《The Realm Of Timeless Lands》


 Prologue: Star Drifter

    It seems to be around mid to late afternoon, the sky has just a hint of the orange hue it is soon to fully become. A giant wall and its castle city towers in front of me. Turning around, I realize I''m in a field, a meadow with both white and yellow flowers, with a cliffside in the distance. Beyond, all I can see is the ocean stretching to the horizon and the sun reflecting off the water and waves. I use my hand to shield my eyes from the sunlight, but only just now notice them. They feel rough and calloused. My hands aren''t my own, for the first time in my life they feel unfamiliar to me. Looking down, I notice my outfit has been replaced as well. I''m wearing characteristic fantasy gear made of simple brown and tan cloth and leathers. None of it is too fancy, worn leather boots, soft tan pants, a short brown skirt, a small belt and pouch, a white under shirt, and finally a dark leather vest. Well, thank God I''m not in a princess dress or something.


    After getting a good look at myself, I decide I probably need to find out what exactly I''m supposed to do. Taking a look around, I don''t see anyone. Maybe I should just try to enter the city? I slowly walk towards the gate engraved with silver images of heroes fighting all kinds of monsters: three characters, to the left a hooded archer firing multiple arrows into a horde of adversaries. The right is some kind of mage, with a pointy hat and long beard, summoning a wall of fire. Front and center, right where the gate is split down the middle, is a knight clad in armor looking straight ahead with a massive shield. As I get closer, the gate begins to split apart and open by itself.


    The bustling city view the walls protected fills my view. The buildings inside all have this medieval European design with light bricks and darker shaded roofs. Most are one or two stories, though a few towers poke out among the roof tops. All over I see many people of different species going about their daily life, I almost feel a little intimidated by how bubbly it looks. Walking into the city I start taking mental notes of the races I can recognize. So far I spot elves, dwarves, and people with animal ears and tails, if I¡¯m not mistaken, they are called therians here. Of course there are also regular humans as well, it appears like there is a decent mix of all of them spread throughout this place. I can also spot multiple adventurers too, weapons ready on their backs and head to toe in a wide variety of armor and gear.


    Suddenly I notice some odd sounds in the distance in front of me, sounds of metal clashing followed by cheers from a healthy crowd. I quicken my pace to reach the crowd to try and see what the commotion can be about. Peeking over the bystanders'' shoulders, I see what looks like a city square with a large fountain statue of a woman in the middle. The crowd is surrounding two adventurers that I assume just finished a fight considering one is on his butt while the other is pointing a blade towards him.


    ¡°See, Pack, just hand over the money you owe us; it''s no use trying to get rough in public.¡± he smirks while making sure the blade is still pointed at his target. He is an elf with spiky blond hair and is wearing a fancy set of ornate black and gold armor that matches his sword. His face clearly showing his pride and cocky attitude from winning their duel. The other man spits on the ground in disgust and slowly rises to his feet.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I got the memo. But next time I need some smithing materials, I won''t be going to your lousy clan TK!¡± The man, Pack apparently, is a bigger man with disheveled brown hair and a tough looking face. He uses a bulky sword to help lift himself up, noticing his leather apron in rough shape.


    ¡°Haha I knew you would see reason!¡± The elf knight walks over and grabs his opponent''s arm to shake on their agreement. Though instead he suddenly raises Pack¡¯s hand up like a champion.  ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen to the tavern! Tonight our drinks are on this gentleman¡¯s tab!¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Huh? Wait, that''s not-¡± It''s too late to argue; the roars of the cheering crowd drown out his opposition and just as quickly stampede towards the local tavern right in my direction.


    Ugh, Seriously! What is everyone''s problem? I barely avoided getting pushed down and trampled with how excited they were. With the city square now abandoned ,I try to find my next point of interest and decide to inspect the fountain at its center. It is made of white marble and topped with an elegant statue of a woman with long wavy hair and dress. She is depicted holding a sword with care in her arms with a bittersweet smile on her face, almost like she is trying her best to hold back tears.


    ¡°You are looking a little new here, need any help?¡± I turn to see another adventurer looking at me. A human boy with fiery red hair and light blue eyes is giving me a friendly looking smile. He wears a white hooded cloak, and a sword strapped to his back. He doesn¡¯t have much armor, the only metal being a steel plate covering his chest. Instead his clothes are black a cloth with brown leather belts and straps.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess.¡± Oops, my voice was a little shakier than I intended. ¡°This is my first time here so I don''t really know where to go or what to see.¡± I responded, a little more nervously than I intended.


    ¡°Hmm let me think¡­¡± the boy brings his hand to his chin to think for a moment before holding his finger up to show his idea. ¡°Oh! I know what you should see with a name like that!¡± He reaches out and points down one of the roads connected to the square. ¡°Keep following that road east you will find a huge building, it''s the grand library. It has access to the roof which is a beautiful place to read some of the stories at night. If you want I can show you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, no don''t worry about it, I can find my way there. Thank you for the recommendation though.¡± I¡¯m not really wanting to socialize or make friends. Hopefully that isn''t too rude or anything, but you know Mom and Dad always said not to trust strange guys, right?


    ¡°Okay, suit yourself.¡± He shrugs. ¡°Don''t be afraid to let me know if you need help with anything though. Have fun!¡± Just like that, he raises his hand and waves bye as he walks off. Hold on, how would I even contact him? I don''t even know this guy''s name. Whatever, I guess I will just head to that library.


    By the time I reach the large building at the end of the road the sun has almost set completely. Most of the shops are closed and people are probably sleeping in their homes but the library still has its lights on. Entering I find a massive lobby filled with shelves that each house their own books. At the center of the room is a large spiral staircase. Honestly the whole thing is a little impressive. I take a look at one of the shelves, it has books like: The First Demon¡¯s Decent, Tale of Orion: Slayer of the Half-demon Prince , and The Goddess''s Final Gift and The Founding of Silverhelm. All sounding very fantasy but here they might all be non-fiction. I take one, Tale of Orion, and start to head up the stairs. As I go up the stairs they slowly become smaller and less elegant. At the top is a small wooden ladder leading to a roof hatch. That boy did say the roof was open right?


    ¡°I don''t know if I would call this open.¡± I complain to myself as I climb out of the hatch. Hopefully this isn''t some crime I''m going to get sent to a dungeon for. Slowly I lift myself up to my feet and look up at my surroundings. As I do, my worries get abruptly taken away, my train of thought completely derailed, and the book slips out from my hand. The small empty balcony of the library and the rooftops of the buildings below are all illuminated by a soft blue glow from the large moon resting high in the sky. Stars sparkle and twinkle in shades of almost every color imaginable, almost as if they are all dancing in a ballet. Even a shooting star that trails across the sky feels like a painter stroking the finale of their perfect masterpiece. It¡¯s all just too breathtaking for me to take in. This is exactly the type of view, the type of starry night sky I miss seeing so much. This- this right here- is what I have been waiting nearly 4 long and painful years to experience again. Past memories and emotions begin to flood my mind and I can no longer hold back my tears.

 Chapter 1: Game Over

    ¡°Game Over.¡± A simple screen I''ve seen God only knows how many times before. Honestly it might as well say something like ¡°Get Better¡± or ¡°Man You Suck.¡± This is my third death today and it''s really starting to get on my nerves. I let out a long sigh before closing the game and removing the headset off my face. Sitting up on my bed I briefly inspect the device.


    The NeuroDrive is a new virtual reality headset. It was released about 3 years ago, fall 2053. It''s one of the first full dive VR headsets ever made widely available to the public. Being able to process and read your thoughts, allowing you to look, move, talk, do anything inside the virtual world without you needing to move in real life.


    Damn it, nothing¡¯s wrong with the thing. If it was, I could at least make excuses about faulty hardware or software. I feel awful right now, like I just want to melt away in a puddle of uselessness-


    Suddenly my phone plays its notification tune. A reminder, class tomorrow afternoon at 11AM. Thank you, phone, I needed to get my mind off that depressing line of thinking before it started. It''s still fairly early now, maybe I should go for a walk around the city to get my mind off things. Oh! I¡¯m feeling slightly hungry. Maybe Boss still has some breakfast sweets or something at his cafe?


    I leisurely get dressed, sliding into my favorite black hoodie, cleaning my glasses, and trying to make sure my black hair isn''t too messy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Mom.¡± I make sure to say farewell as I get my shoes on and exit the apartment. I feel the cold fall breeze as I move down the stairs. Luckily I won''t have to brave the cold for too long since The Velvet Cup, Boss''s caf¨¦, is so close it¡¯s almost like it¡¯s across the street.


    ¡°Aiden? Is that you?¡± Ah crap, I think I recognize that voice. Sure enough I turn around to find the towering linebacker, Tristan Parker. He must have finished practice not too long ago since he still has his red and white jersey under his jacket. ¡°Long time no see buddy! What have you been up to these days?¡± There it is, the one question every introvert dreads.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ Nothing too crazy. Just classes and playing games like usual.¡± I scratch the back of my head and make the go-to nervous laugh.


    ¡°Eh, that''s classic Aiden for you. What was that video game you mentioned last time? People were calling it Turtle or something like that?¡± TROTL, or its full title The Realm Of Timeless Lands, is the VRMMO I play a lot. It was originally a launch title for the NeuroDrive, but was delayed a few months. For a while the game was able to maintain its player base but now that the last major update is almost 2 years old a lot of people have just moved on and in turn a lot of hackers and cheaters have started playing instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important¡­¡± I mumble having a hard time trying to think of what exactly to say, which only leads to an awkward silence. The friendly smile on Tristan¡¯s face turns to a more serious expression.


    ¡°Come on- Aiden, I know how much you like playing your games. But seriously, I think it¡¯s about time you found a real goal. Something you can really put some effort in. Something that will let you meet some new people. You need to get your life together¡± Here goes this same old song and dance. Me and Tristan used to be really good friends back in high school, we actually had a decently sized group of friends. We would play games together all the time. Until Tristan decided he really wanted to pursue football, and ended up putting all his focus on training. He ended up dropping games altogether and the rest of the group soon followed. Being the only one that still enjoyed playing video games, I quickly found myself isolated from everyone. Ever since I have felt kind of lonely and lost on what I should do, actually maybe I felt that way even before then.


    ¡°I know, I know it''s just- I don¡¯t know- I feel like I still haven¡¯t found what my purpose in life really is yet.¡±


    ¡°You gotta keep looking, it¡¯s hard watching you waste away like this. Hey! I have just the idea! Was just on my way to meet up with my girlfriend at that coffee place down the street! What about you tag along? Maybe there are some friends she could introduce you to? Wouldn''t be the worst idea to try and find a girlfriend! What do you say?¡± Ugh, there are many forms of torture I would rather be put through before being a third wheel on their date. I let out a laugh just as nervous and awkwardly as before as I try to avoid any eye contact.


