A single, purple eye stared balefully at an in-game clock. The heavily armoured figure that eye belonged to shifted uncomfortably on its throne. 23:50. Ten more minutes left in the game that was his life. Number 1 in the rankings, nigh-undefeatable in combat and one of best PVPers the game had ever seen. No that any of this held much weight, anymore. Precious few were even online, let alone trying to climb the leaderboards. YGGDRASIL was a dying game. It would take hours just to find a 1v1 match nowadays, whereas just last year it only took 10 minutes. 23:51. In reality, Arades was a loser. This game, this foreign masterpiece of Virtual Gear technology, made his teenage years the happiest of his life.
23:53. Made him feel strong. Made him feel in control. 23:54. It's detailed NPC system had even allowed him to re-create the light of his life, one no longer of this world in reality. 23:55. Maybe if he had spent just a bit more time outside of this game- No, all of it, Just spending time with her- He maybe wouldn't feel so much regret. So much…guilt, over letting her waste away while he was absorbed in this Fantasy world, this video game. 23:56. Different DMMORPG's, with fresh combat systems, different mechanics- the kind making games like YGGDRASIL obsolete- maybe he could find a new start there. Maybe his love, may she rest in peace, could be made anew, and react to him with just as much joy and happiness as she had in life.
23:57. No more blank stares and pre-recorded audio to greet him whenever he saw her, a top a mound of velvet cushions. 23:58. The figure laid a hand on something by his side. A stick? A staff? No. A sword. HIS sword. the one that had seen him through countless raids and battles. The one with such high damage that the scabbard had to be repaired daily if it was even drawn.
23:59. Arades's helm shifted slightly, looking around him. The interior of his base was made entirely out of weapons, all taken from his wins. From a level 4 chipped rogue dagger, to a titanic greatsword belonging to the previous Number 1 ranking, all were trophies of his numerous victories. Sure, some places were a bit of an eyesore, but it was intimidating, space efficient, and at the end of the day, he could say "I live in a castle made of my success." and that was great. Well, here it was. Midnight in half a minute. The shutdown of the server. The End. The Big Finale. He hefted himself off his throne. Might as well "die"' standing. "Goodbye, YGGDRASIL. It's been…fun." He said. More to himself, then anyone. 0:00. A frown. Must be the shutdown laggi-
Arades stumbled, gracefully collapsing at the feet of his throne. A sharp pang of pain from his knee. He let out a yelp of surprise. A shock of sensations greeted him as his helmet bounced against the uneven floor. Suddenly, he could smell the woody musk of a bow beneath him, the cold embrace of his armour against his skin. Wait, was it skin? Did he have skin? He didn't feel like he had skin. He couldn't feel himself breathing, either. Oh God. He wasn't breathing. He was dying. Did he have a heart attack? Wait. He couldn't feel his heart beating either. Ohhhhh God. Did he die? Was he having a stroke? He had read somewhere the brain is still alive 30 seconds after body death. Terror gripped his non-beating heart. He had read about this, too. A Virtual Gear game once killed people who logged out, ages ago. When was it? 2012? 2022? Jesus Christ. That's nearly a century ago! Technology was supposed to advance so that this kind of stuff didn't happen! Arades was crying. Was he crying? Dead people couldn't cry. Could they? His tears sizzles against the longbow beneath him, slowly burning through. What? Since when were his tears acidic? Panic. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live. He felt like something had been severed. Something in his head. Had an artery been cut off? He felt like it was something important. How was he still thinking? It had been more than 30 seconds, he was sure. Had he been counting?H
e could feel a rumble in the floor, which slowly ascended into a screech, and then an unmistakable, loud, CRASH. A nearby shortsword was lifted off its place on a wall and bounced off of his leg."My Lord! My Lord!" a sharp, ringing voice met Arades's ears. He looked up, a green figure meeting his eyes, and managed to get shaking to his feet, still groggy. "Are you an angel? Am I going to heaven?" He managed, before collapsing again. "I… Lord Arades! Let me help you!" the figure rushed to his side and lifted him up. His eyesight had begun to clear. Oh. It wasn't an angel. Just one of his maintenance NPC's. Wait. He could move! He wasn't dead! He pumped his fist in the air, elation and joy in his chest. "YES! I'M NOT DEAD! ILL NEVER THROW ROCKS AT HOMELESS PEOPLE AGAIN!" Arades screamed, to no one in particular. The NPC shrunk before his towering figure and deafening voice. Arades looked down. He blinked. Since when did NPCs-
"My Lord, please, accept my greatest apologies for not arriving sooner. To think that you had fallen...while *I* was dusting the balcony, this… I can only beg for forgiveness, My Lord!" his maintenance NPC let loose a string of words, cowering in his shadow, clasping her hands in a coming on…religious manner. He squinted with his one blazing, purple eye. She was a gorgon, that he knew. She had the formal attire of all his maintenance NPC's, that he knew also. But now she seemed so much more… vivid. The snakes of her hair writhed outside of the pre-animated loop he knew so well, her eyes darted between the ground and his helm, and she seemed to be…shaking? Strange. She was also speaking dialogue lines he had never heard before, something even stranger considering he had exhausted all her speech options the day he created her. "I…Uh…. It's fine. Your forgiven? I guess?" Came an eldritch, terrifyingly commanding voice. He raised a hand to his throat. By God, was that HIS voice? What in the-
The gorgon positively leaped to her feat, hands on her chest. Were those tears?
"Oh, thank you my Lord! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou-"
"Alright, okay. You can, uh leave now."
The gorgons bowed so quickly and suddenly she nearly fell over. "Of course my Lord, at once, my Lord". She raced out of the room, looking like she was trying to restrain herself from crying further. What the Hell was going on? Since when did NPC's have.. emotions? Become so lifelike? Since when did he sound like the Grim Reaper? Why could he- Wait. If that NPC could feel, act on its own accord… That meant…A gasp escaped Arades's visor. If what he was beginning to think was true, then… He raced outside of his throne room, barging open the grand door of spears that separated him from the Hallway of Greathelms.
He dashed past the crying gorgon, being comforted by an assortment of butlers and maids. He barely noticed, his mind focused on just…her. To be able to feel her soft hair against his cheek, to embrace her once more.. The thought was too much to bare. He kicked open the door to her assigned room. An NPC stood before him. Soft, Brown locks tumbled down her shoulders like a chocolate waterfall. Shining, beautiful eyes regarded him with shy affection. "M-My Lord.. I..Wasn't expecting yo-"
Arades shoved her into a nearby bookcase, where she stumbled knocked it over, scattering colourful player guides all over the floor. His heart stopped. He could see her. Her head perked up from its resting place on a cotton sheet. Arades clambered up her mountain of cushions and hug-tackled the small dog onto the ground, both of them landing in a heap on top of a blanket hill."Pepi! I've missed you so much! I'll never ever NEVER let you go again!". Arades was half crying, half laughing.
The small corgi licked his helmet happily, stopping only once to let out a joyful bark. Her tiny tail thundered against his breastplate. She was so real... Just as energetic as she had been, always, ready to greet him with scrabbling paws every day he opened the door to come home from work... even when.. when he ignored her, never returned her affection, she still... She still... tears began to burn through the luxury filled interior of the room. He felt the sadness that had chained him for years wash away. What was this new feeling? It was something he hadn't truly felt in a long time. Ah yes, he remembered now.
Happiness.
