This AU takes place in a physical representation of the internet. Literally, the Web is an island. Websites are companies and places. Places like street names and districts, however, will just have ordinary names. There will be some futuristic elements, of course, because of this.
This is inspired by Shingeki no Kyojin and DRAMAtical Murder. So if you've seen either, you know this story won't be bubbly fangirly fluff.
You're one in a select few, but not an individual.
You're specially made, but not unique.
Your name holds a legacy, but not your future.
Your face is iconic, but not one to call your own.
And that's why you're here, xxxxx.
The blonde girl winced as she woke up from her slumber, ice blue orbs squinting in the unforgiving sunlight that poured in through the bus window. She rubbed both eyes to ease the burn beneath their lids and then stretched out her limbs until she heard a subtle pop.
Looking about herself, she could see only a few people were still asleep in their cushy white bus seats. Most of them were only sleeping in now because they had stayed up late the previous night. No matter how comfortable the interior of these traveling buses were, no one was ever quite acquainted with sleeping in an upright position and so it took quite some time to fully fall asleep.
The blonde dared to look outside again, noticing some familiar signs coming in and out of her view through the window. It looks like she had woken up at the right time. Her destination was near. It would only be a matter of time before-
"Tch, of course you would."
With a click of her tongue, the girl glanced at her ringing Clove on her food tray, which displayed the smiling face of a boy her age with honey colored hair and cocoa eyes.
"Mario, I'm almost there," she didn't even bother with a hello.
"Good, that's just what I was going to ask," the voice on the other end that replied held a more effeminate tone, with the subtle emphasis on his "s" "You know where you meet me, right Felicia?"
"Rivaille Street, I've been there before," the blonde droned "Look, don't worry so much about me. All I have to do is walk a few blocks, not an entire country."
"I'm just excited to see you."
"Oh please," snorted Felicia "You've been watching over my every move since we met. I won't be surprised when we're in wheelchairs and you're still nagging me about going off on my own."
This time a muffled giggle was heard on the other line, followed by a "Fine. I'll leave you be…for now. Just get home soon, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Later Mario."
"Goodbye."
Click.
Felicia released a sigh.
Mario had given her hell throughout the last two days of their trip to the Brennenburg District. Of course, he was completely fine with the trip, itself, seeing as it had to be done soon anyway, but when Felicia announced she would have to take a pit stop along the way by herself, that's where he had a problem. The young man had traveled with her throughout the entire trip. The idea of continuing to their destination alone while the blonde stood back for an extra day was discomforting. What was more discomforting was not being allowed to know what she left for or where she went. Mario was respectful of her privacy, though, and stayed out of Felicia's way as long as they had kept constant contact with one another and she lived up to her promise of returning to their new home in time, both of which she had managed to do.
"Now approaching: Brennenburg District."
As the travel bus dug further into the central part of the district, people began to stir about, slowly waking up and preparing to depart soon, Felicia included.
She untangled herself from the sleeping blanket she had been given, instantly regretting the choice of jean shorts and a long-sleeved pink shirt with a lime green vest as travel wear when she moved her body. She then removed her bag and cell phone from the food tray and folded it back beneath her seat.
Felicia then stood up and further stretched, feeling the surge of the bus still drive beneath her feet. Afterwards, she reached up to the compartments to retrieve her duffle bag. Unfortunately, this was the moment the bus had stopped and the blonde lost her footing, tripping over her own foot and falling back.
Hardly anyone noticed, though, leaving no one to either ridicule or help her up. Brushing her fingers through her golden bangs on instinct, her blue eyes then darted towards a very valuable item: a micro golden chain with a golden piece about the size of a soda cap in the shape of a fist.
She snatched it and hooked it around her neck, letting the golden fist rest in her shirt.
"After all the hell I went through getting it, I'm not gonna lose it right after."
The welcoming "bing!" noise told the blonde it was time to depart from the mass vehicle as the footsteps of the other passengers supported that fact.
Slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder, Felicia exited the bus and began her trek to her new home.
She couldn't help but look around herself and take in the neighborhood sights Brennenburg had to offer. It surely wasn't what most people would imagine when moving to a new place. The buildings weren't all that impressive and didn't stand out so much from the dull colors of the dirty pavement. No, the district couldn't be called the "slums" or run-down, but it still wasn't anything pretty to look at. To add to the gloom, the buildings rose too high to allow the beautiful sky's colors to pour in. In trying to improve itself with tall skyscrapers, it also eliminated its only shred of beauty.
