“I will let no one decide my identity!”
Arena 3 - The DMZ
The technician remained unflinched, gazing at the barrier. His body had not inched a muscle.
"Michael!! Heyyyyy!!" No answer. Marie took one step before hopping right from the incoming vermilion elliptical sphere. "The hell's going on?! Why are you attacking us?!"
"... … …"
The fighter still hung against the barren ground while raising her brows. Eerie waves brushed through their flesh.
"... … …"
The man at the center slowly moved his upper torso left. The side of his face, to them, was undecipherable. The whole fabric of existence had progressed steadily, deriving the expected normality.
Finally, he showed himself to the group.
"I expected more from the professor in the trials to succeed than his little disciple."
Marie left a gap in her mouth when she noticed that the man who seemingly was their friend had half of his body etched with copper wires and fiberglass. His right eye was no human eye. It was a single-layered lens illuminated by the dark orange light.
"Michael?"
"I am the System Master. My only purpose is to provide trials to those unwilling to comprehend his world."
"Where's Michael?!" Detective Vargas hollered.
The mechanical form moved his flesh side back, revealing a shadow sandstone barrier. Myriad squares dispersed across it. Each one had a 64-bit hexadecimal code.
A visible gateway unveiled a man sitting on a torn desk chair with his back barely hunching. His head hung like a fruit on a tree.
"Michael!" He instinctively chased the prisoner.
"Wait, stop! Marie lunged forward to intercept his striding legs but failed.
Click. BOOM!
The furious velocity of the silver projectile was invisible to the human eye. The rest of the team hurriedly bolted behind him.
He fell onto the ground motionless.
“Vargas!!!”
As they encircled the unresponsive man, Michael’s head decided to twitch on its own, his vision bridging hazy and clear images. Four blinks were all it took for his senses to come full circle. “Tío? Tío!!” He smacked the glass door.
“It appears that I’ve woken up.”
Mr. Richter gently pressed the break adjacent to the detective’s windpipe. His shoulders leveled down, and he let out an alleviating sigh. “He’s alright.”
“Way to go, Michael!” Marie snarled before cracking her fists. “You nearly killed your uncle!”
“... … …”
“What’s going on here? We need answers!” Julia stood aside from her friend and started scribbling.
“The third trial will commence soon.”
“You can’t be fucking serious right now…” Allyson quietly cursed before standing to the right of Marie.
“I will make an exception to this trial. All of the visitors will partake in this trial. Are you ready?”
“You know what? I’m in!” Marie hopped twice before getting into a southpaw stance.
“I guess so.” Julia was rather unenthusiastic.
“Let’s go. Jansen, guys? You ready?” Allyson spun the Jingum in a double helix motion before gripping the handle with both hands.
“Alright, there’s no other way. Come on, Vargas,” the teacher lifted the officer who clutched his chest.
“You guys can take care of the fight. I’ll provide the backup if needed.”
“Julia, shield me,” with a flick of her wrist, the silver shield manifested on his left arm.
There is suspicious activity in the Demilitarized Zone. Take the necessary steps to stabilize the architecture.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From where they were standing, four towers appeared. Those seemingly objects began morphing into humanlike figures.
From left to right, there was a man in an all-white dress suit, appearing similar in age to the students. Next to him was an individual encased in dark iron armor wielding a rifle. Adjacent to the gunman was an older gentleman dressed in lime robes and brandishing an elder staff. Lastly, a headless honcho whose body was composed of computer motherboards levitated inches above the barren wasteland.
"Heh," The officer hacked before drumming his chest. "It's like dealing with rowdy kids."
"No, it's not," Allyson firmly refuted, becoming the group’s frontline. "They're dangerous, and we all need to be cautious."
"If it's like those trials, then you're right. What's the plan?"
"Easy," her teammates focused their eyes on the enemies but awaited the lightning lady's command. "Jansen and Detective, the gunman's yours. You know what to do."
"Let me take the first lead," The shielder locked his protective barrier near his chest.
"Julia and Mr. Richter take on the snobbish guy. I know he's up to something."
The artist and the emerald-armored man nodded in unison.
