“Hey H,” –ive me a sig– “you doing alright? It’s almost time.”

  –break them all like a–

  –ith a… no no no I–

  –JUST LET ME–

  “…H?” Heather flinched as a hand clamped down on her shoulder, shuddering as the cold chill creeping up her spine faded into the background. Jamie’s eyes bored into her own, flecks of violet fighting against the green.

  “…Ah, sorry! What'd ya say?” Jamie’s eyes narrowed; her lips pursed in a thin line. Heather shifted slightly under her friend’s gaze, her fingers clenching around the edges of her old, worn shirt.

  Jamie sighed, shaking her head. “Never mind. I already answered my question.”

  “Uh… okay…?” Her hand still on Heather’s shoulder, she gently led them away from the training area as other players began filtering in, some having just logged in for the day. Heather’s brain started working, stringing pieces together as she struggled to map out a way for them to survive.

  She didn’t manage to get very far.

  I’M IMPRESSED. MOST WOULD’VE GIVEN UP BY NOW.

  Oh, won’t you just shut up already? I’m sick of this.

  The being chuckled, the static grating in her ears. NO, I’M INTERESTED IN SEEING HOW FAR YOU TAKE THIS. HOW MUCH CAN YOU STAND BEFORE YOU BREAK? HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL YOU FORGET YOUR SENSE OF SELF?

  The chorus sang in her ears, swimming in her head to a tune only she could hear. Black spots overlayed her vision, laughter echoing all around her. Her blood burned beneath her skin, her emotions tainted by the dark fire in her chest.

  –kill them, kill them all–

  –chew on the–

  –slicesliceslice–

  Heather forced herself to breathe, grabbing the flimsy remains of her sanity and dragging them through the sea of black. Her tainted vision twisted as her ears popped, the world coming back into focus.

  She could feel her shoulder bruising as Jamie’s grip tightened, the pain helping clear her head. She caught Jamie’s gaze and smiled as Jamie sent her a small nod. She’d needed that.

  Deep in her core, the darkness licked at the flame of her emotions, her rage simmering beneath the surface as LIGHTNING flickered under her skin. The voices seeped through her soul, pouring out their hearts to the only one that could listen.

  What the voices were… she had a theory. It wasn’t much yet, and she hadn’t spoken about it to anyone (not even Jamie), but it was something. And… if she was right…

  She clenched her jaw and cast her thoughts aside, forcing a skip in her step as she did a light twirl. Giggling, she waved at Paul as he approached, and he smiled back.

  “What we got today?” he asked. His shoulders were drawn tight, slowly loosening as his body acclimated to the virtual world again. He’d probably just come home from work.

  “Well… ya see that over there?” Paul followed Jamie’s finger with his eyes, watching a few players darting across the arena, pummeling each other with their fists. One stumbled as they were struck in the back of the knee.

  Their opponent took the opportunity to flip them sideways, slamming their back into the ground. The player’s avatar was immediately surrounded by blue light as they were teleported out of the arena, reappearing back in the dugout as the announcer narrated the battle.

  “Ah, was waiting for GRADIO to be a thing,” Paul said, and Jamie nodded.

  “Yep, the announcer finally introduced the game today. I think we’re up soon, but I’m not sure.”

  Heather kept her face neutral as she watched another player land on their back after they tripped, the teleport activating immediately. Paying close attention to each of the other players, she studied the strategies each team employed as the game continued.

  One team was much more aggressive than the other, and it was working out in their favor. They had five members left while the other team was down to two. She couldn’t see the game lasting much longer… and she wasn’t surprised when the last two members of the losing team were defeated in less than a minute.

  No weapons, no armor, only SKILLS and magic; GRADIO was a game designed purely for raw STATS. There was only one rule: don’t let your back touch the ground. Last team standing wins the game.

  “So, any plans?” she asked, smiling as the voices clamored in her ears again. They grew louder, and she just smiled wider, feeling her cheeks start to hurt.

  “Hm… it’s been a while since I’ve played. I’ve probably got the most experience though, especially since it’s been years for you, Jamie.”

