“A Player… That’s impossible,” Mechanic uttered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

She swiveled her head towards Archie, her eyes wide with fear. His expression was one of pain and...

“THUD!” Archie collapsed to the ground. Mechanic abandoned her task and sprinted towards PB to verify Archie’s results.

Mechanic positioned herself before the screen. She and PB were greeted by the blue prompt:

[Specimen: ?]

[Runner ID: ?]

[Profession: ?]

[Title: Player Unknown]

[Type: ?]

[Graded: ?]

[Nature Encounter: ?]

All information regarding Archie was obscured with ‘?’, except the Title. This prompted Mechanic to question,

“Why is everything still unidentified? Were the tests successful and why…”

Her words trailed off, she swallowed hard, and then stammered,

“Why is he a player? It can’t be real, right!”

“We've got a ticking time bomb,”

PB muttered, his gaze fixed on the screen. He was hoping against hope that the screen would change.

PB and Mechanic had never encountered a situation where, after a virgin test was over, Rift Runner information would still be unidentified. But that wasn’t their primary concern at the moment. What sent chills down their spines was the word ‘Player.’

Meanwhile, Archie was grappling with pain in his left wrist. His hand was a bruised red, as the pain gradually spread throughout his hand. Archie attempted to rise. He was oblivious to Mechanic and PB's shocked expressions or his Virgin result. His pain was more than bearable at the moment.

While Deadbeat remained seated, his demeanor calm and relaxed, even after hearing the word ’Player.’

He murmured to himself, “Archie is a player. It all falls into place now.”

Deadbeat rose from his seat, having decided on the next course of action. He ambled towards Archie. He assisted Archie to his feet by gripping his right shoulder, while commanding,

“Both of you. Return here immediately. We can’t alter Archie’s fate anymore.”

Mechanic shook her head in an attempt to regain her composure and moved to the table to sit, but noticed PB was still deep in thought. So, she seized his hand and guided him to the chair. Mechanic took a seat next to Deadbeat with PB on the far left, while Deadbeat positioned Archie on a solitary chair that was placed before the trio.

Deadbeat initiated the explanation of the fate that awaited Archie.

“Sorry, kid, we did mention before. We will explain everything later. But right now, you need to absorb everything, because you don’t have a choice.”

Archie remained silent, clutching his hand in pain, but the solemn expression on Deadbeat's face made him realize that he was about to face a significant upheaval.

Deadbeat elucidated the term ’Player.’

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

At the inception of Rift Runners, Rifts selected seven specific Rift Runners to govern and establish order among other Rift Runners. These seven established each high order to enact and enforce laws among Rift Runners and ensured peace on every planet where rifts had opened thus far.

These seven Rift Runners who supervised each order in our structure are known as Players.

After the revelation, Archie didn’t react as dramatically as they had anticipated. He remained composed, pondering,

‘So, what they are saying is Rift chose me as a Player. Players are like Originals on my planet. Does that mean I can establish my own order?’

"Cool!"

Archie blurted out unconsciously. The thought of creating his own order and having his own people filled him with joy. The exhilaration of transitioning from Non-Graded Ethereal to Ethereal, enabling him to control rifts, filled him with a sense of euphoria and excitement.

Archie’s broad grin was clearly visible on his face, a stark contrast to the somber expressions worn by Mechanic and Deadbeat.

“THUD!” Deadbeat slammed his fist on the table, frustrated by what he was about to reveal. The loud noise drew Archie’s attention to Deadbeat's face, which was etched with a grim expression. He declared,

“Kid, listen carefully. Consider Players as kings, each king rules his kingdom. There are seven kingdoms with seven kings, but suddenly an eighth king has emerged. Do you know what happens next?”

Archie remained silent, looking perplexed. He didn’t fully comprehend what Deadbeat was implying. Mechanic placed her hand on Deadbeat’s hand and urged,

“Dad, no more beating around the bush or metaphors. Be direct.”

Deadbeat steeled himself and continued in a stern tone, "Kid, there are already seven Players for each order. You have been chosen by the Rifts as the eighth Player. There can be only seven orders at any given time. That’s the law of the Rift. Yet, you have been chosen by the rifts, probably because you are destined to replace one of the seven players, but others players are too powerful for a single individual to challenge. You..."

Deadbeat's tone grew distant as he revealed, "You are destined to fall."

“What… You've got to be joking,”

Archie's head began to throb, his body felt heavy and his heart pounded. The predicament he was in finally began to sink in.

“Don’t tell me. I’m going to die.”

Archie started to panic. He struggled for breath. He felt suffocated. The happiness he had experienced earlier ensured that the shock he was feeling now was tenfold.

“Kid, calm down.”

Deadbeat tried to soothe Archie, while Mechanic was at a loss for words as she was grappling with her own selfish thoughts. She wanted to distance herself and her father as far away from Archie as possible.

If anyone from High Order ever discovered that Mechanic and Deadbeat had a relationship with Archie, their entire family would be wiped out. While Mechanic was contemplating fleeing from Archie, a man seated next to them had different plans.

“SWOOSH!” Swiftly, Pain In The Butt seized Archie by his throat and held an axe to his throat.

Everything transpired in a mere second before Deadbeat could react, which infuriated him,

“PB, what are you doing?”

PB slowly began to exert pressure on his axe against Archie's throat. The sharp edge of the axe made a small incision on his throat and it began to bleed, but Archie remained silent. As was his nature, he accepted his fate rather quickly.

Once he realized his fate was sealed and he was powerless to change it, he conceded defeat and surrendered to death.

PB, sporting a huge grin, gloated,

“Think about the credits I will earn if I brought his head to the Players. Join me, Deadbeat, I will share the profit for leading him to me.”

“PB, I’m giving you a chance before I kill you. Let him go.” Deadbeat's gauntlets began to transform into ice as he prepared to kill PB.

“Too bad, you are a fool,” PB taunted, as he swiftly brought his left wrist near his face and commanded his Rift Watch,

“We have an Eighth Player, everyone come here.”

PB’s voice reverberated across the ground floor where various species were resting and conversing. As soon as PB's voice echoed, everyone fell silent before realizing and let out a deafening roar.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….”

“The credits are mine.”

The crowd erupted and roared as they charged towards PB, eager to claim Archie's head.