《Final Destiny Online》 Final Choice. Every night, the same dream occurs. The painful dream that always follows when my eyes close. It''s not a matter of choice, dreams never are. If I was able to prevent this dream, I would have done so a long, long time ago. -- A child, not older than four, was happily reading with his father at home. As his father had a job in the government, he wasn''t home often, so the boy was ecstatic to be able to spend his time snuggled up in his lap with his father reading out loud for him. A simple tale of dragons, a hero, and a princess in despair. It kept the boy easily amused as the pages flipped, each continuing the story. His mother was in the kitchen, humming a sweet melody that would always tickle his ears, much to his enjoyment. She was in quite a good mood herself. Her man hadn''t come home in months. She was already longing for his warmth in bed later that night. She gazed at her husband, desire filled in her eyes, stealing a bit of eye-candy while he was busy. The boy looked up into his father''s eyes, and his father noticed. The father was proud. How could he not be? This was his son. His own flesh and blood. He stole a glance at his wife, and she blushed and turned her head back to the food on the stove. He grinned. This was what he had wanted in life. A family. Happiness. The boy was absentmindedly playing with his father''s shirt, and his father was smiling, still reading. Then, the doorbell resounded throughout the home. "Honey, can you get that for me? I''m a bit busy cooking." said the wife. The husband grumbled a bit, and lifted the boy off his lap. He stood up, much to the discomfort of the boy, and walked towards the door. The boy turned his head slightly with his forefinger in his mouth, watching as his father opened the door. A man wearing a black suit was standing there with two similarly suited figures behind. "Excuse me, we''re from the ''police department''. We have reports that a murderer has been sighted near your home. Do you mind if we come in?" the man at the door said, a tone of sarcasm in his voice. His father immediately knew what they had come for. "No, sir. There is nobody here, now if you''ll please-" his father said, desperately trying to close the door, when a foot stopped the door. The father looked up into a barrel of a gun, seeing his end shortly after. A gunshot rang through the home, startling both the boy and his mother. The boy, who was viewing, watched as his father slowly dropped to the ground. The carpet underneath slowly dyed red from his blood. "Stupid fool. You should have let us in." the man said as he kicked through the doorway, stepping over the boy''s lifeless father. "Herald?!" screamed the wife, and she grabbed a kitchen knife, running to the door. She saw her husband on the floor, and tears formed in her eyes. "Herald!!" she screamed once again, and jumped towards the man. The man slapped her across the face with the gun. She fell to the floor, falling next to the boy''s father. The boy, seeing this, slowly backed away. He tripped and fell into the corner of the room. "Papa.. Mama.." he muttered, his tears falling down his face. Two other men came into the home, and started looking around. They spotted the woman on the floor. The smaller of the two grabbed her by the hair, ignoring her screams, and looked intently at her face. He then groped her body, as if appraising her worth. He then smiled. "Not bad.. She''ll do for a bit." he said, dragging her by the hair into the room closest to the front door. Her screams continued as he passed the door, then they abruptedly stopped, followed by a sickening smacking sound. "Fucking woman, doesn''t know how to be quiet. That ought''a take care of it." A crowbar fell to the ground, blood at the tip, perfectly in view of the horrified child. "Don''t take too much time. We need to find his files and leave." The first man yelled in the direction towards the room, which a muffled grunt followed. "Sheesh. That fool." The man then noticed the boy. "Oh..? Well, what do we have here.." He began walking towards the boy. The steps grew closer, syncing with the boy''s ever-increasing heartbeat. He tried to back away, but found himself in a corner, unable to move. His crying slowly grew louder and louder. The man was then before him. "Shut it, kid." A kick to the jaw was followed by darkness. -- I opened my eyes, sweat drenching my clothes. I looked around to the sight of the kids nearby giggling and murmuring to my sight. "Ren, what are you doing? Sit back down and stop disrupting the class." said the teacher. I felt the heat flushing my cheeks. "Yes, sir." I replied, sitting into my seat. The laughter ensued as I put my head to the desk, ignoring the laughter. I sighed. I watched as my breath fogged the desk, only to defog when I breathed in. It had been fourteen years since the incident that led to the assassination of the prime minister and the eventual hacking of intel from the country I was living in. My father who, I later learned, was the manager of the prime minister. His death eventually led to the death of the woman leading the state. This caused a major war between China and Japan, China being the one instigating. What about me? I spent years in the orphanage, treated like the garbage that they thought I was. Who would adopt a child that had sociopathical tendencies and difficulties speaking with others? Of course, none. I stood up, much to the surprise of the teacher once more, and left the room. I had enough of the spitballs and various eraser pieces thrown at me when the teacher wasn''t watching. Even when he was, he didn''t say a word. He didn''t even say a word when I left, just continuing with his lesson. It was well known that Ren Ayzin was the son of the cause of the war. Humans with