"Marie, I suppose you have no problems with the wizard," The right side of her lip flicked up.
"I won a 1v3. It won't take long," The martial boxer's body flared, engaging in her battle stance. "Think you can challenge that thing there?"
"I've seen worse. Have you seen Joe?" Allyson's entire vision tunneled to where the floating foe was the only thing she could see. She mused, "He looks tough. I can't get a good gauge, unlike the other three. Good luck guys…"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Marie sprinted straight towards the wizard. The spellcaster swirled his staff in a circle, generating green crystallized flames. The fighter skipped right, dodging the shot. Another projectile flew. She pushed the brakes on her legs and leaped left. The sudden direction change forced her to spin around.
Then she felt the scorching punch to her body.
"Agh!!" The impact sent her right shoulder crashing to the ground first. She allowed the momentum to roll a few times before launching her upper body back to her southpaw stance.
Bullets of embers began chasing her down. Marie decided to embrace the heat through her gauntlets. Her face started to numb.
She failed to tolerate more onslaught, dropping face down to escape.
"What am I supposed to do?"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Julia conjured a pink puffball with stubby arms, face nearly expressionless. "Go, Kirby!"
The little assistant ran towards the suited individual. Mr. Richter's Soul Channel remained unresponsive. He shook his head before joining the fray.
The enemy stood relaxed, grin creepily rising.
Kirby diagonally leaped while the teacher resorted to his armor as fisticuffs.
Emerging from the shadows, an unknown individual guarded in front and endured the blows dealt. The intruder collapsed right after.
"Tch, can't do a simple job. This should be easy for you!"
The artist created another manifestation, similar to the pink puffball. The lifeform was an oddly shaped figure wearing a blue bandana. "Help them, Waddle Dee!"
The pear-shaped comrade readied its spear and lunged towards the foe. Kirby and Mr. Richter followed suit.
The man did not move.
Four abnormally large objects rained down, neither pouring on anyone. When they reached the floor, their bodies bounced up and down, lifelessly dangling around. Images of their forms were apparent. UMD students.
The teacher and the two art forms hurdled back.
“Guess I have to do things myself.”
The first and fourth student’s limbs suddenly turned stiff. Behind were latched by eerie black thin threads, all tracing back to the man’s left fingers. His fight fingers mirrored the same.
“This is creepy,” the virtual artist exhaled deeply before shaking off the uneasy weight on her shoulders. She summoned a wieldable scythe. Setting her equipment on the belt, Julia held the weapon with both hands. She ran past her teammates, raised her blade, and swung diagonally down. “AAAGGGGHHH!!”
The first puppet twirled right and stopped its momentum before delivering a hook punch. Kirby looped in and transformed into a bricked cube absorbing the blow. Waddle Dee snuck from behind and pierced its spear into the center. No blood. Only a hollow crater left its mark. The fourth servant performed a sex-kick as it approached the blonde student. Instead, green metallic plates met the attack.
“Hurry up!”
She twisted her body left along with her hands before slinging. The very tip of the scythe was lodged and buried on the pawn’s nape.
“Did I get it?” The puppet’s arms began twitching. “Aaahhh!!” Using her free hand, she slapped the enemy’s head, rotating uncontrollably. “Is it still moving?”
The controlled student was unresponsive. They looked at her creations, and the foe appeared to be motionless. The darkly emitted strings faded into nothingness.
“Watch out!”
The remaining two puppets appeared from behind and tackled the artist, launching her several meters. Mr. Richter took one step but fell.
“What the…” he questioned until an unknown hand hooked onto his left ankle. The two active pawns grabbed their target. The teacher intercepted them by using his arms. Kirby and Waddle Dee assisted, only for them to get held by the same puppets.
“Ehahahaha! It shouldn’t be this difficult,” the business-attired man taunted before tightening his fingers. “That’s all you have to do! Can’t you see what happens when you put your mind to it?!”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A barrage of golden bullets roared against Jansen’s shield, rendering him immovable. Detective Vargas moved his head out in the open inch-by-inch. He held his Glock and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The assailant was unfazed and continued shooting.
“I can’t get a good shot! We need to get closer!”
