First FF on RR, hopefully I figure out how to do the tables correctly.

I'm trying to write in a "webnovel"-esque style. Let me know how much I fail. Heuheuheu. ~

Don't mind my constant edits. I get OCD when I see my coding going awkward.

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‘It hurts … Why did it have to turn out like this?’

A dark-haired youth clutched his chest as though in a futile attempt to keep the steady stream of blood from seeping out.

“Geh … Nhg! … Uh …”

He could only let out a series of unintelligible cries.

At his second attempt to form a word he felt a surge of liquid clog his airways. His body shuddered violently before coughing up the blood blocking his throat.

His body leaned heavily inside a large metal pod. Though his sight was becoming blurred, he took a last glance at the capsule. A spark of electricity entered his view before fading back into the stillness.

The pain from moments before seemed to slowly dim into a gentle numbness.

‘… … Was this your revenge … Asuka-nee?’

He felt a sudden chill envelope his body.

The light in his eyes faded away as they dilated.

And he died.

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«Labyrinthus» A distant and mysterious land which prospers due to its enrichment. It is a kingdom full of magic. This magic, also known as magus, could be harnessed ...

Tsuchiya Sora stared at his computer screen with a seemingly apathetic gaze. He was watching the trailer for the newly released and highly anticipated VRMMORPG, «Magica Artis Online». Though his facial appearance shown otherwise, Sora’s eyes displayed an eager glow that was normally hidden behind his detached visage.

“Sora. Go get ready for school.”

An older man entered his room before making a swift and abrupt exit upon glancing at Sora’s computer screen.

By the time Sora had turned his head his father was already gone.

His jaw locked bitterly at how quick his father had been to leave. Disregarding the neglectful treatment, Sora would have liked more than an arbitrary command.

His desire to watch the trailer was instantly doused.

“I shouldn’t have even bothered with this …”

Sora, with misguided disappointment, shoved his criticisms onto the game as he powered down his computer.  

After taking a moment to diffuse his chagrin he reaching for his school uniform.

“You’re going, right?”

Immediately upon entering the kitchen he was questioned by a young man with a similar appearance to his own, besides being two years older than himself — his brother, Tsuchiya Arata.

The brothers’ mother worked silently at the stove, as though neither of the boys were in the same room.

“I’ll be in the area. Whether I want to or not.”

“Drop the attitude. Don’t you think you owe at least this much to her?”

Sora felt his stomach drop. He knew this conversation was only inevitable considering the date, but it wasn’t something he wanted to deal with so early in the morning.

“... I’m going ahead.”

“What? Sora! … Haa. Just make sure you’re there! Don’t think you’ll be forgiven if you’re not!”

“Aniki.”

“Hm?”

“No, nevermind.”

Sora swallowed his words before leaving the house. He spared a glance at his mother through the gap of the door before it closed, but she kept herself busy just as she’d been doing.

‘He would only get mad if I told him “Happy Birthday” right after firing a warning at me.’

He convinced himself so as he trudged on to school.

Though his parents were prone to taking a latitude approach with Sora, they were being especially indifferent with him today.

“I don’t know what to do about it anymore.”

Sora ruffled his hair in attempt to rid himself of the pent up frustrations he held against his parents. Though he realized that it was merely their sorrows emerging, he had to tightly hold down the urge to blame them for their negligence in the last four years when it came to dealing with their youngest son.

“Isn’t there something I could do?”

His question hung in the air, but there was no one there to respond.

“Alright, everyone! You’re all free to look around the exhibition hall. Just make sure you’re back here in two hours for the bus. If you miss it, you’ll have to make it back to the school on your own.”

A man spoke before a large group of high school 1st years. Despite his rugged and burly frame, his collared shirt gave him a neat and professional appearance. He was the computer science club advisor.

Along with the other members of the computer science club, he was on a school trip to an expo that demonstrated the latest findings and designs of modern computer technology.

“Oi, Tsuchiya!”

A tall and lanky male pulled Sora away from the crowd. His dark brown hair was cut sloppily, as though he’d done it himself. He also wore a thick pair of glasses which also testified to the boy’s lack of instincts in fashion. He was Mori Hideo, a boy who sat besides Sora during class.

Though they weren’t simple acquaintances, Sora wasn’t sure if it was accurate enough to call Hideo his friend. Having the same interest in games, they were able to make a connection. However, neither Sora nor Hideo had attempted to improve their relations outside of the topics of gaming or school.

“They’re having a demonstration with the upgraded Virtual Reality capsule! It’s a streamlined custom pod for «Magica Artis Online»! We’ve got to go now!”

As Hideo mentioned the name of a very familiar VRMMORPG, Sora couldn’t help but feel as though his nerves were struck. But Hideo was far too excited for Sora to have the heart to interrupt him.