their warped views of the world. I honestly don''t care what you think about me. You''re all trash. You leech off of the negativity of the world and spew it back out of your mouths and minds like a sprinkler, forever giving hell to those who don''t want it in their lives. Screw society. -- I unlocked the door of my home, welcomed by silence. Luckily my father had an unreal amount about of money saved up in case something had happened. Couple that with his life insurance (which I eventually went to court for because of the circumstances), I didn''t need to work most likely for the rest of my life. However, what''s the worth of money that has the blood of your loved ones on it? I headed upstairs and sat down into the chair behind my computer. The light novels and anime that I had up didn''t have my attention anymore, so I clicked out of it. I saw Nova''s forum''s window, and knowing that I had already learned what I could from it, I clicked out of that, too. I turned off the monitor and gingerly laid myself into the newly acquired Nova SX Pod that was situated to my right, near my bed. I relaxed in place as various lights scanned my body. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Fingerprint confirmed." "Body index recalculated. Body index confirmed." "Retina information confirmed." A female voice sounded off, continuously checking various pieces of information. Unlike previous models, the Nova SX is calibrated to a single person. Nobody could share their virtual reality simulation pods with their friends. This was to, of course, promote higher amounts of profit. The top brass assholes inputted this in secret, much to everyone''s outrage. I couldn''t care less, though. I hadn''t any friends to share with. In truth, Virtual reality has been out for quite some time. The Chinese came out with the first virtual reality pod back about fourteen years ago, right when the Decade War started, imagine that. The Japanese originally were funding the project when some child''s father happened to ''give'' it to the Chinese. The stolen data was then used to create Nova, the highest profiting gaming hardware in the world. All other attempted Virtual Reality simulators were blown away. How could basic retina movements that simulated Virtual Reality ever compare to full immersive Virtual Reality with a 6:1 time ratio? The answer was that it couldn''t. The Chinese, because of their economical power from their Virtual Reality achievements, managed to fully control the world. Though each country is still named the same, the Chinese own them. All of them. Japan is just a Chinese Province with a name. "Final Destiny gaming software loaded. Would you like to enter?" "Yes." "Final Destiny loaded. Log-in confirmed." My eyes slowly went dark, and a familiar, comfortable sensation made my body extremely exhausted. After, everything went black. After some time, an explosion of color caused me to flinch as it uploaded a massive 2D-like title screen with a female avatar situated in a white podium staring down at me. Her eyes were lifeless. I could trust eyes like that. "New user spotted. Would you like to enter character creation?" I wonder why they even ask those types of questions. "Yes." "Please name your character." I didn''t hesitate and typed in my first name in the display that appeared. "Error: The name "Ren" has already been taken. Please try again." I typed another. "Error: The name "Azrin" has already been taken. Please try again." Frustrated, I typed another. If this one didn''t work, I''ll just randomly mash some keys and join. "The name "Zen" is open. Are you sure you want this name? You cannot change it, even upon account deletion." Woah, maybe I shouldn''t mash the keys. Bad decisions. "Yes." "Character name saved. Entering Character Creation." A familiar 2D display floated in front of me, with an extremely large mirror showing what I looked like. I immediately pressed ''Randomize'' with my finger and slowly started to work with the new features. I didn''t like looking at my face, so I started anew. After a while, a sinister looking, yet somewhat handsome avatar was staring into my eyes. I smiled. The avatar smirked back, and I pressed continue. "Character Data saved. You may only have one character at any time. If you wish to change your Character''s appearance or start over from a new Character, you must speak with the Cleric in any large city." said the avatar. Her lips moved in a noticeable pattern. I suppose that it''s because it''s the first immersive software of such a scale. Can''t be perfect. "Okay." "Please select your race." I looked at the various choices, and noticed that there was actually an abundances of races. Confused at how many there were, I cycled through them, looking for something that I could work with. Human, Beast, Lizardman, Skeleton, Berserker, Vampire, Werewolf, Golem, Dragonia, etc. The list was endless. I scrolled back and stopped back on Vampire. I held my breath. The Character staring at me in the mirror morphed into a Vampire, and it seemingly perfected the already somewhat handsome look. I closed an annoying pop-up that appeared and viewed closer information, and nonchalantly sifted through massive amounts of debuffs. A Defence debuff during the day, an inability to equip silver items, an inability to become any holy profession or learn/heal from any holy magic, and the worst one, and inability to ingest anything other than blood. The only two positive buffs was an extremely high affinity to darkness magic and status, and a Vampyrism ability (healing bonus per damage dealt). That last debuff piqued my interest. How would you procure the blood? That seems like a pointless class to choose. I sighed and swiped my hand to change races, but was met with an error sound. "Error: You are not allowed