[Lindrick; Capital of New Beginnings]

That was the name card that popped up for all the players that entered into the area.

Confusion and excitement filled each and every one of them as they took in their surroundings, the large number of players catching some off guard.

It wasn’t the nicest looking place, stone walkways crumbling, abandoned buildings, scrawny looking npcs. Even the fountain in the center of the plaza looked like it hadn’t been used in years.

“Yup this place is just as depressing looking as i thought…” a fair skinned knight thought to himself aloud.

He had windswept blonde hair pulled into a small ponytail and teal colored eyes.

His armor consisted of some shabby old metal plate mail that’d clearly seen better days, along with a tattered dirty white cape hanging from his back.

The username in the top left of his hud read “Ryder”, it was right above the main status bars.

“Man they really aren’t hiding this inspiration at all are they? Oh well, guess it just adds to the atmosphere.”

Ryder inspected his gear, old dingy armor, a two handed longsword and a shield were the only things he had, though he promptly removed the shield.

“Sheesh, even the starting equipment is pretty minimal…” he glanced around hoping to see some kind of shop or sign of where to go. No such sign existed unfortunately.

With a sigh he rubbed the back of his head before starting a walk around this so-called capital.

The place was more like a ghost town than any would be capital, it definitely seemed more like a beginner hub.

Only two to three NPCs were there from the looks of it, the rest of the population seemed to be player based surprisingly enough.

“Might as well see if the NPCs have anything important to say” he mused to himself, unsure of what else to do.

Ryder walks up to a rather scrawny looking woman in what appears to be some kind of tattered and torn robe. It looks like she’s seen better days and she seems to be focusing on some kind of prayer.

She had pale, almost ill seeming skin, sunken in green eyes with permanent dark bags under them and messy dirty blonde hair that reached down to her shoulders.

“Oh merciful gazer, please lead these outlanders to freedom. Bring us our new lord. Bring us salvation!” her voice was hoarse and raspy, like she’d been speaking all day.

“Excuse me, miss?” Ryder spoke gently trying to calmly get her attention, she may have been just an NPC but it was still fulldive, she still seemed somewhat real.

The woman let out a surprised gasp before looking up, fear in her eyes.

“Oh forgive me, I didn't know you had all already arrived!” she stands up and lightly bows “My name is Eleanor, i’m the Memento Maiden of these parts.”

Ryder tries to hide his confusion a little before asking. “A Memento Maiden? What is that exactly?”

“Oh right, I forgot that you Outlanders might not know of such things… my role as a Memento Maiden is to allow those such as yourself to use the power of Memoirs and Mementos to increase your own abilities.” as Eleanor says this she produces a small talisman of sorts. “Here, this is a Memento, an object imbued with the memories of a fallen soldier.”

The talisman did seem to have a faint glow to it, like an item just begging to be picked up. Carefully he scoops it up and examines it, only for it to fade and turn into bright blue particles that drift away.

Soon after that a number appeared in the bottom left of the hud, experience points had just been added.

“Now let those memories enhance your own abilities.”

A new menu popped up, this time a level up screen rests before Ryder.

It was only enough for one level but hey it served as a decent tutorial on what experience was here. “So that’s what this is, I understand now. Thank you Eleanor.”

The Memento Maiden seemed oddly puzzled at the response but bows her head. “It is no trouble at all, I am merely fulfilling my duty to help you on your path to lordship.”

Right, NPC… no need to be nice to them or treat them like a player. It felt odd though, Eleanor almost seemed somewhat real to him. The changing of emotion in her eyes, the way she reacted to being appreciated.

“Man, these things are getting too realistic for my liking.” a halfhearted sigh escapes his lips as he begins to walk off now, debating on what to do next.

Without much direction on what to do and everyone else still looking for secrets in the town he felt it’d be best to set off. Briskly he strolled towards the nearest exit and gazed out in surprise at what awaited.

Rolling green plains, a bright blue sky, lush trees and tall rocky mountains in the distance. Birds sang, deer frolicked about and squirrels could be spotted resting in the trees.