"You waited on the front porch for me?" Felicia scoffed upon discovering the brunette that rocked on the patio swing.
The corner of Mario's lips curled slightly in a guilty response.
"Come on, get in the house," said Felicia, opening the door for both of them "I'm wrecked from the travel and all I need right now is a shower and fluffy pajamas."
With the boy following behind, Felicia let her eyes roam around the house "Not bad," she said as a satisfactory smile teased her lips "Glad you were able to get such a nice place to live in on such short notice."
The house was like any ordinary one with only the polish wood finish to admire, seeing as the two were only renting the space, but compared to the dreary neighborhood Felicia had just seen, this was a sight for sore eyes.
"Dad…? Dad, what's wrong with you?! You've been acting really weird since Mom died! Dad, no! Stop!"
The warm hand that made gentle contact with Felicia's shoulder jumped when a choked squeal escaped her lips.
Felicia panted as her icy blue eyes stared out to the dimly lit ceiling above her.
"Another nightmare?" Mario's voice inquired.
Bringing her forearm to her eyes, Felicia huffed "Yeah."
Mario stood up from the futon the girl lied on to brighten the lights some more "You were asleep for a really long time. You usually have nightmares when you sleep that hard," he said, his cocoa brown eyes not revealing much emotion "Are you…are you worried about entering Youtube?"
Felicia sighed through her nose.
"We're literally being called into the military," continued Mario "And for a completely different reason than our parents. No one knows what we're going to see when we get out there-"
"I know that already," interjected the blonde. She sat up and released another soft sigh "Hand me my scrunchy."
Mario leaned over to grab the green clothe that once held Felicia's dirty blond hair in a high ponytail above her head from the coffee table and placed it in her awaiting hand. Having done so many times before, Felicia was able to tie the ponytail smoothly whilst keeping her silky bangs in place without the use of a mirror.
The island of Platinum Web has always been technology influenced for the benefit of making the everyday life of man more efficient. However, out of all the great advances in technology, one of Platinum Web's most franchised investment was virtual gaming. The young community craved the adventure of placing themselves in a video game so much that people would gain fame for their skills. Their names held great respect; Pewdiepie, JackSepticEye, Markiplier. All of them were seen as great warriors to Platinum Web's people. Unfortunately, they would soon regret that title. One day, technology decided to turn against its creators. Beasts known as Viruses infiltrated the land. On the day these monsters were born, mankind was forced behind a barrier known as the Net. While citizens lived in the safe haven of the Net in complete ignorance, brave souls were being taken to the outskirts of the island and placed in an army. This army was composed of the greatest gamers Platinum Web had to offer. Their name: Youtube.
That was generations ago. The monsters have been unheard of since and the community beneath the Net remained in blissful ignorance…for the moment.
A new enemy has approached, but the gamers that exist now do not live up to the standard the previous legends did. Without the legends here today, how far is Platinum Web willing to go to ensure its safety this time? What will Platinum Web do to protect itself with their heroes long gone countless decades ago? Are they willing to let go of some of their humanity to save what's left of it? Has technology finally gone too far?
"Felicia…" said Mario, closing his book "I know I've asked you once already but…we can leave."
The girl turned her head with scrutinizing eyes.
"I know we're already here, but we can still turn back. I'll make sure they don't find us. We don't have to sign in to Youtube-"
"Stop that, Mario."
The brunette looked over as Felicia propped herself on her elbows "Don't hit me with the "we don't have to sign in" crap. It's our job. It's what we're born to do. You're getting yourself too deep in denial trying to convince me to change my mind. I know you're just trying to protect me again. Had it only been you who had to sign in, you would go in a heartbeat."
A dissatisfactory sound hummed in the boy's throat.
"Besides," continued Felicia "What makes you think I won't be able to take care of myself on my own? What if I end up saving you at some point?"
The sass in her ending words chopped off some of the dryness in her monologue.
Mario then turned his gaze upon hearing the girl rise from the futon.
"Now, do you think you can relax long enough for me to go get a snack from the gas station I saw on the way here?" she asked, already approaching the coat rack.
