The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  “You don’t say,” Reaper said, dry with cynicism.

  “Indeed, your efforts are commendable, which is why I’m going to reward you all for your troubles.”

  A flash of sparkling purple light illuminated the room briefly before vanishing, leaving a large violet stone floating in midair, before dropping to the ground before them. It was a pure amethyst formed into the shape of a lightning bolt. Its violet glow lit up the room with its majestic gleam.

  “What is this?” Lena asked flatly.

  “That is the stone that you need to enter the Golden Obelisk. This raid was not available to anyone else in the game. You should all be flattered,” Raven explained.

  “I’m not impressed,” Scarlet said sardonically.

  “Ah, typical Joanna. Never able to show happiness, are you?”

  “I’ll be plenty happy if you come face us and stop with these holograms.”

  “Unfortunately, I can’t do that just yet, but I promise you that day will come. Anyways, as I was going to explain, since you have that stone, you won’t have to enter the Violet Obelisk, which was the final raid of the Lightning Continent. Aren’t I so generous?”

  “I don’t know if generous is the word I’d use,” Reaper laughed.

  “What’s the catch?” Dusk inquired, not believing that Raven would ever do them a favor without strings attached.

  “There is no catch, really! If I had to say what the catch was, it was this raid. I created this place from an age old memory to show you and Kaya the truth, Drexel. You have seen bits and pieces, but I have not yet shown you the full truth. Behold your eventual fate!”

  “What are you talking about? You never make any sense.”

  Instead of Raven responding, the two holograms of Drexel and Kaya appeared yet again in front of the group.

  A floating pedestal sat directly in front of them which housed a terrifying blade that seemed too large for any human being to hold. The jet black sword was about five feet long, with intricate markings that were pulsating with a deep red luminosity.

  Drexel turned towards Kaya, grabbing her hand within his, preparing himself to receive the answer they had been searching for.

  “This is it, Kaya, are you ready?”

  “Yes. The culmination of our efforts lies here in this pedestal.”

  Drexel smiled warmly at his lifelong companion.

  “Ladies first.”

  Kaya beamed lovingly at him before hugging him tightly. She released him from her arms moments later. With her eyes locked forward, she ambled quietly to the blade, reaching out both of her hands in an attempt to grasp the celestial device. As soon as she touched the handle, a crimson light exploded, sending her flying backwards before she crashed to the ground. The impact hurt her pride more than it did her body. Her face contorted into one of disappointment and depression. She was on the edge of tears.

  “It... rejected me,” Kaya muttered sadly.

  “I’m sorry, Kaya,” Drexel responded, his eyes showing a hint of sorrow behind them. It was a rare sight for him to see her fail at something.

  Kaya closed her eyes, shaking her head in disagreement, a single tear escaping her soul.

  “No, don’t be. It’s not your fault.” She managed to crack a slight smile in her dejected state. “It’s your turn, Drexel. I hope you can succeed where I have failed.”

  “I’ll try.”

  He walked cautiously to the blade, as if he was approaching a rabid beast, before gripping the sword tightly. Power coursed throughout his veins, forcibly increasing the limit on what his body could handle. It was as if his body was a dam. The force was flowing into his body in torrents, far surpassing what the dam could handle, yet the water did not overflow. Deep carmine light surrounded him, forming itself into various objects. The humungous five foot sword had split into two four foot blades; both with the same design, but their width had been halved. Futuristic armor had covered him from head to toe. The armor was adorned with all manner of markings, and gleamed that same brilliant red; the same terrifying crimson that had invaded Dusk’s visions and nearly caused him to collapse. Drexel clad himself in this demonic crimson, looking like a knight from a time far beyond the present.

  “Wow, you did it, Drexel!”

  Kaya ran up to kiss him, but what she saw terrified her. Drexel fell, convulsing uncontrollably on the floor. His body shot into several spasms as his cries of agony filled the room. She ran to him to try and help him, but she was again deflected backwards by the crimson barrier. Drexel spent five full minutes writhing in agony before his body finally calmed down. He rose, ever so slowly.

