Have you ever had something that you loved?

I'm not talking that wishy-washy, toss the word around every two seconds, love. I'm talking die-for-you, love.

Most find it their family, some in their jobs, friends, and passions. But, once you find yours, you defend it. You protect it with all your being. Because life would be infinitely different without it.

I'm glad to say, at this young age, I've already found mine. It took long years of searching, though. I couldn't find it in the contempt of my family's stares, nor the sneers of my classmates, nor the mind-numbing monotony of my job. It was in an MMO, where anonymity was mine. No, I can't say the love of my life is gaming, though that'd be much simpler. It's the long hours spent late at night, the discipline I had never shown anywhere else in my life, and that sweet moment when it all paid off, when all my enemies were at my feet.

But, mostly it's the freedom. I don't have to wear that damn mask I don every day. I have free reign to tell people the truth, no matter how ugly it is. I can be who I truly am.

So, yes, I shut myself in for days at a time, futilely trying to become part of a digital world which holds more warmth than Earth ever could. I don't care about their judgemental looks, or my parents' constant scolding. I'm doing what I love.

At least, I was until yesterday. That's when everything changed. That's when I arrived.

<<<>>>

My head was aching with intense pain, like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was so bad that I couldn't open my eyes and my groans echoed loudly in my ears. Imagine suddenly having ten days of hangover at once. Yeah, it wasn't pretty.

Slowly, my senses started to work again. First came the slight rustle of grass under me, then the strong radiance of the sun, then, oddly enough, similar sounds of protest all around me. 'Where the hell am I?' I perplexedly thought.

My eyelids creaked open, after much effort, only to be immediately blinded. The sun smote its rays on my nocturnal pupils, leading to further discomfort. Guess that's what I got for staying indoors for the majority of my life.

Frustrated, I sprung to my feet in a single, flowing motion. I could clearly feel the wave of power generated from my core and winding through my legs, resolving into a comfortable thump under my feet. 'Huh? H-how did I do that?!' It was a good question. So, I forced my eyes open to study my body. What I saw shocked me.

I wore a black robe that obscured every inch of skin on my body. Each motion I performed seemed to shift the cloth, not obstructing me in the slightest. But it seemed... unusually dark. Not even a speck of light seemed to reach it. 'Like... like a black hole'.

Then it hit me.

And it hit me hard.

This was my Game avatar's body. This was Bloodsing's body. He wore the enchanted robe 'Black Hole Raiment'.

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'No damn way!'

The sheer shock of the realization forced me to look around in a desperate, futile hope that it wasn't real, that it was a dream. But, no, that's not how life works, does it?

I was in the dead-center of a crowd, peopled by men and women in a similar state than I had just escaped from. Some clutched their heads in pain, and others were totally unconscious. Most notable was their clothing. Robes in a myriad of colors, leather armguards and aegis, even a few with full suits of armor. 

'What the hell is happening?' My mind boggled.

The crowd stretched on for quite awhile, but was by no means infinite. Yet, the plains that we stood on did seem so. I would say that we weren't in Kansas anymore, but, frankly, it did look like Kansas.

Strangely enough, my vision was incredibly better than before (which was 20/20)... Then again, maybe it wasn't strange at all. If this really was Bloodsing's body, then it's only logical to say that I inherently have all the upgrades and powers that I worked towards in-game. 'Incredible' I marveled at how light my body felt. If that really was the case, then I can safely say than no matter where I was, I would dominate. After all, I beat a dragon in-game with my bare fists, who did I have to fear?

'Guess somebody or something summoned us. Probably to be heroes of some kind.' I conjectured based on the thousands of light novels I had read. Oh, how I wished that was true. But, no, it was far more sinister than that.

Interrupting my thoughts, a blaring voice blasted into my eardrums.

"EH?! THE SPORTS HAVEN'T WOKEN YEEEET?! HOW FRUSTRATING!"

I looked up and saw it's source. His appearance couldn't have contrasted to the voice further. He looked to be a young man with handsome looks and flowing blonde locks. He wore a pure and radiant white robe with a sash that seemed be made of gold threaded into cloth. His aura, also gold, seemingly radiated from his sky-blue eyes. Oh, and he was flying too. Not many things were going to surprise me at that point.

"Oh? What do we have here? One little sport saw fit to awake from his nap to greet me." His condescension grated on me. "How interesting." But the sudden shift to seriousness was surprising.

He intensely scrutinized me with those icy eyes. I nearly panicked before remembering that my robe's hood was enchanted so that the wearer's face was always covered in deep shadow, even in broad daylight. That gave me the confidence to stare him down.

'The old me is dead' I remember thinking 'Alex Cross is gone and forgotten. But he was just a mask. This is an opportunity to be true to myself from now on. Even in the face of impossibility, I'll never waver. I can't waver. Because... because I'm Bloodsing!'

A true and wry smile spread across the man's lips. "Interesting indeed."