When you pass out and wake up several times in a row, you start to wonder what’s going to show up next on the agenda. Like when the ten year old toaster finds a way to break in a unique way every time you use it.

It’s that sort of thing where you don’t actually want anything to happen, but your brain starts anticipating it anyway and goes, what next? Would I see Rosa? My room? A hospital ceiling?

Turns out my first guess was correct, as I awoke to the sight of golden locks falling all over my face.

The owner of said locks was a young woman with a rosy complexion, with an almost doll-like innocence to her posture. Her eyes were the most brilliant blue I’d seen in my life, a piercing azure that looked as if they had been shaped from a piece of the sky. It was Rosa, the Briar Princess of Briarwood and the love interest of BR in the flesh.

“I’m still dreaming,” came the first and foremost thought. Then, followed soon after by, “I am dreaming, aren’t I?”

“Welcome back, Chosen One,” Rosa whispered. “I’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you to arrive.”

“Thank you?” I propped myself up one hand.

I was lying on a bed of flowers under a massive tree, sunlight filtering through its branches and casting leafy shadows on the ground. Beyond the oak tree was a wide, rolling field, ending in what looked like a tall, brown wall of something off in the distance.

It was strange how I’d awoken cushioned by flowers but still hadn’t lapsed into a sneezing fit by now. My pollen allergy usually wasn’t this kind. In fact, I couldn’t even smell the flowers at all, maybe—

“Chosen One~” Rosa leaned on my shoulders, somehow having moved behind me while I was figuring out my surroundings. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Say? What was I supposed to say?

“Is there anything you had in mind?” I asked instead.

“Such as, ‘Rosa! It really is you!” her expression morphed into one of mimicked shock. “or, ‘I love you, Rosa’. Or…”

Her eyes narrowed to sly slits.

“‘Am I dreaming?’”

“That’s a good question,” Now that she mentioned that, I tried the foolproof trick of pinching myself.

Nope, didn't hurt. In fact, it didn’t even feel like anything. Like I was pinching air.

“Am I dreaming?”

Rosa giggled.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you take a guess?”

“…”

“Maybe you are dreaming. Maybe you aren’t. Maybe you’re both awake and asleep at the same time. Either way, what matters is that you’re here, right?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m so glad we have an understanding! I think I deserve a little something. Like a few words of praise?”

Rosa hummed, tapping her fingers on her knee as she waited. Now, I was thoroughly convinced that I was dreaming. Characters in video games didn’t just show up in real life.

“Thank you for your help,” I said, not knowing what kind of praise she wanted. I was a little spooked by how this was panning out.

Although I did say that this was the Rosa from Briarwood Rebirth, there was something different. The way she composed herself, the way she spoke were drastically different from the Rosa I knew. Game Rosa was… not as bold as this Rosa was.

I fought the urge to run off somewhere to wake myself up. It was just a dream, after all. Couldn’t hurt to watch and see where it went, could it?

“That was lacklustre… but alternatively, do you have something for me?” Rosa continued after I didn’t answer. “A present?”

“What kind of present?”

“Like a shining mirror, or a mighty sword. Those would be perfect for a beautiful maiden like me, hmm?”

A mirror…

“Oh! Hold on…”

I turned and began searching the flowers for the bundle of stuff the boy from the start had shoved onto my person before I passed out the second time. I don’t know what made me think that the two parts of my dream would have such continuity, but I found it anyway, placed tidily amidst the roots of the tree. I picked it all up and showed it to Rosa, who nodded in approval.

“You understood that faster than the others. I am so glad we have this… connection. Now, if only you would fall as fast as they did too… that would make my day.”

“Some guy told me to hand all this over,” I decided to ignore the last comment. “Tall, white hair, ghastly looking... Said you’d know what to do.”

The approval in her eyes flashed into something else for a brief moment. I couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but it was the sort of feeling that didn’t fit in with the rest of her. Like if a fluffy little lamb opened its mouth to show three rows of razor sharp teeth.

Conflict? Irritation? Anger? Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant, and the knowing smile was back in place.