    ¡°Sorry I really only came out to see if a package was delivered. I still need to get some work done before classes.¡±


    ¡°Aw, my bad. I won¡¯t keep you then. See ya, Aiden!¡± awkwardly we both give each other a friendly nod as Tristan walks away. He hesitates for a moment and turns back. ¡°Hey Aiden, really think about what I said,¡± he smiles kindly. ¡°Life comes at you fast.¡± lost for words I just nod once more, taking no time to return up the steps and back into the safety of my apartment. As the door shuts I let out a long groan. The apartment feels as cold and lifeless as I left it. Taking off my shoes I walk towards the table at the entryway.


    ¡°Hey Mom, I¡¯m back,¡± I say toward the photo on the table. It''s a photo of me and my mother while I was still a toddler. Younger me was crying and throwing a fit like the brat I am, but Mom didn''t look angry or upset in any way. She looked toward me with a warm and gentle smile. I really wish I got to know her better. Sadly she left us when I was 4, so honestly I have a hard time remembering a lot about life when she was here. I just wish she was here, or anyone who could tell me what exactly I should do.


    I start making my way back to my room and fall backwards crashing onto the bed. Releasing a deep sigh before turning over and taking a good look at my NeuroDrive. I guess I will just get back on TROTL instead of getting depressed about everything else at the moment. I reach and grab the headset, slowly putting it on my head and turning it on


    In the next moment I''m in a pitch black room. Despite the lack of colors everything is still illuminated and easy to see. There is a familiar menu hovering just within arms reach. At the top of the menu it reads: ¡°Last Played: The Realm Of Timeless Lands¡±. I almost instinctively reach out and tap on it. Slowly the black void around me begins to fade into that of the game''s world. I¡¯m in the meadows outside of Silverhelm, the game''s starting city. Here the login menu opens and I see and select my only character.


    In The Realm Of Timeless Lands, You have to choose a primary and secondary class to play as. I play as a thief and knight character Echo_Of_Amber, though most people in the game just call me Echo. He is a human male with scruffy red hair and light blue eyes. I¡¯m a good bit into the endgame so I have a good sword and chestplate for offense and defense respectively. Recently I found a white thief''s cloak I like since it doesn¡¯t completely cover my face.


    Next I have to choose the area I want to start playing in, choosing from social zones or combat zones. For the past couple days I have been trying to level up some of my Thief skills so let''s choose a combat zone for now, I guess The Astrawood should do the job. When I select my destination the world around me fades once more into the mystical forest that is The Astrawood.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The Astrawood is an enchanted forest full of mint green flora and roaming mist. It is located to the north of Silverhelm and the Rhovan Meadows that surrounds the city. The elven temples deep within attract a decent number of monsters that move through the mist, hence why the forest is the destination for my farming session today. For a lot of people the mist can be kind of an annoyance, but as a Thief my visibility is increased making it less of a problem. Stepping into the forest I try to listen for any monster noises to point me in the right direction, but after a bit all I can make out is clanging metal, probably the sound of two other players fighting. I¡¯m not really the biggest PvP guy so it might be better to leave them be.


    As I started moving in the opposite direction of the sounds I suddenly noticed a new noise, someone- or something running in my direction and fast. I turn on my heels and reach for the blade on my back ready to try and counter a surprise attack. What came out of the bushes was instead a girl running at full speed. She notices me and yelps trying to brake, causing her to trip over a tree root and fall flat on her face.


    ¡°Uh, sorry, are you doing okay there?¡± I still have my hand on my sword just in case, but I''m starting to get the feeling she isn''t here to mug me.


    ¡°Ugh this just keeps getting worse.¡± the girl gets up onto her knees and begins to lift herself up and dust herself off. She is a slender girl, slightly shorter than me with silver white hair that reaches her neck. Despite the dirt''s best efforts, her face is still kinda cute with light pink eyes. Her outfit seems to have taken most of the dirt. She is wearing a dark blue vest with a sleeveless white undershirt. She sports brown shorts with a belt pouch, it also has some kind of blue gemstone on the buckle. To finish the look she has black leggings and some common brown adventurers boots, of course it''s all now covered in dirt. Now that I think of it she doesn''t have a weapon on her, ah she has fingerless gloves and her arms are wrapped in bandages, looks like her main class is brawler, probably some kind of mage secondary class based on the lack of weapon. As she finishes getting up a username appears above her head, StarDrifter.


    ¡°Hey you! You look like you¡¯re pretty high-leveled, right?¡± She calls as she jumps closer to me, her face completely serious. Taken back I only nod my head at first before adding,


    ¡°Yeah, I guess? Do you need something?¡±


    ¡°You have to come quick! There''s this cheater beating up a bunch of newbies and stealing their drops. None of us have been able to beat him so far.¡± Now that is an issue. Usually the course of action when encountering cheaters in games would be reporting and blocking their account while you enjoy the sound of their tears as they get banned. Unfortunately with basically no moderation team for TROTL that probably won''t be happening here.


    ¡°Okay, I can¡¯t promise I can do too much but lead the way.¡±


    StarDrifter¡¯s face lights up before giving a nod. ¡°Follow me, they¡¯re not too far away!¡± As we both start to run she begins to explain more about the cheater. ¡°This guy maxed out his level and offensive stats, he keeps on one-shotting anyone that gets near him.¡±


    ¡°Not good, depending on his build I might end up in the same boat. You happen to have any support skills?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my secondary class is enchanter.¡± I was hoping she would say cleric. I might be able to survive a hit, and a good cleric would be able to provide near constant healing from the sidelines. But I guess beggars can¡¯t be choosers, enchanter is still a good support class. The problem is enchanters can only provide one buff outside of battle. Having her participate in the battle is probably a no go, meaning I have to choose what buff I want before we start fighting. ¡°That therian over there! See him?¡±


    As we come to a halt she pulls us behind a nearby bush and points to a clearing in the forest. There a large barbarian reptile with red scales towers over a group of exhausted adventurers sprawled out across the clearing. Though there is one guy still standing, a Knight in full iron starter gear, pointing his sword toward his foe. The therian smirks, barely able to control his laughter.


    ¡°You know, maybe I should have tried this game sooner. Breaking you idiots is the most fun I¡¯ve had all week!¡± as he finishes his sentence he swings his massive war axe, making contact with the knight confronting him. The poor guy gets sent flying towards a nearby tree and gets knocked out, his body slowly begins to glow and fade away. Even without a crit that would have knocked him out in one hit. Cackling the therian looks around the group for his next target. ¡°Which one of you want to go next! Who knows maybe I¡¯ll get a home run now!¡±


    ¡°This is what we¡¯re dealing with,¡± says StarDrifter. ¡°You think we have a chance?¡± Honestly, it¡¯s tough. This guy is using starter barbarian equipment and still able to wipe the floor with everyone here. The group doesn¡¯t look like horrible players either, warrior and mage type classes at varying levels. If I want a chance to win I¡¯m going to need some kind of plan... Wait a second, no one here is a rogue class, also if this guy is new to the game despite cheating that means he¡­


    ¡°I think I have an idea, do you have the skill Wisp¡¯s Veil? If so, can you use it on me now?¡± She looks puzzled for just a moment.


    ¡°Yeah I do. Why?¡± Despite the question she agrees and holds her hand out toward me using her enchanter skill.


    ¡°Stay back and help the others, I''ll deal with him.¡± I try to sound confident as the skill begins to take effect. I get up from behind the bush and walk into the clearing. ¡°I guess I¡¯m up to bat.¡± I say jokingly. Okay maybe my one liners could use some work. The Therian turns to look and takes an investigating look at me, his tail flopping back and forth like a happy puppy. Now that I¡¯m close I can see his name for the first time, Dead-F3


    ¡°Hmm? Looks like this one is a little confident,¡± he scoffs. ¡°Let''s teach you where you belong, trash.¡± As he finishes his sentence I initiate an official battle while drawing my sword and a holographic ring surrounds us. He positions his sword and the battle begins. Good, he accepted, this plan might actually work! I get to go first. I use a thief skill Shadow Foot, boosting my speed. ¡°Ha, what a waste of time! Earth Cleaver!¡± he goes on the offensive swinging his axe straight down at me. I try to dodge of course but it isn¡¯t enough for a max level player and the axe connects with my leg. The axe pierces the ground with a loud crash, shaking it like an earthquake, sending dirt flying as my health drops to somewhere around 20 percent. If that was a crit I would have been out already. StarDrifter¡¯s Veil skill is to thank for that. Speaking of, her and the others are watching intently from the sidelines, they all seem to be amazed that I even made it this far.


    I can¡¯t let up now, once my next turn starts I activate Shadow foot once more. ¡°Impressive, you lived through one, but it¡¯s time to end this! Earth Cleaver!¡± this guy does know he doesn¡¯t need to say the names out loud like in an anime, right? He raises his axe to the sky and repeats his attack as well, however this time I¡¯m able to dodge it with ease to his shock. ¡°Huh! How are you still alive?¡± The effects of Wisp¡¯s Veil and the repeated Shadow Foot have paid off, increasing my speed and evasiveness. However I can¡¯t take any chances at this low health, so I use Shadow Foot once more just to be safe. Dead-F3 angrily swings his axe wide toward my general direction, another barbarian skill Blade Sweeper if I¡¯m not mistaken, but he can only cut the air. I''m able to dodge all these swings with no effort.


    ¡°Wait, what is that?¡± says one of the bystanders. As swings come to an end a deep fog quickly begins to roll into our combat arena, taking advantage I begin my counter attack using Viper¡¯s Strike, lunging at and past him, repositioning myself while doing a small bit of damage.


    ¡°Damn it where did you go!¡± this is The Astrawood fog, and one of the reasons I made this an official turn based fight was because the fog will come and go every 3 turns when fighting in The Astrawood. Now that the big guy has no visibility there is no chance he lands a hit. He keeps trying to swing around randomly, so I take the opportunity to use Valiant Will to increase the damage of my next attack. ¡°Come out already! You- Damn- Pest!¡±


    It¡¯s time to end this. I start running towards him while he continues his swings wasting his turn. Once behind him I decide to reveal myself by saying my attack¡¯s name as well. ¡°Lion¡¯s Slash!¡± I yell out the name of the knight skill as my sword swings in an uppercut, slashing his back with a critical hit. The fog begins to clear as my sword connects, leaving the image of me behind the giant therian with my blade pointing up toward the sky. The red slash graphic on his back begins to spread across his whole body. Defeated he begins to fade away. ¡°Checkmate.¡±

 Chapter 2: Nightmare

    I gently open my eyes to the sunlight peeking through the blinds of my window. ¡®What a peaceful way to wake up in the morning!¡¯ you might be thinking. You would be right, except for the fact that I was up into the early morning playing The Realm Of Timeless Lands. It is way too early in the morning for a creature like me to be up and about, the sun may burn my skin or something! Employing the strategy of ¡®if I don''t see it, it doesn''t exist,¡¯ I sluggishly roll over in bed. Closing my eyes I wish to go to sleep once more, but my dream is slowly crushed. Once I''m awake, it¡¯s hard for me to get back to sleep. Once again I open my eyes, this time seeing the device that had been strapped to my head late into the night.


