Ethan blinked in confusion. “I thought it was supposed to be just one tiny spot, like your pinprick of light.”
“Like all energy, that from the Origin spreads out into the world,” Adhut explained. “The more power you draw, the larger the effect, although with practice it is possible to contain it.”
Lily placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, and he looked over to see her grinning excitedly at him. “I knew you could do it!”
“That was really weird. Seriously, what was in that tea?” Ethan asked Adhut. Had he imagined the orb? It had disappeared before he’d gotten a good look at it.
Shaking his head, the monk didn’t answer. “That’s enough for today. I advise you to meditate on what just happened without trying to change or summon the Origin. As a novice, practicing without proper supervision can be dangerous.”
“Yeah, that seemed pretty dangerous,” Ethan replied warily. The burst of rage felt like it had hollowed him out somehow. “Do you teach this stuff to just anybody?”
“Hardly,” Adhut replied with obvious scorn as he got up and walked to the table. “Teaching you was a repayment on a favor owed, and I’m surprised you picked up what you did so quickly. Although, I suppose you wouldn’t have found yourself here if you lacked talent.”
That was a little vague, but the monk didn’t seem to want to say anything else, so Lily helped Ethan get up and walk out of the room. His legs felt stiff, and his head was still a bit hazy. Also, he felt like he was missing something, but he couldn’t focus enough to figure out what.
“Wasn’t that amazing?” Lily asked once they were out in the hallway and the door to Adhut’s chamber was shut.
“It was something all right,” Ethan replied before taking a deep refreshing breath and gathering his thoughts. He felt lucid now.
Lily laughed. “Think about what you just did! Doesn’t it remind you of something?”
“Magic? Psychic powers?” Ethan replied curiously. He had no idea what she was getting at.
“No, silly. I think you just hacked the game with your mind! What you did there was a type of programming from within the game.”
That idea didn’t sit well with Ethan. “Why would the designers set up an NPC to teach something that hacks the game?”
“Maybe they thought it was cool, or maybe they didn’t. I don’t think the people in this city can really be considered NPCs. They seem to be able to think for themselves.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Ethan replied diplomatically. Lily was obviously a little gullible. It was cute really. The NPCs were impressive pieces of work, but they were still just programming.
Since they had time to kill now that the lesson was over, Lily led Ethan into the city and they spent some time exploring its large sprawling market district. Everything from food and clothing to weapons was on sale there. They even saw a spellsmith’s workshop and were able to browse his wears, including a pair of energy blades and pistols. The weapons were almost indistinguishable from the game’s sci-fi weapons, but they were apparently handmade by craftsmen. Ethan still had no idea how that worked.
As he toured the city, Ethan was constantly surprised by how realistic everything was. Except for the blue skin and some other obvious oddities, Aknabulis could easily have been confused with a real city. Everything was organic and alive. There were no obvious limits or flaws in how things were designed or how the people acted. Around him, laborers headed home after a long day at work, while merchants hawked their wares and children in scruffy robes ran by.
“You’re right about this place being incredible. Tekko is obviously messing around with some brutally advanced tech,” Ethan told Lily. He was really enjoying spending time with her alone. Her cheer was contagious, and their tour of the city was almost like a real-life date.
“I’m rarely wrong about anything these days.” Lily laughed as she went over to a food stall.
Although he wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, Ethan chuckled along with her. As he watched, she bought a piece of meat on a stick. Instead of eating it, she motioned toward one of the nearby children and gave it to them. This earned her not only a mumbled thanks from the child but an approving nod from the Aknii woman behind the stall. It was weirdly lifelike.
After that, Ethan and Lily wandered the city for a few more minutes before calling it a night. It was growing late in real life, and they’d agreed to meet up with the others early tomorrow. When they got to the circle of standing stones in the temple they’d first appeared at, Ethan stopped Lily before she could log off.