‘And I promised Aniki I’d at least watch it anyway ...’

“Are you that interested in «Magica Artis Online», Mori?”

“Eh? Obviously! It has a deceptively generic storyline about racial wars, but it’s going to be the first real virtual reality game! It’s different from the other VRMMOs. Those were just three-dimensional shooters. «Magica Artis» is real. Everything about it is interactive. What isn’t exciting about an interactive world? It’s practically the definition for virtual reality. I even heard that there are even six secret special class jobs that you can only get through serial quests. Ahhh … I hope I can at least get a hidden job!”

Sora tried not to look taken aback at Hideo’s extended advertisement.

“Aren’t you excited about it, Tsuchiya? You like MMORPGs still, don’t you? You wouldn’t still be in the computer science club if you weren’t interested.”

“It’s not that I’m not interest. It’s just hard to wrap my head around.”

It wasn’t much of an excuse, but it was a partial truth.

Hideo grabbed a pamphlet as he took a seat in the nearest free row.

“I guess I can see where you’re coming from. Something like this seemed impossible after that accident. The ARYA corporation was supposed to release this four years ago, but the head developer’s daughter died on the same day that they were doing their stage tests and the development was set back.”

Hideo’s eyes darted around nervously as his voice dropped down to a whisper.

“There was even a rumor that she was the one testing the pod until it broke down and it resulted in her death. The media was all over it, if you could remember. They said the developer was too impatient to bring in a tester and used his daughter instead. I thought «Magica Artis» was going to be a dropped project at first. It’s a good thing it never came to that, right? It was probably just jealous slander from a rival company anyway. They really don’t have any tact! Apparently «Magica Artis Online» was supposed to be a gift for her birthday. Damn! If that’s really the case, the world lost a girl gamer! What a waste!”

In his half-hearted frustration, Hideo failed to notice Sora’s paling complexion. He’d heard the story before.

The image of a bright eyed girl flickered in the back of his mind.

- Hurry up, Sora! Don’t you want to watch nee-chan make gamer’s history!

An exuberant young boy ran his hands across the controls which regulated the pod the young girl nestled herself into.

- It’s ready, Asuka-nee-chan.

The child readily powered on the pod.

- What should I name my character, Sora?

- Umm, dunno. ‘Nee-chan’?

The girl broke out into a fit of giggles.

- No way, that’d be weird! Okay, never mind. I’ll just go with Asuka.

The girl nestled herself more smugly into the capsule and rested her head.

She had entered the game.

The young boy dropped his face into his hands as he watched her impatiently.

He wondered what type of character she would make.

Letting his thoughts distract him, he failed to notice the loose electric sparks that flitted erratically across the cords.

Was it supposed to do that? The young boy didn’t understand the implications of what faulty cords could do.

Shouts echoed from outside the room.

- Stop! Sora, don’t! Asuka! Get out of the pod! Nooo!

A man had stormed into the room; his face was stricken with terror as he screamed at his son and daughter.

The lights flared brightly and a loud buzzing echoed spontaneously. The young boy stared on blankly in confusion as the capsule was lit ablaze and the smell of burning flesh was seared into his mind.

“Tsuchiya?”

Sora flinched as his mind was brought back to the present. His crumbling expression had begun to worry Hideo.

“... They’re starting.”

Sora forced Hideo’s attention back towards the demonstration capsule.

An assistant sat in the pod comfortably as it hummed to life. A screen displayed the vivid images of the world of «Labyrinthus». But Sora’s thoughts were elsewhere.

His parents, with no one to blame, could only manifest their sorrow in the form of alienating the child who pulled the switch to Asuka’s death. They spoke to him when it was required, but otherwise he had practically become a stranger to them.

At first he’d done all that he could to regain their attention, even if it meant creating mayhem uncharacteristic to his personality.

But nothing worked. They wouldn’t even look at him, much less scold him.  

Sora himself knew that an eleven year old child should not have been the one to carry the burden alone, but if not he then who?

The laissez faire policy eventually took its toll on Sora, who’d since then become a jaded teen. There were many times when he wished he could just hit the reset button, but life stubbornly clung onto the harsh truth which was reality.

Sora wandered away from the exhibition hall to gather himself after the first demonstration of the «Magica Artis» capsule, also known as the «EXIMO», was completed. They were setting up additional capsules to let the audience experience «Magica Artis Online» with their own senses.

Even from outside the hall Sora could hear the surprised exclaims of the lively crowd.

“Alright, we’ve got the «EXIMOs» set up. We’re going to start choosing names from those who were here for the first demonstration. If you’re called get up here quick. If you’re too slow we’re going to have to find someone else to take your spot.”