    I guess yesterday was kind of unusual now that I think about it. Almost the minute I log into the game a girl, StarDrifter, came out of nowhere asking me to stop some hacker. Usually that sort of thing would be impossible for someone like me, I''m nowhere near the best skill wise at the game, or neither am I the highest level in it. However I was able to defeat the hacker, Dead-F3, mostly through game knowledge. Being a new player he didn''t know the finer details about the game''s combat system. It also didn''t do him any favors to only modify his offensive stats, letting me build and overpower him with speed and evasion.


    After Dead-F3 was defeated the low leveled players that he was bullying were all very kind to me. A few of them sent me friend requests and were talking about how cool I looked dealing the final blow. StarDrifter added me as a friend as well. She made sure to thank me multiple times but she had somewhere to be and needed to leave. Though, before she left she said if I needed help with anything or even if I just needed someone to talk with to contact her. I swear I won''t let it all get to my head or inflate what little ego I have!


    Reaching out, I grab my phone sitting next to the NeuroDrive. Once unlocked I see the time is 7:03 in the morning. I quickly scroll over to my calendar, the only event for today is my mythology class at 11AM. Hey, I have plenty of time to hop online before I need to get ready. I bring my dead zombie hands over to the device and strap in. Pressing the power button I enter the VR world and sleepily progress through the startup menus, letting out a few yawns along the way. I select my character, Echo_Of_Amber, and next my spawn point. However this time there is something that catches my eye.


    At the bottom of the destination list there is a new option. I can''t really tell what the place Is since the label is just a scrolling wall of random characters. That is really odd: I haven''t ever had the destination screen bug out on me before. Guess it is just something I should submit a bug report for. But that just leaves the question of what this mystery destination is, if there even is a destination linked with this button. Well there is really only one way to find out.


    I timidly press the button, and like normal the landscape of the intro screen fades away. This time is different however, now I''m in a place unlike anything I have seen in the game before.A large marble structure sits in front of me. It is some kind of temple, or something similar. Large statues act as pillars holding up the roof. Each identical depicting a knight with their sword plunged into the ground. I look around with awe, and that is when I notice my surroundings. I''m on top of a cloud! I panic for a moment and look to my feet and behind me. I really am on top of a cloud, one that is incredibly high up at that. Below I can see the land stretching out and moving slowly. That means this cloud I''m on is moving pretty fast right?


    I look away to avoid gaining a new fear of heights, instead focusing on the temple in front of me. It kind of feels a little angelic now that I think about it. Could it be some kind of cut content or future location? Maybe it''s some secret event hidden away that the community was able to unlock somehow. I begin to walk up the stairs and into the temple. Won''t ever find out waiting outside. Inside I find a giant empty entrance or lobby. At the opposite end is a large marble wall with an image carved into it and an opening to go further on each end of it. Walking closer the image shows a woman holding a sword to her chest at its center. That sword also has rays shooting out and blasting away monsters and demons marching towards the woman.


    If I had to guess, the carving probably depicts some of the events from the game''s lore, specifically the story of the goddess Luminastria. To summarize the story quickly: at first there were 7 goddesses, until one of them eventually became the demon king and terrorized the land. With the people of the realm nearly defeated, the goddess of light Luminatstria sacrificed herself. She transformed into the hero''s sword, Excalibur, gifting the blade to humanity¡¯s hero to defeat the demon king. Though the hero couldn''t defeat the demon king and the curse was placed on the land forcing it to repeat the same day over and over. Hence the name of the game; The Realm Of Timeless Lands.


    But all this only leads to the question, what exactly is this place I''m in now? I decide to walk into the opening on the left of the carved wall. It appears that both openings actually go the same place, this room is a little smaller than the entrance but feels a lot more important. The room is long and lined with sets of wooden benches almost like an old church. At the front where a pastor or speaker would be, instead is a massive silver tree with warm red leaves sprouting out in all directions. Its branches reaching out have breached the stained glass paintings on the walls and done some serious damage to the roof above. At the base of the tree is what looks like a lone branch at first. Walking closer I realize it is no branch, it''s a sword stuck into the marble flooring. A sword with a deep grey steel for the blade. the handle and hilt a pure golden yellow, and the bottom of the handle rests a shining snow-white gemstone. Could this really be what I think it is? Could this be the resting place of the hero¡¯s sword Excalibur?


    Should I try to remove the sword? Being stuck in the ground is probably a play on the sword in the stone, meaning only the ¡®chosen one¡¯ or whatever can pull it out, right? Well here in the game it''s not stone but instead stuck into one of the roots of the tree. Maybe I''m overthinking it and it will come out like a butter knife. Hey, yeah! What''s the worst that can happen?


    With a resolve I make one more step towards the sword and grab onto its handle with my right hand. I carefully begin to try and lift the blade, and the blade in turn accordingly begins to rise out of the root. It isn''t quite as easy as a butter knife, but also isn''t all that hard to lift. I guess I really was overthinking. With Excalibur fully removed I take another look and begin to practice swinging it. It feels incredible actually! It has enough weight to pack a punch without feeling like you need two hands to control it. Even just touching this thing I feel powerful, does it come with some intrinsic stat increases or something? I suddenly feel a wave of excitement growing within me. This is 100 percent the legendary sword Excalibur, and now I get to wield it.


    However, just as suddenly everything goes wrong. My whole body stops moving. Excalibur carrying the weight of my swing gets sent flying out from my hand and onto the ground. As much as I try my body won''t listen to my commands or move an inch. The room has lost its natural lighting, like a sudden shift from day to night. All I can do is look and listen. A chill runs down my spine. I can hear a faint sound behind me. Footsteps, echoing mine from earlier. Someone is walking towards me. Very slowly the footsteps grow louder, painstakingly slowly. The footsteps pass me and instead walk towards Excalibur. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the figure. I think it''s a boy with black hair. I can only see his back as he Inches closer to the blade in a pair of gray sweatpants and a familiar black hoodie. He bends forward, grabbing hold of the sword, and rises back to his full height. Like a jolt he suddenly turns to face me. His light blue eyes spread wide in excitement behind a pair of glasses. His mouth in such a huge smile I didn''t even think possible. Despite his distorted expression, he has a face that I know far too well. A face I have seen every morning. He has my face and is wearing my clothes. What is standing before me in the game, is my real body.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Panic sets in. What the hell is happening here? This is too creepy! I still can''t move! What is going to happen to me? Please, God, anyone, just someone get me out of this!


    He lets out a snicker, quickly evolving into a full laugh. Raising his arm he points the tip of Excalibur in my direction. This only makes his laugh grow. Tears begin to fall from his eyes. He takes a step forward, then another. He is moving towards me with the blade pointed at my core. His step quickens. It doesn¡¯t take long before he reaches me. With an almost gentle thrust, he pierces the sword through my armor and into my chest. Damn it! A sharp pain spreads throughout my whole body. He really stabbed me, and it actually hurts! No, this really really hurts, I can actually feel the pain in my chest! This hurts like hell and all this bastard is doing is laughing! Almost like he can read my thoughts he looks up into my eyes and begins to twist the blade lodged into me. At least let me grit my teeth! The pain gets more and more intense. I feel the blood leaving my head and begin to drip down the blade. It''s taking everything I have to not pass out. His laughing begins to quiet down. Leaning in, he whispers into my ear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s both¡­ Enjoy this¡­¡± I can''t hold on any longer. As the pain grows to an unbearable level my vision begins to fade away to black.


    I immediately jump up in my bed in a cold sweat, heart drumming out in horror. I can¡¯t help clenching at my chest. Looking down I see the NeuroDrive on my bed laying next to my pillow. That pain, it felt so real. But¡­ It¡¯s impossible for all of that to be real. The pain and my real body being in the game? It had to be a dream, or more like a nightmare. That¡¯s right, it had to be a nightmare. Despite trying to resolve myself I can¡¯t help but feel a little scared looking at the NeuroDrive.


    Only now I notice that something has been playing since I woke up, in fact I think it¡¯s what woke me up in the first place. A loud and repetitive beeping. On the other side of my bed, my phone¡¯s alarm is going off: Mythology Class 11AM. If the alarm is going off now that means I only have 30 minutes! I need to get cleaned up and get the hell out of here! Do I even have time to shower?


    By the time I actually make it to class with only 2 minutes to spare. In a rush I accidentally slam the door open a little harder than I meant, causing me to earn the gaze of all my peers. Each of their eyes feel like a laser pointer coming from a sniper ready to take the shot, I can¡¯t help but want to run away from the attention. Meekly I make my way to my usual seat. Most of the class already return to their group conversations.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that dork, don¡¯t freak me out like that!¡± laughs one girl to her friends


    ¡°Bro, I¡¯m serious, you really need to try this stuff out!¡± explains one of the jocks to the other guys on his team.


    ¡°Hey, you happen to watch the new episode that was uploaded last night?¡± asks one of the popular guys to his groupies.


    I can''t help hearing bits and pieces of different conversations as I walk past, but none of them really interest me and I¡¯m not definitely not interested in snooping around any of their business either. Like everywhere else I don¡¯t really have anyone I¡¯m super close to here. I don¡¯t think I have anyone that hates me or bullies me or anything. Instead it¡¯s more like I¡¯m one of the background characters that doesn¡¯t even have a name. This class is just another reminder that I¡¯m insignificant. I finally reach my seat and slouch down into my chair feeling exhausted as I let out a long sigh.


    In the seat next to me, a large pile of unkempt hazelnut hair begins rustling. The girl beneath stretches her arms out forward and begins raising her head from her desk with a loud yawn. As she sits up I can see more of her white dress with a light pink flower pattern. She looks to her right for a moment, then to her left and looks at me. Her hand moves up to wipe the drool off her cheek and readjust her large round glasses, her brown eyes still clouded over with drowsiness. Once she finally wakes up, her face begins to shift into a more mischievous smile.


    ¡°Hehehe, look who finally decided to show up,¡± She teased ¡°I was thinking we might need to send a search and rescue soon.¡±


    ¡°Oi, I¡¯m not even late Claire.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilts her head to the side. ¡°For you, this IS late, Aiden.¡± Her smile only grows larger. ¡°Something keep you up late last night?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ there was something. In that game I always play, there were some new people I met-¡±


    ¡°Oh? A cute girl perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, that''s not the point!¡±


    ¡°So you don''t deny it! I can give you some pointers if you need.¡± Claire begins to giggle to herself, surely feeling victorious for making me feel embarrassed. Why does it feel like everyone is trying to push me into finding a girlfriend all the time?