to change races after viewing buffs and debuffs." "What?! Don''t screw with me!" I clenched my fist in anger. "A warning window was given prior to your choice to view. You cannot override this function." ... Screw it. I''ll make a new character. "Create new character." I said, sighing at the effort I put into this character. "Error: New players may only create a new character after obtaining Lv.250 in game. I cannot complete your request. Vampire race selected. Please choose your hometown destination." A world map appeared at around chest level, but I didn''t care. I slammed my fists down and screamed. "THIS IS BULLSHIT. WHAT KIND OF GAME PREVENTS YOU-" I said before being cut off. "Vivus Region selected. Transferring now." the avatar interrupted. It then pressed multiple buttons on it''s podium, and smiled at me. "Please wait a few seconds before being teleported." A sickening, almost mocking smile appeared on the avatar''s face. I looked down in horror before raising my fist off the world map. I had, in my anger, slammed my fist onto the Vivius region, one of the most unpopulated areas in the continent due to the insane difficulty of the monsters nearby. It was so difficult, in fact, that 95% of the newbie players that logged into the region presumably quit and raged about the impossibility of the area on Nova''s forums. I had checked previously before logging in, and made the stupid mistake of entering the one region I vowed not to join. My face paled as I realized what I had just done. My vision suddenly darkened, followed by a blur of colors. I was now standing in the Newbie Village of Vivius. I fell to my knees, unable to believe how stupid my decision was. "Welcome to Final Destiny Online." -- This marks the end of Chapter 1. If you wish to leave any feedback, please do. It not only gives me a desire to continue the story, but also helps others notice it, both equally important. Thanks for taking your time reading, I''ll be sure to post Chapter 2 soon. Experimental Mode. "Experimental mode, engaged." the avatar''s voice resounded, but I was too stunned at my surroundings to notice. I stood in the Newbie Village, breathing deeply to not remain shocked. The Newbie "Village" of Vivius that I was in was nothing more than a single building. A single straw building with an elderly man sitting on a log outside watching me with eerie eyes. According to the rumors that I read online, this place should be a city filled with despairing newbies about their inabilities to leave. On top of that, there should be beggars hounding the higher leveled players that come in (which is one of the reasons why they don''t visit Vivius anymore), begging for them to take them outside. Apparently the monsters outside the city are extremely aggressive, and will kill on sight. Their levels are exceedingly terrifying, with a base level of nearly 20-30, destroying the armorless newbs that can barely feed themselves, let alone gear their bodies. If not for those rumors, I wouldn''t have been horrified to come here. Now that I''m here, however, I''m horrified for another reason. There''s not a single player around. That''s right, I''m the only player in this single-shack village in the middle of the forest. The trees that are surrounding the village block out just enough light to illuminate the village without any direct sunlight, leaving me feeling slightly.. Uncomfortable. I shake off the feeling, and take a step towards the old man. In a flash, his eyes open the moment I step closer and killing intent emerges, surrounding me and threatening to snub out my existence. His eyes radiate red, stunning me and I fall to the ground, unable to breathe. What the hell is this monstrous man in front of me? It''s like I''m looking at a dragon, let alone a man. His aura is completely enveloping me, the sunlight, and even the trees. I can''t.. Breathe.. "Hoo~, to think a lowly traveler would come to Vivius. State your purpose, Vampire. I don''t have all day to care." the man boomed, his voice shaking the trees and letting loose the birds that were watching. They flew away in fear. "I-I.." "Speak up, Vampire. I can''t hear you over your whimpering." "Where.. the hell am I?!" I managed to choke out, still under pressure from the old man. The old man stares at me with an odd expression, then bellows out in laughter. After rubbing his beard a few dozen times, he stares at me once again, this time, without the pressure. "I see, I see. I assume you''re one of those rumored Adventurer''s, no? Interesting. Very interesting." he said. I try to say something, but what comes out is an unintelligible squeal, similar to pigs in a culling. The old man laughs again, then sits back down on the log, legs crossed, his attention still untorn. "Listen, pig, I don''t have all day. If you''re like those other adventurer''s that came to learn the Way of the Dragon from me, you''re sorely mistaken. I do not take pupils. Instead, I kill those that are weaker than me. You would be wise to walk away from this area." Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -- A elderly man in a suit was watching a screen in a room labeled as "Player''s Moderation". As a game moderator, his job was to view various players and, as most gamers would understand, moderate their actions. In his hands was a cup of coffee, he had not slept the night before since the game had been introduced. Moderators are seen with an eye of respect in the light. In reality, this man was the cause of nearly all of the fake information posted on Nova Forum''s online. He took pleasure in seeing new players spawn in a "Recommended" area that he posted online, only to be torn to shreds by monsters and respawn in a city hundreds of miles away. He took a sip of his coffee when the door slammed open behind him, surprising him and spilling his coffee onto his lap. "God damnit, child! Can''t an old man drink his coffee in peace?!" he yelled, to which the man behind him ignored. The man that came in pushed up his glasses, analyzing the situation. "No, sir. Did you not ask me to inform you when interesting things happen in-game?" the man replied, piling paperwork on top of the table in front of the old man. "As a Game Moderator, you should be more self-aware." he quipped. The elderly man sighed, wiping the coffee off of his shirt (to no avail, of course). "Then what is it? I don''t have all day, child." he said, turning to the man. The man with the glasses smiled. "It seems THAT boy has started to play Final Destiny Online." More coffee was spilled. The old man stood up in excitement. "Good! Good! Hahaha! This will be fun. What are his player details?" "In front of you, sir." The old man looked down, spotting a childish looking face that seemed to detest the world. He grinned as he sifted through the files. Much to his surprise, the child chose the race of Vampire, and was logging into Vivius. "It''s a damn good thing we inputted the log-in delay for these situations. Five minutes of real-time. How long has passed since he logged in?" "Four minutes, twenty six, no, seven seconds." the man replied. "Tell me these things before, damn you! Child! Log him as experimental mode, and spawn him near the Dragon Emperor! Go now, child!" the old man bellowed, pushing the man with the glasses out the door. The man immediately ran to the control room, inputting the orders, The old man started laughing. "This is fantastic. To think he would start playing the game that killed his parents. Hahaha, this will be interesting. Hahaha!" The man kept laughing as a paper fell to the ground. On the paper was a label: Experimental Mode - Reality will take control. Player is unable to have a status, and no stat points will be given. Level is dependent on abilities, not experience. Race and class can never be changed. Experimental Mode cannot be overridden. Account cannot be deleted. -- Please take your time to review and rate. I''ll make sure to post Chapter 3 shortly. Meet the Dragon Emperor. In front of me was the most terrifying existence I have ever known. Well, second most terrifying. The aura that the old man is emitting is smothering me still. It''s as if my body has it''s own gravitation center, and my insides are being dragged into that singular location. Add that with the searing heat that is being forced onto me, I nearly lost consciousness. I''m over ten meters away and yet I was still being affected at this extent. I shuddered at the thought of getting closer. I looked onto the old man, hoping to find something I can use to pique his interest. Maybe he''s a wood sculptor, or a person that enjoys to fletch? I tore the scenery apart with my gaze, hoping to find a single weakpoint to the old man. There''s a multitude of stacked logs in the corner of the shack. Upon closer inspection, the logs are all cut the exact same width, length, and depth. Even with proper tools, you could only come so close. There would even be shavings on the corner of the logs. However, these are the equivalent of marble. There''s not a single grain of wood out of place. Did he cut this himself? I look back at him. He''s squinting at me, noticing my gaze that seems to be searching for something. To my surprise, however, he doesn''t say anything. He simply stares intently. I continue to search along the perimeter with my eyes. I then notice an odd stone in the front of the yard. Its shape.. A tombstone. I can''t read the letters from here that should be engraved on the stone, but I can see the flowers placed in front of it. I even notice how well-kept the block is. It''s as if he cleans it himself. There''s not a single smudge of dirt, mud, or grass anywhere to be seen. Now that I look at it, the same goes for his shack. What I thought was a straw mud-shack is actually dark brown bricks and straws that are horrifyingly sharp. Is that steel? Iron? Whatever it is, it has a dim reflection and glow. Even the grass around the building is uniformly cut, not a single blade out of place. I glance at the old man, and his gaze still hasn''t shifted, but his eyes have glazed over slightly. Apparently boredom. "Your home.." I speak up. His attention resparks, immediately recovering me with his dreadful heated aura. I clench my teeth, trying to stay standing. "It''s.. Well taken care of, isn''t it?" The aura loses some of the grip. "You may seem like a pig, but at least your eyes are somewhat decent." he says, a smirk appearing on his face. I think I may or may not have cracked the code. "However, flattery isn''t going to make me teach you my secrets." I retract my previous thought. Stubborn old man. "I can''t help but notice how uniform the grass is." I say, taking a small step forward. The pressure thickens. "The bricks in the walls are also perfectly cut. Did you cut it yourself?" His smirk turns into a grin. "And that tombstone-" The pressure multiplies tenfold instantly, cutting my breath off, choking me. It''s as if I am Atlas, and the world is on my back. The pressure is painful. It burns. It hurts. "Give me one good reason not to kill you." he spoke, each word vibrating my eardrums. "I-I.. I won''t.. I won''t die. I''ll just respawn." I manage to get out. The pressure, once again, drops. What is this? Whack-a-mole with your aura? "Good point." He sighed, deciding on something. He then turned to me. "Since you''re a bit more interesting than the fools that tried to steal my Way of the Dragon via force, I''ll let you in on a subject. That tombstone isn''t any tombstone. It''s the memorial I placed for my son, who is no longer of this world." He pulled out a pipe, putting it in