“So I was just curious about where you live,” he told her. “Maybe we could meet up offline sometime?”
Lily froze in surprise. She looked down shyly, and it took her a moment to reply. “Um, maybe later. We should focus on climbing the tower now. See you tomorrow.”
Without another word, Lily disappeared in a shimmer of blue light as she logged off, leaving Ethan alone in the center of the circle of statues. The cloudy sky overhead was growing dark as night approached. Both the distant forest and the city below the cliff were growing darker as shadows stretched out to push back the light.
Sharp disappointment and regret stabbed through Ethan’s chest as he grunted sourly and turned to study the faces of the nearby statues. Many of the warriors and priests had sullen expressions, which fitted his current mood just fine. Had he just been turned down? She had been vague, but maybe she was just trying to spare his feelings. He hoped he hadn’t hurt his working relationship with Lily. His awkward attempt at getting closer to her had definitely seemed to backfire.
Although he was tired, Ethan didn’t feel like surrendering to sleep just yet. He’d decided to focus his life on ascending the tower, so there wasn’t much for him in the real world right now. Hanging out in his small empty apartment would just depress him further. He needed to do something more… constructive. Yes, he’d let himself waste far too much of his life doing things that didn’t make him any better in the end. College had been like that. He was there to put in his time and get an official credential, not to learn. It was why he’d never been able to motivate himself to get a make-work job, like the ones most employed did. He actually wanted to challenge himself and grow.
Resolved, Ethan walked to the cliff and sat on the edge. He watched the glowing orange orb that was the setting sun for several moments before crossing his legs. Closing his eyes, he then assumed a meditation pose. Some of the feelings from his lesson earlier had stuck with him, and he wanted to see if he could remember what he’d learned from Adhut before sleep dulled his memory.
Ethan took a deep breath and let his mind relax. He tried to remember the sensation of falling through darkness that had taken him to the place within his mind where he’d encountered the glowing shapes. Nothing happened right away, but as time passed, Ethan felt his mind clear itself of distractions, and his consciousness began to fade.
CHAPTER 17
THE CITY
Ethan got up early the next morning and quickly went through his morning routine. As soon as he’d eaten and did some quick stretches, he checked to see if any of his teammates were online. None of them were, so Ethan decided to wait before logging on. The bright morning sun was streaming in through his living room windows, so maybe he should go out and get some exercise. It wasn’t a good idea to stay cooped up inside his home all the time, even if he was being watched by a hostile government organization. Carl had said they wouldn’t bother him anymore though, so a quick walk outside should be safe enough.
The sun was just as bright as it had looked from inside, and the sky overhead was a pleasant blue. Only a few wisps of fluffy white clouds marred its expanse. The pleasant weather put a spring in Ethan’s step as he walked down the sidewalk that passed his apartment. The local coffeehouse was just two blocks away, but on the way there, Ethan strolled by row after row of identical, grey government-built townhouses. Everything was clean, and every lawn was neatly manicured, but even under the cheerful sunlight, the neighborh
ood gave off a dull and gloomy impression. To Ethan, it felt like the homes sheltered darkness and emptiness rather than people. Except for the occasional drone that was working away at some task and the single car that drove by, Ethan saw very little movement along his way. He couldn’t help but wonder about his neighbors. He almost never saw them, although part of that was because Ethan was a bit of a self-conscious hermit himself. Obviously none of them had jobs, or they would be living in better neighborhoods that were closer to the city center. What did they do all day? They probably played a lot of VR games or watched entertainment programs, but Ethan wasn’t satisfied with this explanation. He couldn’t help but wonder if many of the townhouses weren’t actually empty. Birth rates had been plummeting across the globe for over a decade, and the suicide epidemic had been in the news for quite a while. Maybe the unemployed were dying off, and it was just that no one cared. It wasn’t like they contributed to society or the economy…
Ethan forced away his dark thoughts as he reached his destination. The coffee shop was located inside a lone strip mall that sat at an intersection, alongside a convenience store and a burger joint. There were no other commercial buildings nearby, just more townhouses. This was a standard setup for a plaza in a neighborhood full of economic support housing.