    ¡°No, this morning I had a¡­ I don¡¯t know a nightmare I guess?¡± How should I even describe what happened to me this morning? Everything felt so real but at the same time so illogical and impossible. If I really think hard enough I can see my distorted face. I gulp and move my hand to my chest. If I really think hard enough I can still feel the sword piercing through my heart.


    ¡°What did you dream she ended up being a dude?¡± Claire¡¯s blunt comment surprises me so much I begin to choke on my own spit, which only fuels her laughter farther.


    ¡°Geez! Why do I even sit next to you!¡± My face is starting to burn up from how embarrassing this is.


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be like that,¡± she finally starts to calm down. ¡°Us loners need to stick together!¡± Personally, I don¡¯t know how much I would call Claire a loner though. I have seen her around campus with a small group of friends. I¡¯m pretty sure some of the nerdier guys have tried to ask her out before. So that means she also beats me out on looks too. Sure she is a nerd, but different from me. While I¡¯m into all the games and anime she is the math, science, and literature nerd. As such she is basically a genius that never needs to actually study to pass any class, another point for her.


    Suddenly the door to the classroom is slammed open once more. Just like before the class has been trained well to shut up at the sound.


    ¡°You A-holes!¡± A middle-aged woman with light brown hair begins to storm into the classroom. You can always rely on Ms. Carter to have the most elegant entrances. Once she reaches her desk she grabs the closest textbook and flings it across the room at one of the jocks, which he was thankfully able to dodge. ¡°Nearly all of you flunked that last exam! And I basically gave all you idiots the damn answers!¡± she howls. Nearly everyone in the room begins to sink into their seats in shame, everyone except for Claire. ¡°None of you can even think of leaving this room until you get at least a C on this thing you hear me!¡± she then turns her attention to the girl next to me, her tone instantly cooled. ¡°Claire, you can start reading ahead into the next chapter, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course Ms. Carter.¡± Claire opens her text book before turning to me and sticking her tongue out mockingly. Yeah, this might end up being a long day.

 Chapter 3: Blades and Bonds

    ¡°What am I even scared about?¡± I try to say to myself reassuringly. It''s late afternoon and I¡¯m sitting at my computer desk while having a staring competition with the VR headset sitting on my bed. I haven''t been able to bring myself to put the thing on after the nightmare I had yesterday morning. It ended up being around the same time yesterday when I got home from classes, but still feeling uneasy I avoided playing The Realm Of Timeless Lands. I didn¡¯t have any classes or plans for today so I spent most of the time browsing the web or social media, though I also spent some time researching the hero¡¯s sword Excalibur.


    Truthfully I didn¡¯t find a lot about the sword apart from what I already knew about from the in-game lore and some details about the real world mythology. However, I did learn more about the divine classes in the game. Usually in TROTL you can freely choose your primary and secondary class out of all available classes in the game, except for the divine classes. These classes, phoenixborn, demi-light, and demonic are incredibly rare and hard to find. Only a small number of players have been able to unlock them since the game¡¯s launch. What really interested me though is there are rumors of a fourth divine class, the hero class. Only one player has apparently ever actually earned it though, Someone named Elysium. But at the end of the day no one actually has any evidence. All of it is basically as credible as playground rumors telling you can actually unlock the final boss as a playable character in your childhood game or something. Supposedly Elysium rarely logs on but there were multiple forum posts asking about him and his sword, Excalibur.


    Even the image of the sword in my mind is enough to make me want to vomit. Why is this whole nightmare thing scarring me off of playing so much? Just because it felt realistic? Do I seriously think I got hurt? Just the thought of the pain I felt is enough to make me clench at my chest again. God I¡¯m being such an idiot, it wasn''t even real!


    ¡°Damn it! Come on, let¡¯s just get this over with!¡± With resolve and a bit of annoyance I get up and move onto the bed. Putting the headset on my face, I take a deep breath to try and calm myself one last time before turning the system on. Like normal I enter the system menu and boot up The Realm Of Timeless Lands. The game appears to start normally as well. I''m at the character select screen in the meadows just outside Silverhelm just like normal. I take a close look at my character Echo_Of_Amber as well, same story, nothing different from what I can see on this screen. His appearance isn¡¯t altered, he doesn¡¯t have a different sword, and best of all he isn¡¯t trying to kill me. I move onto the next screen and breathe a little sigh of relief. The destination screen is normal, no extra glitch option. Good, proof once and for all it was all a bad dream.


    I decide to head to Silverhelm, I don¡¯t really have any objectives, just wandering around the main hub to kill time sounds good enough for me. However as soon as I appear outside the gate to the city I get an in game message. It¡¯s from StarDrifter; It looks like she is online as well. The message reads: ¡°Hey, wanted to talk more after the other day. Wanna meet at the tavern in Silverhelm?¡± Well I guess that decides what my plan is for now.


    The tavern isn¡¯t too far down the main road, so I get there in no time. The bar is filled with a colorful cast of characters. Most people use it as a sort of gathering hub, to meet up before venturing out on quests. Others like to just hang out and pretend to drink their hearts out, though some people might drink some real alcohol before playing. In the back corner I spot the white haired brawler and make my way to the booth she is sitting at.


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you. How¡¯s it going? Please take a seat!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, how about yourself?¡±  I take my seat across from her at the table.


    ¡°Good, good, If I remember correctly you said people call you Echo right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s usually what everyone calls me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? My first thought would have been to call you Amber.¡± she moves her hand to her chin and seems to really give it some thought for a moment.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t really mind. If you want to, you can call me Amber.¡± her face looks a little surprised for a moment but that fades to a friendly smile.


    ¡°Amber it is, then. Feel free to call me Star if you¡¯d like.¡± Her hand moves to open her menu as she makes an order. Just as soon as she orders a drink resembling a cocktail appears in front of her. ¡°If you want I can pay for yours?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to do that.¡± It''s not like this is an actual meal. In games like this food can be bought with the equivalent of pocket change. I open my menu and order a drink for myself. It''s a dwarven ale from Glimmerdrath¡¯s Forge. I grab the drink that appears in front of me and take a sip.


    ¡°How does it taste?¡± asks Star. ¡°I don¡¯t usually drink alcohol, both in-game and IRL.¡± Honestly it¡¯s a lot more gentle than anything you would typically expect dwarves to drink. Though, I don''t have a lot of experience with drinks IRL to compare it to myself.


    ¡°It tastes really good, though it''s a lot closer to the taste of a soda than an ale.¡± The drink I ordered comes with a 5 percent boost to enemy drop rates for some time. Just about every piece of food or drink in the game comes with some kind of small buff, but most of the time they don''t do enough to really worry about unless you are speedrunning bosses or something.


    ¡°I did want to thank you again for the other day. I¡¯m sure you noticed how many hackers have been running around in this game. It is seriously starting to piss me off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Blatant cheaters like that get on my nerves too.¡±


    ¡°Hey, at least you were able to take one of them down a peg! And guess what, I got a message back yesterday morning that the guy was banned after you beat him!¡± Star lets out a snicker at the hacker¡¯s expense.


    ¡°That''s a relief, I was a little worried that he would just come back and harass all of you after I left.¡± After Dead-F3 was defeated we all made sure to report him for cheating properly. The moderation team can be a little slow, so I figured he might cause more chaos before his time was up. Thankfully, it seems I didn¡¯t need to worry.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good at the game. How long have you been playing?¡± I take another sip of my drink before answering.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m nowhere near the top, but I have played a little over a year if I remember correctly. What about yourself?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you''re experienced. It¡¯s been almost 2 months for me." Star responds with a smile but then she brings her hand to cover her mouth while she starts to giggle a little to herself. Confused by her laughter I ask.


    ¡°Sorry, did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just a little funny is all.¡± Star calms herself down before continuing. ¡°Actually we met before, on my first day trying the game.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Huh? Wait seriously?¡± My shocked reaction only brings back her laughter.


    ¡°Yeah. It was a quick conversation with a stranger so I¡¯m not too surprised you don¡¯t remember. It was at the city center by the statue of Luminastria. You mentioned that I should visit the grand library at night...¡± She freezes her reminiscing, her expression becomes conflicted as she stares thoughtfully at her drink. She lets out a sad little laugh before running her finger along the top of her glass. ¡°Thank you for recommending it, it actually helped me a lot. And it''s one of the reasons I keep playing.¡±


    I¡¯m a little caught off guard by her serious tone. Now that She mentions it I do think I remember meeting her before. Like she said, it was a really quick conversation. I happened to run into her looking completely lost with beginner equipment in the middle of the city center after a fight broke out. I just so happened to recommend the library roof on a whim, because her username reminded me of times I would read the in-game books and lore up there at night. I don¡¯t really know why something like that would mean so much to her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything special¡­ but if it really did help you, then I''m glad we met that day.¡± As I finish speaking, Star pauses for a moment. She lets out another little laugh, before shaking her head and looking up at me with her soft smile returned.


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± She reaches down to pick up her glass. ¡°How about a toast, to our little chance encounter, and our reunion.¡± I nod and raise my glass as well. I''m unsurprisingly not one to go out to parties or drinking, so toasting feels a little awkward to me. Especially toasting in a VRMMO. We clink our glasses together and we both finish off our drinks. ¡°Ah, that''s right, there was one more thing that was a little silly back then.¡± She sets her empty glass down before continuing ¡°Back then you said I should contact you if I needed anything, but I think you forgot that new players have other people''s usernames hidden by default.¡± Wait, that''s true. Ugh, I have been playing for some long, I completely forgot about that setting. That''s a little embarrassing. Yay a new memory to remind me how stupid I can be. I sigh and sink my head down.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I whimper out in a defeated tone. Star lets out a giggle at my embarrassment, but waves her hand.


    ¡°Nah, it was a bit confusing since you didn''t even introduce yourself, but it''s nothing to be sorry about.¡± She opens her menu and presses a button, after which our empty drinks vanish into thin air. ¡°Well why don''t we go fight something or do a quest? Get the most out of our money? Seeing how you fought the other day kind of makes me want to show off what I can do.¡± I pause before I nod in agreement and we both sit up out of our seats. ¡°Where should we go? Anything you need to farm for?¡±


    ¡°Not really anything specific. I''m fine fighting whatever at the moment, well maybe a raid would be too long for tonight.¡± Raids in TROTL tend to go for multiple hours tackled by a group of 12 players. They are meant to be long endurance challenges. Featuring multiple puzzles, enemies, and unique bosses. With it being so late in the day already a raid would definitely go into the early hours of the morning.


    ¡°How about we just head into the Rhovan Meadows and go goblin hunting? I have a side quest to gather 30 corrupt petals that I¡¯ve been meaning to finish.¡± That should work for me too. Currently my main focus in the game is improving my thief skills, which you can do fighting any enemy.