his mouth. After gesturing me to sit in front of him, which I did, he took his time lighting and puffing. He exhaled deeply. He then gazed into the sky, as if searching for something lost. "My boy. He was a strong lad. A strong, strong boy.." -- An old man gazed into the woods before him, the scene around him very similar to what Zen had seen. However, the only difference was the lack of a grave. Sensing footsteps in the distance, and noticing their weight on the ground, he smiled as his one and only child appeared out of the bushes. "Father, father! Look what I found!" said a boy, named Ronan, pulling on his father''s robe. His father laughed whole-heartedly, noticing the frog in his hand. "What did I tell you about nature, boy? Come now, leave it be." the father said, rustling his beloved son''s auburn hair. The boy''s purple eyes filled with tears. Was he going to cry? Shoot! "B-but, father.." he sniffled. The father hugged his son. ''I can''t be harsh on him. He''s just a child.'' "I''m not angry, my boy." he said. "R-really?" The boy turned his head, as if purposefully showing the tears on his face. Gah! Must resist! He''s too cute for an old heart like mine! "Of course. That and.. Between you and me.." he leaned over, gesturing for Ronan to come in whispering distance. "That''s one mighty fine frog." The boy beamed. "Now come. We have dinner to eat." "Uhn!" -- "That doesn''t explain anything, old man." I said, pointing out the old man''s rambling. "Do you want to hear it or not?" the old man growled, each word placing fear in my heart. I hurriedly nodded my head as fast as my muscles could swivel. "Good. Now, where was I..?" -- "Thank you for dinner, father. It was delicious." said Ronan, washing the dishes. His grinning face seemed to fill the room with a colorful atmosphere. He was an innocent, adorable child. "Of course, my boy." said the old man. He sat in the living room chair, watching as the fire flickered as he casually turned a page in his book. Although there really was no need for fire in such warm weather, the old man preferred to watch as nature itself kindled, taking and giving. In fact, the old man more tuned with nature that most druids of the continent, Destinia. He thoroughly believed in karma, the circle of life, and fate. Everything was born/created with a purpose, and until it fulfills that purpose, it wouldn''t be recycled into the flow of creation. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. Everything in the universe is created with a purpose. Everything is destined for something special that no other thing will do. Such as his child, Ronan. Ronan Dragon. He was sure that Ronan would impact the world. Such an pure, kindred soul will change the world for good. He smiled as he slowly faded into sleep, warmed by his son''s attempts to get him a blanket and wish him a good rest. -- "Your son''s last name is dragon.. That means.. Wait.. A-are.. ARE YOU A DRAGON?!" said Zen, only to be beat on the top of the head with the old man''s pipe. Even though it was a light tap, Zen''s knees sunk into the ground and he saw stars. "FOOL." -- A blood curdling scream immediately rose the old man from his sleep. He immediately projected his aura out, scanning the environment for anything hostile. Is it Ronan? Could he be in danger? Panic and anger filled his mind when he realized that Ronan was in his study. He had reminded Ronan countless times in the past to never venture into the study. As long as he didn''t enter the study, he was free to do whatever he wished. However, the boy had an insatiable curiosity. He couldn''t cure him of that. That''s how the boy was. That''s also how he himself was as a child. However, now is not the time to think about such things. Inside the study are multiple books related to the Way of the Dragon. If an inept person dared to attempt to use those abilities, their bodies would disintegrate as their mana broke down and ate them alive. It couldn''t be.. The old man bolted through the living room and into the study that was near the kitchen. A bright light invaded his eyes as he realized the horror in front of him. All of his fears came true as slowly watched as.. His son.. Was disappearing. Ronan''s POV ''Father seems to be tired. I''ll get him a blanket. Hehe. I bet he''ll be happy with that.'' thought Ronan as he threw his own quilt onto his father''s lap. ''Silly father, reading before sleeping. I''ll take that book. Legend''s of Arcana?'' He flipped the book over and slowly realized that it was a book from the study. Father has told him never to enter the study, but this was to put something back. It''d be okay as long as he didn''t touch anything, right? Ronan smiled as he tiptoed to the door, carefully opening it and closing it. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He dropped the book in surprise. He never expect there to be so many books in one spot! Oh, how he adored books! His eyes happily scanned over the books in the bookcases, desperately wanting to read any one of them. However, he couldn''t do that. Father told him not to enter here. He just came in here to put away a book. Right? His mind was of a child, so of course, curiosity won out. A six year does not comprehend right from wrong very well, you know. ''Adventures of a Love-stricken Zombie''. ''Fire; Life and Destruction''. ''How to Effectively Control Your Mana; For dummies.'' He drooled over the various books. He grabbed one at random, not knowing the title. Of course, as the narrator, I''ll say the title for storytelling purposes. (smirk). ''The Way of the Dragon; God-Slaying Techniques''. He immediately placed the book down on the desk, and stood up on the chair to read it. He flipped the first page. ''Father''s name.. Does that mean that father wrote this?! He would be so proud if I could read this!'' Ronan''s eyes twinkled as he read through the details. - As a mage or as a warrior, you have the ability to control mana. The way that it''s used is of naught importance, but that the mana is there, and it is accessible. If you pull from the power within your soul, at any time, you may empower yourself with abilities. This book is one to teach you how to properly use your mana at the most destructive capabilities. Now, to begin, every person has a..