When I went to gear up, Knight refused to release the weapons. “It's one thing to let you shoot while under your father's supervision. It's something else completely to give you a gun and hope for the best.”

“I know how to shoot,” I repeated for the fifth time.

“So you keep telling me,” Knight replied, his arms crossed and posture defiant. “But I'm responsible for every weapon in this facility, and I'm not going to give you a gun if I don't think you are ready.”

I forced down my anger, gritting my teeth as I spoke. “Alright, how can I prove to you that I'm ready?”

Knight and Rook shared a look. I could tell that they were talking behind my back via their private link. The armorer nodded to himself before speaking. “I'll tell you what, I've got a VR training simulation. It's nasty, full combat, full sensation. If you can beat it, I'll give you what you want.”

“Deal,” I replied, “Put me in.”

Knight laughed. “Alright, kiddo. Let's see what you're made of.”

***

My hardware was capable of full deep dive VR without a suit. Most people needed external rigs with added processing power, but I might as well have been purpose built for this.

I slotted the memory chip into my scarab and took a deep breath, then I slowly let it out as all sensation faded away. My body didn't go numb, it ceased to exist. I was stripped down to my core being as I floated in the darkness.

But I wasn't alone. I could feel someone in the void with me. “Hello?” I called out, wondering if this was part of the simulation.

A message lit up my view.

I didn't have a body, but I felt my skin begin to crawl.

I could feel my anger rising.

I asked.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

There was a long pause before the Gravekeeper replied.

I wanted to scream.

I considered this for a second. I had to know, but did I want to know?

I didn't have a body, but I felt sick to my stomach.

Somehow I knew that the Gravekeeper wasn’t lying. KB’s had told me to “do better next time”. But if I could do better, that implied there was a win condition, some goal for me to reach.

I tried to scream, but I was still a disembodied consciousness. I didn't have lungs, or a mouth to scream with.

Once again, the Gravekeeper paused before it replied.

I didn't know what to make of that. Nemeria had never told me about a gate, or a key. She had never told me much of anything.

Off in the distance I could see the combat scenario starting to load. We were running out of time.

I took a second to think. As much as I hated to admit it, having Echo in my head was better than going through this fucked up loop alone. At the very least it would give me someone to talk to.

The Gravekeeper seemed to consider this.

A shudder went through my mind as the Gravekeeper accepted my request. I could feel another presence joining me in the dark.

Then my vision went hazy, and I felt myself being pulled down into the freshly formed world below. But I wasn't alone. I would never be alone again.

***

I woke up to find that Eden had somehow brought me back. We were loading into a VR simulation, which itself was being run inside another simulation.

“Wow,” I said as I flexed my hands and started the calibration process, “It's enough to make your head hurt. Worlds inside worlds, like a nesting doll.”

“Just unfuck my hardware and shut up,” Eden replied through the body we shared, “I'm running in some kind of safe mode.”

“That will have to wait,” I told her, “I can't access your body while we're in the training construct. It's a safety measure.”

“Fuck!” Eden swore, “What about my combat subroutines?”

“That is also a no,” I explained, “They aren't compatible with VR constructs.”

“Well, do you at least have some good news? Or did I let you back into my mind for nothing?”

I thought for a second. “Well, once we finish with the simulation I should be able to get your body back in shape fairly quickly. We can also probably skip the training montage with your aunt, if I'm able to trick it into restoring your previous state.”

Eden’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I get the feeling that it isn't going to be a pleasant experience.”

“Oh, we've been through worse,” I told her, “Remember that time we died?”