A/N: Well, here we go. Another chapter. Slight delays due to school starting up, but hey, kind of an erratic schedule anyway.

On a side note! Don't forget that you can visit the Puzzle and Dragons database and type monster names in the search engine to view their appearances if you so wish. I also appreciate any comments, critiques, suggestions, reviews, all that good stuff. Check my profile for any updates concerning the story.


"It's not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well." -Rene Descartes

Chapter 10- Revelations

The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Sarkast

In-Game Timer: Day 7

3:30 PM

Ray and his companions decided to hug the road the rest of the way to Sarkast. This particular area of the forest was muddied and difficult to wade through from the storm that heavily saturated the ground the day before. In some areas the mud even managed to rise to the top of his boots.

They traveled in silence for the most part. The only one who seemed to be interested in small talk was Parvati. Ray had made numerous attempts to converse with his fellow Player, but most of his questions were returned with a shrug, a barely discernible nod, or nothing at all. He eventually gave up and joined the conversations between the monsters.

Leilan and Verche chose their words carefully as they spoke to Parvati. Ray came to the conclusion that they weren't wary of her, but they didn't necessarily trust her either. This mistrust amongst fellow monsters was confusing for him. But he hoped to have all of his questions answered soon.

When the city came into view it was something that Ray didn't expect. The outskirts of the city consisted of modest dwellings in a tightly knit suburban area with a tall outer wall built of limestone. Soldiers patrolled along the wall and disappeared behind massive parapets littered along the edges. Archery towers lined the top of the wall and also from behind in a staggered formation to provide clear lines of fire. Beyond the suburban outer district was a second wall even more massive than the first with unbroken crenellations lining the top. Instead of towers, thin openings were cut into the wall for ranged defenders, which indicated that the wall's thickness was enough to hold a multitude of narrow passages for quick travel between various points within the walls.

Siege weapons also lined the walls from sections that protruded outward to provide ramps and platforms to change angles and direction of fire. The platforms alternated between catapults and cannons, with the cannons pointed at a downwards angle on ramps. The wall was like staring into the mouth of a dangerous, grinning behemoth.

What fascinated Ray the most were the three tall towers that reached for the sky at the center of the city within the inner district. They were built in a staggered formation with the lead tower as the shortest and the furthest tower the tallest. The closest tower was no less impressive than the others with the intricate designs of the wide balconies and the plexi-glass windows depicting soldiers in battle.

Ray could even see some other buildings towering over the inner wall of the city.

He reverted his attention upon hearing the voice of his fellow Player.

"Well, here we are," Yukiko said in her neutral tone. The only words she had spoken the entire trip. "Welcome to the military city of Sarkast."

They made their way down the crested hill to the farmlands that surrounded the city. Families were hard at work in the fields tilling the ground for wheat and nurturing corn. Grain mills dotted the open fields along with other squat structures. Soldiers wandered around the buildings in discussion and some moved off to the edge of the fields to stand guard. Ray guessed that the extra manpower ensured that the farmers wouldn't be attacked by the monsters that lurked in the forest less than a klick away.

A group of laughing children ran past them across the dirt road seemingly unaware of the monsters that trailed behind the two human Players. The older folk working in the fields took the time to stare at the new arrivals, but their unmoving expressions did not betray their emotions. They were a seasoned and hard-working people.

The fields waned in number as the group came closer to the city's outer wall. Fields were replaced with more of the squat structures with soldiers milling about on duty.

Man, she wasn't kidding when she said it was a military city, Ray thought with wonder.

Ray checked his database and opened the map to see how close his home was. He zoomed in on the city and traced along multiple symbols until he found his own. He was in luck. They were at the eastern gate. His house was only a short ways to the north once they entered the outer suburban district.

They arrived at the crowded outer gate and received curious stares from the guards as they passed. The arrival of the Players was not unknown, but seeing three monsters together with a pair of humans wasn't an ordinary occurrence. However, they did not make any obvious or subtle movements for their weapons. They may not have been openly welcome, but the relations between monsters and humans seemed better than the hostility that Leilan mentioned with the people of Millshore.