“I’m trying! If he reloads, let’s jump him.”
Seconds ticked by before the storm of snaps subsided. Both men immediately sprinted. Their visions sharply focused on the gunman. The male student kept his shield near his chest.
The moment when the opponent raised its arms, Jansen’s mind lit up.
“Get down!” Vargas kneeled, covering themselves with the silver barrier. The officer carefully peaked from the left and noticed the dark ironclad legs were approaching.
“Move your shield up a bit,” Jansen obeyed without hesitation.
The troop suddenly stopped its rifle and stared at the detective. It redirected its target.
“Go,” he whispered to the defender. Jansen pondered for a split millisecond before boosting towards the gunman. As the foe shifted its next target on the moving man’s legs, Jansen leaped, retracting his legs closer to his body.
The collision had no effect, and the assailant pointed its life-stealing pistol on his forehead. However, its glassed visor cracked uneven lines everywhere. Myriad fragments began to falter but remained intact. The detective carried his weight and slammed against the gunman.
“See how you like this?!” He buried his derringer on the visor. However, he failed to pull the trigger and flew back.
The enemy summoned another rifle. Before attempting to shoot, Jansen dove with his shield low to trip the gunman. However, it proved unsuccessful. The heavy force of the enemy's boot pressed against Jansen’s cranium.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Allyson swung the Jingum horizontally, only for the motherboard to levitate higher. She clawed her left hand, palm facing out. Strands of violet volts converged to the center. Then lightning burst through.
The surrounding screens then constructed a barrier, immersing the incoming attack.
Wattage: 65.
All staticity was absorbed.
Wattage: 1000000000.
Bolts of electric energy reflected to the swordswoman. Allyson leaped right, firmly planted both feet, and fired a dagger-sized bolt. The enemy floated closer to the ground but still never made contact. She pulled her sword behind her and struck straight.
One monitor screen intercepted the metallic blade. A thinly chipped hole rendered the barrier powerless. Allyson managed to retract her Soul Channel. The headless foe waved its hand across. The remaining screens gravitated toward the swordfighter, compelling her to step back. Nowhere to run, all preparing to block.
One rammed into her. Allyson skipped left. The second screen generated pale blue spheres on its four corners. From top to bottom, each electromagnetic beam emitted, forcing her to somersault forward. She retaliated by storming a series of intensely heated threads. Out of nowhere, the first monitor collided with her.
“Gah, shit!” She cursed, trying to pull herself up using her sword. As soon as she was on her knees, the third screen levitated behind her. It opened two sliding pockets from the side and restrained Allyson’s wrists.
The second monitor was just meters away from the swordswoman. All four orbs danced around as their lights became saturated. In a split second, rays pierced through her fiber being.
“UURRRAAAGGGHHHH!!!” Her body convulsed uncontrollably by the pulsating charges scorching her flesh. The currents had ceased. Allyson’s head dropped low like a crumbling tower. Burnt smoke emitted from her temple. “... … …”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“No! Stop this! Don’t hurt them any more!”
"..."
“Please,” Michael slammed his palms on the glassed container. “Just don’t hurt them.”
______________________________________________________________________
“Hey, Allyson! I’m coming!” Marie, while still distant from the wizard, sprinted to her right. The spellcaster prayed a chant before unleashing numerous spherical flames. The fighter jump spun three times to avoid all the incoming projectiles. On the fourth dodge, Marie nearly tripped but regained her balance using her strides. She delivered an almighty blow on the third monitor with her left fist.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The rattling impact allowed the projecting device to unshackle its cuffs on the swordfighter and direct its next objective to capture Marie. Its chains launched towards her. Before making a single step, a sizzling punch engendered to arch her back. Soon, cold bracelets locked her wrists.
“Nrgh…grrrh,” she grumbled, futilely endeavoring to shatter the chains against her. “NNRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!” The green-coated magician barraged magma pellets against her back, causing her to belt out a blood-curdling scream. Crystal beads began pouring out from her eyes, and her eyelids were on the verge of shutting down.
“Marie!!” Mr. Richter anxiously screamed, abandoning his post to save her. However, one of the puppet’s hands tripped up his ankle again.