    ¡°Sounds good to me, I don¡¯t need the drops so I don''t mind giving them to you either.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, more for me! Alright, Let¡¯s go show them what we¡¯re made of.¡± I open my menu and send her an invite and we join a group together. From there I move to destinations and select the Rhovan Meadows combat zone. Rhovan Meadows is located outside the borders of Silverhelm and as such is the first combat zone available to players. The two most common enemies found here are low level goblins and the vile flora, a race of monstrous plants. Despite being filled with weaker monsters TROTL features level scaling, meaning lower leveled opponents have inflated levels to have a better fight.


    It doesn¡¯t take long for us to load into the zone. Even though it''s a combat zone, that doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t pretty, it is called a meadow for a reason. The region is a sprawling plain with small hills filled with white and yellow flowers. It has a few trees spread across sparingly and a small river stream that runs across heading east. Star steps forward from our spawn point first and points to a lone tree near the river.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, there should be some flora by that tree there.¡± As she suggests I follow behind her, and spot a chest under the tree. But once we get close enough a locked symbol appears above the chest and a large figure begins to grow in front of it. A massive sunflower with red petals sprouts up and begins flailing its vines as if they were arms, on each of its sides a smaller copy of the flora also emerges. ¡°I call dibs on these guys. Blazing Soul!" As soon as she calls out her skill a red aura appears around Star and she begins to start rushing towards her challengers.


    I believe that¡¯s an enchanter skill, I think it applies a small amount of fire damage to attacks if I¡¯m not mistaken. Being close enough to start the battle she lets out a breath and moves into a fighting stance, one fist raised towards the large flora while the other rests near her hip. The first to take action is the large one. Moving its vines to the ground its roots begin to grow, across their combat ring small spike like roots pop out of the ground. Next the smaller two aim their vines at StarDrifter and they begin to stretch out onward her at a high speed.


    Star remains unfazed by the rushing attacks however. In one fluid motion she uses her palm to deflect one of the vines while using the momentum to spin in place, dodging the second. Then she returns her palm into a fist and brings it to the ground, sending a shockwave of fire and heat around her, burning the roots the flora had grown. Despite the low damage received for the roots the vile flora still squirms in pain. It begins swinging its vines once more, but this time using them as whips to attack with. While she is hit a few times she is able to easily dodge most of the strikes through twisting and turning. However it soon raises both of its vines to the air and they slowly twist and combine before swinging it down like a hammer to a nail. This time Star is forced to reposition and she jumps back as the vine smashes into the ground right in front of her. I can see the wide smile on her face as she then leaps onto the monster¡¯s hammer like vine. The vile flora raises its vine once more and begins unwinding it midair, launching Star into the air.


    ¡°Skybreaker!¡± Mid air she swings her body and begins to launch a kick. Flames ignite around her foot and leg as she flies directly toward the larger flower she hits it in the bullseye, dead center. Star jumps back and lands in a T-pose as the monster quickly burns to nothing.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± that¡¯s all I have been able to get out this whole time. I know these are not the strongest enemies, but she is still making this look a little too easy. She said she has only been playing for 2 months and she can fight like this?


    The two smaller flora definitely don''t seem too pleased to lose their leader and launch their vines toward her once more like before. This time however she catches them, tanking the damage. She stretches her arms back slightly before swinging both arms down, hitting both of them in the center of their flowers as well. There are no flames this time, meaning Blazing Soul must have worn off. That doesn¡¯t matter though as the two flora begin to turn completely red and vanish. Star brushes the small amount of dust off her outfit and moves her bangs out of her face before looking back toward me.


    ¡°That¡¯s 3 down, how¡¯d I do?¡±


    ¡°Hah, that was incredible¡­¡± I say giving her a thumbs up, still a bit stunned. ¡°Are you sure I¡¯m the experienced one here?¡± She laughs and turns her focus to the chest the monsters were guarding. With the lock symbol removed she opens the lid and looks inside.


    ¡°There¡¯s 3 more petals in here¡­ but not really anything else worth anything. See any more flora around?¡± I begin turning my head back and forth looking for enemies to pick a fight with. While I don''t see any flora, something else catches my eye.


    ¡°Hey over there by the riverbed, there are two goblins trying to fish- mind if I take those?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She takes a peek at the river. With the two of them focused on fishing they should make for easy targets for a sneak attack. ¡°Sure, knock yourself out.¡± nodding I walk toward the river bed. I slowly creep towards the pair as the ground beneath my feet transitions from grass to rock. I slowly begin to unsheathe my sword. I draw it forward slightly and begin to prepare for a strike. However, at that moment something went terribly wrong. My sword began to glow, illuminating the area. In an instant my sword transforms and warps to a new shape. My breathing stops as I look in horror at my new blade. It¡¯s now a sword I¡¯m beginning to be very familiar with. The weight in my hands is exactly as I remember. My blade has been replaced by the legendary sword, Excalibur.

 Chapter 4: Fourth Times The Charm

    The light from the sword slowly begins to disappear. All I can do is stare at the blade in my hands with horror. Breathing heavily, too scared to move a muscle. The gemstone on its hilt feels like a watchful eye staring right back at me. Right back at my heart and soul.


    ¡°Look out!¡± Star''s call snaps me back to my senses. I bring the sword up and block an incoming attack from the 2 goblins I was originally planning on ambushing. These 2 little green men have their bone blades locked with mine. Guess the bright light tipped them off. With the sword I push them back and create some distance between us. It takes a moment for me to really understand what¡¯s even going on. Alright fine, guess I need to deal with these 2 first.


    With my turn started I begin to rush to the goblin to my right. Once in range I activate Lion''s Slash and swing upward, however the skill doesn¡¯t activate, making my swing just a basic attack. The goblin recoils back and grabs hold of his right shoulder where the blade connected. While the attack did land, not activating the skill dealt a massive blow to my damage output. Enraged, it tries a sideways swing to my chest. I''m fast enough to block it. However the second goblin is still unaccounted for and lands a hit on my back. My health bar slowly drops down to around 80%. Come on! At least give me a second to figure out what the hell is even happening first!


    Finally it''s back to my turn. First things first, I need to find out why Lion''s Slash didn''t trigger. I open my menu and sure enough it is no longer in my skill deck. In The Realm Of Timeless Lands there are many skills each class can learn, so to simplify combat each player can only use 8 skills that they select as their skill deck during battles. Looking at mine really confirms it, some of my abilities have been swapped out for hero class abilities. Three abilities I haven''t seen before, Guardian of Light, Celestial Slash, and Aegis. I still have most of my thief skills, Shadow Foot, Viper''s Strike, and Twin Fangs. My knight skills seem to be what got replaced the most, only keeping Valiant Will and Vanguard Rush. Interestingly, I still have both my knight and thief class. I guess for divine classes like hero, they¡¯re considered like an add-on bonus or something?


    The goblin in front of me begins a deep growl and grips its bone weapon with both hands. Crap my time is almost up, I need to pick something now. Screw it, Celestial Slash sounds powerful. Activating the skill guides my hands into the correct position. I move my right hand out and slash forward vertically. Excalibur cuts through the goblin cleanly. The arch it made shines bright white and shoots out until it crashes into the river water.


    The second goblin behind me begins to tremble seeing his buddy get chopped down. Is it even possible for it to be scared? Just as soon as I think that the goblin¡¯s knife digs into my back. Using the knife and its nails it jumps on and clings to me. Okay, maybe it was just trembling out of anger.


    ¡°You sure you got this?¡± Star asks. Her face has a concerned expression. Does this situation look that bad right now?


    ¡°Yeah, Yeah¡­ Just a little set back is all.¡± Hey, it¡¯s just 2 goblins, and I also have this cool new legendary sword too¡­ Guh, why does it feel like I¡¯m trying to reassure myself more than her. Now how exactly should I get this guy off of me? Stupid game replaced all my area of effect skills¡­ Alright I might have something¡­ maybe.


    I bend my knee forward ready to dash. Pointing Excalibur forward I activate Viper¡¯s Strike and lunge toward the river. With my speed the little guy and his knife fly off of me fairly easily. However with no target for my attack I end up stumbling once I hit the water and fall on my butt. The goblin doesn¡¯t hesitate to retrieve his blade and charge toward me. I hope this still works.


    ¡°C-Celestial Slash!¡± Like before I swing Excalibur to the side. Just as I hoped the blade fires a projectile, earning me my second goblin kill for the day. All I can do is let out a long sigh of relief as I sit back into the cold river water. Star begins to walk over to me waving.


    ¡°Hey, are you sure you''re okay? You looked like you were freaked out that entire fight.¡± Huh? I look down taking a peek at my reflection in the water. My eyes are wide open and my whole body is shaking. When did that happen?


    ¡°S-sorry, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I create a small cup of water with my hand and splash it on my face. Come on man get a grip.


    ¡°Does it have something to do with your sword? You completely froze up as soon as you pulled it out.¡± I twitch a little. She hit the nail on the head.


    ¡°...Yeah¡­¡± I confess with a sigh, ¡°I guess I was just shocked that this thing is real.¡± I bring up my arm to show her Excalibur, however it looks like at some point it transformed back into my normal old sword.


    ¡°Hmm? That''s not the sword you were fighting with?¡±


    ¡°R-right, Maybe it only appears in combat or something?¡± That kind of thing isn''t too uncommon in media. Wait, does that make the legendary sword a magical girl transformation? I hope not.


    ¡°Hold up, you don¡¯t know? What is it, then?¡± I just learned all about it, so it isn''t too surprising she doesn¡¯t know about the sword or the hero class. I begin to get up and walk with her back to the flowery area of the meadow.


    ¡°Well¡­ I believe the sword is named Excalibur¡­¡± I begin to explain what I know. How there are ultra rare divine classes most players will never find. How there are rumors of a hero class that only one other player has ever unlocked. How in-game the goddess Luminastria sacrificed herself to make the sword. I explain everything, that is up until that nightmare. I mean who even knows if it was a nightmare or real at this point? ¡°... and then¡­¡± I do want to talk about it, explain what I''m experiencing to someone. But as I try to form the words a flash of my own creepy mug pops into my mind. ¡°...Then the sword just appeared out of nowhere today.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that must be super exciting!¡± She exclaims, ¡°You get a cool new sword and abilities no one else has!¡± No way! I''m still super skeptical of this thing after that bad dream. Though it''s not like I can say that now.


    ¡°A little bit I guess.¡± I shrug, trying to play off my unease. This sword is definitely more trouble than it¡¯s worth. Star runs up the hill ahead of me, back towards the tree the flora were at before. Once she reaches the top she spins back around with a mischievous grin.


    ¡°You should totally post about it online. I''m sure you will have everyone talking. You¡¯ll be famous before you know it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m not too sure. I''m not really someone who likes being in the spotlight, you know?¡± I nervously scratch the back of my head


    ¡°Hmm, I guess that makes sense.¡± As I walk up to her she stretches her hand out towards me. ¡°But doesn¡¯t that make you like, really amazing or something Amber?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m just a little introverted is all¡­¡± The sudden compliment catches me off guard. Embarrassed, I slowly look up to her face, but she simply shakes her head.