The armor the guards wore made them look bigger than they actually were. The gray rounded pauldrons on their shoulders stuck out to a sharp point, giving them a dangerous, intimidating look. The wrist guards overlapped chainmail with a barely discernible slot underneath, much like Ray's hidden weapon. It seemed every bit of the armor was modified in every conceivable way for some sort of offensive combat.

One of the guards held up a hand to stop the five companions. He eyed them up and down briefly before speaking.

"Interesting. Two humans and three monsters. This is a first. What's your business in Sarkast?"

Yukiko reached into a leather pocket stitched underneath her armor and fished out a folded parchment. She unfolded it and held it out so that the guard could look over the information for the bounty. The guard let out a low whistle as he read it over.

"Well damn. You got that sonuvabitch. Saw this in The Dirty Prancer I think." He looked past Yukiko and observed Ray and his two monster partners. "And who might you be kid? What's your business?"

"Oh, my house is here," Ray answered. "We've arrived from Millshore."

The guard's eyes went back and forth between the two monsters as if he was pondering something.

"You have two monsters with you," he said simply.

Ray nodded. "Yes that's right."

The guard glanced over his shoulder to read the expressions on the faces of the other men. One of them simply shrugged a confirmation. The others near the guard station had returned to whatever game it was they were playing. Some mix between Go and Mahjong. They didn't seem concerned.

"Alright then. Just don't cause any trouble alright?"

The guards stood aside and let the monsters and Players pass into the suburban district of Sarkast.


They entered a small market area as they left the easternmost district of the suburbs. The buildings in this section were plain with a solid beige color comparable to their neighbors. No building had any uniqueness except for the fact that the buildings grew slightly taller than the one before it as they became closer to the massive inner wall that guarded the city itself.

The market opened up and revealed a number of two-story houses of light brick, comfortably apart with a few acres of land for each. As they winded their way through the smooth, cemented streets, they came upon a house with a solid mahogany door. A symbol was etched in its center. It was comprised of an image of a dark orb with the familiar crescent moon at its center. A flame surrounded the dark orb with two katanas crossed behind it.

Ray approached the door and ran his hand over the symbol with fascination.

There was something about the symbol that gave Ray pause. Hanging off the pommels of the two katanas was a charm linked by chains. Attached to the chains was some sort of amulet with the image of a skull etched into it. Ray didn't know why, but a dark, foreboding feeling crept down his spine as he looked at the grinning ornaments.

First being a dark attribute, and now the skulls. Something didn't feel right.

Ray didn't notice Yukiko eying the symbol on the door coolly.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, "I believe this is where we should part ways."

Ray turned to her as she ascended the stairs to meet him at eye level. She was uncomfortably close in Ray's opinion and he took a nervous step back. She tapped the database on her wrist and the holographic screen popped up. After scrolling through a few menus, she opened up a blank screen.

"What's your Player ID?" she asked.

Ray stared at her stupidly for a few seconds before he managed to get a grasp on what she was asking.

"Ah, you, want to add me to your friends list?"

Yukiko nodded. "You're decent with a sword. And you must be pretty tough to have a second monster on your team already. I believe staying in contact would be beneficial for us both. Don't you agree?"

She spoke in such a mechanical tone. It was hard to read her emotions. But Ray had already figured out her true intentions before her explanation. It would be a relationship that was purely based on business and convenience. It should have been painfully obvious judging from her unwillingness to converse on their journey together. Even so, he was glad to have someone he could rely on later.

Ray searched for his Player ID number and recited it to her as she input it into the list. After a moment, Ray's database sent him an alert and asked him if he wanted to accept the friend request. He did so and Yukiko's Player profile was open to him. He noticed that a few areas of her profile were locked and strictly private.

Yukiko gave him a quick smirk, the closest thing that Ray could assume was a smile.

"Well, I'll be in touch." She alighted down the stairs and went to rejoin Parvati who waved an enthusiastic farewell to Ray and his monster comrades.

Ray didn't enter the house until they had disappeared around the corner and with the silent urgings of Leilan and Verche.

There was much they had to discuss.