- ''Boring.'' Ronan flipped the page, then saw a fancy picture of a man in an unarmed fighting stance. He smiled and continued to read. - Heaven''s Punisher - First stance. - - Heaven''s Punisher is the very first technique that I have created. Now, envision yourself surrounding your fists with your soul. Only fuse your fists with a part of your soul, never more. With proper mana-control, and theoretical soul control, your fists can even tear through Mythril and Nebulam (God''s ore). However, this is solely dependent on one''s mana reservoir.- - First, wrap your hands with mana. - ''Mana? Is that the thing father showed me the other day? So.. Just wrap my fists with it?'' Ronan immediately felt the blood-like flow of mana to his hands, and felt his hands brimming with power. Pleased with himself, he continued to step two. - Second, imagine your mana becoming thicker, denser. Compact your mana to the utmost degree, confining it the limits of your skin. - Ronan knew how to compact mana, also. He did just so, watching as his hands turned bright white from the mana density. He smiled. Step three! - Lastly, do the same with your soul. Your soul is a red core within your mana reservoir, in a void that cannot truly be seen within the body. This core provides intelligence, function, and versatility to the brain. Only then can your brain truly send out it''s demands to it''s body. (a bit like nerve cells) To put it simply, imagine your blood fusing with your hands. If successful, your hands should be wrapped in a dark red aura that fuses with your mana. Try it now. - Ronan immediately imagined his hands flowing with blood. After that he imagined his mana mixing with his blood. His hands immediately glowed dark, blood red. Surprised, he immediately clenched his hand. Powerful. Strong. He could do anything. Why could he do this so easily? Ronan had a fantastic imagination, and magic is nothing more than that. Imagination and mana. He was elated at himself. First thing''s first, he had to tell father of his discovery. Father might praise him! He immediately tried to close the book, only to see his hands abruptly bulge. White light flowed from the pores of his skin, slowly causing his hands to erode away. Terrified, he let out a bloodcurdling scream, causing his father to enter the room. Tears slowly filled his father''s eyes as he saw what was happening. Dragon Emperor''s POV I watched as my boy''s hands slowly faded from his body. I took a glance at the book he was reading, and in horror I realized that it was the Way of the Dragon''s technique. I desperately fumbled to Ronan, grabbing his arm and trying to focus his mana with my own. Though my reservoir is large, it was immediately drained to the last drop upon the attempt. I felt an unfamiliar pain of emptiness, something I never experienced with my ocean-like reservoir of mana. I can''t focus such a horrifying degree of mana corrosion. He must have infused his soul with his mana. Such a thing.. Such a stupid thing.. "Why.. Why did you come in here, Ronan?!" I yelled, startling the boy even more. "Dad, I-I.. I don''t know! Help me, please! I don''t know what''s happening!" screamed Ronan. His arms were corroding away even faster, now reaching his upper arms. I tried to call upon my soul to force more mana, maybe to infuse my life force to prevent such a thing from happening, but it rejected me. No soul would willingly kill itself for another. Souls are not living beings, they''re nuclei of energy, not beings that understand love. I cursed myself, tears now falling down my eyes. Fear passed onto my boy''s face, an expression I never wanted to see. The erosion reached his shoulder, and he no longer could support his weight. I gently laid him onto the desk, and watched as he seemingly reached a plateau of peace on his face. No longer full of pain. No longer aware that his legs were gone as well. No longer aware that only beating heart and head remained. "Father.. I''m.. I''m sorry.. I''m so sorry.." My boy began to cry as well. I put my hand on his face, gently rubbing the tears away. "No, son. It''s alright. Don''t be sorry. Everything will be alright. Alright, my boy?" I said, comforting him and myself, though I knew it would not be the case. I would.. I would lose him. The erosion reached his upper chest, inches away from his slowing heart. "Dad.. Things seem so clear. I wonder if this is how Mom felt when she-" In a flash, my boy vanished. I gripped the air where he had disappeared, as if hoping to hold him to this world. The tears fell harder. ''My son is gone. The only person I truly loved that was alive now is not. All because of my mistake. I.. I killed him. ... Later that evening I burned the book and formed a gravestone in his honor. I also decided to never use Way of the Dragon again. When I die, the techniques will die with me. -- The old man puffed out the last bit of his tobacco, then knocked out the ashes onto the grass below. There was a glisten in his eyes. He looked towards me, and nodded as a tear streaked down his cheek. This struck a chord in my heart. As a person who also lost his family, I can relate to the pain. I had to do something, and before my mind could change, I was already in motion. I stood up, and the old man watched as I walked towards to gravestone. I then knelt down. "Ronan, dear