  “Yeah, you should take the lead on this one.” Paul nodded, running a hand through his hair before scratching the back of his head. He stayed quiet as the next teams entered the arena, his expression sharpening as his gaze homed in on the other players.

  ONE OF THESE DAYS–

  No. Not right now. I need to focus. Pushing the… whatever it was down caused her physical pain in her chest, the black flame throbbing as it threatened to burst, but she didn’t have time for it. More important things were at stake.

  Forcing the dark spots in her vision to clear, her fingers beat rapidly against her thighs as she watched the next match. Two teams of three, both seeming confident, stood on opposite ends of the field. She watched one man in particular; he had a muscular, lithe build, structured around speed and power.

  Almost like her, in a way.

  His muscles tensed as the announcer began the match, his lips moving as he mumbled something under his breath. The other team charged towards him, but his companions just grouped up behind him as his hands began to glow a deep purple.

  One of the opposing team members almost reached them by the time the man placed one of his hands on the ground. His opponent’s legs suddenly slipped forward, and she shrieked as she tumbled over onto her back, eliminated instantly.

  Heather’s brow furrowed as she watched the man’s other opponents get taken out just as quickly. One of his companions hiding behind his back had to hit the last opponent with a freeze spell, but other than that, it was a quick match.

  “That was clever,” Paul mumbled, and Jamie murmured her agreement. Then he glanced over at Heather, and his eyes went wide.

  “Oh! Yeah, you don’t know what just happened, do ya?” She shrugged, and he sighed.

  “Ah… sometimes I forget that you’re still pretty much a noob. But… yeah. Anyways, he was using BARRIER magic unconventionally. BARRIERS have no friction, so…”

  Yeah, that made sense. He must’ve overlayed the ground with a BARRIER, removing friction from the environment. And if his opponents were already in motion… down they go.

  “Gotcha. So… what’s our plan then? If we get stuck with someone like that…”

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  He grimaced, his hands playing with his hammer where it hung from his belt. His eyes flicked towards Jamie.

  “Jamie, you think you can use WIND to connect us again?” She nodded. “Alright, thought so. Here’s the plan…”

  Heather glared at the team in front of them, the six players exuding confidence as one twirled a long braid of hair around her finger. She sent Heather a smirk, and she growled in response, feeling her eyes blazing as her rage built in her chest.

  “OH, THIS IS EXCITING! BOTH TEAMS HAVE DOMINATED THEIR COMPETITION, BUT ONLY ONE WILL SURVIVE UNTIL TOMORROW! GIVE IT UP FOR… THE CLEARERS! ALONG WITH… TEAM BLAST FROM STEEL HEARTS!”

  “Oh flip,” Paul grumbled as the crowd roared. She winced at their volume. The only reason she heard Paul was the WIND set up by Jamie.

  They also really needed to come up with a name for that.

  “Well, looks like we’ve got some work ahead of us.” Jamie’s voice was calm, but Heather had a feeling it was a mask. It usually was. “H… you still good?”

  “Yeah. I think I’ll be good. Plan’s still a go.” They all traded nods, and Heather felt her body tense as the announcer began counting down the start of the match. She crouched down, her pulse pounding in her ears.

  The earth shifted behind her, forming shapes resembling a sprinter’s starting blocks. Her fingers splayed against the ground, Heather breathed, feeling the voices calling her name from beyond the veil. Screaming at her, crying for her, trying to drag her down with them.

  Her eyes peered up at her opponents, her vision narrowing until the only thing she could see was the hair twirling woman from before. Her earlier confidence had faltered, her eyes narrowing into slits as she realized what they were planning.

  The woman turned, opening her mouth to warn–

  “AND START!” Heather moved, clearing the distance between them in almost an instant. Her lungs burned, and she twisted her ankle as she grabbed the woman’s arm, but a quick application of LIGHTNING sped up her health regeneration.