Even the smell of it was unbelievable, it was like being transported into a section of the world that hadn’t yet been touched by human hands.

The gentle wind blowing through his hair made it nearly impossible to remember that this was all just a game.

“It’s pretty isn’t it? I sat here for hours during the beta tests just admiring the view.”

A new voice snapped him out of the trance-like state he’d been in. To his left was now a new player, “Lily” hung above her head. Her model seemed to be barely five feet tall, had pale skin, light blue eyes and short pitch black hair.

She wore a kind and rather innocent smile on her face as she looked at the scenery before them.

“Yeah, I guess so… i wasn’t expecting it to be so…breathtaking” Ryder admits while looking back out at the scenery once more, still stunned by everything before him.

“I know, almost feels like we’ve entered a different world entirely!” she quietly walks forward “most games rarely take this much care in making the world this detailed, for one reason or another.”

Her attire appears to be primarily black leather with a few bits of metal and a hood. Must’ve started as the thief class.

“Yeah, tell me about it… I've only heard of this level of detail being used for therapy patients and horror games.” He crosses his arms trying to hide a slight shudder, It was clearly noticed though as a tiny laugh escapes from Lily.

“So Mr Knight, what are you doing on the outskirts of town alone? Thinking of going solo like the hardcores?” her voice held a tiny tinge of amusement and slight teasing.

“No, just don’t have any friends to play with. That and I’ve never been good with large crowds like that.” Ryder motions back to the still bustling streets behind them. “Plus this is my first full dive rpg, i figured i’d try to get used to the combat before things get crazy.”

“Wow you’re a newbie? Could’ve fooled me by the way you’re moving around already.” Lily slowly begins pacing around him in a circle, as if trying to figure out if he was lying or not.

Though a bit confused Ryder raises an eyebrow as if to question her. “What do you mean? Is there something odd about my movement?”

Lily quickly shakes her head “No, it’s the opposite actually! From what I saw of you walking around and motioning with your body it’s like you’ve already been using full dive for years!” She quickly does a few more seemingly simple hand motions. “Stuff like this is pretty hard for people to get used to, only lucid dreamers and full dive veterans can move naturally like us.”

“Huh, really? I guess I just never noticed that. I’ve only been using reflection for a few months at this point, and really only for movies.” he glances down at his hand, mirroring her a bit, a bit surprised by this information.

Was this really that hard to do?

“Hey, that's still really impressive! It takes most people a year to feel natural! Plus that means learning combat will be really easy for you. Heck I could show you the ropes if you want.” as she says this she smiles and points a thumb behind her to the open fields before them.

“How? Player vs player?”

Ryder dreaded the thought of this, he’d only ever done pvp games with one person… and he was god awful at it.

“Nah, it’s simple, I'd just show you the ropes then you can test on a random enemy.” she smiles and waits for an answer while now haphazardly flipping a knife.

Though a bit reluctant to accept the offer it was rather tempting. Ryder had never even experienced any kind of full dive combat system before, let alone one that was probably pretty in-depth.

Not to mention this woman in front of him was a beta tester, she likely knew the ins and outs of the system already.

With a sigh and inner admittance of defeat he shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not? Probably faster than experimenting on my own.”

“Great! Come on then, we have to get you used to the basics before everyone starts raiding all the good dungeons! Those ten minutes you spend waiting on it to refresh are unbearable!” Without hesitation Lily grabs him by the hand and begins dragging him off into the fields.

After finding a decently sized tree the two took their places, weapons drawn and began the lesson.

“Now I know combat may seem a bit intimidating at first but there’s really nothing to it.” Lily holds her knife out for Ryder to see. “Most of the time your weapon will just follow the path you swing it, as one would expect.” She does a few light swings, cutting some of the bark on the tree. “However the key to good combat is knowing the proper motions for combat skills.”

“Combat Skills… you mean like abilities?” Ryder looked at his own sword slightly confused, though a bit surprised when he saw his own reflection looking back.