Jansen barely gazed at his endangered ally but felt the weighted force nearly cracking his skull. Detective Vargas and the gunman were standing across from each other, pointing their weapons. The muffled noise became deaf to him.
The first monitor swooped to the left and charged toward its target. Her body collapsed to the ground while her numb arms were above her shoulders by the inescapable shackles.
Out of nowhere, an orchid-colored bolt struck the pictured display. The monitor vibrated, ceasing its movement.
With the Jingum impaled on the ground, Allyson hugged her body on it as she limply stood on bent acute legs. She raised her left palm, generating static pulses.
Four lasers shot her from behind, causing her to be on the ground face-first.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“This is all my fault…”
"They don’t understand."
“I… let those voices make me who I’m not.”
"Incorrect. I’m all good at computer work. No one cares about what I enjoy. Why even Marie and Jansen think so, too. I know they think I’m weird for playing these games no one knows. They think I’m trying to be special… and I am."
“...”
“Y-you… are…. really… pathetic,” Michael surveyed the battlefield and saw a boxer facing him. The wizard was approaching her.
“M-Marie…b-but…”
“Do you… expect me… or any of us… to play a game… that we’re not interested in?”
“Marie,” Jansen coughed.
“You’re my friend, aren’t you?” The IT student left a gaping hole in his jaw. “Friends are supposed to play games together like that.”
“Tehehe,” she giggled, curling her lips while her eyebrows withheld the blistering breath on her back. “If we just… played your game… wouldn’t that hurt you more?”
“...”
"As your System Master, retract your statement, or I’ll order the enemy to burn you into ashes."
“The only person here willing to play your game is me,” an intruding voice let Michael scope the area again. It was Allyson, lying back and staring at the uninspiring ceiling. “I remember your face when I told you I played games like that. We still have yet to show our dynamic styles in Spellbreak.”
Michael left an alleviating grin.
“I don’t… care much about… those games,” Marie stated, urging her pupils to wake up. “You gotta… understand that… friends don’t always have the same interests for everything. Even so, they always stick together. Why do you think we want you around?”
“I…I’m not sure.”
"This is your final warning."
“Hey,” the shielder hoarsely commented. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I thought what I said back then was okay, but it hurt you. To make things up, I’ll do more to be a better hermano. After what you and uncle did, it’s the least I can do.”
“All of us… embrace different likes, hobbies, and styles. One thing… doesn’t define you. It shouldn’t make you, you. There’s… always more to you than just IT.”
Allyson quietly muttered, “Yeah… always more than what you see.”
“One last chance to desist all communication. If you do not comply, this entire DMZ will shut down."
“Michael,” the lady with Scarlet Gauntlets gasped for air. “Get up and fight! I’m not losing you. P-please. Not ever again.”
He closed his eyes, letting all the information skim through like a quick scan. The swarming flood of various chatters reduced its volume until no audio registered. His vision regained clarity.
HMM! HMM!
The humming originated from his phone.
Upon viewing the screen, a sandstone-colored ember burned through for a brief stint. The screen shifted to pitch black, a flashing brown line at the center.
Do you still believe that IT is all you are?
“... … …No.”
You left it all behind, didn’t you? Why did you leave it behind?
“I wanted to leave it behind because I thought I could bury my past.”
The past may have happened, but it will always be with you. The past cannot be buried.
“I guess I realized that. All that I’ve endured. I’ll take it back and show who’s leveled up!”
Let not one component shape a man. The sum of his life is what identifies him as he is. Let your heart speak and open to the Soul Portal.
His handheld device revealed the spherical flames again. He tightly gripped his phone.
“I will let no one decide my identity!”
The phone floated three inches above his palm, rotating helically at supersonic speed. During its rotation, the object symmetrically splited apart. One gravitated toward the glassed wall while the other remained. As it ended, half of the phone transformed into five ports resembling the fingers of one’s left hand. The other fraction morphed into a two-bared tool, bearing similarity to a cable crimper. One stark difference was that five holes could fit human fingers.
“Soul…”
His right hand shook, wanting to resist the action it was about to take.