  Spinning in place, Heather threw the woman across the field, watching her flip end-over-end as she tried to regain her bearings. Before she could, a wall of EARTH appeared behind her, and her back collided with it, eliminating her from the match.

  Heather grinned, letting her rage and pain feed into her STATS as she turned towards her next victim. One of the men stepped back, his throat bobbing as he swallowed, and she moved towards him–

  A fog settled over her mind. Her limbs shuddered to a stop, inches away from shoving the man to the ground. She tried to move, fighting against… but nothing… something…

  “Hm… you’ve got a strong will for one so young,” the man commented, his gaze studying her face. Heather didn’t know what he was talking about. She was just…

  Voices filled her ears, and she felt like she recognized them… but they sounded like they were miles away. Something twisted, and a sharp pain stabbed through her head as she tried–

  Then it was gone, and she nodded at LEADER. “What do you want me to do?”

  LEADER smiled, pointing behind her. She turned and saw two people fighting against her TEAM, and wrath burned in her chest.

  “Beat them.”

  “Yes sir!” She smirked at LEADER and gave him a mocking salute before zipping towards the battle, hearing him chuckle behind her.

  Now that she was closer, the two people looked… kinda familiar…

  She shook her head, focusing on the job. One of them screamed her name, and she used her speed to dart around the girl as she tried to grab her arm.

  “Paul, you gotta do something!”

  “I can’t! She’s completely under!”

  Hm. Was something wrong? They seemed… panicked.

  She giggled. That would just make things easier.

  Heather targeted the girl again, but the girl dove around her, bouncing off air at the last second to evade Heather’s grasping fingers. Shifting directions slightly, she moved towards the man, who didn’t seem to have the same reaction speed as the girl.

  Colliding against his chest, she gave him a hard shove, and he grunted as he fell towards the ground. Then he abruptly straightened, leaning away as her TEAM continued trying to force him to the ground.

  “Awww… why you gotta be so difficult?” She pouted, watching as the blonde girl’s face turned a pasty white. “I’m just trying to help my LEADER, that’s all. Can’t I have that?”

  “H…” The girl staggered back a step, her eyes flickering violet, and Heather cocked her head to the side. “H, this isn’t you. You gotta stop. Please…”

  Someone was twisting a knife through her forehead, and she scowled. The pain sharpened, and Heather grunted as she pushed it aside.

  I guess I need to be quick, then.

  Pulling on LIGHTNING, she ran the crackling energy through her limbs as she blazed forward, blondie letting out a loud yelp as she leapt away from Heather’s charge. She grinned when she saw LEADER running in from behind the girl, flanking her.

  The blonde girl drifted to the side ever so slightly, just out of reach of LEADER’s glowing palm. He smirked at Heather, and she nodded in return as they pressed in on the girl.

  The fight lasted for quite a while, the girl managing to take out two members of her TEAM while evading their attacks. The ground rolled beneath their feet, knocking LEADER down once or twice. But LIGHTNING kept Heather standing, and the girl panted as she made another wall of EARTH to block Heather’s approach.

  LEADER smashed the EARTH wall with his fist, and Heather shot forward towards the girl, ready to–

  She spun in place, grabbing the man's wrist before he could lay a hand on LEADER. Yellow ropes of energy coiled around LEADER’s limbs, but none reached her.

  “Goodbye!” She slammed the man into the ground, using LIGHTNING to speed up the movement. His eyes were full of pain and fear as he opened his mouth, but the teleport activated before he could speak.

  …Heather shrugged. It wasn’t like he had anything important to say. Now she could get back to–

  She stumbled, static crackling in her ears as her vision swam. The knife in her head expanded, and she screamed as it tried to drill right through her skull. Her fingers clawed at her scalp, drawing blood as she desperately tried to rip that thing right out of–

  IF IT WERE THAT EASY, I WOULD’VE ALREADY DONE THAT. MIND CONTROL IS ONLY TEMPORARY, ESPECIALLY FOR ONE SUCH AS YOU. Her skin crawled as screaming voices filled her ears, the fog on her mind lifting slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough to give her a bit of clarity.