    ¡°That''s not what I mean. I''m talking about the fact you even have the hero class at all. If it is so rare doesn¡¯t that mean you have to be really good or do something really amazing? Otherwise more people would have it, no?¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Oh! Right, that... I''m not so sure. There¡¯s always the chance it is just pure RNG.¡± While she does have a point, I don''t think I quite fit the qualifications. I''m not the highest level, I don¡¯t really play a lot of the endgame content, and I''m fairly average skill wise. If we are talking about merits, the only thing that comes to mind is taking down that hacker. But I seriously doubt TROTL has any kind of reward system for something like that.


    ¡°Eh? But that''s not as fun!¡± She pouts, ¡°Hey! Can you show me what Excalibur looks like? I didn''t get to see it up close earlier.¡±


    ¡°I don''t mind, but what if I need to be in a fight to appear?¡±


    ¡°That works then. If the hero class is new for you too, why not get some practice in?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I guess that is alright.¡± I hesitate at first, but give in. I still don''t feel super confident about how safe this thing actually is. ¡°Instead of us fighting, I''ll take some pot shots at that tree from earlier instead.¡±


    ¡°Boo, come on, I wanted you to fight me.¡± Star crosses her arms in a dissatisfied ¡®X¡¯ shape, but I ignore her complaints. I walk forward and change my skills over to all the hero class skills I currently have. Apart from the 3 I currently have equipped there are 3 more Destiny''s Blade, Champions Resolve and lastly Sacred Strike. With two slots remaining I keep Viper¡¯s Strike and add in one of my knight skills, Warrior¡¯s Oath.


    I take a deep breath and once I get in position opposite of the tree I draw my sword. Just like before light radiates out and the sword transforms into Excalibur. That was a little test itself, apparently it will transform whenever I draw my blade, no enemy proximity or combat limitations so far. Unless, is it counting Star as an enemy? I open my skill deck and expand it to show the skill descriptions


    ¡°S-Seriously!?¡± Already I feel like I have been thrown a curveball. The first skill reads ¡°Aegis: If you can read this, then this text is bugged¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Star questions


    ¡°Nothing sorry, just one of the skill descriptions is bugged apparently. Guess I need to figure it out the old fashioned way.¡± I look forward and prepare to activate the skill but stop myself before It¡¯s too late.


    ¡°...Are you sure you''re doing okay Amber?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah I''m okay. I''ll do it now.¡± To hell with it. I slam my eyes shut and picture one word in my mind, Aegis. After a little pause I open my eyes. My body didn''t move at all. It doesn¡¯t look like anything around me changed. I turn my head towards Star. ¡°D-did anything happen?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing I could see.¡± Huh, strange. It should have worked. Hopefully the skill itself isn¡¯t bugged, or worse. I open another menu and begin to look at my character, then my stats screen. There it is. Looking at my stats it looks Like each one has been buffed by about 15% or so. Ugh, why do I have to get so worked up over nothing, get a hold of yourself!


    ¡°It looks like it is just a stat boosting skill, sorry, let''s move on to the next one.¡± Next is Destiny''s Blade. Its description reads: ¡°Increases the power of Excalibur, guaranteeing a critical hit next turn.¡± Pretty simple, and a lot better than ¡°It''s bugged LOL¡±. Using the skill causes me to raise Excalibur into the air above my head, the sword lighting up bright. Moving on is Celestial Slash, the skill I already saw. ¡°the user slashes using Excalibur, sending a projectile towards a target dealing both physical and light damage¡± Nice, doesn¡¯t look like there are any health requirements or anything for this projectile. I give it one more test swing towards the tree. It crashes into one of its branches causing it to detach and fly off, sending a few wooden splinters flying. While the damage was boosted from Destiny''s Blade, I bet you could probably get a similar effect with a normal weapon.


    ¡°So far that''s the only cool one.¡± I nod and agree with her.


    ¡°Let''s try this one then, it''s called Sacred Strike: A forward thrust with Excalibur dealing more damage the higher the user¡¯s level.¡± I activate it and bend my knees. I pull my arm back for a moment before launching it forward. I run and stick Excalibur straight into the trunk of the tree. I quickly try and pull it out before the skill ends and it gets stuck in there. While ¡®fighting¡¯ against the tree is good for learning the movements, it isn''t really giving me a good estimate on damage. Is the damage equal to my level or based on my level? ¡°These last two seem to be more defensive and support based, probably won''t be too flashy.¡± I explain to Star.


    ¡°I don''t mind, those skills are important too.¡± truthfully they both seem pretty self explanatory. ¡°Guardian of Light: Block an incoming attack with Excalibur''s power, significantly reducing damage taken¡± and ¡°Champion¡¯s Resolve: Remove all negative status effects from user¡± I don''t have any negative status effects to test Champion''s Resolve, so I use Guardian of Light instead. Like I expected, it causes me to raise the blade up in a defensive stance. Hey, at least the sword glows a little when I do this!


    ¡°Amber! Look out!¡± Out of nowhere a large figure dashes into me, their blade meeting my own. What the? I''m too surprised to react to the massive tail that swings into my side knocking me to the ground.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t-¡± Star stops and brings her arms up to block an incoming sword.


    ¡°You can shut up and wait your turn. I''m gonna break this one first.¡± Standing over me is a large red reptile therian with a familiar smirking face. His name appears above his head, Dead-F4. ¡°This time I decided to just go ahead and max everything, but you were still able to guard my attack. You ARE pretty good at this, aren''t you.¡±


    ¡°Well actua-¡± he sends a swift kick into my right shoulder, in turn sending me tumbling¡­ Ouch.


    ¡°I don''t give a shit, this time I get to be the one to break, and destroy you as much as I want.¡± Slowly I use Excalibur to lift myself back to my feet, as I hold my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡­  I just need to ask one thing before we start this¡­¡± he rolls his eyes at my request.


    ¡°Fine, out with it pipsqueak.¡± He nonchalantly raises his new claymore over his shoulder.


    ¡°Is the number in your name seriously just how many alt accounts you made?¡± he begins to growl and raise his blade in anger at my stupid joke of a question, not noticing the girl readying a punch next to him. She lands the hit into his side but he doesn''t flinch, only changing the target for his blade. I rush in and barely block the incoming attack in time.  Well, this isn¡¯t great. Guardian of Light doesn¡¯t block all the damage so I won¡¯t be able to block too many more. We need a plan to get out of this sooner rather than later. With his speed maxed out I won''t be able to out speed him like last time. He also hasn¡¯t made this an official battle, so I can¡¯t use the turn order to my advantage.


    No time to think. An uppercut is heading straight towards my face. I instinctively dodge backward, but I don¡¯t get enough distance. Luckily Star grabs my cloak and pulls me back more, just out of range.


    ¡°Amber, do what you did with the goblins before. I¡¯ll keep him occupied!¡± Star has a determined look in her eyes.


    ¡°What I¡­ Okay got it.¡± We both nod in agreement. Dead-F4 begins to use Earth Cleaver, instead of blocking, I counter with Viper¡¯s Strike lunging past him.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with that now!¡± He turns to give chase but can¡¯t move much. Behind him Star is holding on to his tail. Holding on and pulling on it like a rope in a game of tug of war. ¡°I told you to wait your turn!¡± he changes his focus back to Star. With my opening secured I need to go for the kill. I use Celestial Slash, aiming the projectile at his neck.


    ¡°AH!¡± He noticed the projectile just in time to bring his hand up and block the projectile with his palm. ¡°What the hell?¡± instead of a retaliation he simply looks at his palm. I however can¡¯t afford to let up. I need to end this before it¡¯s too late. I fire off 3 more Celestial Slashes in quick succession. Dead-F4 Whips his tail up and down making Star lose her grip before he dodges the next 3 attacks with ease. Shit. I immediately block expecting a follow up attack but it never comes.


    ¡°... Huh?¡± After a moment passes Me and Star exchange concerned looks. He is just standing there still looking at his palm.


    ¡°W-What the hell is wrong with you guys?¡± Dead-F4 says as he clenches his fist and grits his teeth. ¡°You know what? Screw it! I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about any of this anymore! Money isn¡¯t worth this shit!¡± Hold up, what is he talking about? I¡¯m a little lost. Did he say money? Star doesn¡¯t listen and tries to throw a punch but he grabs her arm and throws her to the ground. ¡°You A-holes are above my pay grade. I hope this game burns to the ground.¡± Dead-F4 moves his hands to open the menu. His body turns completely white before it vanishes and he logs out of the game. Just like that we defeated the hacker for a second time¡­ I guess?


    ¡°That was¡­ Strange.¡± I turn my head to Star who gets back on her feet.


    ¡°Yeah that seemed¡­ a little anticlimactic, don¡¯t you think?¡± I nod in agreement. ¡°At the end there, he mentioned money and a pay grade. You think someone is paying him to cheat Amber?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know for sure¡­¡± All I¡¯m sure of is something is wrong about this whole situation. I look down at my sword for just a moment before quickly deciding to sheath it on my back. While I begin to wonder about it all I can¡¯t help myself from reaching up and rubbing my right shoulder.

 Interlude 1: Reach for the Stars

    ¡°Luna¡­ Ms. Collins, are you listening properly?¡± I¡¯m immediately kicked out of my daydream. My hand stretched up seemed so far away a moment ago, but I slowly bring it down and apologize with a bow.


    ¡°Y-yes, sorry sir!¡± The judge clicks his tongue and scratches at the spot where the light reflects off his forehead


    ¡°At least finish your performances properly, will ya?¡± Under his breath, he continued, ¡°You''re lucky your mother pays so well.¡± Rude. Every once in a while there will be a judge like this.


    ¡°I''m sorry, did you say something?¡± As much as I know I shouldn''t be snarky, the words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. The large man goes a little red. Hard to tell if it''s out of embarrassment or anger. Part of my kind of hopes it''s both. He pushes his large glasses back to his face before proceeding.


    ¡°N-nothing, you are free to go now Ms. Collins.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, thank you.¡± I take my leave off the platform and start making my way to the changing room. Damn it, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut after all. He seemed like the type of guy that would fail you over something like that. That thought has me clicking my own tongue now. Hopefully my comment doesn''t come around to bite me. Suddenly I¡¯m ambushed from behind into a bear hug by someone in a blue tracksuit. You might think this would be surprising, but after working together for so many years¡­ Well, you get used to it.


