The curtain whooshed open to Sim’s surprise as he sat up in the hospital bed to be his father looking worried about him.

“Hi, dad…” Sim said quietly.

Tears filled his eyes as his father ran towards the bed wrapping him in a tight hug.

“I thought you died! Isla said your friend helped fight off some strange thing and now the tower is in the distance?” His father cried.

“Yeah, but I'm fine and that was weird…” he assured.

They could see the spiral tower from the window of the hospital room. It stood tall and proud. As long as the sun was shining, it shone brightly as it lit up the entire town below.

“People said they felt as though they were being pulled by a sensation from it,” Sim’s father responded.

Sim shook his head to show that he was only confused. His father took a deep breath and explained further.

“They say that when it was first built, it was so big that it engulfed every inch of this town. Then after countless generations, it became too heavy and too big and chipped down,” His father recited.

“But that tower was erected suddenly?!” Sim shouted.

He felt like he was going insane, but why had that happened? Why was there such a sudden shift in the atmosphere around them? What kind of magic was doing this? Who was this mysterious person who caused the tower to appear overnight? How many others might be involved? How did they make themselves disappear? His questions continued to swirl through his mind.

“You are right the tower has been there…” Sim said silently.

He knew if he argued he would go mad too, so he decided against it and waited patiently for answers to come to him his father continued explaining to him what the strangers who talked and told him. At first, he refused to believe them, but the more he listened the more he understood what they were saying.

‘It’s all like my book,’ He sighed.

“Sim, oh uhh hello!” Roman laughed.

“I will see you later okay, Sim?” His Father said happily.

He walked out of the hospital room with a slight smile on his face. Sighing deeply he lay back down again on his bed. He felt exhausted. His muscles ached from the beating he took earlier.

“What happened to Dad?” Isla asked.

“I think the world is being rewritten…” Sim explained.

“I assume that is why your Dad doesn’t seem upset all of a sudden,” Roman coughed.

“I know you plan to go, but now I am concerned,” Isla stated.

Roman walked outside of the room to notice the emptiness of the hallway He walked up to the nurse station to get information about the hospital rooms and walked into the empty hospital room

“I guess they left.” Roman thought.

A stack of beds was left on the side of the room Roman walked over to one of the beds. As he lifted a blanket to uncover one of the sleeping patients he paused, staring. Someone was already sitting on the other side of the bed. Her blonde hair was tied into pigtails that fell down to her waist. Her blue eyes were closed peacefully as she lay on her back.

“People are lying on these beds despite being titled…” Sim whispered.

Roman nearly jumped out of his skin when he suddenly heard a soft voice coming from behind him. He spun around to see his little sister. She smiled warmly at him.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I am guessing they are not here to visit anyone,” She said quietly.

“How come you aren’t affected like Dad was?” Sim asked.

“I think in this reality I don’t need my sister because Isla is playing that role right now,” Roman noted.

“So then she wouldn’t be affected!” Sim yelled.

“Someone is here,” Isla explained.

“You can feel that?” He questioned.

She held tightly to a stance he recognized immediately; her hand on her chest while the other held up a sign with her fingers. She moved both hands together, making a cross-motion across the space in front of her Roman frowned. That sign meant peace like his sister used to make. Isla stared at the darkness. Her gaze was intense.

[Spirit of Lily awakened]

“So, then you were right,” Sim chuckled.

“She acts too much like Lily for me to ignore it now,” Roman stated.

[Users are sleeping Roman/Sim please be aware are NPC]

“Now you answer me!” Sim shouted.

[You need to prepare yourself Sim as this will be your first major battle]

“I don’t have a way to defend myself!” He mumbled.

[Use your surroundings before going down the hall]

Sim was annoyed with the new environment he was thrown into, but he knew there was no time to complain about things as it seemed he would be fighting an annoying enemy soon. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

He gawked around the room to see if there was anything like in the games as he looked through the rubbish of needles, wires, cords, bottles, jars, bandages, and other medical supplies. All that was left of the shelves that once stood in front of the room were pieces of wood stacked on top of each other. The walls were bare, leaving the floors clear for the use of the wounded.