  Being an acute telepath, she could sense a massive change within her partner. She knew for sure when she looked into his eyes. His being now held a boundless evil within. That glare held intense malice and hatred, threatening to destroy everything in its path. Kaya froze, her heart now entombed in a solid block of ice. She could not draw a single breath. Her entire body was tingling with fear.

  “Drexel... are you okay?”

  Drexel started chuckling, quietly at first, until his laughter clambered into wicked heights, leaving a ghastly chill in the air as the satanic sounds echoed throughout the room. Kaya had previously been considered fearless, but right then, she was terrified of losing the love of her life to this demonic blade. This sword was supposed to be their answer, their salvation! How could this have happened?

  “I understand now, Kaya. I understand everything. The entire universe became one with me. This is the answer we were seeking, my love, and now there’s only one thing left to do.”

  She was afraid to ask, but she had to.

  “What do you plan to do?”

  “I am going to...” Drexel’s lips parted wide open in a maniacal grin as he uttered those next words with complete dominance—”Kill everyone.”

  Kaya had wished deep down that this was all some sort of sick joke.

  Despite all of her wishing, she could not deny the vile feeling which pervaded in the air with its undeniable malevolent stench lingering. Evil... pure evil. Her eyes began to overflow as sadness overcame her.

  “What... why would you? Has the sword driven you insane? Wake up, Drexel! This isn’t you.”

  “Correction, it wasn’t me. Before, I was ignorant as to the true nature of the universe. But now I know everything. I only wish I could share that knowledge with you, Kaya. Then you could understand.”

  She cried out in pain. Although she had not been physically assaulted, her psyche was undergoing the harshest possible trauma. Still, she would not allow herself to succumb to her emotions. As much as she hated it with every fiber of her being... if Drexel had become evil, there was only one thing left to do. She slowly and reluctantly withdrew her silver blade from its resting place on her hip.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this right now, Drexel, after everything we’ve been through. But if you insist on going through with this course of action, I have no choice but to stop you here.”

  Drexel was completely unmoved by Kaya’s display of valor.

  “I didn’t expect you to understand.”

  In the next instant, Drexel had appeared behind Kaya. She tried to turn and defend herself, but she was already too late. He used the pommel of the blade to strike her in the head mercilessly, knocking her unconscious.

  “I’m sorry I had to do that, Kaya. I wish you could’ve understood. You’re the only one I won’t kill. I’m going to create a better world for us... I love you so much.”

  Drexel walked out of the room silently, leaving his lover behind. Kaya lay on the cold and dark floor, completely alone.

  The hologram fast forwarded, showing Drexel against numerous soldiers who had him flanked on all sides.

  “Give it up, Drexel! We have you surrounded. There’s nowhere to run.”

  Drexel’s mouth curled into a smirk, with all the confidence in the world placed in those abyssal eyes of his.

  “Run? Who said anything about running?”

>   He unsheathed his instrument of death, causing some of the soldiers to step back in fear.

  “What are you afraid of men? He’s only one man!” their commander admonished them, attempting to instill courage in his men.

  “One man too many for you,”

  Drexel taunted as he shot forward like lightning, cutting through a crowd of at least a hundred men, sending their limbs and organs flying everywhere in a disgusting explosion of gore. An instant later, a large crimson beam came forth from his blade, completely vaporizing anything in its path, leaving not even a trace of existence in that direction. The soldiers who were still alive were gripped in the claws of absolute terror. Some ran around in disarray, while others were frozen in place like a mouse cornered by a cat. No amount of battle cries or courageous speeches could save them now.

  Drexel continued butchering every soldier until not even a single survivor remained. The wicked knight of the future was utterly covered in the blood of his victims, red splattered over red, a cruel smile forming on his lips.

  “I’ve exterminated the vermin, but there are so many more to stomp out. This paltry amount of deaths won’t even make a dent in purging this universe of the scourge called humanity.”