son of this decrepit old man, I hope you heard this today. I hope you realize that you are a child that was loved, and a child that will continue to be loved forever. I know from your pure outlook on life that you never once blamed your father for what happened, and you never will, regardless of where you are now. I wish you a safe passing into the world once more, dear friend." I put my hand on the gravestone, rubbing it in the same way I would rub my family''s stones. Out of habit. I felt a twinge in my heart. Then, the emotions showed on my face, dropping onto the ground below. All this time, the old man was watching me without me noticing. He saw exactly how sincere I was, and though he only meant to share a story, he ended up sharing his heart in the process. Tears were on his face as well. ''You hear that, Ronan? I love you, my boy.'' -- I wrote this exceedingly late. I apologize for the grammar mistakes, as I''m sure there are many. I''ll be hitting the hay, and probably posting another chapter and editing this tomorrow. Also, I''m aware that the flow of the story was a bit messed up at this point because of how I wrote this. No worries. Editing is as important as the writing ;). Again, as usual, please review and rate. Also, I would love to hear some suggestions on what you wish you know. My world is a book. Please flip the to page you want to read. Until then, ~Zen. Acceptance and Introduction of Tale. The man had been in silence as the tears fell down his face. I suppose that I had said the one thing that he had been wanting to hear the most. The fact that his son doesn''t blame him for his own death. I watched as the old man slowly pieced his emotions back together. His face was far more serene that it was before. If I had met him like this, I would have mistaken him for the village elder. I stood from the spot and walked back over and sat in front of the old man. His eyes were closed. I knew that he had sensed my movement, but he didn''t do anything about it, meaning that it was alright to sit. I let out the tension in my lungs, relaxing into a comfortable breathing pattern. "Old man-" I started, only being abruptly cut off by a fist to the face. I howled in pain as I clenched my bleeding nose. "Fool. My name is Jett. Jettle Dragon." he said. "Old-, I mean, Jett.." I said, literally dodging a fist. "I wanted to share my pains as well." Jett nodded in response. As I started to speak, my voice trembled slightly. How could it not? This was a story that I held extremely close to my heart. All my life I had been dreading to speak of my past, but for some reason, I felt comfortable doing it within the game. In fact, this was less a game to me than a second reality. For the brief few hours I had spent in here, I already wanted to call it home. I knew that the NPC in front of me wouldn''t fully comprehend things that I had in my world, so I inevitably created a scenario that my parents were assassinated and I''m currently on a journey to find the assassins. At this moment, the old man paused me, and walked back inside. I took the time to steady myself, as my legs were shaking and my lip was quivering. A few cold intakes of air did wonders on my exceedingly fast heartbeat, slowing it down just in time as he came back. Jett gingerly set down a teapot and cups next to him. He then lifted a large log from the stack next to him (the uncut ones, if I never spoke of that), and set it down vertically. It was at least four feet in the air. I cocked my head bewilderment. With a jump and a frontflip kick, the log was drilled into the sand below, sending it perfectly half a foot above the ground. The frightening part was that the sand underneath never displaced, not sending any sand into my face. I was less than two feet away and not a single grain of sand had moved under my vision. I once again resolved never to piss this person off. He, seeing my face, laughed as he placed a cup in my direction on the new makeshift table. He poured some tea, and then poured himself a cup. "Gangsin Root tea. It reduces paralyzing conditions, and relaxes the nerves." Seeing his intention, I thanked him and took a sip. It caused my entire body to comfortably relax, almost making me smile in response. I shook the intention to smile, however, and continued to sip the tea, preparing to continue my story. The story.. Ah, that''s right. It didn''t just stop at my parents passing away. I continued talking about how everyone that I ever came across would support the actions of the assassins, as if it wasn''t wrong and I''m in the wrong for questioning it. Eventually, I closed my heart from the world. Every day was a life in hell. I spent over a decade with kids my ages and adults over thrice my age sharing the same glare towards me. I was seen as utter filth. ''This would be the only time in my life that I''ve actually told someone something like this, isn''t it?'' I thought. Ending the story with an explanatory note, I then decided that I would ''travel'' to the Destinia Continent, hoping to escape the hell back home. That''s how I ended up here. Silence filled the air after I finished my story, only broken by periodic clinks of the teacups on the plates below. The tea, I really have to say, is completely delicious. It reminds me of a mix of Green tea with a bit of Ginsing. Maybe a bit of cinnamon added on top. It''s a really odd combination, but it works so well in this world. When we emptied the pot, Jett set them aside by floating them with mana into the house. He opened the door and the pots floated in without him ever getting up. By now, I wasn''t truly surprised at what the old man could do. The old man stood up and rustled my hair, like a father would. I looked into his eyes that were filled with sympathy, and for some reason, I couldn''t