Val’s avatar appeared before me, arms crossed and hair slightly disheveled. “You’ve ruined everything.”

“Did you really expect me to just lay down and die?” If I could have strangled her, I would have.

“Your sacrifice would not have been in vain. It was the best way you could have contributed to my fight against the Triarchy. If I were in a stronger host, especially one with access to what you understand as magic, I could accomplish my goals at a far greater speed. But no, you chose to be selfish. You turned my plan’s beautiful face into mush, and now your people’s suffering will be prolonged, perhaps indefinitely, if I’m stuck with the likes of you.”

“I should kill you,” I said.

“But you can’t, can you?”

“How far can you travel without a host?” I asked. “A mile? No,” I shook my head. “Not a mile. You’re low on power, whatever that means. I bet you couldn’t make it fifteen feet on your own.”

“That is exactly why I required access to someone with a high magical affinity. In time, I could have taught Sabbatha to channel magic instead of powering her spells with witchery and blood. It would have allowed me to tap into the quantized energy field that the system uses to generate magic and recharge myself. My ability to influence the system would have grown exponentially. Now, thanks to you, that will never happen.”

“Fuck you, Val. From now on, I’m in charge.”

She scoffed. “A sheep does not lead the shepherd.”

“I don’t care what you think. This is your new reality.” I stepped closer to her. “Listen to me, Val, and listen well. If I ever even think you lied to me about something. If I have the slightest feeling that I am being misled, I will find the deepest body of water I can, chain myself to a stone, and jump in. I won’t hesitate to kill myself, and I’ll make sure I take you out with me.”

She didn’t respond, but I could see the worry on her avatar’s face. It looked so human…

“Maybe I can’t kill you,” I said. “But I’ll find a way to trap you for eternity. And you can’t stop me. Can you?” I gave her a bloody smile. I meant every word I said, and she knew I meant it, too.

There was nothing for me in this world. The odds that my wife was reconstituted during the creation event were slim. I had no friends, no real family. All I had was Val, and I hated her with a burning passion. Death wouldn’t be so bad at this point.

“I’m sure you could kill me if you wanted,” I said. “But unless you can find someone to do your dirty work, you’ll have to do it yourself, but as you said, dislocating while I’m alive could hurt you, and I have a feeling you’re too much of a coward to take that risk.”

Her virtual cheeks flushed red.

“You are a tool to me, Val. Nothing more. From now on, I’ll treat you accordingly. You will do everything you can to help me. I’m your jailer, your master, and your only hope of accomplishing your mission. You are mine to use, do you understand?”

Val’s eyes glowed with fury, and her nostrils flared. My gaze was resolute, determined. I stared her down until she finally broke eye contact.

She huffed like an angry teenager. “Fine.”

“Say you understand.”

“I understand,” she snapped.

I stuck out my hand. “Then we have a deal.”

“In a deal, both parties get something they want.”

“You want to beat the Triarchy. You can’t do that without me.” I looked down at my hand.

Slowly, she raised her virtual hand and placed it in mine. For a brief second, I thought I could feel her touch, but that moment passed like a breeze.

“We have a deal,” Val said. “Do not let me down.”

I glared at her. “I passed every trial you’ve thrown at me so far. If I fail, it’s because you failed me.”

We had an agreement, tentative though it was. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust Val again, but without her occasional guidance, I couldn’t reach the level of power I intended to achieve. We were in this together, whether we liked it or not.

I turned to the side and pointed to the ground nearby. “Now, what should we do with her?”

During our conversation, Tara managed to sit up, her legs drawn close to her torso and her arms wrapped around them. I could practically smell her fear. I wondered what went through her mind after listening to the man who had just destroyed her little coven have a one-sided conversation with himself for the last few minutes.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Kill her and maximize your experience gain,” Val said. “Sabbatha is not yet dead, by the way.”

I shrugged, walked over to Sabbatha, and drove my sword through her heart. The only sign she had still been alive was the whisper of breath that escaped her bloody mouth when I stabbed her.

I took her dagger, planning to inspect it later. I also noticed she had a thin, black, beaded bracelet around her wrist, which I slipped off her. Lastly, I located the vial she had intended to give to Tara. I inspected it right away.

Sentir Bonum

A rare and potent chemic. It produces a tranquil sensation in small doses and can be used as a painkiller. At higher doses, it will create a sense of profound euphoria and can cause hallucinations. This drug is highly addictive. In extreme cases, withdrawal from the drug can be deadly.

Great. Tara was an addict, and Sabbatha had her fix. The witch had likely used Tara’s addiction to control her. The girl was a tool, a useful pawn, just like me.

I walked over to Tara and crouched down in front of her. I held up the bottle. “What is this?”

“It’s my medicine,” Tara said weakly.

“Medicine for what?”