“I know, sweetpea. He did that because you’re a Chosen One,” she said sweetly, cupping her cheek with one hand. “And that’s why I came to greet yo-“

“ROSA!” came a shrill, commanding voice. The air in front of us shifted, and two people stepped into being as if sweeping past an invisible curtain.

One was a fierce looking dark lady, with dreadlocks dyed electric blue at the ends and tied back in a high ponytail. She seemed to have a bird theme going on, with colourful feather decorated accessories hanging around her shoulders and pointed elven ears. Her arms were crossed in front of the massive feather curling up along her left shoulder, and a scowl adorned her stern face.

The other was a giant of a man, nearly two times the height of the lady and three times as wide. Blue eyes almost as piercing as Rosa’s peered out from behind bushy eyebrows as he scratched at a fabulously full beard. He had some of the biggest muscles I’d seen (some of the biggest I’d seen in person. The internet has some crazy stuff), each tanned bulge the size of a dumbbell.

“That’s enough from you, Rosa,” the fierce lady said sternly to Rosa, who made another odd face. “I know it’s in your programming, but could you try not to flirt with every Chosen One that falls in here?”

“Of course, honey,” Rosa smiled sweetly and got up, brushing at the rose petals adorning her dress. “I swear that I will never do it again. Do you need anything else?”

The giant snorted. “Give up, Marge. NPCs never learn.”

“No harm in trying,” The woman named Marge dismissed Rosa with a wave of her hand, before turning to me. “And you. I take it you’re the new guy?”

“I guess so,” then after a brief moment of consideration. “Who are you two?”

“Margaret Hansen. You can call me Lark or Marge,” said the lady. “I’m the guild master of the Chosen Ones’ Alliance.”

Hmm… Chosen Ones’ Alliance… Sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place…

“I’m Trix,” said the giant. “My username is TrixNoct. Vice captain of the Chosen Ones’ Alliance.”

“Nice to meet you both. I’m Bad Luck. Or, Luck, I guess,” I decided to go along with it and introduce myself by the username on my main account. It was more of an impulse decision than a calculated one, but it somehow appealed more to roleplay a character while I was in this fantasy dream setting. “Where are we, by the way?”

“The Capital of Briarwood. Or the Outer City, to be exact. That’s the Roots over there, leading out of the tutorial zone,” Marge pointed towards the brown wall in the distance. “Behind you is the Inner City.”

She pointed towards the giant tree.

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“I see. Thanks,” I said. Marge and Trix waited and stared at me. I stared back.

They then exchanged a glance.

“I’m sure you have many questions,” began Marge. “But to give you the gist of it, you’ve been transported into Briarwood Rebirth. You know, that MMORPG developed by Pendrakon Games. I suppose that you beat the final Decay boss?”

“Yup.”

“Yeah. So we’ve done a survey and everyone who’s physically in this place has beaten the boss not long before they were transported. It’s not a definitive answer, but I’m pretty sure that’s why you ended up here,” explained Marge. “The game calls those of us who’ve reached the true ending ‘Chosen Ones’, and we’re here for some purpose we haven’t quite figured out yet. As for escaping…we haven’t figured that out yet either—”

“…”

“—We have access to most of the functions you would have playing the game normally. If you want to open your inventory, or settings, all you have to do is say the name out loud and the System will handle it for you. You can also see your Chosen One specific skills in the character menu—”

“…”

“—With a new Chosen One arriving, the System launched the End of Ruin event. Marge will probably be busy, but I’d be happy to bring you—”

That was…a lot of information. With how they were talking one after the other like clockwork, I’d think that it was scripted. That, or they’d done this explaining thing to new Chosen Ones many times in the past.

“—The Chosen Ones’ Alliance is a guild Marge formed to get everyone to work together to find an exit. We pool resources, share equipment, and go on raids every so often to help the newbies level up faster. So you see, contrary to all the accusations, we aren’t actually hackers. We’re just stuck here physically, without any form of support or tutorial system, which is why it would be in your interest to join us.”

A translucent, green window popped out of thin air in front of me. On it showed a guild invite from LarkspurXX, which, as I guessed from her expectant look, seemed to be Marge.

