique. Impose this pattern, this sensation, upon the Origin. Only then will it respond.”
Adhut’s words sent Ethan spiraling deeper into himself. He lost track of time as his consciousness fell through endless darkness. When it eventually came to a stop and he began floating in place, a sea of swirling lights appeared around him—countless colors and shapes, too many for him to make sense of. They all blurred together, but Ethan could sort of feel their edges as they brushed past him. Ha, this was nuts. What was going on?
As Ethan floated, he wondered if these were the patterns Adhut had talked about, so he reached out to grab the closest one. Instantly, intense emotion roared through Ethan. Rage! He was blasted back awake with such force that it felt like he’d been mentally scraped raw. He gasped and then clenched his teeth as he fought to contain the red fury suddenly consuming him. He wanted to lash out at the world, to smash something! Ethan’s eyes shot open to reveal the monk’s chamber and his own open palm, but now there was a shimmering orb of twisting air floating above his hand. It was the size of a tennis ball, but the second Ethan locked his eyes on it, the orb disappeared with a loud pop that startled Ethan. His mind suddenly cleared as the rage dissipated.
“What was that?” he asked in shock as he blinked and looked around. Lily’s presence beside him was reassuring, especially with Adhut still glaring at him. It was not a face Ethan wanted to wake up to.
“It was a crude mixture of twisting force, aether, light, and waste heat.” Adhut huffed in displeasure. “It’s a sign of a disturbed mind. You’re going to have to practice and meditate a lot if you want to learn to separate the forces and do something useful with them.”
Worldshift- Virtual Revolution Page 18