Sora easily recognized that voice.

‘Aniki’s the MC? … He’s going to get angry if he doesn’t see me.’

Sora, as promised, strode back to the «EXIMO» demonstration. Though he was buried behind the mob, Arata discovered his location with ease.

“Would Kato Masaki, Nakamura Shigeru, Hirano Kyoko, Tsuchiya Sora, and Mori Hideo come up?”

Sora took a step back the moment he heard his older brother say his name, but his brother’s constant stares and his own curiosity pulled him onto the stage.

Two others, besides himself, were members of the computer science club. Sora recognized the girl Hirano Kyoko, a member of class 1-C, from the class besides his.

As Hideo walked up to his capsule he sent Sora a wide and elated grin. Sora could tell that he was being silently overwhelmed at having been chosen.

“When you’re ready, we’ll start up the «EXIMOs» and you can each make your character.”

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Arata nodded with approval as Sora entered the pod. It was a suspiciously snug fit. Sora knew that the pod he was in had been made specific to his proportions.

Clearly, Arata was abusing his authority as the chief designer’s eldest son.

Why else would his name have been called when there were dozens of others that could have been chosen?

“Are you five ready? We’re turning it on!”

Arata’s voice faded into the distance. Sora felt his conscious being pulled away as though he were falling asleep.

Welcome to «Magica Artis Online».

Sora heard the computerized voice of a woman.

His surroundings were painted completely black. He waved his hand, only to realize that it was blended into the background as though it wasn’t there. It felt as though he were a soul floating without a body.

Please select the species of your choice.

Without warning a vast amount of images flared brightly before his eyes. Sora tapped on the image right before him.

FAYThis species consists of several races. Including many variations of the (currently playable) elven, fairy, and spirit races. They are one of the more delicate species that live primarily in forest areas. They are known to isolate themselves from the other species and even each other. Blessed with grace and wisdom from their birth, many Fay tend to be arrogant. The Fay primarily focus on long range magic attacks. Though they have low stamina, they make up for it with their high speed and evasion. Fairy and Spirit races have a special “flight” ability.

Sora inadvertently felt the excitement that had been dulled by his father as he browsed through the large assortment of species that «Magica Artis» had to offer.

After another few minutes of deliberation Sora finally decided on the DAEMON species. He recalled scanning the forums; it was clear that the daemon species was going to be popular amongst the «Magica Artis» players.

Please select your gender.

Sora quickly tapped on male. Though it was possible to choose a gender opposing your original, studies recommended choosing your original gender to avoid the slightly detrimental psychological effects.

You may alter your appearance to your liking or opt to have it randomized.

Sora found it more interesting to be surprised by the looks of his characters, so he chose to have it randomized.

The last MMORPG character he made ended up being a burly old man, to Sora’s complete amusement.

Please select your avatar’s name.

He let loose a small sigh. Normally he would spend hours considering the perfect name that would suit his character. Though Sora occasionally forgot, he was in front of a crowd of people waiting for him to enter the game. He didn’t want to keep everyone waiting for him. Sora realized one fact.

‘I’ll be one of the first to make an account for «Magica Artis». I have plenty of choices.’

He was a member of the daemon species. They were creatures that thrived on darkness and death.

It didn’t take him long to find a suitable name after he concluded this.

Thanatos.

The name of a god of death in Greek mythology. Though it could be ironic, considering his circumstances, Sora frequented many MMORPGs with the handle.

Knowing that «Magica Artis Online» pulled many of its legends and species from numerous lore around the world, including Greek, Sora was temporarily worried that the name had been taken to be used as a NPC or boss-monster.

However, his fears were quickly dispelled when the screen continued.

Welcome to the world of «Labyrinthus», Thanatos. Your appearance and race have been randomized.

You will now be teleported to your homestead.

The lights surrounding Sora gleamed brightly. The world of black flashed and the ground beneath his feet assembled from trillions of pixels.

The world felt as though it were shaking violently.

Being honest, Sora found himself extremely uncomfortable. He made a mental note to mention the distressing loading screen to his brother afterwards.

“Eh?”

A muddled gasp left his lips. The convening world abruptly fell to pieces as Sora felt his conscious being pulled back to reality. He felt a suffocatingly heavy impact to his chest as he was roused.

The pod was shaking forcefully and the power had gone dark.

Loud, deafening booms jarred his eardrums.

“W-wha … ?”

“Tsuchiya! Are you still in the pod? Get out now! It’s an earthquake!”

Sora heard Hideo’s voice from a few capsules over. The building of the exhibition hall had partially caved in, blocking his view of both the frantic mass of people and the other capsule testers.

“Sora! Sora, are you okay?! Please answer! Sora!”

