Chapter 1
In modern day society, most people live in massive cities. The land that was once rife with wildlife has been destroyed and replaced by grey concrete. To experience the peacefulness of nature here is difficult, but not all of it is lost. Certain areas in the city have been set aside specifically to capture that peacefulness.
One such place is a massive river that cuts through the city. This is a treasured spot of joggers and people who want to relax. Benches were placed alongside the riverbank every now and then. People could sit there to feel the wind against their face as they listened to the relaxing sound of the river.
Pigeons and crows lined the trees next to the pathway as they waited to snatch up food left behind by the populace. A group of crows were currently eating thrown away food that was left on the ground. The sound of feet hitting against the cement startled them. They flew away to higher ground for safety. A jogger passed by the litter on the ground. They slowed to a stop, turned around, and walked over to the leftover food. They picked it up and tossed it into the nearby trash can as they shook their head, “The nerve of some people.”
This jogger was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. His black hair was cut short. His eyes were blue, and he wore a tank top with shorts. He was just over 6’2. Muscles bulged out from his body, the word ‘ripped’ was the best word to describe them. Shaking his head once more, he continued on his jog.
His destination was the bridge just ahead. This bridge was one of the only bridges in the city that allowed access across the river that cut through the city. Sweat dripped down his head, he gasped for breath as he pushed himself forward. Turning onto the bridge, he spotted a young man standing on top of the railings. Clenching his teeth, he ran forward.
As he reached the young man, he slowed to a stop. He fell to the ground gasping for breath. The young man on the railings turned around and jumped down, he spoke to him as he handed over a bottle of water, “Once again I’m amazed, Ace. You only took 48 minutes and 23 seconds to run 10 miles.”
Ace took the bottle of water and chugged it down as the young man handed over a small towel. Ace took the towel and wiped the sweat off of his body as he gave a hollow laugh, “I suppose.”
The young man frowned as he helped Ace stand up, “Is it really that bad?”
Ace walked to the railing and looked down at the river. His eyes were empty as he said, “I haven’t improved for months, Vincent.”
Vincent walked over to stand beside Ace and stood in silence. Vincent raised his hand to clasp Ace on the shoulder, but thought otherwise. He lowered his hand as he said, “You didn’t think you would improve forever, did you?”
“No,” Ace shut his eyes as he clenched his hands, “I’m not that foolish. It’s just… I didn’t want it to happen, that’s all.”
Vincent pondered over his words, trying to understand what Ace was feeling.
“I don’t think I’ll improve anymore,” Ace’s heart clenched in pain. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked at his hand, “Damn this body.”
Vincent looked at him as he said, “Even though it will be impossible to improve your body, you can still learn more about what to do with it, right? Experience and muscle memory, perhaps?”
Ace nodded slightly, “Right, but that’s only a part of it. I loved the feeling of improving every week.”
Vincent didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to console him any more than this. Ace suddenly slapped his cheeks, he picked up his backpack that was on the ground next to him and turned towards the end of the bridge, “Let’s go to school!”
Vincent watched Ace’s back as he walked off. His heart was in pain for Ace, but he was unable to do anything. He sighed softly, “Neither of us can accomplish our desire now, huh?”
He picked up his own backpack and caught up to Ace. Their destination was a famous university in the city just north of the bridge. They lived together in an apartment complex just south of it. Ace was studying for a degree in physiology and anatomy, while Vincent was studying for a degree in philosophy.
Ace usually left early to go on a jog. Vincent left later and met up with him at the bridge, bringing their backpacks, a towel, and water. Afterwards, they would head to school together.
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When they were young they had been neighbors. They grew up together and were closer than most siblings. As they grew older, they moved into an apartment complex and started going to a university together. One year has passed since then.
They split up once they got onto campus. They were studying different degrees and their classes were located in different buildings. As Vincent went his own way, all signs of emotion disappeared from his face. His hair was brown, his eyes green, and he was tall and slender. He was just slightly shorter than Ace. He wore a sweatshirt with jeans even though it was hot out. A pair of girls turned their heads as he passed. One of them spoke, “He sure looks gloomy, doesn’t he?”
The other responded, “I think it makes him more attractive.”
“There’s no denying that.”
