A serene, peaceful island amidst the ocean, far from human civilization. For some, it might be the last slice of paradise on earth, for others — a bountiful ground for experiments.
Jade breathes slowly, lying on a carpet of green grass.
For Jade Harley, it always was a home, sweet home.
Wind herds together the clouds in the sky. Somewhere — not there at all — those clouds reflect images of future and past, mixing them together in a bizarre mosaic, pieced together by some unknown riddler. Somewhere under those clouds sleeps a golden town, quiet and tranquil, woven from toreutic patterns and spires, reaching endlessly up high — to the clouds and shine. Somewhere in this town wander its dwellers — white, silent, human-like figures, wearing bright fancy clothes, smiling. Smiling at her, to Jade Harley.
Jade smiles back to the clouds.
Somewhere — on Earth this time, on this very island — Bec is running around; you can never tell for sure where he could be. Somewhere — and Jade knows where exactly — is a house, that became home for her and her family. Somewhere on this very Earth live her friends — basically the only people she's talking to.
Somewhere — near and far, at the arm's length and impossible to reach.
Jade lies on the grass and looks up in the sky. She's done everything she could, and now all that's left for her is to wait.
Wait until it's her time to enter the game.
Her fingers trace her rings, right to left, left to right. Blue means John, violet — Rose, red — Dave. Yellow and purple, white and black. Only the green one is missing. Only she is.
The rings are linking together, making a chain, and the first link must come around to bind the last.
Jade smiles and closes her eyes.
And she sees...
She sees the golden town on fire, burning and melting. Sees black smoke, fumes from her beloved spires and soot on the patterns. Sees rubble and a broken chain.
She sees blood, candy-red blood on black-n-white checkers, on colorful clothes, on golden and purple banners. Sees blood on the ground, matting grass, streaming into the rivers, dying the water pink. Sees tiny black figure in white, terrified, on the speckled-red ground.
She sees the black shadow in blue skies, against white clouds. Sees a sword in its hand, doused with blood. Sees empty, silent clouds.
She sees flaming comets, coming to the glowing clouds from somewhere out there, somewhere she has no idea about — and shouldn't have any.
She sees crumbling towers, sees shattered rooms.
She sees a boy she knows and waits for. A boy, who should've wake up, but couldn't make it in time, couldn't do it, couldn't...
She sees impending fire and heat above, sees ground below quickly getting closer.
And then she sees nothing.
Jade opens her eyes with a jolt, bewildered and afraid. She wants to believe that all that she's seen was just a dream. That didn't happen. Not with her. Not with them.
Did it?
Jade hurries back home. The sky is getting dark — how much time has passed? She has to hurry, isn't it already her time?
GG: john have you found the server disk already?
GG: john?
GG: i think weve gotta hurry!
No answer. The client program is installed, but can't find a server. One link of the chain is useless without another.
GG: rose!
GG: john still didnt answer :( where is he?
TT: He doesn't answer to me either. He's been idle for about two hours.
TT: Last time he's been pestering Dave, and that's all that I know.
GG: this sucks... but thank you anyway!
Two hours of waiting wasted. Nothing will happen.
GG: dave you dont know where is john by any chance?
TG: ive only guesses
TG: and those are shit and better not be guessed
GG: which are? :o
TG: well last time he told me hes gonna go fight his boss or something
TG: someone gave him a hint
TG: and thats it
TG: if he didnt manage by now im afraid hes done for
GG: WHAT?! :OO
TG: my knowledge of gaming tells me
TG: i dont think you can fight a boss for two hours on one life
TG: im really very sorry harley
All for nothing.
Jade throws her lunchtop away and covers her mouth, trying not to scream. She doesn't want to believe. No, this can't be.
Outside the window rumbles the first blast. Then another and another. Jade looks outside.
Meteors, small red sparkles, fly past her and crash into the ground, into the water, chiseling away part of that peculiar stone temple. The forest is ablaze.
Hanging in the dark sky above her head is a wrathful red sphere of fire. It's so close.
Meteors are banging against the roof; some have already broken through. Pieces of space debris are cluttering down the stair, her home — her sweet home — is caught aflame. Grandpa's trophies, ancient mummies, cerulean beauties — all is burning, charring, destroyed by fire beyond all repair and recognition.
Jade can feel the smell, the sickening smell of fumes, with a hint of sizzling hot metal and strangely-sweet odor. She runs downstairs, throws the door open and realizes
that
there's nowhere left to run.
The island is already on fire, the island is dying. Smoke from the forest shrouds it, hiding it from the whole world, like it never was, like the world itself never existed.
Heat and fumes are stinging her face, Jade shields herself with a sleeve. The first tears are forming, drawn out by smoke.
Jade is afraid — of fire.
Jade is suffocating — from heat.
Jade feels like she's pinned down by a giant hand.
She steps back inside and hears the beams cracking upstairs — that's her room is crashing.
She runs to the fireplace, to her grandpa. He's still alright, by some miracle, no less.
Meteors break atrium apart, the upper floors are crumbling.
Jade tries to whistle, calls, trying to shout down the roar of the fire, but her voice falters. Bec hears her anyway and appears instantly. His fur is scorched, he's limping.
A terrible twang of battered metal and another blast is heard upstairs.
Jade curls up in a tight ball, hugs closely her dog and grandpa and tries to think it's okay, it's not too late, it's
And she hears a familiar voice, the one she remembers from when she was too little, the one she didn't dare to hope hearing again.
It's your time to die, sweetheart.
Jade is swallowing her tears — from fear.
Jade is suffocating — from the sky being too close.
Jade is terrified — because it's almost
because it's already.
«Dave...» she whispers through tears. There's no more time left.
«Rose...» she whispers, clutching her fingers. The light is gone as if burned out.
«John...» she whispers and gasps for air. There's nothing to breathe with.
«Grandpa...» she whispers, wiping the tears and the soot away with an old cloth. The hope is already dead.
«Bec...» she whispers, and her loyal dog licks her cheek as if to say — I'm here, don't be afraid.
Meteor has almost touched the ground. The ocean is raging, tides are going out. The earth is shaking.
«I love you...» Jade whispers softly, too quiet to hear, and closes her eyes.
Next second the upper floors come crashing down to the ground.
Next second the Frog Temple cracks near the base and topples in the water.
Next second the biggest meteor hits the ground, exactly where Jade's house was.