The interior of the house was humble compared to the finely fitted stone of its walls on the outside.

The rooms were sparsely furnished, but there were enough comfortable chairs to seat a small group of individuals. Ray assumed that the developers of the game didn't want to just simply hand him everything on a silver platter.

The first floor consisted of a living room with couches of a darkened gray hue and a short love seat situated in a corner for the master of the house to sit in. It had a perfect view of the other party in the room as well as sight of the front door. An intricately designed rug covered the center of the floor with sewn patterns portraying the many elements attributed to the monsters and Players of the world. The room could easily fit six human-sized individuals. A glass lamp sat on a side table next to the love seat. Ray stared underneath and saw that there was something akin to a light bulb attached to its top. He wondered how electricity actually worked in this world. But that was something to inquire about another day. There were more pressing questions weighing on his mind.

He decided to hold off on touring the rest of the house in favor of getting straight to business.

Leilan and Verche entered the room and took a seat at one of the couches across from him. Verche leaned against the arm of the chair while Leilan sat with her hands clasped. They waited patiently for Ray to find the right words to start.

"Okay," Ray started. "The people of my world won't hear a word we say here."

He turned to them and fell back in the love seat. It wasn't until he settled back that he realized just how exhausted he really was. The journey from Millshore, the battle at Mercury Lake, and then the immediate trek to the city through the muddied forest and uneven terrain would've worn any normal person out. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice his weariness until he reached a state of comfort.

Leilan and Verche waited for him to continue.

Ray addressed Leilan first, "In the dungeon. The way you reacted to seeing Verche. I started to think something wasn't right. Then your reaction when you thought he had died, that confirmed my suspicions."

Leilan made no comment on this observation. Ray continued.

"I guess you could say I thought everything was way too real right from the start."

Ray recalled his fight alongside the tamadra in the Departure Tower. The tamadra had responded to all of his speech and actions just like any other living, breathing individual would in his world. It had even read his emotions without him even having to utter a word. The tamadra had flown over to him and given him a reassuring pat on the head during his moments of distress.

Then he recalled the dirt in his hands as he continued his journey. The gritty, yet soft feeling as it poured from his grasp. He now stared down at his hand and noticed the light brown smudges of soil and the roughness of his skin from the handle of his weapon.

"This world...it's far too real."

He looked up to see that Leilan and Verche were now glancing uncertainly at each other.

"You acted like you knew him. More than knew him. He's more like a comrade. A friend. What the hell is really going on in this world?"

Verche moved to speak, but Leilan held up a hand and shook her head somberly. Verche nodded his consent and eased back against the arm of the chair and allowed her to take the floor.

Leilan took a deep breath. She let it out slowly before she spoke, "Very well Ray. But please keep an open mind. You Players see our world as just a game right?"

Ray nodded. "That's what it was supposed to be. I'm sure many still see it this way. But after everything so far, I'm not so sure anymore."

Leilan stared at him for a long time as she pondered his words. Even without any explanation, Ray was still a believer. He was already nearly convinced that the world he had entered was living and breathing. She couldn't help the pleasant warmth she felt at Ray's conviction. She was starting to believe she had made a wise choice.

Leilan began her story.


The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Sanctuary

In-Game Timer: Approximately 3 years earlier

1:42 AM

Leilan stared down into the darkness below as the ocean churned against the wall of smooth stone that was the most western edge of the Sacred Mt. Bakkes. There were signs of thin cracks along the wall indicating that the cannons from the pirate ships earlier in the day had done some minor damage.

The first thing that had occurred to Leilana and her monster comrades was that the enemy monsters of the Legion had decided to test the defenses of Sanctuary with an assault from the sea. This was disconcerting since they had thought the enemy had no knowledge of how far Sanctuary extended from inland.

To their relief, it turned out that the pirates were chasing a merchant ship and the lower walls of the mountains just happened to be in the line of fire. Leilan regretted not being able to help the innocent merchant ship, but compromising the location of Sanctuary on the coast was far too risky if there were any unwanted observers close by.