    ¡°Luna! Luna, you did so good, Sweetie!¡± My coach shakes me back and forth as she cries into my shoulder. ¡°You make me so proud! That was your best performance yet!¡±


    ¡°Coach, Wai- Jess! Okay, Okay! You can stop shaking me now.¡± We both laugh a little as I turn around and return her hug. ¡°Thank you Jess, I couldn''t have made it this far without you.¡±


    ¡°Nah, all that up there was you Sweetie¡­ But, if you insist, maybe I can take 1 percent of the credit.¡± She rubs my hair slightly while giving me a warm smile with those green eyes. I always thought her eyes looked good with her blonde hair, but the rest of her face is pretty too. Despite being close to the same age as my mother, she could probably pass off as an older sister or something. I keep trying to find out her secrets, but every time I ask she just gives me a dumb smile and won¡¯t actually give me a solid answer. Wait, I''m starting to get a bit off track¡­


    ¡°Jess, I''m sorry about the end there¡­¡± I pull away from our hug and begin to lower my head. ¡°I messed up big time, I forgot the ending and even talked back. I probably won¡¯t be moving forward because of it.¡± Jess, however, grabs my shoulders and pulls me back into the hug.


    ¡°Luna¡­ was it¡­ did you think of your dad again?¡± It takes me a moment to respond, and even then I can only nod with my head held down. I can''t bring myself to look at her face now. ¡°Luna, I promise you were amazing today. I know for a fact you put your all into that performance, you hear me. Be proud of it.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes Coach. I am.¡± I say that but I don''t really agree with myself. I could have done more today. I could have spent more time practicing and improving. I could have tried to surpass the others. I wish I could be better. I begin to wiggle my way out of Jess''s arms. ¡°Sorry I''m feeling really sweaty and gross, I''m going to go change.¡± She holds out her hand but doesn''t do anything else to stop me from retreating to the locker room. I lean back to close the cold door behind me. Putting a hand over my heart, I let out a long sigh to calm myself down. I''ve been through this song and dance before, I made a promise to myself I wouldn''t cry because of something like this ever again.


    Making my way to my locker I can hear a couple of the other girls gossiping in the next row over. I do my best not to listen, all they ever talk about is stupid stuff. I reach for the handle of my locker, but as I open it a hand pushes it closed. Looking up, it''s actually 2 different hands, oh boy here we go.


    ¡°Looks like this time you aren''t even going to get on the podium huh? Oh what a shame.¡± Says the girl on my left with short black hair. The girl on my right with brunette twintails snickers at the others'' sarcasm. I want to make some kind of comeback, but successfully hold myself back this time.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Seriously what was that Luna? You get a little scared when it really counts?¡± The two burst out into laughter. On the left is Kia and the girl on the right is Daisy. Both of them are near the top gymnasts in the state, so they usually are the 1st and 2nd to my 3rd place. Well both of them are really slender, so I guess there is at least one area I beat them. ¡°Oh did you wet yourself up there? Is that it? Need me to call your mommy and daddy?¡± That''s enough. As I grit my teeth I yank my cold locker open. Daisy yelps a little in surprise


    ¡°Hmph, Come on Daisy let''s leave this bitch alone.¡± Kia walks past me back to her locker bringing Daisy along with her. I don''t understand what they get out of this. They both do shit like this any chance they get. These two feel more like some comic book or video game villains than real people. If this was TROTL I bet I could destroy them in seconds.


    I finish changing back into a casual outfit and make my way home. Deciding I have no interest in staying at the gym any longer today, I make sure to send a text to Jess on my way out. I asked her to make sure she sends me the results first as soon as they get announced. Walking outside, I didn''t realize how late it had already gotten. The sun is beginning to set, and the streetlights start to turn on. A few stars slowly start to show, well as much as they can with all the light pollution in the city. I still wish I could go out and see the night sky like it was when I was younger.


    The walk home gives me time to reminisce on my childhood. specifically on the times I would go camping with my dad. It was back when I was in elementary school. Every summer he would take me up north to go camping in the woods to spend time with me, just the 2 of us. it would almost always be a 2 day trip, for one reason in particular. He would always take me to a certain hill, where we would lay out blankets and lay there looking at the night sky.


    One time I was being a real brat about the whole thing. At this point my parents were already trying to sign me up for anything you could imagine. If I recall correctly, this was around when I first started martial arts. I was crying in my tent because I was the only one in my class that failed. My dad had to practically drag me to the hill screaming and kicking. Just like every other time before, he laid out our blankets and patted at the spot next to him.


    ¡°Luna, do you know why I love watching the stars with you?¡± I shook my head as I layed down next to him, trying my best not to speak to hold back my tears. ¡°When I was your age, me and my father would go on top of our house and watch the stars from up there almost every night. It would always amaze me just how beautiful the night sky could really be. Those nights slowly gave me a dream. One day I would be an astronaut and explore those beautiful stars¡­ To one day be as bright as them¡­¡±


    I turned my head to look at my father and that image of him will forever be seared into my mind. Laying there with his arm stretched out, reaching desperately for the sky. ¡°Eventually, I grew older, I began to realize just how out of reach that dream was. Then one night I found myself here, at this very hill, and I realized something.¡± He began to point up to the sky. All while a soft smile grew on his face. ¡°Even though those stars up there are so big, and shine so bright. To us there is something even bigger and brighter that drifts across the starry sky!¡± I let my gaze follow his hand and saw the full moon illuminating the night sky above us. The colors and sparkles of the stars felt like magic. It was like the moon was a princess, with the stars all singing her complements. A stage light or a beacon, showering us with its light. ¡°I hope one day you realize just how bright you can really be¡­ That is why I wanted to name you Luna in the first place, and why I love taking these trips with you.¡±


    At the time I was too young to understand what he meant. Now that I¡¯m older I just wish he was actually right. My whole life I have jumped from one activity to the next. Maybe this hobby will be the one. Maybe I can be good at this sport. But every single time I fall short. Every single time I crash and burn. And now I don¡¯t even have my dad here with me. Finally I get to the entrance of my home. At the gate I turn around to take one last look at the starless sky. Damn, I can¡¯t even see the moon tonight.


    ¡°Luna? Is that you? Come here we need to have a talk about today.¡± Mom calls out from the dining room. One foot in the door and already it feels like I¡¯m walking into a minefield. Did Jess already share the results with her?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower first!¡± I yell out as I make a beeline straight for the bathroom.


    ¡°Luna? Luna, come here!¡± I ignore her calls. Closing the bathroom door I sink myself onto the toilet seat. I guess I should check the results for myself. Pulling out my phone the first notification is the text from Jess. It¡¯s a picture she took of the gymnastics results. Looking up and down I finally find my name. Luna Collins, 7th place.


    I can only stare at it for a moment before I start clenching my fist. Come on, you knew this was going to be the outcome right? So why does this make me want to punch something as hard as I can? As I grow more and more angry there is a knock on the door, from my mother. I respond by turning on the shower water as hot as I can make it and slamming my phone on the counter. I wouldn¡¯t realize till the next morning but there was another text message I had. A text from one of my old high school friends Claire Thompson.

 Chapter 5: Blind Date

    I study my reflection in the mirror. Black hair, clean. Nerdy face, Washed. Clothes¡­ Well, at least I think they''re stylish. I¡¯m wearing an open white button up shirt with a light blue undershirt and a pair of grey jeans. Something casual but still nice right? Looking back up I notice the light blush on my face. Get it together, idiot. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea about all this.


    Yesterday morning, right after Ms. Carter¡¯s class ended, my classmate Claire Thompson called out to me.


    ¡°Hey Aiden, you look sharp today,¡± the mischievous tone in her voice made it painfully obvious she was wanting something. ¡°Wow is that a new outfit, you sure are looking handsome today.¡±


    ¡°No, this is the jacket I always wear.¡± Whatever it is she wants can''t be good if she''s trying this hard.


    ¡°Come on, you need to play along! ¡®Yes Claire, thank you for noticing you look quite lovely today yourself!¡¯ You should say something like that.¡± I let out a sigh and decided to give in.


    ¡°Alright Claire.¡± I clear my throat before I continue. ¡°Whatever could I do to serve you today?¡±


    ¡°Now that is more like it! Oh, I know! Next time, do it with your hand over your heart, more like a butler or something!¡± she exclaimed while her brown eyes almost seemed to sparkle with excitement. she jumps forward, grabbing my sore shoulder making me flinch a little. ¡°Oops, sorry! I got a little lost in my fangirl fantasies, hehe,¡± she says, stepping back into her seat. ¡°Anyway since I did help boost your confidence a little, I guess there is a little something I need help with¡­¡± she begins to twirl her long wavy hair with her finger as she continues. ¡°I have something I need help with for tomorrow. If you don¡¯t mind helping me out, think we could meet up for breakfast?¡±


    Like I said, I shouldn¡¯t be getting excited about this. The lonely loser in me keeps trying to see this as a date or something, but come on. This is Claire we are talking about. Knowing her I bet she purposely tried to make it as ambiguous as possible just to see my reactions. well good for her I guess it''s working!


    ¡°Hey¡­ do you think I look good at all?¡± I ask the picture of my mother on the table as I finish getting ready. ¡°...Alright, I''ll be heading out now.¡± Luckily the place we are meeting up is the cafe I usually go to, The Velvet Cup. Walking outside I can feel the sunlight on my arms. A welcome change considering how cold it usually is at this hour.


    It takes me no time at all to reach the cafe down the street. Walking up I notice the owner Boss is outside sweeping leaves. Boss, or Mr. Saunders is a larger man with a muscular build, not the type you would typically imagine running a small shop like this. He has a thick brown beard and hair covered forearms. If you were dumb enough to try and rob the place you would basically be fighting a gorilla. He is always wearing his black and velvet uniform with his sunglasses.


    ¡°Aiden, it''s been a few days! How have you been?¡± He raises his hand in greeting. Despite his appearance he is actually incredibly friendly.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good. How''s the business been going?¡±


    ¡°Eh you know how it is. Around this time there always seems to be more customers. People love their hot coffee in the colder weather.¡±


    ¡°Good, it would be dangerous if you got too bored.¡± I jokingly say.


    ¡°Hah, be careful what you wish for. Any more and I might need to hire some punk like yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, noted.¡± I laugh a little  but then remember there is a reason I''m here this time. ¡°Hey, do you mind if I grab something from behind the counter? I''ll leave the cash under the tip jar.¡±


    ¡°Knock yourself out kid!¡± His face turned into his usual smirk. This guy can''t stop himself from making that creepy face whenever he makes money. I wouldn''t be surprised if it actually scared off some of his customers. I head inside the glass door, taking a look at the small selection of colorful breakfast foods behind the display case to my left. I didn''t really plan on taking anything but I decide to put some money under the tip jar anyway.


