Luke Stain, a senior admin, sat in his cluttered office, the soft glow of the computer screen reflecting in his tired eyes. His phone buzzed with a message from Reyes, one of the game's most dedicated players. Grabbing it to text back;
Reyes: "Luke, you online?"
Luke: "Yeah, Reyes. What's up?"
Reyes: "I heard the game's shutting down... Is it true? (😩)"
Luke: sighed, running a hand through his hair. "(😓) Yeah, it's true. The higher-ups decided it's time."
Reyes: "Man, this game means a lot to me. It's more than just a game, you know? (🤯)"
Luke: "I know, Reyes. You've been with us since the beginning.(😭)"
Reyes: "I just wish there was something more, some final twist or lore addition to give it a proper send-off. (😭)"
Luke paused, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. He remembered the recent rejection, how Reyes had declined his invitation to the coffee restaurant. An idea began to form, dark and twisted. "Maybe there is something I can do," he said, his voice neutral.
Reyes: "Hello? You there!"
Luke: "Yeah, sure. Leave it to me.(👍)"
As soon as the message chat ended, Luke's demeanor shifted. He opened the game's code and began to work on a secret addition, a last bit of lore that would change everything.
"Wisps," he muttered to himself. "Created from the remnants of players who left the game. And their goal..."
He typed furiously, a twisted smile forming as he crafted the new lore. Wisps, born from the memories and data of departed players, had a mission, the universe of the game, and other planets with different races.
"Let's see how you like this, Reyes," Luke whispered.
His fingers flew over the keyboard, integrating the new content into the final update. He imagined the lore's joke it would make on Reyes face, a small act of revenge against someone who had rejected him.
**
The fire crackled softly in the hearth as the night settled around Azrael's family home. Azrael, still a young girl, snuggled close to her mother, Selene, while her father, Ethan, tended to their modest dinner. The shadows danced on the walls, creating an almost magical ambiance that seemed to bring Selene's stories to life. Tonight, as every night, Azrael eagerly awaited her mother's tale.
"Tell me about the Chosen again, Mama," Azrael whispered, her eyes wide with anticipation.
Selene smiled gently, brushing a strand of hair from Azrael's face. "Alright, my love. Let me tell you about the time when the Chosen still roamed our world."
She glanced at Ethan, who gave her an encouraging nod. Selene's voice took on a melodic quality, weaving the past into the present.
"Long ago, our world was filled with chosen—beings of immense power and skill. They could do things we could only dream of, like wielding magic with a flick of their wrists, summoning creatures, and bending reality to their will. They were our heroes, our protectors, and our guides."
Ethan chimed in, his deep voice adding weight to the tale. "I remember seeing a young chosen once, when I was just a boy just like him, same height and age. He healed a whole village with a single spell. It was like witnessing a miracle."
Azrael's eyes sparkled with wonder. "What happened to them, Mama?"
Selene's smile faded slightly. "One day, without warning, chosen began to disappear. It started slowly, with a group or two vanishing without a trace. Then, many more followed. Entire guilds and clans simply ceased to exist. People were scared, confused. The world seemed to grow darker, more dangerous without them."
Azrael frowned, a small line creasing her forehead. "Why did they disappear?"
Selene sighed softly, pulling her daughter closer. "No one knows for sure. Some say they were called away to a higher purpose, others believe they fell victim to a terrible curse. But what we do know is that their disappearance left a void—a gap in the fabric of our world that we couldn't fill."
Ethan added, "We tried to carry on, to be as strong and brave as the chosen had been. But we were just ordinary people, without their gifts or powers. We had to learn to protect ourselves, to live with the constant threat of danger from beasts."
Selene continued, "And then, the Wisps appeared. At first, they were just fleeting lights, barely noticeable. But over time, they grew more substantial, more powerful. They were the remnants of the chosen who had left, fragments of their essence and memories. But they weren't just echoes; they had a purpose."
Azrael's curiosity deepened. "What purpose?"
Selene's eyes took on a distant look, as if she were seeing those early days unfold before her. "Wisps sought to fulfill the unfinished dreams and missions of the chosen through us. They carried their powers, but also their unresolved desires and fears."
Ethan's voice turned somber. "Those with wisps were powerful, more than anything we had, they were the new chosen. They brought destruction and chaos, and we struggled to defend ourselves."
Selene nodded. "But the Wisps also brought hope. With their power, they enabled some of us to wield magic, to become something more than ordinary. We learned to bond with Wisps, to use their abilities for good against those who abused them. Many old things changed. We adapted, grew stronger, but also more wary of each another's wisps. Trust became a precious commodity."
Azrael listened intently, absorbing every word. "Is that why we're so careful now? Why we have to learn to gain a good wisp and defend ourselves?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Selene smiled sadly. "Yes, my love. We learned that we must be prepared for anything. The world is different now, and we must be different too. But it's not all fear and danger. There is still beauty, still love."