  What am I… no. I… I refuse. I will… I won’t… I WON’T BE A PUPPET!

  Her body moved towards the blonde—Jamie, my best friend—preparing to trip her leg and let LEADER push her to the ground. She tried desperately to stop, to force her limbs back under her control, but they only continued inching closer to her friend.

  She refused to be the reason her friend died.

  Calling on LIGHTNING, she sent the rampant energy through her arms, not caring about control. Pain overtook her senses as her limbs exploded in a shower of blood, some of it splattering across her friend’s hair.

  Her avatar froze for a moment, trying to process these new sensations. Then it stumbled towards Jamie, a groan leaving her lips as her avatar desperately tried to defeat her friend.

  NO! STOP! I SAID STOP! Her body wasn’t listening. Her arms were regenerating. The voices were getting louder in her ears, her vision darkening, but she couldn’t spare the energy to push them away.

  Something. She needed something. No matter how desperate, how insane, she needed control. There had to be a way, there had to–

  Her mind locked in on an idea, and she forced her LIGHTNING to bend to her will, not her avatar’s. It weakly strained against her for a moment before submitting.

  Heather let out a mental sigh, fighting off the last of the fog clouding her thoughts. If she were to do this, she needed every scrap of concentration she could scavenge. Her avatar’s hand clamped around Jamie’s forearm, LEADER’s hand almost brushing Jamie’s shoulder, and Heather pushed.

  LIGHTNING, don't fail me now...

  Agony wracked her every nerve, her every cell. Bones shattered. Muscles tore. One of her eyes exploded. And then it all knit itself back together, and she could feel.

  She breathed, and electricity filled her lungs. Her heart pulsed, current running through her veins. Red was everywhere, her vision dyed in it.

  INTERESTING.

  That thing was ignored. Arcs of red energy snaked down her arm as she pulled Jamie away from LEA– I’ll kill him. Slowly.

  Her fist slammed into his gut, sending him flying backwards as her limbs fought for control. LIGHTNING forced the muscles in her leg to contract, and she took a staggering step forward. Almost as an afterthought, she forced her hand to unclench from around Jamie’s arm.

  The man skid to a stop, his teeth grit as red light spilled from his chest. His hazel eyes burned as he glared at her.

  “Defeat her.” Heather’s body turned towards Jamie, her limbs reaching out for her friend, the fog threatening to disrupt her thoughts.

  YOU’RE FURTHER ALONG THAT I THOUGHT.

  Jamie leapt away as Heather froze, her limbs crackling and shooting off sparks as they glowed a rich red. Her bones creaked beneath her skin, her muscles trying to tear her body apart as her avatar pushed mindlessly forward on its current task.

  LIGHTNING held it all in place, her body shuddering as it struggled against her hold. A grating sound filled her ears as she forced her torso to turn back towards the man, and she took another halting step forward.

  “What are you doing? Stop! Don’t move!” She shuddered in place for a moment before LIGHTNING pulled her body forward again. It felt worse than the time that she’d almost burned to death climbing to Floor 40, but without proper control of her own body, her face only showed an empty blankness as she doggedly trudged onwards.

  “Fall! Trip! Eliminate yourself! STOP!” His voice kept rising as he flailed backwards, the white glow from his hands increasing as the pressure on her skull spiked dramatically. Her foot caught on a broken piece of concrete, and she stumbled.

  Her deep red eyes glared forward as she shuddered to a halt. Her blood boiled beneath her skin, some of her flesh charring as LIGHTNING ran rampant. It was healed near instantly.

  Someone collided with her side, trying to ram her to the ground, and her ribs shattered under the blow. LIGHTNING kept her firmly on her feet, though. The woman flew away with a scream as some of the residue energy arced through the air, blasting her back.

  “I… I wilL kilL YOuuuU.” Her vision, tainted red, shifted to a dull grey. Her surroundings faded away until it was only her, the man, and the multitude of voices behind her own, screaming for his blood in her monochrome world.

  She obliged.