“I guess you could think of them that way, essentially they’re how the game registers more powerful attacks.” Lily holds her knife in a reverse grip for a moment causing the blade to begin to hum slightly. “Hear that? It’s the game’s way of telling you you’re in a combat skill stance. Any move after this will be assisted and will do more damage.” She stabs the blade into the tree causing a deep gash to form and a surprising amount of bark to fly off.

“I see, so it’s like training wheels until you learn to properly fight on your own?” Ryder glances at the blade once again as if unsure of himself.

“That’s right, the more consistently you pull off correct moves or use the system properly the less the system will assist you.” She removes the knife and motions for him to give it a try.

“Like this?” Ryder takes up a simple two handed position like one would see in most movies. The blade begins to hum ever so slightly as if to acknowledge his question. It was an odd sensation, it was almost as if someone was holding his hands and guiding him into the correct stance. The blade growing ever so slightly louder with each minor adjustment.

“Perfect! Now whenever you’re ready just give it a nice swing! Don’t try to fight the assisted swing!” Lily cheers out while crossing her arms, watching him in anticipation.

After taking a deep breath Ryder raises the blade and swings at the tree, though it didn’t feel like he was the one swinging. It felt as if the blade itself was moving his body in the correct motion.

As the blade cleaved into the tree, wood splinters and bark flew everywhere. Ryder could feel the strain of the impact in his hands as he tried to pull the sword away.

It was strange, the feeling of power and helplessness it gave him, like he wasn’t fully in control. Yet it didn’t feel all that out of place either, like aim assist on older games.

“There you go! That’s basically all there is to standard attacks, now signatures are waaaay harder to get used to.” she says enthusiastically while giving him a thumbs up.

Not even attempting to hide his surprise Ryder quickly whips his head to look at Lily, his voice getting a bit loud. “There’s more!?”

“Oh yeah, there’s signatures, blocking, parrying, buffs, debuffs, counters, criticals, all kinds of stuff!” as she says this Lily counts off each one on her fingers before shrugging. “It’s the magic of this combat system, it starts off slow but has a lot of potential!”

Ryder hangs his head in defeat at this, it was like an information overload for him. He was way out of his depth here and he knew it. “Is there any way to simplify things?”

“Well, you aren’t using the starting shield… do you plan on using it at all?” Lily put her hand on her chin and pretended to stroke an invisible beard while lost in thought.

“No, never really liked that stuff, always was a fan of seeing two handing or dual wielding.” he admits loosely, not really caring about the shield in his inventory.

“Oh! So then you won’t have to worry about parrying, blocking and most of that! The only thing you really need to understand is combat, dodging, deflecting and criticals! And I guess signatures would still be important.”

“That’s still a lot… but I think I understand how the system works, I just need to follow through when I do something, yeah?” Ryder says, taking up a new stance, one looking close to something akin to schluessel sword stance. The blade begins to hum as the air swirls around the blade.

“Yeah, for the most part that’s all there is to it.” she shrugs a little. “So long as the system can detect what you’re doing then you’re good.”

“Does the system rely on both thoughts and body movement?” He raises the blade a bit more, the system slowly helping him correct back into proper position.

Lily seems surprised by the question, admitting so as she calmly says “I know it relies on body movement, I never thought about the nanomachines letting the system know what we’re wanting to do mentally.”

Ryder brings the blade down in one swift movement, cleaving through the tree and causing it to fall over. The hud seems to have changed a bit, a bit of the blue bar next to his hp is gone now. “I’m guessing that was a signature? Some of my mp drained after that.”

“Yeah, it was.” Lily replies, shocked at what she just saw. “I’ve gotta say though you’re full of surprises, normally it takes people several tries before correctly pulling off a signature like that! Are you sure you’re really a newbie?” she looks at him skeptically, though clearly just messing with him.

Ryder lets out a tiny laugh at this. “Yes, I haven't really played any games in awhile. In fact this game was actually a gift.”