Ethan reached over, taking Selene's hand in his. "We've built a life here, a family, and a community. We now have each a wisp, but above all we have each other, and that's what matters most."
Azrael looked between her parents, feeling the warmth of their love. "I want to be brave like the chosen were. And strong, like you and Papa."
Selene's heart swelled with pride. "You already are, Azrael. You have the strength and courage of both the chosen and are our daughter. And one day, you'll find your own Wisp, and you'll make this world a better place."
Azrael's eyes shone with determination. "I promise I will, Mama."
**
As the fire burned low, Azrael drifted off to sleep, her head resting on her mother's old lap. Selene stroked her hair, feeling a deep sense of peace. The world had changed in unimaginable ways, but in this moment, her and her mother enjoyed the peace of quiet. Her mother was now too old and her father had long passed away.
She whispered a silent vow to her daughter, to the future. "Azrael. You will find a way, no matter what."
Azrael looking to her old mother now, her voice weaving a tapestry of ancient wisdom. As a child, she had always been captivated by these stories. Her mother spoke of a time when Chosen were a blessing, like mythical heroes, who roamed the world freely. They were beings of immense power, shaping reality with their will.
"Let me tell you why I no longer have my wisp. From chosen remnants," her mother continued, "Wisps were born. These ethereal beings, fragments of lost chosen, wandered the world, seeking to fulfill their creators' forgotten dreams. The Wisps carried the memories and powers of those who disappeared, but also an insidious purpose. Be careful. Don't tell anyone. For if you do, you'll have the wisps target you. Your wisp is sealed, correct?"
"Yes mother. I sealed it before entering." She'd reply knowing the letters her mother had sent her to follow to the T. She now knew the wisp she had wouldn't know what she knew. They only knew everything upon bonding, but never more afterwards. They couldn't read the minds of their host afterwards. Her mother had told her that wisp were linked as a hive-mind of sorts.
**
As Azrael grew older, she delved deeper into the mysteries of the Wisps. She discovered that when a Wisp devoured another, it some mysterious catastrophic event was caused by this particular incident, and with now the portals. She knew the truth held somewhere between wisps and portals, but kept her thoughts to herself. For the fear of the wisps hive-mind targeting her.
Now, as Azrael, the World Ender, she stood as the last line of defense against the chaos spawned by these spectral remnants, forever haunted by the tales of her mother's lore.
〘Name: Azrael • The World Ender 〙
〘Race: Human • Spector 〙
〘 Class: Rune • Caster〙
〘 HP: 79,000/80,000 〙
〘 MP: 59,096/ 981,075 〙
〘 SP: Eternal 〙〘 AE: VII Class 〙
〘Archetype: Demi-Divine 〙〘 Class: Lvl•99〙
〘 Age: Eternal 〙〘 Wisp: Omega • T7〙
〘 Skills: 36/36 〙〘 Passive: 10/10 〙
〘 Armor: Headgear • R70〙
〘 Armor: Chest • R86〙
〘 Armor: Left Arm • R75〙
〘 Armor: Right Arm • R67〙
〘 Armor: Right Leg • R92〙
〘 Armor: Left Leg • R90 〙
**
Azrael aka the World Ender stood alone on the edge of a cliff, staring into the roiling ocean. Omega, his Wisp, floated beside her, a small, glowing orb of light. It was always quiet, they had long stopped small banter communicating, and it didn't know why.
She was distant with it and everyone for all that matter, as it had long since given up on trying to amend that burnt bridge. They only communicated in matters of business and nothing more.
"Azrael, they're coming." Omega would announce as it sensed the other wisps nearing in the open field with no viable indication of arrival. However, she too as stoic as she was, sensed the dimension shift around her. He'd nod, as she tuned to face empty space on the open castle top roof.
"Let them come. Our differences pale in comparison to the threat we've seen." She'd finally say something as Omega watched her carefully to see if it could get a hint in her mental state.
A rift in the air shimmered before her, and Eternal stepped through, her Bonded Wisp, Oternial, flitting around her like a ghostly butterfly. She regarded Azrael with a mix of contempt and wary respect.
"I didn't think you'd actually agree to this 'world leaders' meeting, Azrael." Lyra spoke with an annoyed voice.
"The 'vision oracle' told me she had visited and sent her letters to each of the world leaders. So we shared was clear goal, Lyra. Even I cannot ignore the end of our world." Azrael Replied as she walked to lead them to entrance to downstairs for where the meeting would take place.
From the sky, a massive shadow descended. Thalrok the Dragon Emperor landed with a crash alongside the far valleys of the castle, yet the earthquake tremors through the lands gave enough of his arrival to the site, his dragon now shifting into form of seamlessly armor, momentarily an armored figure was at the castle's gates, the guards shaking in fear allowed him inside as he bellowed in laughter. Traconis, his Wisp, glowed a fierce red at his side.
