I didn't want to believe what I heard. My brain refused to accept it.

"The Supreme Judge?" - I mumbled, trying to understand. This reminded me of the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy story, where the area was administered by aliens for a long time, only we haven't read the notice posted a thousand years ago in the Alpha-Centauri regional hub.

It seemed so preposterous! A judge in charge of this part of the galaxy? It sounded so incredible, and yet the general seemed convinced it was real. What were the laws? Do these apply to me? Is there a sheriff coming to enforce the order? If he comes in the next millennium, I think I won't care.

Involuntarily I snorted with laughter. Do we live in the 'beam me down Scotty' era for real?

However, what was my lightfire spell? What were the teleportation spells if not some kind of beaming technology?

He continued:

"Yes. You and the other chaos players will be judged according to your laws. You may be downgraded, demoted, or whatever your punishment may be."

“This is absurd! I would know if I am an alien playing games!”

Was Flo like that? She's my alter ego...or isn't she? So far, she seemed to want to be honest with me, so I asked her:

"Flo, are you part of me?"

Her answer was as honest as ever:

"No. You know how long we've been together, but we're separate people, just like Cala is a different person."

Okay, I've always rejected her answers for good reasons. Obviously, Cala isn't a person; she's just my character in Mephisto, okay? But… assuming what she says is true, what would that mean?

“Flo! Are you an alien?”

She hesitated to answer. Why?

“Don't you already know that? I am a stranger to this world, born in what you call Mephisto's world, where orcs, dragons, and elves live."

OK, Flo answering a question with a question... Was she trying to obfuscate? I thought she was my alter ego. Alter ego I myself created. She always claimed to be a fairy from Mephisto's world.

It wasn't funny anymore, not when my livelihood depended on it. How could she be a character in the game when she was in my head? But she disappeared from the game. Did she really disappear? Yes, the others have told me that she was gone! How did that work? Oh, my head hurts so bad!

The general watched me and snorted:

"Chaos players have been known to download their memories, to start their characters with a fresh memory aligned to the game, so they think they are real characters. Only after their character dies will their newly gained memory be reunited with their true bodies. You know, we don't have another body. We have nowhere else to go. This is our only body and our only existence. If we die, we die for good; do you understand that?”

I put my hands over my head, trying to think this through. How could I verify what he was saying? Yes, that could be true. But could I kill myself to see if I woke up as an alien? What if it's not true?

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Flo asked to take the lead back, but I ignored her, trying to solve my dilemma. I ignored her out of spite. There was a whirlwind of feelings in me, and I was very confused and agitated. By the time I smelled something, it was already too late. I felt violent pains and cramps in my muscles. I gave her the lead back, and at that very moment, I realized I was making the same mistake a second time.

It smelled like Mephisto's fog. I could smell it now, even though it was said to be odorless.

Mephisto's fog?

I collapsed to the floor in a pitiful heap of uncontrolled limbs.

I couldn't control my body: tremors, spasms, and involuntary convulsions were all my body could muster. It was worse than last time; I even lost control of my bladder and felt the warm urine spread over my thigh. My mind wasn't in much better shape, but the few neurons I could control were overheating as I struggled to think.

Was Flo an alien? An alien playing for the thrill he got from the game? Erasing her memory just to allow for a better thrill seemed so extreme to me, but…I thought about the intense feelings I had when I woke up in my bed, integrating Cala's memory after her two-day journey. It was only two days, but what an extraordinary experience it was to relive those two days! An unforgettable experience.

Were the aliens doing something like that?

Because of the damn fog, I lost my train of thought again and again, and only by concentrating hard did I manage to grasp something. I was now placed on some kind of table, and they were doing something to me.

Probably. I couldn't be sure of what I was feeling.

Were they trying to separate us? I felt all kinds of sensations like being cut, burned, cut again, treated with acid, and more. I couldn't see anything; there was something over my eyes, and I was wondering, were those sensations real or just phantom feelings caused by the fog? Ah, but I heard! They were doing something, so it wasn't just my imagination.

Something was blocking my throat, and I couldn't speak or scream, but it hurt.

Now it felt like some kind of acupuncture. Well, I felt stings, but it wasn't as bad as being cut. I understood they were talking about checking magic power? How did they want to check it?

"Mephisto's Fog!" – said a voice in my mind. Was this a thought of my alter ego? Is she still in her game idea?

It's stupid. What would Mephisto's fog have to do with this? I must have been disabled by some extraterrestrial tools. Hmm, But I smelled the fog, too, didn't I?

No, the fog is odorless. The idea must have come from her. I have an alien in my mind; I'm being controlled by an alien entity.

Maybe they manage to remove it.

But this is Cala's body. Not mine. What will they do with this body? May I keep it?

True, Cala's body has some scars, but she is strong and sexy in her way... and it is all I have. Will they let me live? What did the alien do with my body?

This is not how I imagined the first contact. I thought they would be much better than us, superior in every way.

And they are just game junkies!? Killing for a thrill!? What the hell!?

I do not even know what they look like. Was Flo an alien in her true form out there in the game? She looked strange. Not what you'd expect a fairy to look like. A fairy! Why did she choose a fairy?

How could she heal like that? Not only in the game but also in real life! She could rebuild limbs!? 3-D printing! Those were some impressive 3-D prints! You have such technology, and you use it to fake magic healing!?

Since when have I been lying face down? I didn't realize it when they turned me around. Ah, they must be sticking needles in my spine! I can feel it. Why do they do that? Or is it only in my imagination?

The pains were duller now. Saliva dripped from my mouth, making a small pool under my chin. It winked at me unpleasantly. I was feeling tired. So tired. The world was spinning, and my head hurt. What were they doing?

“Keep the concentration up; you don't want her to regain conscience!” - one voice said

I heard that voice again in my mind:

“Damn Mephisto's fog!”

The thought was now clearer; it was as if she would get used to the crap. I would get used to it, or somehow consuming, destroying it?

I was again lying on my back. There were cables in my mouth again or something.

Did they cut my belly open? The pain was back, flashes of pain like waves of heat cutting through my body. Such a strange feeling, something touching the inside of my belly! But stop the pain! Please!

They were talking with somebody external, but I could get only some disparaged words: power... keep her... dangerous... will be... shortly... retrieval team...