Over the crowds screams he could hear the frantic shouts of his brother.

“I’m ... o … kay?”

Sora called out much softer than he’d intended. He tried to take a deep breath, preparing to shout back, but his throat refused to function the way he desired.

‘I can’t move … Why can’t I move?’

“Sora!”

Arata’s cries were riddled with despair, yet Sora could still not find the energy to call back.

Only then did he finally realize that part of the building’s steel framework was lodged into his chest. Confusion and panic had desensitized his pain with adrenaline, but once he’d identified what was wrong, his nerves sent the signals of agony directly to his brain.

“Thi … s … bad. Nhg!”

His face grew paler and he words became fainter with every moment that passed. His consciousness felt dull.

It had been one of the slimmer beams that that run him through, but he couldn’t be comforted knowing this. It would have been impossible to lift it even if he’d been in peak condition, much less with at least a lung perforated.

With a tremendous amount of effort, Sora managed to pull himself out of the «EXIMO» after drawing himself backwards as he tried extract his body from the fallen beam.

It was far too heavy and Sora was sure that the beam was pinning him to the pod.

‘It hurts … Why did it have to turn out like this?’

Sora couldn’t help but question whether or not he should feel guilty for the death of his sister. His parents had blamed him, but he’d been a mere child. Was it fair?

Part of him wanted to disagree with all his might, but another part of him deeply regretting pulling the switch that day.

To compensate for her death, what could be more fitting than one reminiscent of her own?

Sora couldn’t be sure that his parents wouldn’t let this thought cross their minds.

In his pain, he wanted to blame them for having neglected him for the last four years.

‘Am I really going to die like this?’

He grew more terrified, but was equally frustrated that there was nothing he could do about it.

“Please! Has anyone seen my brother?! He was in one of the pods!”

Sora could hear Arata appeal to anyone who was willing to listen to him.

‘He sounds really upset. An act?’

Arata hadn’t isolated him as his parents had, but he never missed a beat in mentioning Asuka every time he found fault in Sora’s actions.

‘In the end, you’ll blame me too. Asuka-nee was your twin sister, after all.’

Though he felt that Arata also accused him for Asuka’s death, he couldn’t bring himself to think that the desperation in his brother’s voice was fake. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but that fact comforted him.

“Geh … Nhg! … Uh …”

Sora was grateful that the sound of his gurgled wheezes were too restrained to reach Arata. He choked on the liquid that ran up his throat as he tried to call out to his brother one final time.

‘No use, huh?’

The brief memory of his sister waving at him appeared.

‘… … Was this your revenge … Asuka-nee?’

For the second time in half an hour Sora felt his consciousness dragged away from his body.

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“Thanatos~ Are you awake?”

A sickly sweet murmur grabbed his attention.

‘... Where?’

“You’re a good boy, aren’t you? You haven’t even cried yet. Ah! Don’t tell me you’re already in your rebellious stage~”

The saccharine voice continued without a care.

‘She’s talking to me, right?’

Knowing so didn’t make it any less awkward. He couldn’t help but feel as though he was being coddled.

“Guh …”

He couldn’t form words. Even his body wouldn’t move as he desired.

It was different from before, when he lacked the energy to move his body correctly with his organs shutting down one by one. It was as though he was unfamiliar with how his body worked.

He slowly recognized that his eyes had been shut the entire time. Sora’s eyes fluttered open in response. He darted his eyes around only to see a cloudy reflection of a small figure in a mirror.

‘A baby?’

As his eyes adjusted, he could was able to register the features of the reflection. Across from him he saw a young infant with a black fuzz as hair and large multicolored eyes of a lavender-coral mix.

Sora instinctively knew that a child of such a small size couldn’t have been born any longer than a few hours. Newborn children were often found cute, but the child before him seemed to have a different appeal. The baby was, for lack of a more suitable word, beautiful; but to the point that it could be considered more eerie than enviable.

Curiosity and fascination held him captive momentarily as he reached out towards the child. In response the mirrored appearance reached out as well. Sora froze, as did the baby.

Though his mind registered what he was seeing, he couldn’t believe it possible. He recalled his most recent memories. He had been trapped beneath building debris after an earthquake and died after some of the metal framework punctured his chest.

“Thanatos? You’re so cold! Come here~”

The woman he’d heard lifted him into her arms before swaddling him in a thin blanket. She rocked him gently, speaking to him in a soft tone.

Sora had no choice but to come to terms with what his mind had already confirmed.

‘... Why? That baby is me?! How is this possible?’

Familiar words echoed in Sora’s mind. He knew where he was, but he still found it much too difficult to believe.

Welcome to the world of «Labyrinthus», Thanatos. Your appearance and race have been randomized.

You will now be teleported to your homestead.

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