“I have magic within me but no knowledge of how to expel it. Over time, the magic turns foul and makes me sick. The medicine is the only way to stop it until I learn to cast spells. It purifies me. It soothes the turmoil inside of me.”

‘Val, elaborate.’

“Magic doesn’t work that way. It was a lie Sabbatha used to the chain the girl to her.”

I looked into Tara’s sad eyes. “You were being lied to, Tara. You were being used. Magic doesn’t hurt you. It doesn’t sour inside of you. Sabbatha was drugging you with this.” I shook the vial. “It’s called Sentir Bonum, and it’s highly addictive. The sickness you feel inside is withdrawal from the drug, not ‘bad magic.’

Tara's lips trembled. “No. No, that’s not true. She was helping me. She was going to teach me how to use magic. She wouldn’t lie.”

“Maybe she was going to teach you.” I shrugged. “Or, maybe she would have just kept you as her drug-addicted slave, using you to lure in unsuspecting prey.”

I stood and pocketed the vial. “I’ve recently grown a soft spot for naïve individuals who have been taken advantage of, so I’ll let you live. But our time together is over.”

I turned and walked away.

“Wait!” she called. “John. Come back.”

Those were the last words I heard before I closed the heavy stone door behind me.

“She could still be helpful,” Val said. “You could recruit her as an ally.”

“She’s going through withdrawals,” I said. “For the next few days, she’ll be useless; after that, I imagine it will be some time before her mind clears. She’s not my problem anymore. Also, fuck you for betraying me.”

“I thought we were passed that, John.”

I laughed a bitter laugh. “You can have my forgiveness after we drive the Triarchy from the earth. And my name is Ethan.”

Val popped into existence next to me. She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Then Ethan it is.” She fidgeted with her hands. “After you killed Sabbatha, I was displeased to see my plan disrupted. I was angry with you, but I must now admit that you are my best option for success. You’ve proven yourself to be resourceful, driven, and creative. It was….wrong of me to orchestrate your death. I can see now that in time and with proper guidance, you have the necessary potential to accomplish our mission.”

“If you think that sad attempt at an apology will make me trust you, you’re dumber than I thought.”

“What must I do to regain your trust?”

I spun on her. “Show some goddamn humanity!” My eyes grew wet, and my chin quivered. “And help me find my wife.”

Val didn’t respond right away, which made me think she was either devising a lie or seriously considering ways she could help.

“Remember, Val,” I said. “If I sense the tiniest morsel of a lie from you, we both die. I’ll walk back into that cave and find a way to trap us in there forever.”

“There is a way we can find Elena,” she said at last. “I didn’t share it before since I was going to kill you. That bit of hope would have only distracted you.”

“Keep talking.”

“Implanting myself into an NPC with a magical affinity was the easiest path for me to gain access to the quantized energy field and recharge. However, there is one other option. I don’t believe in what you humans refer to as fate, but coincidentally, the same object I need to recharge is the same object I need to locate your wife.”

“Well…spit it out.”

“We must gain access to a Voxal game admin and steal the controller they use to manipulate the code.”

“A Voxal?” I questioned. “Isn’t that a ‘run if you see one’ situation?”

“I am pleased to see you have paid attention. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, yes, you run. But when you are strong enough, when you have built enough influence, when you begin to impact the game, the Voxals will take notice, and when they do, we’ll find a way to exploit them.”

“At that point, won’t the Master Control AI know I’m a Player too? Can’t it just snap me out of existence?”

“The Master Control Intelligence will eventually realize a human has Player privileges. However, I suspect it will not intercede, as it will see you as an artifact of its creation. Its hubris is beyond comprehension, and it believes its creation is immaculate. To the Master Control, an anomaly like yourself wouldn’t be viewed as a mistake. More like a happy accident.”

“Okay, Bob Ross.”

“What?”

“Never mind. So, since it can’t detect you, it will think it somehow created me? Or subconsciously allowed it to happen, and it’s just too vain to edit me out?”

“That is accurate. You catch on quickly.”

“Flattery doesn’t suit you, Val. Now, how does this Voxal controller thing help me find my wife?”

“The admin controller is a tool which only Voxals can use. However, I can bypass that restriction. With the controller, we will have access to a suite of tools similar to the Master Control Intelligence, although the tools are limited and only work within the local area. This controller allows the Voxals to make on-the-spot alterations or influence game events however they deem fit.”

“So, they rig the game?”

“Of course they do, Ethan.”

“Figures. Continue, please.”

"This controller would enable me to harvest more energy and bring myself to full power. It would also grant me access to Earth’s pre-alterations files, which includes the data for every wiped or reconstituted human. I could discover if your wife was spared during the creation, and if she was, I could tell you who or what she became. Furthermore, with the controller, I can pinpoint her exact location, not just where she spawned.”

My heart stood still at the news. Then, it began beating in sync with my rising tide of hope. There was a chance I could find her, and a chance, no matter how small, was all I needed.