Mario couldn't even give a genuine reply as the blonde had already pulled the blue jacket on with an "And don't blow up my phone if I spend thirty minutes trying to pick the best brand of licorice. I'm not just gonna grab any cheap candy just so I can get home in time," and left.
However, the moment Felicia left, she sighed.
She knew it wasn't right to poke fun at Mario's protectiveness, especially when the two had been without guardians for so long. Who else cared for Felicia this much? And no matter how much she complained, Mario never bat an eye. He was persistent with his protectiveness, but respectful. Still, it got to be a pain at times. At twenty-one years old, Felicia desired more freedom. And having someone constantly dote on her like a mother was embarrassing at this age. However, sometimes Felicia had to admit she wouldn't be where she was now had it not been for Mario. Her fiery spirit has pushed her into making rash decisions and saying things she shouldn't have. Mario covered for her every time without hesitation.
"Hello there."
"Hey Felicia."
Felicia stopped upon hearing the two familiar voices. She turned to see two brunettes about her age on a bench. The one with her caramel-colored hair in a stylish bun and glasses donning her blue eyes wore an outfit of a white skirt, a white vest and tie combo with a magenta shirt beneath and white flats with magenta ankle socks poking out. The brown-eyed girl beside her bore her dark hair in a messy ponytail, wore ripped magenta skinny jeans, a white V-neck with a magenta arrow on it and white sneakers.
Felicia only knew two girls that looked like this.
"India? A-Antonia?"
The caramel-haired girl known as India approached her first "Long time, no see," she said "How long has it been, a year now?"
"All this time, you've been in Brennenburg?" questioned Felicia.
"Yeah, I thought we told you," said Antonia, with her hands in her pockets as always "We wanted to get cozy living here before we signed in to Youtube."
Felicia's features darkened some at the serious topic.
"Why the long face? Don't tell me you're scared," a smirk teased Antonia's lips.
A small sneer formed on Felicia's face "And don't tell me you weren't at some point."
"Only if you don't believe in yourself-"
"Oh boy, here we go," suddenly interjected India with a roll of her blue eyes.
Antonia threw a glance at her "Something wrong, honey?"
"No offense, India, but your little "have faith in yourself" and "reach for the stars" speeches get repetitive every now and then," said India, tapping the magenta rim of her glasses.
"Tch, whatever," scoffed Antonia "You can only say that because you suck at speeches."
A chuckle escaped Felicia's airways "I see you two are still going at it like twins, eh?"
"We're not twins!" both said in sync.
"You sure dress like it…" thought the blonde.
"Anyway, what are you doing this late at night?" questioned India.
"I'm going to get some candy from over there," said Felicia, pointing down the street "And you guys?"
"Oh you know, just enjoying a beautiful night," said India.
"Beautiful night? The street lights freaking outshine the moon and the stars," Felicia thought.
"Hmm, well do you want to come with me to the gas station?" the blonde then offered.
"Nah," said Antonia, who had attended to her cell phone on the bench.
"No thanks," said India "You go on ahead."
"Okay, I'll see you guys later then," said Felicia.
She then advanced towards the gas station, hearing the two girls' conversation become more and more quiet in the distance.
"Hm?" she stopped just before the gas station, just under the lights from the pumps.
"Could've sworn I just missed someone calling my name…Ah!"
Suddenly, image of the world around the girl disappeared before her very eyes, like a wave distorting the reflection in the clear waters into…nothing. Unfortunately, she was also swept along with those waves, flailing helplessly as the water pulled her into nothingness. And she allowed it to do so, but not without a final scream ripping through her throat.
"Aghh…my head…" Felicia gripped her throbbing cranium as the pain began to die in her waking moments. Unfortunately, that's when she came to a realization of her surroundings: a green and blue checkered plane that seems to go on forever, floating platforms of every shape and size, a pink hue of a sky.
"Oh no…"
She had heard of this place before. It was the place where Bullet Royale was held.
People who were heavily invested in virtual gaming would download games on their orbs and carry it around with them. The problem with having such a portable virtual gaming device such as orbs around is that anyone can pull an opponent into their game in public. And Felicia was just chosen as an inexperienced player.
"Player Three has entered the arena."