Hmm. Why not? It was a dream.

“Sure,” I said, hitting accept.

“Great! We’re not exactly a big guild given the passing rate for the boss, but we’ve stockpiled a decent amount of resources that we can lend you at any time,” Marge looked pleased, the stern look fading into something softer. “Well… that’s the introduction done with. Those were the answers to the questions that Chosen Ones usually ask us when they get here. Do you have any questions of your own?”

I was about to say no and let the dream take me wherever it went, until I remembered the pile of stuff I had yet to ask Princess Rosa about. Who… seemed to have vanished while I was talking to Marge and Trix.

“Yes, actually. What is this stuff?” I held up one of the metal bits to show Marge.

The pleased look went away and was replaced by a somewhat embarrassed one.

“Uhh, those are your perks. They give you bonuses for being a Chosen One, like increased exp, gold, and rare item drop rates. They’re very good, especially the drop rate one, so I’d advise you to prioritise equipping them over any other perks you find in dungeons.”

“The clothes and sword are beginner equipment for Chosen Ones. They’re better than what you can find in the Capital. Upgradable, changes according to your class. They should serve you well up until Level 30. And this mirror,” Trix hefted the mirror to face me. “Is for customising your appearance, because uhh… not sure you’d want to walk around looking like that.”

And they were right, because right now, I was not myself. “I”, as reflected in the mirror, was a blob of reddish-brown smoke, shaped vaguely into a human-like form. I checked my hand to see if it was just the mirror being weird, to find that it was indeed a wispy mass of smoke.

“Sorry. I may have mixed you up with the last guy who came before you. Rosa couldn’t get the glamour to work with him even after we got there, so I thought it was the same with you.”

“Okay, so stare into the mirror and think hard about what you want to look like,” instructed Marge. “I usually suggest using your real life appearance, since experience shows that those looks don’t fall apart as often as fabricated ones. Oh yeah, and you’ll have to go through this process with the mirror once in a while, otherwise you’ll go back to being formless.”

“I’d advise doing it every week during server maintenance,” added Trix. “Keeps you grounded.”

“Got it,” I stared at my reflection in the mirror, and tried to do as I was told to do. Imagine what I look like, hmm… male, Asian, 170cm tall… square-ish face, short black hair… That bit of stubble I could never seem to get rid of… Glasses! That’s right, I wondered if that was going to get added in… And eyes! Yes, eyes, umm… people always said that my eyes were the type that made me look like I was always in an incredibly good mood, so let’s go with that…

The surface of the mirror misted over, and soon, I wasn’t staring at the red-brown smoke person me anymore, but actual me. I glanced up at Trix and Marge, who were waiting for me to finish up.

“Looks like there were no issues this time either. I told you Haruki was the odd one out, Marge,” Trix nodded in approval, before shaking my hand. “Welcome to the team. Properly this time.”

“Our guild base is in the Inner City, on the third branch of the Great Oak. The entrance is right next to the stairs, you should be able to find it easily. If you want to see Rosa again, you can try to summon her at the top of the Great Oak. No guarantee she’ll come though.”

“I’d tell you about what being a member of the Alliance entails, but that can wait until you’re strong enough to stand on your own feet. Just focus on leveling up for now, and don’t hesitate to ask any of us for help.” said Marge, who then clapped her hands conclusively. “So, I think that just about wraps it up. Any more questions?”

They’d been so thorough in their explanation that I hadn’t been able to think of anything else to ask at the time.

Which was stupid, in hindsight, because that meant for the first leg of my journey, I had been missing the crucial answers to questions like “who is the ghastly scare?”, “who was that white lady?”, “what have you found so far?”, “why should I trust you?”, and most importantly, “am I actually dreaming?”.

Oh well, what’s done is done. The more you learn, eh?

So I just said no, and they pointed me in the vague direction of where I could go, and vanished back through the air curtain thing. And then, I was alone.

Damn, I thought to myself. What next?

Usually in dreams, you wait for all the action to come to you, but I supposed that this wasn’t the case this time.