“Well then at least you’re getting the hang of it quickly, you ready to take on your first mob?” Lily walks up to him and holds out her hand. “Shake my hand to start a party, that way we can’t accidentally hit each other.”

“Odd way to do a party invite but alright, guess it helps keep things more immersive.” Ryder shakes her hand and as he does so there’s a little ringing noise.

Lily seems to have a blue outline now and he can see her name and health under his own now.

“Pretty nice right? Now we can share exp and don’t have to worry about accidentally killing each other.” she casually reaches her knife through his body like it’s a normal thing to do. “See? No hitbox now.”

Ryder’s face had grown noticeably paler and more shocked.

“Please don’t do that again.”

This time it was Lily’s turn to let out a laugh before turning around. “Don’t worry, it was just an example. Come on partner! Battle awaits!” Without a moment’s hesitation she starts running to a dirt path.

“Hey don’t just leave me behind!” he calls out, as he puts his sword away before following her.

It was strange for Ryder, while he’d usually be annoyed at being bothered by a stranger like this, it was actually kind of nice for once. Maybe it was the sense of freedom this new world was giving him, or maybe it was an adrenaline rush from the sword practice earlier. Whatever it was for the first time in a long while he’d felt like he was actually having fun. He was actually enjoying someone else’s company.

The everyday monotony of the real world seemed to vanish entirely as he ran, wind blowing past him. The sound of his armor shifting with each step. The animals fleeing as he approached, grass crunching underfoot. It all made him forget about everything.

This was clearly what he had needed, some form of escape. Some way to not be himself for a while. A way to just be free, to not have to worry about what the next day would bring.

His lungs felt like they were on fire for the first time in ages but that pain was liberating. He found himself genuinely smiling as he caught back up with Lily who was now crouching down on top of a hill.

“There he is, that’s one of the early game enemies.” she smiles while looking back. “Think you’re ready to handle your first real challenge?”

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The enemy at the bottom of the hill appeared to be some ordinary foot soldier carrying a spear and torch. Though his skin was noticeably discolored and his eyes pure white.

“What’s wrong with him? Is it an undead curse?” Ryder now crouches down as well just to avoid detection.

“Nope, story goes, these soldiers were drained of their humanity by the Lord Candidate of these parts.” She looks back at the soldier now. “Apparently he’s a cruel and unjust lord seeking only to claim what he thinks is rightfully his.”

“What does it mean to be drained of humanity?” he asks, a bit of fear and worry in his voice.

“You know how our leveling system is based on extracting power from memories right? Well they’ve been drained of all memories. Effectively making them nothing more than puppets following orders.” Lily states nonchalantly as she keeps watching the enemy at the bottom of the hill.

Ryder grimaces a little at the thought, he knew the lore would be dark but that’s not what he was expecting after the scenery.

Lily looks at Ryder once more. “That’s why us players, or Outlanders, were called here. We have to take care of the people that are committing such terrible acts.”

“I see… and you said he’s basically nothing more than a puppet now right?” Ryder stands up, drawing his sword once more.

“That’s right, all he knows how to do is fight and that’s mainly just muscle memory.” she confirms before looking off at something.

“So then this would effectively be a mercy, guess that makes me feel a little better about this.” Ryder looks at his reflection in the steel, his hands shaking ever so slightly.

Relax, it’s just a simulation, nothing bad will really happen.

With a deep breath he steels himself and heads down the hill, his sword at the ready to fight the first enemy. Though his hands trembled ever so slightly as the soldier drew near.

Fear floods his mind as the soldier turns to look at him. Milky white eyes piercing deep into him. A distorted, hideous, guttural yell escapes the soldier before it throws the torch at him. Ryder barely dodges it and looks in shock as it begins to set the hill ablaze behind him.

Lily seems surprised too but motions for Ryder to focus on the fight as she goes around.

Just as Ryder focuses on the soldier again he sees the deranged man charging forward ready to skewer him.

Unsure of what to do Ryder waits for him to get closer before sidestepping the spear and swinging his sword.