Felicia jumped to her feet "Shit!"
Her eyes darted around her for other sounds of movement behind the distracting hum of electricity the virtual world created.
"Where…" she rasped as she looked around the constantly rotating platforms around her for the opponent "Where is he?"
"T-set!"
Felicia jumped at the sound of the high-pitched voice. "Where the hell is it coming from?!"
"Fire!"
Still not having set her eyes on the origin of the voice, the girl could only duck beneath a platform, upon doing so, she could see five green bullets nearly the size of her head crash into the spot she previously stood and burst into pixels on impact.
"Reload!"
As the platform Felicia clung to began to move, she climbed on and stood as it rose. She may have just put herself out in the open, but she had to try something, even though she could barely think straight at the moment.
"Player Two has suffered 28 damage points. Player Three has suffered 0 damage points."
"Player Two?" questioned Felicia looking around herself "That means I'm Player Three…who else was in here before me?"
"T-set!"
"Uh-oh."
"Fire!"
Hearing the sizzle of the bullets coming her way, Felicia attempted to jump to the platform below, but it was too low and sent a shock wave of pain up her leg. However, the sound of exploding pixels above her was enough to convince her to suck it up and be grateful she moved.
"Player Two has suffered 30 damage points. Player Three has suffered .5 damage points."
Gritting her teeth vengefully, Felicia thought "I have to find a way out of here, but I've never played Bullet Royale before, or any virtual game before..." Suddenly, a figure caught her eye.
Looking down, she could see the slumped over figure of an albino girl in a skin suit almost as pale as her skin. Her dark hair pooled around her almost like the fallen blood of a dead body.
Without even a second thought, Felicia jumped down to her side, anxious to see a second person.
"Hey, you…" now that she was up close, Felicia could now see now beaten up with girl was and how pitifully she was just barely hanging on to consciousness. And that's when she realized: this girl is Player Two.
The click of heels resonated in Felicia's ears. They came closer and closer, obviously in her direction. Looking up, she could she lime green boots heading her way. The rest of the figure disappeared in a purple cape with gold accents.
Heat rose in Felicia's face as she gripped the fallen girl "Let us out of here!" she demanded.
A smirk poked out from the shadows of the cape's hood "You give up already?" the figure's feminine voice rather high and under-developed.
"Don't you see she's dying?!" exclaimed Felicia, holding the albino girl even closer to her.
"Calm down, Felicia. This is only a game," said the hooded figure "She'll only suffer minor injuries when she's back in the real world."
"H-How do you know my name…?"
The giggle in reply was unnerving. What was more unnerving were the words to come next "T-set."
A green hologram in the shape of a gun barrel formed in front of the figure's chest.
"Stop!" screamed Felicia.
The barrel began to load with holographic bullets.
"Fire."
.
.
.
If anyone were to ask the hooded figure what happened in that fraction of a second, there answer would be anything but sensible.
Her bullets fired, but she was the one who was hit in the end. As she lied crumbled on the floor of her own battle field, she was blinded by a glowing white light. Not a light of death, but from the shining gold that donned Player Three's hand. It was beautiful. It was indescribable. It was god-like, that gold that encased the powerful fist. Above that, Player Three's eyes glowed an intimidating pink. Somehow, behind it all, the hooded figure was able to see the blonde's lips mouth the word "DEFLECT."
"Player One has lost 100 damage points."
"Felicia!"
"Felicia, wake up!"
The blonde jolted awake, instantly blinded by the lights from the gas station pumps. The two faces staring down at her were those of Antonia and India.
Felicia instantly jumped up.
"Where is she?!" she yelled.
India put a concerned hand to her shoulder "Slow down. You just passed out."
"Where's who?" questioned Antonia.
"The pale girl," explained Felicia "She was thin, had messy black hair with a blue tint to it. She wore this thin white body suit with a spiked collar, and, and, and-"
"Felicia we saw you walk this far and faint," argued India "You've been out for, like, two minutes. There was no girl."
"T-Two minutes…?!" sputtered the blonde, even more flustered "That's impossible! I got pulled into Bullet Royale and-"
"Bullet Royale?" questioned Antonia "You don't even have an Orb to download it on."
"Come on, you're a little out of it right now," said India "Let's just take you home and Mario can have a look at you."