Above the door of the coffee shop, a large sign was emblazoned by the words Value Cup. Next to them was the image of a red mug. After briefly glancing at the sign, Ethan opened the door and walked into the shop. Inside, the place had a very corporate feel. The chain’s designers had obviously tried for a cozy feeling, but they hadn’t quite managed it. The tables and decorations used too much cheap plastic. There were only three people in sight. A young man and a young woman were sitting at one of the tables together, and a bored-looking middle-aged man in a brown uniform was standing behind the counter.
“Welcome to Value Cup,” the employee said as Ethan walked closer. He smiled slightly but it looked forced.
“Hi, just give me a second to decide on what I want,” Ethan replied as he looked up to study the menu on the wall in front of him.
“Sure, just order when you’re ready. There’s no rush,” the man replied. He then took a few steps to the left and looked back outside through the front windows of the shop.
A few moments later, Ethan decided on his drink. However, instead of turning toward the man, he looked down at a microphone on the counter. “I’ll take a medium dark coffee.”
“Thank you for ordering. Please confirm your purchase,” a pleasant female voice asked Ethan. It had come from a speaker in the counter.
At the same time, there was a beep from his pocket, so Ethan pulled out his personal device and tapped the Confirm Purchase button that had appeared on its screen.
“Coming right up! Thank you for choosing Value Cup!” the computer replied as soon as he’d pressed the button.
There was a soft chime from one of the nearby machines behind the counter. A cup popped out of it and then a stream of black liquid poured into the cup. Ethan watched it patiently. The money for the coffee had been automatically taken out of his account. Digital transactions were much more convenient than physical money, which didn’t exist anymore anyway. The world government had outlawed physical money and all non-government digital currencies years ago to fight crime and unlicensed businesses. It had worked. Crime had gone down, but it had also conveniently allowed the government to consolidate its control over the economy. Now it was almost impossible to buy or sell anything without the Bureau of Economic Harmony knowing.
The machine stopped the stream of coffee automatically once the liquid had neared the rim. Another chime then rang out, which signaled the shop’s only employee. He walked over and picked up the cup before passing it to Ethan.
“Enjoy your drink.”
“Thanks. Looks like a slow day today,” Ethan observed aloud as he took the drink.
“It usually is,” the man replied with a shrug. “Most of the time I’m not even really needed, but you know the law. Every licensed business needs at least one person on the premise in order to operate.”
“Well, it’s better than working hard, I guess,” Ethan replied awkwardly before taking a seat. His conversational skills had grown rusty over the past few weeks after spending so much time online. That wasn’t good. He’d have to work on them once the Worldshift event was over, lest he turn into a creepy VR addict.
As Ethan sat, the couple seated at the other end of the store got up and walked outside. They left some garbage on their table, but within seconds, a flying drone zoomed over to collect the trash and dump it in the garbage. Its job done, the drone disappeared into the employee area at the back of the store.
Ethan took a sip of his coffee. The hot coffee tasted bitter and earthy, but that was how he liked it. As he drank, Ethan reflected on what it must be like to work here. Many employees in these places usually did little more than greet people to add a human touch to an otherwise cold and mechanical experience. They weren’t even needed to prevent theft. Shoplifting had been the scourge of many early automated stores, but it had slowly been stamped out by the Bureau of Economic Harmony. Thanks to the surveillance equipment everywhere, they caught almost all offenders, and they punished even petty crimes harshly. It had discouraged most thieves, especially since no one was starving thanks to economic support.
Ethan glanced at the man behind the counter, who was now looking at his personal device. He would hate to work in a place like this, not that he could have gotten the job easily anyway. There was fierce competition for every job, even the mundane and boring ones. Still, working at Value Cup paid enough for someone to afford accommodations near the city center and brand name items that were too expensive for unemployed dregs.