He reached his class, entering inside and finding a seat. A person entered, carrying a cup of coffee. They moved to sit next to him. Suddenly, they tripped over someone’s backpack on the ground. The coffee flew out of their hands and landed on Vincent’s sweatshirt. The surrounding students gasped. The student who tripped looked up and noticed what happened. Their eyes widened in shock as they spoke, “Oh my god. I’m so sorry Vincent.”
Vincent looked down at his ruined sweatshirt before turning to look at the student. He smiled slightly, “No problem.”
He turned his head and went back to waiting for class to start. The student was ashamed, “I’m so sorry. Here,” They took a sweatshirt from their backpack and handed it over, “Use this.”
Vincent shook his head, “It’s okay, really.”
The student pushed the sweatshirt closer, “I insist.”
Vincent mused to himself, “This person is the type who won’t give up.”
“Okay,” He accepted the sweatshirt as he said, “I’ll return it tomorrow.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He pulled his sweatshirt overhead, exposing his tank top underneath. The students who were looking at him gasped in shock, “What the hell?”
All over his arms and shoulders were white scars. They covered every inch of his exposed body. Vincent took the other sweatshirt and put it on as he sighed to himself, “I couldn’t hide it forever anyway.”
The student who handed over the sweatshirt was shocked, “Vincent, you…”
Vincent turned his head and smiled again, “Don’t worry about it.”
The student was even more ashamed of themselves. No wonder Vincent always wore a sweatshirt. He must have been hiding this secret, and now it was out in the open. The student solemnly swore to never trip again.
The students gossiped over how he obtained so many scars, Vincent ignored them as the day continued. His classes ended a few hours later. Vincent was just about to go meetup with Ace when his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and read the text message. It said, “Meeting up with Alice. Be home tonight.”
He responded with, “Okay, have a good time.”
He headed towards the bridge that he was at earlier. He reached the middle and stood next to the railing. Climbing on top of it, he held onto the pillar next to him. He closed his eyes and felt the wind brush against him as he leaned forward slightly. He mused, “Not enough.”
As he released his grip on the pillar a feeling of terror gripped his heart. The potential of falling into the river caused a sense of crisis. He smiled, “Ahhh, that’s more like it.”
Just as he was about to fall over he gripped the pillar, steadying himself. After repeating this a few times, he jumped back down onto the bridge. He headed back towards his apartment. Just as he walked into his room, his phone buzzed again. It was another text from Ace, “Spending the night at Alice’s place.”
He replied, “Enjoy.”
He entered his room. Looking around, everything was neat and tidy. Realizing he had no homework to do today, he took his shoes off and climbed on top of his bed. He stared at the ceiling as the hours passed. He turned to look at the time, it was 11:00 p.m. now. He closed his eyes as he went to sleep.
Vincent couldn’t remember the last time he dreamed. It had to have been over a decade ago. Strangely, he dreamed tonight. All around him was a black void. In front of him was the back of a young man. He wore a white robe. It was like it was underwater as it floated around. Vincent spoke, “Who are you?”
The young man turned around and smiled at him, “What do you desire?”
Suddenly, a piercing pain ran through his hand. Vincent’s eyes snapped open. His eyes winced in pain as he looked down at his hand. A glowing black tattoo had appeared on the back of his hand. His eyes narrowed as he thought, “What is this?”
It looked like a serpent was eating its own tail. It was rotating in place like it was alive. The pain disappeared a few seconds later. He rubbed a finger across the tattoo, but all he felt was his skin. He raised his hand up to his eye to take a closer look. Suddenly, a screen popped into existence in front of him. He raised his head and calmly inspected it, “A hologram?”
The hologram was blue. It wasn’t tall, only very wide. It had four boxes adjacent to each other. Each box was labeled something different, except for the final box. It was just the number 0. Vincent inspected each one, “Tasks, Challenges, and Rewards?”
Tasks
Challenges
Rewards
0
Just as he was about to push his finger on the tasks button, his phone buzzed. Picking it up from his nightstand, he read the text from Ace, “I’m coming over right now, something weird is happening.”
Vincent mused, “Him too?”
He looked back up only to notice the hologram had disappeared. He looked at the tattoo on his hand, “I’ll wait until Ace gets here.”