The recent battles against the Legion had turned in their favor. The Guardian monsters now felt that the eastern half of the continent was secure. Most of the major towns and cities had recovered from earlier attacks, with Sarkast displaying its generous might. The humans in that area had proven their resourcefulness and skill in combat. With the trails and passes of the Bakke mountains now secure, Leilan felt that they could really take the fight to the Legion on their own turf.

But Leilan couldn't sleep.

There was something that continued to wear at Leilan's mind, driving like a dull icepick.

Over the past few months the Guardian monsters had been meeting with a human that was not of their world. He arrived out of nowhere outside of Sanctuary with his arms raised and a silly grin splayed over his face. The monsters on guard had been completely taken aback by his sudden appearance. A mere human had located Sanctuary. Not only that, but they couldn't even detect his presence.

The man had explained that he was the Creator, the one who had formed the world of Puzzle and Dragons. He said there were others also like him, but he had the power to create the world itself.

He introduced himself as Shinji Takamura.

During those months he proved to be a competent ally in the war against the Legion by providing valuable information concerning their movements and knowledge of the land itself. Leilan and the others were finally convinced he was the Creator he claimed to be when he explained the birth of the world and its development. He also had knowledge beyond any human she had ever met. He told stories of technological advances in his world. They had gadgets like cellphones, computers, vehicles that ran on fuel, flying machines called planes. One of Leilan's comrades, Cao Cao, had inquired about the military presence and weapons of his world. The humans of the other world had heavily armored vehicles known as tanks and ranged weapons called guns. He said that some of these guns could fire a small projectile hundreds of yards in the span of a mere second.

Then he showed them the proof with the database that was attached to his wrist. It contained all of the information they could possibly want to know. He said all he would have to do was download it in his world from a computer. There was also a place used by computers to find information somewhere called the internet. He explained it was a space that held an infinite amount of knowledge on anything one could possibly desire.

This relationship had continued for nearly a year. Time passed. Takamura observed the monsters, learned from them, and befriended them.

But Takamura had now been absent for over four months. Leilan couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. The problems of a human from another world should not have concerned someone in her own delicate position. But she had become fond of the human. He was a pleasant individual to converse with. He certainly was no warrior, but he made up for it with his wit and knowledge.

As Leilan was about to shift her thoughts to more current issues, she detected a sign of movement from further along the path to her side that winded down towards the ocean. She readied her halberd that had previously rested at her side and took cover behind an outcropping of rock. Judging from the soft padding of footfalls, she ascertained that there couldn't have been more than one individual. Maybe a few more if they had their motions in sync. They were also of an average size.

A human with matted brown hair and round spectacles appeared from around the bend of the stone stairs just below her position. She relaxed her weapon upon seeing the familiar human but then readied herself once again as she saw him limp up the next flight of stairs. A growing mass of red clung to the cloth underneath an exposed portion of his chainmail. He fell to one knee and clutched his side in pain as the sudden motion forced more blood from the wound. It was like squeezing ketchup out of a plastic bottle as he unwillingly hunched over. Leilan could see that the wound was serious.

She rushed down the stairs and lifted one of his arms over her shoulder to support him.

"Hang on Takamura," she whispered reassuringly.

Takamura nodded weakly and allowed her to guide him the rest of the way up the stairs. They passed through the stone archway that led into the central area of Sanctuary.

The fluorescence of the magically-infused stone buildings guided them through another archway, this one made of the rainbow magic stones that had once pulsed with magical energy, but which now served as a catalyst for magical transfer for the buildings since their own power had gone dormant.

Leilan entered the open space where the god monsters met for discussion and debate. Only one other monster sat in the council room, and he immediately discarded whatever documents he was working on to assist Leilan in resting Takmura flat on the long table.

"Thank you Odin," Leilan said appreciatively.

Odin removed the green hat from his head as examined Takamura's wound. "What happened?"

Leilan shook her head. "I don't know. He was like this when I found him at the southern stairs."

Suddenly, Takamura made a struggled gasp for air and grabbed Leilan's arm in a firm grip that was not suited to a man in his condition. There was now the faint trace of blood crawling down his chin and neck. His eyes were wild with fear and desperation.