The humming steel meets with the wooden shaft of the spear but doesn’t go through, instead only slightly pushing back the soldier.

Not expecting an immediate reaction, Ryder gets hit in the chest with the spear and staggers back, sparks flying as the spear tip meets the armor, scraping across the surface.

Ryder stands there a bit shocked, the attack actually kind of hurt. It felt like he’d just gotten hit full force in the chest.

That wasn’t normal, most full dive experiences he’s felt had never done that.

Soon the soldier let out another war cry and charged forward. Aiming to hit him in the head, only missing by a hair as Ryder side stepped again. Though now a stinging feeling rushed from his left cheek. Quickly reaching up to check he pulled his hand away, revealing that he was in fact bleeding.

What the hell was going on? Feeling this level of pain was not normal, nor was it usually allowed in the safety settings of the Reflection.

This needed to end here and now, quickly Ryder assumed the signature stance again and began circling around the soldier. The wind gathered on the blade, swirling and roaring as Ryder kept the stance, waiting for an opening.

Once more the soldier charged in for a stab, this time heavily missing as Ryder dodges to the side before launching forward. The blade raised high in the air now comes swinging down fast, cleaving right through the soldier.

Blood and cloth fly as Ryder pulls away and the soldier now falls over dead, the body making a loud thud as it does so.

It really was a beginner enemy with such an easy moveset to avoid and minimal health. But it still didn’t feel right. Had the pain inhibitors been turned off? Or was his mind just playing tricks on him?

That was probably the answer, it was likely just his mind playing tricks on him. Phantom sensations were commonplace to those not accustomed to Reflection after all. Who’s to say that wasn’t what he was experiencing?

“Hey you did it! Good job!” Lily’s voice snapped him from his thoughts once more, though upon turning around he was surprised to see her also covered in blood.

“What happened to you?” a bit of horror lingers in his voice as he looks her up and down, though not seeing any visible damage.

“Oh this? I saw a couple of archers on the way over and handled them. Didn’t want you getting hit from all angles while focusing on your first fight!” a rather innocent and heartwarming smile was on her face.

That’s right, this was just a game, this kind of stuff is normal. The pain was definitely just in his head.

“Still I wasn't expecting the hill to catch on fire, that wasn’t in the beta at all.” she says looking at the now charred grass behind them. The fire seemed to have died off quickly.

“Guess that’s one surprise they kept for full release then. Better be careful using fire in areas like this.” Ryder replies, trying to keep his composure as he keeps looking back at the burned ground.

“Yup, but that just gets me excited to see what else was added! Oh and think of all the strategies for crowd control and pvp!” Lily seems starry eyed now as she goes off on a tangent about all the possibilities, most of it going over Ryder’s head though.

With a slight sigh and shake of his head he looks back at her now. “Still I guess combat was easier than I thought. Thank you for your help Lily.”

Stopping dead in her tracks, mid tangent, she seems a bit surprised by what he said, yet plays it off. “Oh it’s really no problem! It’s actually nice to have someone to play with. I normally go solo so this was a first for me.”

“Really? I figured you’d be friends with at least a few people.” as he says this Lily takes a seat on the hill and stares at the now setting sun.

“Nah, not really. I try to but for one reason or another most friendships fall through. So I spend most of my time experiencing these adventures alone.” A tiny bit of loneliness and pain lingered in her voice, though she wouldn’t admit it as she just stared off into the distance.

Ryder takes a seat next to her and thinks for a moment before responding. “Well, would you like to go on this adventure with me? Not like I have any friends to share it with anyways.” He casually lies back on the burnt grass, still surprised by how real it feels.

“Really? You’d go on an adventure with me?” Lily’s eyes were full of surprise as she looked at him. This had been the first time in a long time anyone had made that offer.

“Hey you showed me the ropes, only fair i let you tag along.” A carefree smile crept up onto his face as he stared up at the sky. “Besides, sharing views like this with friends is way better than experiencing them alone. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Silence was the only thing Ryder heard for a moment before glancing over at Lily. a few small tears streamed down her face alongside a big smile on her face. “Yeah, you’re right, thank you.”