"Azrael, Lyra. This better not be a trap. I've little patience for your schemes." Thalrok, flying to meet them on the rooftop, he'd glance at Lyra sternly as he spoke to Azrael.
"Rest assured, Thalrok. None of us can afford deception now. I hosted this event, if I cannot handle even the likes of both you. Then why bother, so each of us or rather the rest of you three will behave or I'll act first and make sure at least the house isn't cleaned before I step outside to clean the mess in my yard." Azrael waving off Thalrok as a meager insignificant figure was alarming to Lyra who watch the events unfold as Thalrok took the compliment quietly before laughing as he now stood alongside them on the roof.
The air grew cold, and from a swirling vortex of darkness, Elandra the Voidwalker emerged, her eyes glowing with the void's endless depths. Satyria, her Wisp, flickered like a shadow beside her.
"We are all here. Now speak, Azrael. What have you seen on the frontlines?" Trying to act superior as she spoke to Azrael, Elandra had always displayed clear disdain for Azrael as like oil and water. The two never much could get along together.
Azrael's eyes blazed with a light that seemed to cut through the very fabric of reality. She raised a hand, and a projection of their shared vision appeared in the air: strange humanoid monstrous creatures pouring through portals, with ghostly faces and armor unquestionably chosen alike, devouring everything in their path.
"This is our adversaries, if we do nothing. These creatures are beyond anything we have ever faced. They are not from our world. While also, they range from levels 50 as the lowest to 90 as the highest." She pointed to a few that were more specific to her.
"I have yet to see their commanders, so who knows if there's a level 100. Don't forget they got armor ranging from R40 to R80 too." Azrael spoke to them, sternly as they kept quiet analyzing the video showed to them.
"I've battled many people with high Rated armor and skills but..., these... are different, there's just too many. They have no fear, no desire other than destruction." Thalrok spoke earnestly about the incoming threat that the others rolled their eyes. Being the only male of the world leaders, he was view as crude to the women.
"And they are endless. For each ten we destroy, a hundred more take its place." Lyra, a bit nervous about the situation.
Elandra stepped closer to the projection, her gaze intense.
"I have walked between plenty planets. They don't exactly experience the direct conflict with these things. Recently, things have changed, I don't understand why. These portals are not natural. They appear to have some form of organizational structure to them. Someone—or something—is creating them." Elandra spoke as she was one that never stayed on Storia, she was always away foraging connections for her home world and making pacts with planetary allies. Yet, now she had been forced to act in aggressive fashion to prevent the incoming storm.
"Which means there is a mind behind this madness. We need to find it and destroy it before it's too late." Azrael spoke as she stayed emotionally restrained as she seemed carefully with her words as the wisps watched them, innocent as always yet she knew otherwise.
"We must unite our strengths. Alone, we fall. Together, we stand a chance." Azrael continued as she gestured for the meeting to take place inside doors, as she then lead them downstairs the castle doors.
**
"United armies? After centuries of trying to kill each other?" Thalrok spoke out lashing to Azrael, as he glared to Lyra who snickered to his behavior as Azrael sighed.
"What choice do we have? The world will not survive our petty conflicts if these creatures are not stopped." Azrael would say as she seemed defeated to the extent of the discussion had taken after hours of discussion.
A silence fell over them as the weight of their situation settled in. These were beings who commanded armies, who reshaped continents with their power, who had been enemies for as long as anyone could remember. And yet, here they stood, bound by a common fate.
"We will need to combine our strengths. Each of us has a role to play." Lyra would say as she decided she would be support of the armies, while Azrael would shake her head to lay the groundwork on the parchment for them to sign as well as the details.
"I will stand on the front lines, using my reality-warping abilities to close as many portals as I can. This will be a significant challenge, but in the meantime it will give the world a breathing space for more recruits and training while we continue to strengthen ourselves to confront the threat and prepare to rid of it completely." Azrael spoke a half-truth, as she didn't fully give the whole plans due to the wisps in question watching them. Unbeknownst her allies as well, she had planned to kill all their wisps in this plan, and rid them from world.
With that, the meeting ended. Each titan departed to prepare for the coming war, their bond of necessity fragile but resolute. The world had never seen a threat like this, and its fate now rested in the hands of its greatest—and most feared—champions.
As they went their separate ways, the vision of the portals and the endless hordes of monsters haunted their thoughts. The future was uncertain, but they had taken the first step. The first step towards a united front, towards hope, towards survival.
Knowing that, killing the wisps made more portals, she decided if she would somehow kill them all then perhaps no more portals would ever come to be. But at the greater cost of weakening their world against other worlds. She was lost without an answer that wasn't without this possibility. She decided it so, and planned for the future to come. 'Mother, this is what I can do. If only you were here to help me know another way.' She'd think to herself in her empty throne as the events were to begin.
[Era of Tyranny - 9,046 AC]