“Portal…”
Without thinking, a single snap dislodged the tips of his left hand.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Dropping the crimper, Michael locked his left wrist with his right hand, adding meaningless resistance. Grimacing the stinging pain, he hurriedly stood in front of the ports and carefully plugged in his severed fingers.
Fiberglass and copper traces traversed through the left arm, his upper body, lower side, and head. Seconds clocked by before the ignition of a machine startup launched.
Imprisoned shards dispersed across the warzone.
A figure flew into the air. Body layered by components of a motherboard. Large black goggles with orange lenses covered his eyes. Around his temple was a circular translucent neon green screen with numerous applications launched simultaneously.
“An error has occurred. The following event cannot be comprehended. Eliminate the new threat."
The wizard holstered its staff and cast a flaming laser. The headless honcho commanded its monitors to neutralize the new target.
Michael drifted left to avoid the incoming projectiles. Continuing to soar, he swiped two fingers right twice until he reached an application. The top bar displayed PowerScript. The holographic keyboard glowed rainbow.
He rapidly typed in a split second.
M:\> Net SoulGroup Private Investigators Allyson /add
M:\> Net SoulGroup Private Investigators Julia /add
M:\> Net SoulGroup Private Investigators Marie /add
M:\> Net SoulGroup Private Investigators Curtis Richter /add
M:\> Net SoulGroup Private Investigators Jansen /add
M:\> Net SoulGroup Private Investigators Tío /add
M:\> Grant-SoulRestoration -Name Allyson
M:\> Grant-SoulRestoration -Name Marie
Shades of Chartreuse Green halo rings encased around the swordswoman and the gauntlet fighter. Breaking into crystal pebbles, the mysterious lights converged on Allyson's upper body and Marie's back.
"It doesn't hurt," she concluded, standing up without struggle. "Marie!"
"Am I crazy, or is my back okay? Hey, check my back. Are there any burns?"
"Not really."
"Whatever he did," The boxer punched her right palm with her left knuckles, leaving a menacing remark on her lips. "Time for some payback!"
Allyson pointed at the wizard with her Jingum. "Hold nothing back. Exspell them out!”"
"Leave that magic freak to me!"
"Marie! Allyson!" Michael shouted from above. "Let me give you guys a boost."
M:\> Grant-SoulChannelStrength -ScarletGauntlets
M:\> Grant-SoulChannelStrength -Jingum
The fisticuffs glowed with ruby lights. The metallic edges radiated an amethyst mist, outlining the outer blade itself.
"I'm not sure what this is, but I'm liking it," Marie bolted off.
Allyson stared at the technician who was evading attacks. A serene sun rose from her lips before walking to the gunman. An electric orb shape emerged from her left claw. With sufficient concentration, a thunderous beam of lightning forced the enemy's system armor to malfunction.
"Sorry to jump the gun, but your fight is with me."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Two fireballs compelled Marie to pivot left and bend her back nearly ninety degrees. The spellcaster pounded the wasteland once with the wooden staff, ringing hollow vibrations. The female student winced her right face but continued to run. Muttered incantations painted a clear circular mark surrounding him. Then sapphire flames erupted.
All of a sudden, the ring expanded at an exponential rate.
"Woah!" Marie halted and saw the oncoming volcanic wall. She hopped until she could reach the heavens, whirled her body, and bounced onto the warm floor. Another flame ring detonated. "Again?! Hang on, maybe…"
A series of oscillating waves began surging. The fighter flicked both wrists before running forward.
"Hyah!" One hook shot with her left disintegrated the wave. Her face grew darker. "Ehehe…"
Per fist, each flame nullified. Proximity between the two was shrinking by the second. Without warning, the wizard canceled the flame waves and shot fireballs instead. Marie repeated the same tactics. The outcome swung in her favor.
Then, the mage pointed the staff orb and sent a flamethrower ray. The female student hesitated in swiping the attack. She crossed her arms in front and let her strides freely take off.
To her surprise, the Scarlet Gauntlets withstood the intense heat. No time to muse. Marie rushed forward until she shoved the spellcaster.
However, he stepped aside, raised his staff, which changed its orb into a sharp knife and struck down.