‘Where do I start?’ He pondered.

“Sim, maybe this place doesn’t have your weapon?” Isla thought.

“Did you just read my mind?!” Sim shouted.

“Unfortunately Lily was able to…” Roman snorted.

She felt like a different person sometimes, but that wasn’t necessarily bad. It was just an added bonus.

‘That is so cool!’ Sim thought in awe.

“Roman, you need to be careful” Isla scolded.

Sim was pumping himself up to be ready for whatever might await him. The battle with this unknown monster would determine if he was worthy enough to become the next great warrior or not. He had to keep reminding himself to stay focused as he could potentially miss out on opportunities to defeat this foe.

“Alright let’s get moving!” Sim exclaimed.

The ground under their feet shook causing the earth to sway. Everyone was sent stumbling forward. Roman held onto Isla for safety. Isla grabbed hold of one of Sim’s arms as she tried to keep her balance. Roman looked around to see where the tremors came from. The walls of the area began shaking. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling.

“We gotta run!” She shouted.

“This isn’t going according to plan!” Sim exclaimed.

He pushed himself to try and run faster but a gust of wind knocked him back as he started to trip.

Roman caught him.

“Be careful!” He warned.

Suddenly everyone went flying as something large smashed down the floor. They landed hard. Sim groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

“Are you guys okay?” Sim called.

They watched the halls fall apart beneath them as debris flew everywhere. Pieces of rock and dirt crashed down all around them. A loud roar echoed through the air. Sim looked at the wreckage around them.

Simon looked at the wreckage around them. He saw another figure walking toward him through the dust and falling stones. His heart raced and the adrenaline surged through his body. This was not good. This was NOT GOOD! The figure stopped right in front of him.

His body shook as he realized it was Jewel from the day before as her witch hat tilted slightly upward revealing her black eyes filled with malice. Jewel placed her hands behind her back. She looked confident. Like a queen surveying her domain.

“I am not ready!” Sim shouted.

Everyone ignored his warning as a small stone came crashing down from above them.

‘That was close!’ He cursed.

“Don’t worry,” Jewel stated, “I am here to give you a message.”

She smirked and raised her hands in front of her. The ground rose up beneath them as a wave of sand rose into the air. It formed a giant sandstorm. A sharp breeze blew past Sim’s body.

The stone on the floor had a light symbol carved into its smooth surface. It sparkled in the light of the rising sun. Sim felt compelled to pick it up, but something made him stop. Something inside prevented him from lifting the stone from its place on the ground. It was a mysterious force, and he couldn’t shake off the sensation.

“Let me help you, my dear,” Jewel offered, reaching her hand out toward Sim.

Pulling her blade he noticed the red tassel hanging from the blade’s hilt as it was glowing slightly. The light of the sun reflected from the tip of her sword. He looked directly into it.

An intense power came from the stone as he grabbed it feeling the burning consume his hand. It hurt like hell but he did his best to ignore the pain. It climbed through his veins, spreading throughout his entire body.

He could feel every part of his body vibrating as it fought to gain control over his own strength. Sim grunted in agony and gripped his head trying to hold it in place. The sound of his skull cracking reverberated through his ears.

‘No, no, no!’ Sim screamed internally as he struggles with what was happening.

Suddenly the pain subsided, and his body slumped. He fell onto his side.

[Weapon Activated: Light Canon]

“What-” Sim thought, exhausted.

Jewel was angrily shocked as she watched it unfold. She stepped closer to Sim’s body and placed the tip of her blade into his chest.

“I am done playing nice with you. Today is finally my turn to play with you.” She announced.

‘It feels like… I am still holding the stone in my hand, and I am still able to move my arm!’ He thought.

Her grip tightened on the hilt of the blade as Roman charged in [Weapon Activation: Heavy Blade]

‘She can’t do any serious damage yet’ Sim thought.

The two blades collided in midair. Is this really happening? Is this real? Is this even possible?! He wondered. The clash between the two swords was incredibly powerful.