Trying to remain calm Ryder simply replies. “It’s no problem. You know the system better than I do, so explain how we add each other.”

“Oh right! Let me get right on that.” She quickly cheers up and pulls out a small leatherbound journal.

“What’s that?” Ryder asked curiously, sitting up now as well to get a better look.

Without missing a beat she holds it up and points at it. “This is how you access the menu! You should have one on you as well, probably in one of your belt pouches.”

A bit surprised by this Ryder feels around his belt until, sure enough, he finds a leather journal. Upon opening it he’s greeted by several menu options, all labeled as different chapters.

[Equipment.]

[Inventory.]

[Items.]

[Social.]

[Crafting.]

[Stats.]

[Archive.]

[Settings.]

[Save & Exit.]

“Go ahead and look through the menus, my friend request will be waiting in the social tab when you’re ready.” Lily happily states while looking through her own stats now.

Skimming over the menus, Ryder didn’t really see much that stuck out right away. Everything was as simple and self explanatory as expected. That was until reaching the end of the book where the exit button should’ve been.

Upon flipping to that section nothing was there, only evidence that the page had been ripped out.

“Hey, stupid question, but do i need to do a quest to log out? The page is missing.” he holds up the book for her to see.

“What? That can’t be right.” she looks at her own journal, flipping to the back as fast as possible. Her eyes widen in shock when she sees the same thing. “It’s gone, it’s really gone.”

“So the log out button is gone, oh well bugs were bound to happen right? Let’s just use the Reflection’s built-in emergency shutdown.” Though he tried to, he couldn’t hide his fear at this point, the idea of being stuck terrifying him.

A wave of relief seems to wash over Lily as she looks back to him now. “Oh yeah, I forgot that was a thing, how do you activate it again?”

“Easy, just do this.” Ryder clears his throat before loudly proclaiming “User Emergency Override! Shutdown Code 059!”

Lily watches in confusion as Ryder just sits there, waiting for something to happen. His words echo off into the plains but nothing happens.

Ryder’s own eyes widen in panic now, this is definitely not right. “No way, even the safety protocol is disabled?!”

“Is that even possible?” Lily was now clearly getting a bit freaked out as she began flipping through the book rapidly, hoping to find some sign of an exit.

“Normally it shouldn’t be, they’d have to manually mess with the Reflection’s programing to do that. This just has to be a big bug. I’m sure whoever is running this has probably already noticed and is working on a fix.” Ryder’s voice is a bit shaky but it’s clear he’s trying to stay calm the best he can.

Lily’s own voice is filled with terror as she looks back to the town. “What should we do in the meantime? Go ask the others back in town?”

“That’d probably be for the best, if the log out is bugged who knows what else is?” Ryder stands up and helps Lily up to her feet.

As soon as they get ready to depart a loud ringing begins to echo throughout the entire map. A long droning and deafening cathedral bell rings out. The very sound of it seems to claw its way into their mind even when covering their ears.

Blue runes begin to form under them as a blinding light engulfs their field of view. As it dies down they can see they’ve been teleported back to the beginning plaza. All of the other players are there as well.

Lily unconsciously moves closer to Ryder as he’s the only person she knows in the crowd. “What’s going on? Is this a special event?”

“It’s probably just some special way to let everyone know what’s going on with the logout button. Probably wanted to let everyone know that a fix is being worked on and to stay somewhere safe.” he tries to reason, though it was clear it was more to ease his own mind than anything.

“Yeah… that’s probably what it is, that’s probably all it is.” she lets out a sigh of relief as she glances at the crowd.

Looking around it was clear everyone else was as confused and afraid as they were. It was hard to blame them though, between the bell and teleportation it was a little unsettling. Especially with it now being the dead of night in game and the only light source being the stars overhead.

The stars… was it getting bright?

Slowly he looked up, freezing in place as he did so.

