~A Remnant Without Heroes~

Mornings are a lot like trying to walk with a sprained ankle. It's a daunting task that tires you out and a lot more than a pain in the backside, but you've gotta do it anyway. Thankfully, walking with a sprained ankle isn't a permanent thing and hopefully goes away without a hitch in about a week.

In contrast, for me at least, mornings don't go away so simply. Rather, I find myself waking up in a cold sweat whenever I realise I'm conscious after what's hopefully a good night sleep. The cold air around me is like a tribe of bandits trying to destroy the wall I put up to protect myself, with the wall around me being a simple comfort I take for granted far too often: my blanket.

With a toss and turn, I try and find that sweet spot for the crook in my neck and the pillow in front of me, 'cause hey, being able to drift off is one of life's most blissful activities.

RINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGringRINGring-

"Nono, go away, just lemme have another ten…"

With my index finger, I try and make a downwards swiping motion which tells the alarm to [Sound off again in 15 minutes]. Come on… Don't make me open my eyes here… Just… Hurry up and…

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Lifting my head up towards the direction of the incessant ringing and lifting myself to all fours in one fluid motion, I make my best possible mimicry of a wolf, and leap towards my prey-

THUMP!

"Owww…"

...Only to find myself pitifully kissing the floor after I passed through the alarm window. The bastard is still ringing, just to clarify. Still in my face. It's set to keep eye level and IN MY FACE to make sure I don't sleep through it. The stupid thing.

Finally managing to open my eyes after my intimate moment with the floor, my downwards swipe finally stopped the damn ringing. Ugh. I may hate the damn thing, but my sisters always said I've been a heavy sleeper.

After limping my way over to the bathroom, cringing at the sudden influx of light after flipping the switch, and starting the constant sound of running water in the shower to fill the void of the horrendous ringing, I make a triangle shape with my thumb, index and middle finger, and three seconds, the home screen window pops up about a foot in front of my face, unlike the three or four inches the alarm was.

After a few taps and swipes, I finally find the messaging app full of notifications.

"Hey sweetie, I hope you're doing well over at Vale…"

"Beacon Academy as cool as it looks in the pictures, son? It better be, considering all the money we've sunk..."

"Big bro, big bro! You won't believe how tall I've gotten after just 4 months! You'll see for yourself when you get home..."

"Don't be too ashamed if you have to return home after the first semester twerp. Our hopes aren't too high, as always."

I feel the scowl on my face scrunch up the more messages I read, and the big downwards swipe with my left hand makes the pity-fest go away. No point in reading the same message 9 times, no thank you... That's my family, alright… Just me with my Mom, Dad and seven sisters.

~A Remnant Without Heroes~

It's a Saturday, so there aren't any classes this morning. The morning breeze feels nice enough for a casual stroll through the city unlike in the Summer. And every time I'm not cooped up in the apartment or falling asleep at a lecture at Beacon, I find myself being captivated by the bustling city of Vale.

Living inside of the protective walls of one of the four kingdoms is much different from being at a village, even if it was a big one. Sure, It's easier to camp out and enjoy the wonderous nature that's literally everywhere, and yeah, internet reception has gotten a lot better over the years, but as someone who had lived 16 years of his life out where forests and fresh air all around, being inside is just… Ironically, a breath of fresh air.

Being someone from the villages, you tend to hike every month or so, since well, there's hills EVERYWHERE, and comparatively, the walk around the city is pretty chill. There's several things to do here, from selections of libraries, to restaurants from all cultures, a dance club here and there, but most importantly to me, and especially me….

PC Bangs. Ever since we've gotten overly reliant on these devices on the back of our necks, we've gone away from home tech, and even TV's since we can just get all of the data transmitted to either our visual or audio receptors in our brains, but there's just something about old school PC's that feel so great. It's like going to an arcade for the first time, except amplified tenfold.

I'll never get tired of walking into the sight of the dimly lit building, illuminated mostly by the glow of old school LED monitors. I'd even say it has a homey feel to it, comforting even if I over exaggerated a little.

It's a damn better home than the one I have back in the village, that's for sure.