  The queasy feeling within Dusk overpowered the physical strain of his body and the searing of his lungs. He was now focusing everything on keeping this pestilence contained within him. He felt like he had been poisoned. The nausea inside him had deluged into an insurmountable flood.

  “Turn it off,” Dusk pleaded. “For the love of God, turn it off!”

  “As you wish.” Raven’s tone had become uncharacteristically serious. “That part had ended anyways. The finality of your truth awaits you ahead. I won’t allow you all to leave this place until you have seen it.”

  Tsuki ran up to Dusk’s side, sitting down behind him in order to embrace him, staring straight upward with a glare that said she wanted to shoot Raven down out of the sky.

  “Why don’t you leave Drake alone, already? Haven’t you tortured him enough?”

  “The truth is torture? Hmm. I think the problem is you don’t want him to see what’s next, do you?”

  “Raven, I hope you’re prepared. I will find you sooner or later, and when I do, I’ll personally bring an end to your sick games,” Tsuki proclaimed boldly.

  Raven chuckled at the idle threat.

  “Oh how frightening. I should really be careful then, huh? I’m so scared I think I’ll stop talking now.”

  The room had become mostly quiet, though some of the raid members were cringing with disgust. Dusk had started to wheeze. He was clutching his head in desperation as his bloodshot eyes crackled from the stress. It seemed like he would shatter into a million pieces right then and there.

  “Karla, did that really happen?”

  “Drake...”

  “Just who the hell am I? Please tell me this was all a lie. Please, tell me..."

  “All right; it was a lie, Drake.”

  She said those words, but Dusk could tell just from her tone of voice that she was not sincere. He wished from the bottom of his heart that he could believe what she said, but his mind denied it. It just made too much sense. The visions, and the dream he once had all but confirmed this to be the truth. His panting had become frenetic. Thanks to the immense physical strain from the battle against Livia, he had barely been able to keep himself conscious as it was. This added psychological trauma...it was too much to take.

  “Drake, oh God, are you okay?” She held him closer, hoping that if she embraced him as hard as possible, he would get a hold of himself. No such luck.

  “Drake, please! Pull yourself together!”

  All of her pleas fell on deaf ears. To Dusk, the thoughts of his genocide were drowning out all other senses. The intense physical exertion. His walking in and out of death’s door. And now this. The potent combination of misery on his mind and body conquered his soul, rendering him unconscious.

  Tsuki let go of him, turning her head towards Omni, her face spelling out everything for him. He walked over to Dusk, checking his pulse as he did to the others earlier.

  “He’s fine. He’ll wake up again soon.”

  “Hey, silver woman,” Chaos called out in a voice devoid of respect. “Is all this bullshit true? Did that bastard kill all those people?”

  “No, but he believes he did,” Tsuki lied to his face. As far as she was concerned, this was one of those times where lying was a necessity. If she told the truth, who knows if Descent would raid with them any longer? As much as they wanted to clear the game with Phoenix alone, they would need the help of Descent and others to complete their objective.

  Joan’s breath filled the air as she let the apprehension slide off her.

  “Phew, that’s a relief. If he really did all that stuff, I don’t think we could raid with him. Wouldn’t really feel safe around him, ya know?”

  Reaper nodded in understanding. “If he wanted to kill us, he could’ve done so while we were fighting Livia. Instead he saved us by realizing her weakness to ice so quickly.”

  “Roger. Don’t listen to Raven. It’s obvious the little shit likes to play mind games,” Scarlet interrupted, supporting her fellow Phoenix members.

  “I can see that,” Muse concluded.

  Dusk awoke fifteen minutes later, locking eyes with the calming indigo fluorescence shining down upon him. As he gazed at the wonder of silver above him, he could see that she was trying to put him at ease with that look of hers. All of the calming effects around him did not serve their intended function, however, as Dusk once again felt sick. He wished he could throw up.

  “Drake, we don’t have to see what’s ahead, you know. We can stay right here.”

  Dusk rose to his feet defiantly. “Fuck that, I need to see the truth.”