"Where is Metatron?" he gasped.

Leilan didn't even need to ask before Odin was already on the move out of the council room to retrieve Metatron. She turned back to Takamura whose breathing was steady but still drawn out and rasped like a tipped over vacuum. Leilan noticed his pale complexion that verified how much blood he had lost.

After minutes that seemed to drag on for hours, Odin reappeared with Metatron at his side. Pandora had also decided to tag along when she heard the news of Takamura's arrival.

Odin ripped the reddened cloth from Takamura's side to reveal the gaping wound that had finally stopped spurting the injured human's life blood. The skin around the severed area beat a nasty purple.

Metatron whispered something inaudible under her breath and placed her hands over the wound. There was an immediate change as the pulsing purple around the wound began to lighten until it became more of a lukewarm violet. Some of the skin began to stitch itself to halt the seeping blood.

After about a minute, Metatron removed her hands to observe her work and nodded with some satisfaction. "I can't completely dispel the pain," she said. "But at least the bleeding has stopped. You should be fine with some rest to let your body heal itself."

Takamura shook his head as he rose to a seated position. He grimaced as the pain spiked from the movement, but he spoke through it nonetheless.

"No, there's no time. You need to listen to me." He lifted his arm and activated the database on his wrist. The holographic screen appeared and he pressed a symbol with a purpose that was foreign to the monsters. One of the three slots on the underside of the database slid open and a small circular, metallic chip popped out. He held it out to Metatron.

Metatron stared at the chip unmoving. "What is this?" she asked.

"It is-the world," Takamura forced the words out through the still-lingering pain.

"What are you talking about?"

Takamura stared at each of the monsters in turn. The desperation grew in his voice to something all too palpable that instilled a quiet fear in the monsters like a creeping virus.

He took a few more deep breaths before he gave his explanation. "There is much-you need to know." He urged her to take the chip, which she did with a bit of hesitation.

"That chip," he started. "That chip holds the beginning of a world. I discovered it after many years of research in my own world."

The words seemed to catch in Metatron's throat at the realization that she was practically holding a universe in the palm of her hand.

"So, this chip contains how our world started?" Odin asked.

Takmura nodded. "Exactly. With my own knowledge and a bit of tampering I was able to shape it. Soon this world could maintain itself and began its own steps towards expanding and evolution."

"Why would you give us such a thing?" Metatron inquired as she composed herself.

Takamura heaved a heavy sigh. His breathing stuttered and shivered with apprehension. "People in my world. Humans. They know what it is. I was going to use this universal code to create a game. It would be a game where people could have fun. Almost like a second life with no risk. But I..." He trailed off as he stared at the ground.

Leilan rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. He did not look up but continued his explanation, "I never expected this code to create a living and breathing world with real beings. There are people in my world who want it. And they will try to take it from me by any means necessary. Some of my closest friends are already dead because of me." He rested his head in his hands as the tears he was holding back all this time began to flow freely. "I didn't mean for any of this! I just wanted-"

He stopped himself as the database on his wrist began to let out a series of low beeps. He stared down at it and a tiny light flashed yellow on the screen. He removed his glasses so he could wipe his eyes before continuing.

"I've already wasted enough time," he said. The other two slots underneath the database opened at his bidding and a pair of similar metallic chips appeared. "Hand me your book Metatron."

Metatron hesitated a moment before handing her most prized possession to him. He set one of the chips on a page towards the back of the book. With a bit of pressure from his hand, the chip began to infuse itself into the book. Metatron stared in wonder as the outline of the chip and many of her pages began to glow with a soft yellow light. Once the chip was set firmly in place Takamura closed the book.

"What did you do?" Metatron questioned without taking her eyes from the tome.

"There are people from my world who will be arriving. They are not people who helped me to create this world or anyone who will monitor it. They are called Players. Their sole purpose is to enter this world and test how it functions. The Players will think this is just a game for their own enjoyment. Some of them might not be so ignorant though. The ones who are after the code might send Players. I cannot know for sure though," Takamura explained as best he could.