look away. "Boy. I''ve decided. I thought I would never want to say these words again, but you''ve given me a change of heart. I''ll bestow on you the power to remove those who are in your way. I will teach you the Way of the Dragon." the old man said, firmly resolving himself in his heart. I turned my head in confusion. "Old man, thanks for the tea, but I don''t want to-" I said, before abruptly being punched into unconsciousness. -- Let''s change our story a little bit, focusing on a woman in the Kingdom of Aslad. This Kingdom is known for its wealth, and is the most popular Kingdom to start out in. What''s the reason, you may ask? Simple. The King bestowed on the Kingdom, using mana, a passive ability that increases experience gains by 5% within the regions that is owned by Aslad. This may not seem like much, but when you''re performing actions worth thousands of experience, the extra experience really adds up. It was one of the ploys used by the King to increase the networth of the Kingdom. The more adventurers that appear in the Kingdom, the more profit the Kingdom will reap. Simple, no? This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. However, I''ve drifted off topic. Let''s refocus back onto the woman in the Kingdom of Aslad. Her Final Destiny Online Character name is Tale. A very simple name that is a tale on its own. However, I''ll let you in on that next time. The woman is of high beauty, her hair tied in a ponytail that falls to her knees in length. A gleam of silver appears in her black hair from time to time, a trait of her race, the Moonlight Elves. The Moonlight Elves, also known as Melves from lazy players, grants high bonuses during the night time yet gives high debuffs during the daytime. It''s a race that is meant more towards solo-play because monsters in the night are more dangerous. Not just the lack of light that inhibits the crossing of terrain, but the monsters themselves are higher leveled. In the eyes of many players, it''s a very stupid choice to choose Moon Elves as your starting race. There''s a tattoo of a yellow crescent moon in the middle of her forehead, giving her pale face a focus point, giving her beauty a striking feature. To say that most men want her is a no-brainer. Most men in her life hound her daily, showering her with gifts. There have been occasions of the other party using force as well. Because of this, she''s become a bit of an introvert, no longer speaking out of the required responses. No longer trusting eyes of the opposite gender. Even women want her, but since she doesn''t swing that way, she never thought of the women wanting her. To be honest, she''s a bit dull when it comes to love, but hey. Not all people are experienced. She closed her eyes as she basked in the moonlight on the walls of the city. It was warming, soothing. As if she was in the Sun in reality, it was refreshing. She felt invigorated. However, that didn''t let her fatigue fade away from the practice that she had just been doing. Her practice was simple. Swing the blade until you drop. A very simple method of increasing the strength of the character. Her class: Samurai. A very rare sub-class of the general Knight class. There have been topics on how to obtain this class on Nova forums, but most are just guesses related to quests involving very high up royalty. In reality, she had obtained it by chance while swinging her katana on the walls, occasionally taking a break to drink water and eat a piece of meat on bread. When she was practicing, one day, a dark shadow approached her. Her senses picked it up, and she warily watched, blade in hands, as the shadow stepped closer to her. "I see that you have a desire to be strong. I can make you strong, but at a price." the shadow spoke. She shook her head. As a person who did not speak often, this was her primary communication; Body language. "I see. I''ll tell you the price if you want to hear." Her ears perked up. She nodded, knowing that it would be of no demerit to know what she would lose. If she didn''t agree, nothing happened, right? "You can never form a party with any class, other than Empirical Dragon, an unarmed class. On top of that, you are not allowed to trade any other players, other than the Empirical Dragon class. The strength I will give, however, is parallel to none. Are you interested?" To be honest, this wasn''t that bad. She hadn''t done any of that since she started to begin with. And what''s with the strength that is unequaled? She swallowed, nervously. Does this mean she could be stronger than everyone else? Such a thing.. She nodded warily, when a window appeared in front of her.
Stranger wants to give you a rare, hidden class. Are you interested?
She nodded her head again. A rare, hidden class? Definitely.
Your class has been changed to Samurai.
S-samurai?! That ultra rare class that the forum''s keep speaking of?! "Good, good. I''ll be expecting much out of you, Samurai Tale." the shadow said, laughing heavily. She held her breath as he vanished out of thin air, taking the darkness with him. She picked up her katana excitedly, and vigor filled her body. She had never felt this before. Such strength. Such power. Was this the benefits of the class? This was definitely a cheat class, then. She wondered about the limitations, however. It was strange. What class is the Empirical Dragon? She shook it off and continued her practice with her katana, surprising herself even more at her newfound abilities. -- This ends Chapter 4. Hope you enjoyed. Be sure to rate/review. I do enjoy reading the comments, so please post your thoughts, negative or positive. Some criticism goes a long way, you know. P.S. I''m absolutely terrible with tables, so there won''t be much of those in this story. I apologize. Until next chapter, ~Zen.