  “After what it just did to you? Why are you so stubborn?”

  “Because the truth is more important than anything to me. I have to see this through to the end. Besides, we can’t escape this place until we’ve reached the end anyways.”

  Damn it, Drake. Why do you have to be this way? Why don’t you listen to me more? One day, this will be your undoing.

  The group had reached what looked to be the final room. It was a spacious room with little furniture, save for the lavish red rug that led to an extravagant throne.

  The holographic story continued its tale, this time showing Drexel in a standoff against Noah, both of them clad in the futuristic armor. The main difference was that Noah’s armor radiated a yellow light, and he wielded a bladed staff.

  “Why are you doing this, Drexel?” Noah questioned, his voice rife with despair.

  “You of all people are asking me why I’m doing this? Look at yourself! You’re wielding an Eon Blade, clad in Eon Armor, just like me. You more than anyone else should be able to understand me right now.”

  “That’s exactly why I don’t understand, Drexel. I’ve seen the truth of this universe, and it’s beautiful. Life is beautiful. How could you want to snuff it out?”

  “You’re right, life is beautiful. But humanity is a virus which infects its universal host. Right here, right now, I will rid the universe of its virus before it has a chance to inflict more harm upon the universe.”

  “Humanity is full of boundless hopes. The dreams of everyone can shape the universe into a greater form, given the proper guidance. How can you not see this, Drexel? How could you have fallen this far?”

  “All I see is a pit of despair, surrounded by bloodshed and carnage. All I see is ugliness, a festering sickness which is spreading like a disease. I don’t know how you came to the conclusion that humanity had any hope at all, but if that’s how you feel I’ll have to kill you with the rest. Die, Noah!”

  “Stop this madness, Drexel!”

  The two stopped speaking there, instead relying on their swords to portray their emotions to one another. The two fought a battle of epic proportions, traversing past the realm of human limitations. It was a fi
ght between gods. Raven had taken this opportunity to fast forward through the fight, stopping the tale at its bitter end.

  Drexel and Noah, the Yin and Yang of Eons—stood opposing one another to the end— their bodies beaten and bloodied. The Eon armor had vanished completely, neither warrior having the strength left to sustain its form any longer. Noah had driven his double bladed staff into Drexel’s stomach, but Drexel had pierced him straight through the heart. Noah let the tears flow as he gazed at his friend for the last time before his heart stopped beating completely. Though blood was trickling out of the corner of Drexel’s mouth, he raised the corner of his mouth into a wicked grin. He would laugh if he could, but that would only heighten his pain.

  Farewell, my friend. With you dead, there is nothing left to stop me from sending humanity to rightful annihilation.

  Though Drexel talked big, he fell onto his back, his sword vanishing. He was barely clutching onto life. He saw a familiar face walk into the room. It was Kaya, his lifelong love. How had she found him? He didn’t want her to see any of this. He only wanted to make a peaceful world for them. He had left her alone three years ago when he took the Eon Blade from the pedestal. As far as he was concerned, he showed her a mercy by not killing her. In reality, Kaya had been training herself tirelessly for the day she saw Drexel again, that she may put an end to his limitless hatred.

  She looked down upon him with sympathy as Drexel weakly raised his hand towards her. He thought this was a hallucination, but his lover was indeed there in the flesh.

  “Are my thoughts betraying me? Kaya, help me. Please.”

  Drexel felt an indescribable pain piercing through his heart. Misery and trauma overtook him as he realized that instead of reaching forward to take his hand, Kaya had plunged her blade into his chest mercilessly, literally breaking his heart.

  “Kaya... why?”

  The tears, overflowing from her face, rained down on him endlessly.

  “Why? You ask why? You’ve killed hundreds of thousands of people in the last few years with your weapon of mass destruction. You even killed our childhood friend Noah. You weren’t going to stop until you wiped out humanity completely, and you have the gall to ask me why? If there was any other option, I would have taken it without a second thought. I wish it didn’t have to end this way, I really do. But what’s done is done. I’m so sorry.”