“Lily? What’s happening with the stars?” Ryder’s eyes were locked on the night sky in panic.

Slowly Lily and those around who heard Ryder began to look up as well. Everyone looking up in awe and terror at the night sky as it began to morph and change.

The stars began to swirl around forming a deep blue vortex with an endless darkness in the middle.

It was like gazing into eternity and having it glance back, like something was staring right into them, something bigger and more powerful than they could ever truly know.

No one could say a single word, all of them were frozen in terror and awe at what they were seeing.

Then out of the deafening silence a single voice spoke, an unrecognizable voice that seemed to reach into the deepest parts of their being.

“Welcome, Outlanders, to the world of Velstan. This world is now your own, its rules your rules. Your original body is now nothing more than a husk, your memories and soul are trapped here.”

Some confused murmermings could be heard among the crowd. People clearly are not sure of or believing what is going on.

“As many of you may have already noticed, the methods for you to return home are missing, that is because I have taken them from you. The only way for you to return home is to reclaim your lost ability from my hands.”

The stars begin to glow brighter as the voice continues, the vortex becoming more pronounced.

“The grace period I have given you up until this point is now over, from this point on you shall all be stripped of the ability to cheat death. From this moment forward dying here will be your one true and final death.”

A blue sigil appears on everyone’s left hands, being able to be seen even through gloves and armor.

There was no pain though, instead an strange but calming cool feeling where the sigil was.

“That mark will prevent you all from leaving, as well as mark you all as contenders to the throne. Any and all contenders in these lands will be hostile towards you. So steel yourselves.”

Panic was really starting to set in now as everyone was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Many hoped it was just some special event… though deep down everyone knew the truth.

“Your journey in this world begins now. Should you truly wish to return home then seek me out at world's end. Only once you are worthy of becoming a lord will you be able to decide your fates.”

The chorus of voices begins to pick up, more and more clear terror and panic being heard.

The sky begins to return to its normal self as the voice finishes. Only the normal night sky can be seen now, the stars hanging overhead like pinpoints in the darkness.

Everything begins to sink in all at once. It’s real. This is all real.

They were really truly trapped in here.

Everyone could actually die.

The voice of a hysteric player cuts through the commotion as the realization drives them over the edge.

“We’re all dead!”

Without warning chaos erupts in the plaza, cries of panic and terror fill the ears of everyone.

People are running out of the town, others have collapsed to the ground and are shutting down. Many are yelling out the safe word only to be met with silence and despair.

“We’re trapped? We’re really trapped.” Lily’s voice was shaky and full of panic as she tried to process everything.

Ryder was frozen in place, unsure of what could even be done in this situation. No words he could utter would be of use. Just a few moments ago he was learning to play the game and now this?

This had to be a sick and twisted joke. There was no way this was real.

His trembling hands shook as he tried to find some solution to this madness.

A bad dream, a delusion, a drug trip! There had to be some kind of explanation!

Then a light pierced the darkness alongside a deafening screeching sound. A bright yellow light was exploding above them. Seeming to draw everyone’s attention to the center of the plaza.

“A flare stone? Someone already got a flare stone?” Lily timidly asked while following everyone else’s gaze.

Standing in the center, on top of the dried fountain, was a female player with flowing red hair and eyes like fire. Her armor appeared slightly regal with a clear white and gold pattern, a bronze halberd rested in her right hand. The Holy Guard class.

The yellow light illuminated her in a way that made her seem like a natural born leader.

“Aranea” was this player’s name.

“Everyone, listen up! This is no time to be panicking! If we all panic now then it will only lead to our deaths! If what that voice said is the truth then from this point on we need to take this seriously.” her voice was loud enough to reach through the entire center, yet also demanded some level of respect. “We’ve been cut off from the outside world, that much is true, and until we verify that respawning has truly been disabled we cannot be too careful.”

“What if it has been?! What will happen to us if we die then?!” a cowardly and fearful voice called out from the middle of the crowd.

“I don’t want to die! I only got this to play with my friends!”

“I didn’t have a choice! I was pressured into this!”

