He logged out the second he stepped onto the paved ground, avoiding the fallout of the failed raid and questions from the guild. Let the officers deal with it. He'd died three times while giving his all. That strained even him.
His pod shut down and the lid swung open, revealing his rented room in this medical research center. He jumped out of the pod like a thousand times before, feeling healthier and fitter than ever thanks to the nanobots. But he still needed to take breaks and sleep. He needed a break after that catastrophe.
Especially after the criminal’s victory, Rowan Black. And his new girlfriend and in-game terrorist, Gabby LeMort.
But it wasn’t all their fault, he reminded himself but would never say out loud among all the self-righteous players and NPCs. He had to act like a pompous dork out for justice like it was his God-given mission. For his guild. For his faction. For the king, like he even cared for that old fool like other players did. The realism of Aeon Chronicles Online certainly drew out peoples' need for role-playing and a grandfatherly figure.
The three light factions had hunted Gabby like a wild animal. She’d been detected in her starter city. Her brand of dark mana was incredibly potent and could be detected even when suppressed, far more so than any other dark mana player. Except Not Insane, who had turned out to be surprisingly weak.
Dorian couldn’t do anything to help her back during early-alpha—neither could any other darkies in hiding. The king had spared him only because he’d proved his dedication to the light with his guild. He’d grown more understanding since.
And really, he had sided increasingly more with the light factions since LeMort started crashing raids and looting unsecured settlements. Too many NPCs had died at her hands. The goal was to build a fantasy-styled second life, not destroy it. There were safer places to enjoy PvP and dueling.
The faction leaders all held a deep hatred for dark mana and darker personality traits—the AI controller's idea for a PvP game. This string of events had to be its way of balancing the power between light and dark whether Dorian and the player base liked it or not. It ignited everyone’s PvP fuse rather well.
As for Rowan, well… Dr. Roth had messed up Rowan’s experimental implants and Dorian had gradually and grudgingly forgiven the boy for his attempted murder. Even if Dorian couldn’t control himself while Fire-Dark mana flowed through his blood. It’d turned him into a corny basket of hate upon seeing Rowan in-game. Dark mana literally warped one’s mind depending on the elemental and Synaptic planned to implement a disclaimer upon the game’s release. Fortunately, the effects appeared temporary and limited to the game world.
And yes, attempted murder. His parents called in a lot of favors to give Max the most advanced, experimental treatments.
Dorian stretched his muscles and strode to the polymer door by his bookshelf, presenting his thumb to the scanner. The pristine, white corridors passed under his lithe steps. Security was most important in this facility. It held society’s medical technology of tomorrow—medical technology which had saved Max’s life.
Or at least his brain as they claimed. His troublesome brother was reduced to a disturbing state.
He presented his thumb to the scanner and stepped into Max’s room—or lab as they called it, containing two large cylindrical containers constantly worked on by medical engineers.
The first held a growing human body in a viscous fluid, closing in on Max’s biological age, ready to harvest, fit and handsome, unlike his previous swine-like appearance.
The second held Max’s brain in liquid identical to natural cerebral fluids. Tubes sewed to arteries and veins delivered a steady circulation of blood and nutrients. Brain activity was minimal but alive, still unconscious.
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading to the end! I hope you enjoyed Book 1 of Aeon Chronicles Online. Please review—I appreciate all feedback, especially constructive criticism or encouragement.
I am planning to make this into a long, long series of at least 5 books and every copy sold or page read allows me to devote more time to writing. For news and updates on when the next book is coming out, please join my News Letter by clicking the link below.
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Thank you again for reading and see you next book!
-Dante Sakurai
[email protected]
Aeon Chronicles Online_Book 1_Devil's Deal Page 50