CLANK!
The wizard lost his grip on his weapon and flew upward. He saw the woman retaliate with a diagonal upward draw with her left Soul Channel. She immediately stepped once and delivered a jaw-breaking uppercut.
Tasting the red alloy, the mage remained unresponsive after getting catapulted.
"I don't know what Teach's talking about. My fists are the answer."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Allyson ran around her opponent, who still barraged endless bullets. Despite sending thunderbolts, the shooter was unflinched. The officer’s derringer fared worse. Jansen was still face down.
Then, a bulb flickered in the dark chambers of her mind.
“Jansen! Forgive me for this!”
“Huh?” Out of nowhere, a strand of bright heat sizzled against his shield. “What the hell?!” He jumped in panic, causing the gunman to stumble.
The armored foe focused its target on the male student and stomped his cranium. The gateway to the other side was nearly creaking open.
Clack!
The silver cutter absorbed its plate and spread it throughout the rifler’s body. She swung in a downward slope, but the base of the gun intercepted it. Allyson leaned left before raising her sword. However, she created a lock around the enemy’s arm and pulled it to her chest.
“Someone ram into this fucker!” Jansen quickly got up and slammed into the assailant, bringing him and the female student to the ground. Allyson managed to keep restraint. She felt the steel sheet with her left hand and unleashed electric discharge, only to find that the static strings found themselves in the barren land.
Bang!
A hole was chipped off from the visor. Detective Vargas had his Glock breathing just above it. Weak fuses coughed from inside the glass. The gunman’s body was stagnant. His rifle faintly exploded before dismantling apart.
“Thanks for the help there,” he deeply sighed.
“No problem,” she rocked her head sideways, tidying her clothes and Soul Channel.
“You nearly killed me! You insane, woman?!” Jansen hollered, steam flowing from his body.
“Well, I did say sorry,” Allyson shrugged, leaning her head right.
“You’re lucky that it worked out.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Uhh, guys!” Julia panicked while speed-drawing. “A little help!”
Kirby controlled the artist’s scythe while Waddle Dee continued fending off the puppets. Mr. Richter kept swerving his head as two pawns approached him. The four lifeless students began accelerating their steps.
A storm of popping shots caused the group to drop to the floor. Julia ran to her little ones and covered their bodies. The detective stood from afar but withstood his gun’s recoils. It only managed to strike one target whose bodies broke apart. A shower of static bolts paralyzed another one.
The shielder slid and kneeled behind them and covered himself. Marie pressed her legs, bent down, and launched high with the catapult providing the momentum boost. Bringing her left fist, the trajectory was leaning toward the third puppet. Closer and closer.
“YAAAH!!” A meticulous blow to the false student’s face engendered it to leave a dented mark.
One pawn remained and sprinted. The Virtual Artist took her reaping staff and chopped off the last head.
After reconvening, they all silently shifted their bodies toward the suited man.
“If they only could be better, then I wouldn’t have to do all the work..”
“Shut up! You never gave me any respect!” A voice from afar began to fly in closer to the Private Investigators. The headless enemy was still in pursuit.
It then stiffened itself, shaking its arms and legs uncontrollably.
“You’ll be a great asset to me,” his devilish smirk glowed as he yanked the enticed servant. “Fend them off, and I may reward you.”
He nodded to the System Master, who pressed a key on his bracelet. A window tab wrapped around the well-dressed figure, leaving an ugly grin. The bright red square on the corner caused it to disappear in a blink of an eye.
“What do we do?” Julia wondered.
“Don’t fight it.”
Several raised eyebrows amongst the team. Michael swiped left, and a web portal loaded. He pressed Scan Now, formulating a cerulean barrier around the controlled foe. The enemy remained still.
“Wait a minute,” Allyson whispered internally.
“Scan is complete. I had a feeling you’d look familiar. You’re a character I made on Spellbreak. I won my first match with you.”
A plethora of rectangular shards emerged on the screen. He made no hesitation and selected the option Shut down. The headless honcho lost its levitation and dropped to the ground.
A rumbling quake sang throughout the arena. The team barely supported themselves and fell to the floor.