Depending on how quickly you walk from the dorms and how lucky you are with the airship, it's usually a 15 minute round trip to the nearest PC Bang, the Qrows Nest, and it's probably the most popular PC Bang since it's the nearest one to Beacon Academy. I've learned the hard way the first time around that I've gotta get here early to secure a seat, since it usually goes full house around noon, and a seat won't open up til dark if you really want to spend some time here.

And anyone who goes here regularly will tell the same story: "The hours fly by without you realizing it."

And while I share the sentiment, there's a lot more than that keeping me coming back to the congregation of gamers. Something is here that feels like a fire burning up inside me… And I like it. This place is more than just a place for people to have fun, but a place for people to push themselves in a way they hadn't before.

With a chime, the entrance doors slide open, and I'm greeted by the regular sight of Qrow Branwen, owner of the Qrow's Nest: Vale's most popular PC Bang. Why he decided to do this for his main source of income instead of a bar, I'll never know.

"Heya kid. Same seat?"

"You know it. Your nieces come by today?" I make a gesture with three fingers, swiping them from left-to-right horizontally, temporarily sending my Scroll Identification (SID) for him to use.

Beep. "Nah, you know those two. Always busybodies as always. Should I set you for six hours?" He's already typing away at the keyboard behind his desk."

"Ehh, just set me for two this time. I'll swing by if I need more."

"Sure thing." A brief moment of silence passes by us, only occupied by the typing behind his desk and the other 40 or so patrons in the building. "So uh…"

"Hm? What's up?"

"You speak to your folks lately?"

Ugh. "Yeah, I guess you could say that-"

"I'm talking more than just reading their messages when you receive them. Communication is a two-way street after all, Jaune."

"I know, it's just… Well…"

Now he's crossed his arms, eyebrow cocked in an inquisitive manner. "Well what?"

"I always get a bad taste in my mouth whenever I speak with one of them… Like I'm always being looked down on."

"Ah." He reached into his jacked to get his flask. That's when you knew he was dropping the current conversation. "Well, if you ever do, tell em I say hi. Try 'n have fun today, kiddo." He makes a horizontal right-to-left gesture with his right hand, and the temporary SID is nullified.

"Sure thing, Qrow."

"Hey, I may not be a blood relative, but I'm a good friend of your folks. I'd like to think I'm your Uncle at least."

Waving him off, I make my way to my usual spot.

~A Remnant Without Heroes~

Your base is under attack.

Only in games can you really embrace the full meaning of competition.

Just what do I see in competitive gaming?

You must construct additional pylons. "Damn it."

It's the embodiment of competition, a perfect playing field.

The experience of an athletic sport, all without the need for athletic genes, rabid parents, tutting tutors, or expensive summer camps.

No expectations from anyone, no disappointing stares. All that garbage, you set for yourself wherever the hell you want. You can walk amongst the populace or rise so high that saying "the sky is the limit" wouldn't give your performance justice.

Research complete.

You pick up the game on your own. You learn. You improve. You work.

If you're good enough, you can become a god.

And if you fail, you stay a nobody.

And as the patrons learned over the past 3 months of me being here, I'm the furthest thing from a nobody.

VICTORY!

Yellow_Death

[Score Screen]

[Return to Game]

I'm not the disappointing middle child of a family of ten when I'm in front of the monitor.

Here, I intend to experience life to the fullest, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, at least.

And boy, I feel so damn alive right now.

Taking off my headphones, I see Qrow in my peripheral vision, and he has a rather pleased look on his face. He has his left hand behind his back "So how did ya like that game?"

"It's by far the most difficult 1v1 game I've ever touched. I'm surprised I'm able to have this much fun after only playing it for a week."

"Yeah, it's was pretty big back in the day. You ready to move on to the next one or are you still in the mood to play this?"

"Let's do it, hit me with your best shot!"

Reaching over my shoulder, Qrow puts down a square thing with a flat surface, and it has a pen tethered with a cable attached.

"Answer one question for me kid. How good are you at rhythm games?"

At the time, I didn't know what I was getting into, but it was obvious I needed to clock out another 2 hours for myself.

~A Remnant Without Heroes~