    ¡°Hey, Aiden!¡± Turning around, I see Claire sticking her head out of one of the booths behind the corner waving her hand frantically at me. ¡°Can you grab us a croissant while you''re up there!¡± Alright¡­ I guess I will be completing my transaction after all. I grab 2 pastries and turn towards Claire¡¯s booth, but I stop in my tracks. As I turn the corner I realize there is another girl sitting at the booth with Claire, the mirror behind them catching my reflection. This girl has long wavy hair, it¡¯s a light blonde color, actually it is almost white. She is wearing a simple green sweater with a tan brown skirt. Her eyes are a light green with an almost bored expression on her face as she pays attention to her phone. ¡°Oh you only brought 2?¡± Claire asked, pulling my focus back to her smug face. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, did you think it would just be me and you alone today?¡± She added in a teasing tone. This girl I swear.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I try to say with as much confidence as I can. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry so these are for you both.¡±


    ¡°Thank You!¡± Claire gleefully swipes the croissants from my hands and hands one over to her friend. ¡°Oh right. This guy is Aiden, we share the same mythology class.¡± I take my seat across from them as Claire introduces me.


    ¡°N-nice to meet you.¡± I add a head nod to my greeting. She smiles and does the same. Just as the girl opens her mouth to speak she gets cut off by Claire.


    ¡°Aiden, this is my friend from my high school days. We first met when she tried joining our school¡¯s Chess club. Isn¡¯t she so pretty! Just make sure you don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Claire¡­¡± The girl sighs. ¡°Sorry about her. She can be kind of a menace sometimes.¡± She reaches down to the croissant in front of her and splits it, handing me half. ¡°I¡¯m Luna. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I timidly grab my share and all 3 of us dig into our breakfast.


    ¡°So¡­ what exactly do you need me here for?¡± I ask between bites. Despite having the most, Claire finishes hers first.


    ¡°Alright let''s get to the main topic.¡± She reaches into her bag and pulls out a tablet. ¡°I need to interview friends for my media studies class. Your names will be anonymous so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I have a question.¡± Luna says while having her hand slightly raised like a model student. ¡°What exactly is the interview about?¡±


    ¡°Well you know how fast technology keeps advancing and evolving right? So we want to ask how technology and things like the internet affect how you enjoy and view content.¡± Interesting.  It is definitely something content creators big and small have been needing to deal with for a long time now. ¡°Luna, Can I start with you? Do you think the increase in technology has improved the quality of media content?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it might be situational. Like there are some online videos that have a lot of effort and passion put into them, but on the other hand there are also a lot that feel like mindless cash grabs.¡± True, the amount of trash and ads that gets put on the front page of almost any website is basically unbearable¡­ however¡­


    ¡°Aiden, how do you feel?¡± asks Claire.


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    ¡°Well¡­ while I do agree to some extent, I actually think tech has mostly improved content. Sure there is a lot of bad content, but because of technology and the internet almost every person in the world is able to create and share whatever they can imagine. I think that has allowed a lot of stuff to shine.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, so does that make you feel that content created by a small team is better than a large one?¡± Claire throws another question back at me. It¡¯s starting to feel like she is trying to moderate a debate or something.


    ¡°Generally I believe so. While a large team can put more polish into a project, I think it can usually balloon and lead to miscommunication and lack of focus.¡± The amount of large games that have been released that have promised the world only to release in a barely playable state is laughable at this point. Usually The large scale and teams that companies try to throw at them is what I feel has led to games being so, well, bad recently.


    ¡°I think I would have to agree.¡± Luna added. ¡°while I can still enjoy larger projects, when something is made by a smaller team or a single person. I think that means they have to put all of their passion into it if they want it to succeed.¡±


    ¡°Good, good¡­¡± Claire scribbles everything we say on her tablet. ¡°Moving on, Luna, what kind of online content do you consume the most?¡±


    ¡°hm, well¡­¡± This one seems to have made her a little nervous. ¡°Honestly I don''t think I am online too much. I guess it is mostly just stuff I find on social media, though I really only follow my close friends. Though I do still sometimes watch movies or play some games here and there.¡± So she plays games too huh, I guess even the popular kids do dabble in it. Wonder what kind of stuff she plays?


    ¡°Ooh yeah, I''m sure you have a lot you wanna ask Aiden.¡± Claire''s face beams with excitement. ¡°You are always playing those online games right?¡±


    ¡°H-hey it''s not like the only thing I do is play games¡­ But I guess I am usually online.¡±


    ¡°well, out with it. What kind of things do you do online?¡± Claire asks  teasingly while waving her tablet up and down at me. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to say any of the pervy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Like I would you idiot!¡± I snap back. ¡°Seriously, it is mostly just videos and games I like, The Realm Of The Timeless Lands the most. And nothing pervy!¡± It feels like this girl has to make a jab any chance she can get. I turn to Luna but she is just trying to hold in her laughter. I thought she perked up but I guess I just imagined it.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, it is just really nice to see how close you guys are,¡± Luna says after calming herself down. Do we really seem that close? Maybe I am acting too friendly with Claire and making her grossed out, and that is why she teases me so much? I was the one that was thinking she wanted something like a date today. Claire however clears her throat and moves on.


    ¡°Alright on to the next question. Aiden do you feel that the advancement of tech and media has begun to blur the lines between reality and fiction?¡±


    ¡°I think it can feel that way at first, but the more you experience-¡± At first I want to disagree. Reality is reality. Fiction is fiction. One is real and the other is not. But recently I feel like things haven''t been that simple for me. Since I first started using full dive VR and playing TROTL I feel like I have enjoyed it way more than my real life. I still knew none of it was real, but now there is everything that happened with Excalibur so far. It was my real body that stabbed me after all, somehow blurring that line between real and fiction.


    ¡°Aiden?¡± Crap, I got a little lost in thought there.


    ¡°S-sorry. A lot¡¯s been going on lately. I''m not sure honestly.¡± Come on idiot, you must look like a weirdo now.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I guess these questions get a little complicated.¡± Claire nodded as she begins to get up and stretch. ¡°I''m gonna go freshen up a little, Luna do you want to come with?¡±


    ¡°N-no I''ll be okay.¡± Uh oh, I''m not as extroverted as Claire. This might go bad quickly.


    ¡°Okay, suit yourself. I won''t be too long.¡± Claire turns and heads down the hall for the restrooms. Leaving me alone with a girl I don''t know, this might be the meanest thing Claire has done to me!


    ¡°Um, hey¡­ so what was that game you said you play?¡± Luna timidly asks.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I-it''s called Realm Of The Timeless Lands¡­¡± I lower my head as I explain. ¡°but a lot of people shorten it to just TROTL. It''s actually a VRMMO and-¡± Hold on there. I should probably stop myself before I nerd out and over explain.


    ¡°No way!¡± Looking up I¡¯m surprised by how relieved she looks. ¡°I started playing that game a couple months ago. It¡¯s been a lot of fun!¡±


    ¡°Really? Can I ask what class you play as?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I was younger I practiced martial arts. So when I started the game I thought playing a brawler would be easiest for me. As I kept playing I found people didn¡¯t really like brawlers for DPS, so I made my secondary class enchanter to help.¡± Huh, I guess StarDrifter is the same as her then. ¡°What about yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a h- I mean a thief and knight.¡± Oops, I almost said hero. Hold on, why do I even need to keep that a secret? ¡°...I liked the movement that thief has but wanted something with a bigger punch for my secondary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny, I met someone in game with that class not too long ago, well kind of.¡±


    ¡°They swapped to something else?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s something like¡­ they gained a power up or something, I guess?¡± Luna scratches her chin questioning herself. A powerup? The only thing that is coming to my mind is, wait¡­ surely it¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking. There are too many coincidences piling up.


    ¡°W-wait a second¡­ Is your username StarDrifter?¡± Silence. Luna stiffens while slowly her face grows more and more red before she hides behind her hands with a groan.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t go saying it outloud! It¡¯s embarrassing!¡± Star, I mean, Luna cries. ¡°How would you ev-¡± she pauses mid sentence, slowly she lowers her arms and looks up at me. I think she might have connected the dots.


    ¡°I, I am actually Echo_of_Amber¡­¡± I say with my voice trailing off towards the end. God she¡¯s right this is embarrassing. ¡°I guess it¡¯s good to meet you in real life too?¡± I didn¡¯t mean for it to sound so unsure, but seeing how nervous I am seems to ease her a little as she starts to laugh softly.


    ¡°Ha, yeah it¡¯s good to meet you too Aiden.¡± She reaches her hand out across the table offering a handshake. I nod and give her the best firm handshake I can. Huh, I thought if she did martial arts her hand would be rougher but it''s actually pretty soft. Hold on your being a creep! Let go already! ¡°Seriously talk about small world. But hey, I¡¯m actually glad I have someone to talk about that game now!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I awkwardly retract my hand bringing it to my right shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t really have any friends or family that are too into gaming, so I doubt any of them would want to hear it.¡± You can say that again. I can easily remember all the times when I was little and I would overshare on whatever new game I was fanboying over. My dad would try to listen as best he could but I know he couldn¡¯t understand at all. In grade school I would often tell stories about the things I saw or achieved in the games I loved. I wanted someone that I could talk to and have fun with. It really wasn¡¯t till high school I found a group and made friends with Tristan. Well, seeing how well that friendship ended up, I think I know how this meeting will go now. ¡°Hey, is your shoulder alright?¡± Her question feels like a wake-up call. I realize I¡¯ve been silently rubbing my shoulder this whole time now.


    ¡°Oh! Yeah, it¡¯s nothing. It has just been pretty sore since yesterday morning.¡± I must have really slept on it weird or something. It was actually the morning after we beat that hacker. I felt exhausted and crashed, next thing I know my shoulder has been bugging me since.


    ¡°Hah, isn''t that where that hacker hit you? Guess it hurt so much you got hurt for real too.¡± Luna says jokingly.


    ¡°Yeah I gue-¡± I start to respond, but a sudden realization stops me in my tracks. She is absolutely right. My shoulder only started hurting after getting kicked by Dead-F4 in TROTL. He also started acting weird at the end of the fight, almost like he got hurt too. You could chalk that up to coincidence, however my chest was also hurting after I woke up from getting stabbed by Excalibur. Both times I felt drained of energy and had pain after. I¡­ I think Excalibur is somehow making every attack hurt in real life.


    I start to feel dizzy. It feels like the whole world is tilting and shifting before my eyes as everything clicks in my head. It¡¯s almost like everything is slowly turning to mush. My thoughts begin to feel like a tangled mess as my brain keeps thinking of new questions. How, When, Who, Why. What¡­ What if I can die using Excalibur? Worse¡­ What about someone else? When I was fighting Dead-F4 I purposely aimed for his neck. Could I end up accidentally killing someone else? The thought alone makes me so nauseous I cover my mouth. My whole body feels wrong.


    ¡°Hey¡­ you¡¯re looking kind of pale. Are you alright?¡± Star asks gently.


    ¡°That sword¡­ Ex-¡± I slowly try to look up at her again, But my gaze goes past her. I see the mirror behind her, I see my reflection behind her. That same face that I saw before I got stabbed. I can''t hold it back much longer. I jump up from my seat at the booth as fast as I can ¡°Sorry!¡± I choke out into my hand. Running past a startled Claire in the hall I rush into the bathroom stall and let out all the vomit I held back.