When it was over, the System Master inputted a command to disassemble the two gigantic walls.
Congratulations! You have passed the third trial. Please take the time to recuperate and proceed to the fourth trial.
“That was a hectic fight,” Julia swiftly sat down before Kirby and Waddle Dee rested on her lap. “You guys did great! I’m glad those illustrations I drew came in nicely. Rest well, little ones,” She tapped her Exporting Glasses, which transferred the pixelated sidekicks back to her Jewel Tablet.
“Tell me about it,” Marie concurred, falling to her knees and heavily panting. “It’s not easy to be in back-to-back fights.”
“Try getting electrocuted.”
“In my defense, I saved you.”
“And if I died?”
“Oh, please, lightning wouldn’t kill you. My electric powers aren’t that shocking.”
“Mmm hmm… You got that right. It’s not that stunning.”
“See? Got nothing to fear.”
“Hahaha!” The fighter chuckled before getting up. “Hey, Teach! You alright?”
“... … …”
“Teach?”
“The more we are in this world, the more confusing it gets.”
“What do you mean?”
“We thought Michael already had his Soul Channel, but witnessing everything just now… what is Soul Channel exactly? How do you determine it?”
The question breezed through their minds. No one had any idea what to answer.
“Hey,” Allyson called to the technician. “Thanks for saving us.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you all. If you didn’t come here, none of this would’ve happened,” a warm grin beamed on his face. “If you and Marie didn’t say anything, maybe I’d still be stuck here.”
“You know you still got some explaining to do,” Marie crossed her arms and played an enigmatic quirk on her lips.
“I know, but let’s save it for now. I’m tired.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe!” Vargas embraced his nephew so tightly that Michael barely budged. His face turned cherry red. The bridge was on the verge of shattering and unleashing an ocean tirade. “I got so worried. I thought you went missing. Come on, let’s go home. This world is too much for me right now.”
“Sorry for worrying you,” Michael gently wrapped his arms around his uncle.
“Don’t say sorry. It’s not your fault.”
Without anyone noticing, Marie emptily stared at the floor, and the corners of her lips fell.
“Mr. Richter,” the swordswoman called the professor. “Do you have any ideas on the Soul Channel thing or more about this world?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “What I thought I knew, I ended up knowing nothing, given Michael’s situation. Thankfully, Strings gathered sufficient data, so I can analyze it later.”
“Can we head out? I don’t want to stay here and risk any more issues,” the officer inquired in a demanding tone.
“Alright, let’s wrap it up here and discuss the matter at another time.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 14th - 11:34pm
Everyone returned to the lobby of the Terrapin Tech Department, encased by a shadowy intangible blanket. The professor located the switch, and luminescent rays dispersed everywhere.
"We're back home."
“That world is so confusing,” Allyson stated. Heavy thoughts lingered in her mind.
"Like we said, it's a bit complicated," Mr. Richter reiterated.
"I'll take Michael home and finish my shift later tonight. I probably can’t sleep from this."
"What if people see us here?" Julia inquired.
"Not likely," Jansen reassured. "Our SPAs have shifts here, but they leave at 11:30pm on the dot. Right now, it's past that."
"We'll take different routes exiting the building to avoid suspicion," Allyson suggested.
"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it if Jansen and I get questioned. Is your radio OK?"
"We'll find out later tonight."
"Thanks, everyone for finding Michael. I'll return the favor somehow," Vargas let his face crack a shadow smile.
"We appreciate your understanding in this predicament," Mr. Richter reciprocated.
"Take care all."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Arena 3 - The DMZ
On the abandoned field, a mysterious figure stepped in. No walls were conjured nor configured. The System Master was absent.
Additional ghostly clicking taps in perfecting rhythm marched on until the headless individual was nearby. An icy cold stare left the visitor as motionless as can be.
"Still alive…"
The stranger scanned the environment before heading back to the entry point.
The next destination was the front of HonJok Dome. After continuing to tour around the world, the visitor's eyes closed.
Flashes of Cree appeared. Flashes of Michael appeared. Flashes of two unidentifiable individuals.
"One down. Doesn’t matter because they’re next."