The ghastly scare had poofed, Princess Rosa had also poofed, and now the two guides on my journey had poofed after dumping a whole bunch of information on me that my sleepy brain was still processing.

So I did what I do best when I’m tired and processing information, which is to exhaust all the options I can mess with sitting down before getting up and going outside. Or towards the Inner City, in this case.

I tried out the Inventory.

I found the settings menu and discovered that you could bind commands to your actions.

I looked at my character menu and was disappointed, but not surprised, to find that everything had indeed been reset.

I equipped my new stuff.

I checked to see if my glasses were real (they were, kinda, but I somehow also had perfect eyesight even after taking them off).

I wondered whether I was, in fact, not dreaming, and laughed off the notion.

Then I lay down and thought about what I was going to do next.

Should I continue to wait for the dream to play itself, or actually start leveling like Marge and Trix had suggested? It had been a while since they left, and there didn’t seem to be another mystical guide coming along to help me.

If I didn’t get going, I might miss out on all the interesting stuff my brain had cooked up for me. There was no telling when I’d have another chance to have some lucid dream fun like this again.

I stared out across the shaded field at the Great Oak standing tall in the distance.

There was no breeze, no warmth, no smells, nothing that I could feel or perceive other than what I could see and hear. If I paid enough attention, it was clear that the sound of the grass rustling was a looped audio segment, and that flowers or grass had as much texture as a flat piece of paper.

It was just a dream, I thought, shaking off the uneasy feeling that had started to creep through my bones. There were no consequences. Maybe I should take the initiative this time.

Out of habit, I dusted myself off as I got up (not that there was any dirt to dust off) and began heading towards the Great Oak.

I wondered whether I could build my account again, re-experience the early days of BR when I was still a newbie and had no idea what I was doing. Having to do the tutorial quests again would be a pain in the ass, but after those would be Class Change, the part of the tutorial that I’d always liked doing.

Oh, and I could experience the story mode. With how different everything seemed to be, I could treat it as a fresh experience! And exploring the areas again, clearing dungeons for the first time.

After the long years of not really playing the game, I was actually looking forward to experiencing it all over again, this time with the smarts that I’d learned over the years. Heck, when I woke up, it’d be unlikely I’d be able to do this in person, so might as well enjoy the dream while it lasted.

Unfortunately, what I didn’t know was that the next time I “woke up” would be after a long, long time.

***

“There wasn’t supposed to be a new Chosen One, Trix,” Marge stalked along the corridor of the guild hall, Trix following close behind her. “Oberon said that there wouldn’t be new Chosen Ones. Titania said no new Chosen Ones. Haruki went to get answers. Both of them said no more Chosen Ones.”

“Evidently, they were lying,” Trix rumbled, his usually gentle tone filled with unmasked spite. “You know what the Decay and Rosa are like. We should have expected that much from their maker.”

He sighed.

“Don’t worry, Marge. We can get through this.”

“But the countdown’s already started,” she fell back into a chair next to the door, her mind whirling. “We only have 300 days left. That’s less than a year. One year to do something we haven’t been able to do with 5 years. We don’t have time to baby a newbie.”

“Luck’s a speedrunner, Marge. You heard his name. You’ve seen his runs from years ago,” Trix patted her shoulder. “He’s a pro. I don’t think we’ll have to help him as much as we think. In fact, he may end up helping us a bunch.”

“But that’s when it was a game. This isn’t a game, Trix,” she had realised that fact all too soon, when they’d all discovered that this world, and all of its locals, had been against them since the very beginning. “This is real. Hitting the left mouse button isn’t the same as waving a sword! He seems the ditsy type too, he NEEDS coaching.”

“Calm down, it’ll be fine. Types like him know Briarwood like the back of their hand. He doesn’t need us to baby him, he’ll know what to do.”

“Well so did Michael! And we both know how Michael ended up!”

Silence.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised.

“It’s okay, Marge,” Trix’s eyes softened. “What happened to Michael won’t happen again. I know you’re trying your best too. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Luck.”

His voice lowered to a growl.

“And get answers out of the Decay. You just focus on finding a way for all of us to escape.”