Suddenly, Ethan’s personal device vibrated. He put down his drink and pulled it out and saw he was getting a call from his uncle. A grimace appeared on Ethan’s face and he hesitated. He didn’t really want to talk to his uncle now, not after their last conversation. There was no way Daniel would approve of him spending so much time alone. Undoubtedly, he was calling to try to convince Ethan to take the job at his office. Indecision and guilt twisted up Ethan’s guts. He stared at the phone for a few more moments and then he swiped left to cancel the call. Mood ruined, Ethan tucked his personal device away and picked his drink back up. He’d speak to his uncle again after the event was over.
Grunting in frustration, Ethan tried to think about something cheerier. Lily’s smile came to mind. Ethan sighed and wondered if she ever went to coffee shops. Maybe he should ask her to meet him at one. She had turned him down before, but maybe he could convince her. He should also get in contact with the others from his team. Ethan grinned as he reflected back on his recent experiences in Worldshift. He’d accomplished a lot and met some interesting people. Sure, he was still a long way from the top of the tower, but he really felt like he’d accomplished something nonetheless. It had been a long time since he’d felt that way. It was nice.
Smiling to himself, Ethan picked up his personal device to look up information about the Tower of Ascension. As he scanned gaming sites and message boards, his pride grew stronger. It seemed most of the people who’d entered the tower had already been killed and kicked out. From what he was reading, there must only be around a thousand players left inside the tower.
Ethan’s reading was interrupted by the sound of the shop’s door opening. He looked over to see who it was and saw three people step inside. There were two men and a woman. They looked young and out of place. They wore sleek tracksuits that were the height of fashion, unlike the simple T-shirt and sweatpants Ethan was wearing. All three also sported long hair that had been styled extensively. In fact, their haircuts probably cost more than all of Ethan’s clothes, and he recognized their shoes as one of the most expensive brands on the market.
After glancing their way, Ethan felt his heart grow uneasy. He immediately put his device on the table and stared at it intently, even though there wer
e no programs up. As Ethan watched out of the corner of his eye, one male member of the trio headed for the bathroom at the back of the shop, while the other two went to order drinks. The two who went to the counter quickly got their drinks and then stood off to one side as they waited for their friend. Although they barely glanced at Ethan, they sneered at everyone in the shop.
“This coffee is slagging terrible,” the remaining man complained as he grimaced in distaste after taking a sip.
“What do you expect from a joint designed to serve slackers and dregs? It’s not like they deserve better,” the woman replied coldly as she looked in Ethan’s direction and scowled.
Her gaze sent a surge of anxiety through Ethan, and his heart sped up. He didn’t like being reminded that he didn’t have a job and was living off government handouts. Usually he could avoid thinking about it since almost everyone else he met in real life was the same, but the way these people were looking down their noses at him made it clear they were judging everything about him, including his cheap and unstylish clothes.
The man nodded, and both speakers turned to look toward the back of the shop. “Yeah, as soon as Matt is done taking a piss, let’s get out of this dump.”
“What a bunch of scum. As if you people contribute anything,” Ethan quietly grumbled to himself as he finished his drink. “You probably just sit around all day in some fancy office and talk about how much better you are than everyone else. You probably got your job from your parents, instead of earning them.”
What were people like them even doing here? People from the work district rarely came down into a neighborhood like this, and there was no way anyone wearing such expensive brands didn’t have great jobs. What jerks! They were another reason Ethan hadn’t taken up his uncle’s offer because he would have been forced to work with people like them. Of course, not everyone who was employed was obnoxious, far from it, but the more pointless jobs, that were mostly make-work, were famous for being full of pretentious snobs. Ethan didn’t want to become one of them or even spend time around them. He’d dealt with enough of those type of people in college, like the professors who taught the mandatory harmony classes.
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