“I just want to see my mom again!”

The sea of voices started up once again, their fears, panics, and doubts all combining into one large woeful wail.

“It is true that I don't know what will happen if we die but it is for that reason that we cannot risk it. Especially now that we’re stuck until further notice.” Aranae looks around the crowd, her heart beginning to ache ever so slightly at the looks of helplessness. “From this point forward we can’t treat this as just another fun game. We all need to stick together… and if you’ll let me, I'll do my best to lead you all to safety.”

“Why should we trust you?! Or anyone else here for that matter?!”

Her gaze doesn’t falter as she looks towards the voice, a harsh truth lurking within. “Realistically you can’t, no one here can trust one another right now, but that’s why I'm offering my help. I’ve taken part in all the beta tests, I have friends here who can help you all get ready. There is strength in numbers and no one will last for long on their own.”

The crowd goes quiet, only faint murmurs and whispers can be heard as everyone talks amongst one another.

“This game is designed to be tough as nails alone, player killers and death were and likely will be common occurrences. If you still wish to go it alone I will not stop you. I merely offer an option, let me help you so that we can all survive together.” Her voice is calm, caring, yet fierce, something that many felt they could trust.

A brief silence before one hand is raised, a brown haired assassin. His emerald green eyes seem strangely determined.

“Will you share any and all information you know with us? Information is key to survival.” a quiet voice, yet filled with unshakable calm.

Aranea nods her head in response. “Yes, I will. I will do everything I can to get us through this, that includes sharing any information from beta tests and leaks.”

“Then I'll join you. If you have my back, I'll have yours.” he smiles and lowers his hand now before moving up to the fountain, two figures following behind him.

One was a woman with long dark purple hair in blue robes, in her hands was a book and staff. Sorcerer class.

The other was a scrawny pale man wearing a dark cloak, unkempt black hair resting on his head. In his hand was a ceremonial looking curved dagger. Dark Priest class.

“Count me in as well.” a new voice from the opposite end of the plaza, a tall mountain of a man stands there with his arms crossed. Dark brown skin, a kind yet relaxed look in his golden eyes, and an easy going smile. His armor was mainly cloth and leather, a leather cap rested on his head and a hammer on his hip. Forger class.

More and more people were making their choice on whether to go it alone or join the group. Many left while few stayed at the fountain.

Lily and Ryder were among the few left who hadn’t decided.

They looked between each other for a moment before nodding and walking forward together.

“Count us in as well.” Ryder spoke upon reaching the group, finally getting to see everyone up close. Aranea really stood out, almost looking like a saint among the common people.

She smiled and nodded before holding a hand out. “Welcome aboard then, both of you. I promise I'll do everything I can to help you both.”

Lily smiled and shook her hand while Ryder looked around. Out of that giant crowd only around 24 people including them stuck around.

Though something about this group seemed to resonate with him. They all already seemed to be talking among one another and befriending each other.

How long had it been since he’d seen something like that?

Even Lily seemed to already be in higher spirits as she spoke with Aranea.

A small smile crept up onto his face as he looked around.

“Ryder, are you alright?” Lily’s voice called out, earning his attention. “You were spacing out, everything alright?”

“Yeah… just lost in thought is all. Guess this will be our group for the time being.”

“Yeah! Most people may have run off but everyone here seems nice, I think we’ll make friends easily.” Lily points to the other assassin. “Like him, he seems pretty nice!”

“Friends… yeah that doesn’t sound all that bad.” Ryder half heartedly replied.

“Come on, let’s go talk to them!” Lily quickly grabbed his hand and began dragging him over there.

It was an odd sensation.

Despite their situation, he was feeling happy.

How long had it been since he’d really had a friend?

Though how long these friendships would last in this adventure would be unknown. After all, if they really could die then the likelihood of losing someone was high.

No, that wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. Not again.

This journey was just beginning, though it was impossible to see the future he knew one thing for certain.

He would keep everyone alive no matter what.

Even if it cost him his own life.