Leilan glanced around at her other comrades who were taking in all of this information. Their faces were as still as stone. The ability to create worlds was in one of their hands in some tiny device. It was absolutely insane, but why would he lie about something like this? What was the point?

"Why us?" Leilan prompted him. She couldn't contain herself. Everything was happening so fast and so suddenly.

Takamura glanced at his database again before speaking. The blinking light was now orange. "I don't know who I can trust in the real world to protect something like this," he answered. His voice was now steeled with ice. "I am sorry that I placed this burden on you, but I don't see any other options right now. I wanted to destroy it, but I don't know the repercussions. They could be detrimental to both our worlds."

"We can seal it in my box," Pandora offered. "That's the safest place I can think of."

This statement took Metatron off guard. "Pandora! That box is everything to you! If you were to seal it now you might as well have no power at all."

Pandora nodded. "I am aware."

Takamura nodded to her appreciatively and gestured to Metatron's book. "Read what I have left you in the book. Choose your Player partners wisely."

"Partners?" they all cried in unison.

The flashing light on Takamura's database now flashed red and a low hum began to emit from the device. He closed his eyes and handed the last chip to Leilan. She stared at it emotionless despite the sadness welling up inside her. They all knew they were about to lose a close and dear friend.

"Keep that one safe," Takamura said.

The blinking light and sound from the database began to hum faster. He pressed a button and a final selection appeared that would log him out of the virtual world to rejoin his own. He couldn't stop the stream of tears.

"One more thing," he choked. "Do not let your fabricated pasts dictate your actions. I have already told you how to discern the truth from the lies. Don't let a false history drown the past you have made for yourself." He pressed the button and his image began to fade. "Live well my friends."

When his form vanished, the shaken god monsters glanced at each other at a loss. Much of their past was a lie. He had told them that once. Fake lives meant to drive them on a specific course against their will. The world they fought for so earnestly was originally meant to be used for mere entertainment. And now the fate of both worlds rested in their hands. Literally.

Metatron clenched the chip in her hand and waited for the others to speak what was already running through her mind.

Odin sat at the edge of the stone table and shifted his hat lower over his eyes. "If you have the ability to create worlds, well, I guess you have the power to destroy them too. Right?"

They all hoped whoever was now after the code didn't have such an extreme and dastardly intent.


The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Rhea-Themis Temple

In-Game Timer: Approximately 1 year earlier

7:26 PM

Leilan flew to the top of the stairs that led to the entrance of Rhea-Themis temple. The temple made of smoothed, reinforced sandstone still stood strong despite the relentless assault of the sandstorms that blasted through the desert during most of daylight and evening. The entrance stood a good ten meters in height. Leilan noted that the short walls of stone would provide the light mystic knights rushing up the stairs some much-needed cover.

The entrance was sealed by a massive stone door with the symbol of a light orb etched into its thick mass. The metal of the sun symbol at its center seemed to shift back and forth with the reflections of the setting sun.

Behind Leilan, two more monsters ascended the stairs and took positions on either side of her with weapons at the ready.

The first monster, a female wielding a magnificent spear that pulsed a sapphire aura of magical energy, examined the edge of the oasis they had just exited for any sign of the enemy forces that pursued them. Her bulky silver armor covered a creamy white, silken battle gown underneath, which was now drenched with sweat from the retreat. A portion of her helmet was caved in from a recent blow dealt by an ogre's mace. She removed it with irritation to let her emerald-green hair fall its full length to her waste. She planted a sandled foot on the wall and rested her round shield against it as she observed the edge of the trees. Her mouth was stretched in a thin line as she gazed on emotionless.

The second monster approached the side of the blocked entryway and ran his hand along the stone in search of a hidden mechanism. His striped, dark purple and light violet armor contained multiple melee weapons that stuck out from their attached sheaths. He planted the flaming broadsword in his hand into the dirt so he could run his crystalline scepter over the stone he was examining. Leilan couldn't see his brow wrinkle in frustration due to the helmet that encompassed his head, hiding his features from view.

Then the male monster's strands of thin fabric attached to his armor began to blow from some unseen wind that emit from the entrance.

"I have found it," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet.

He pressed the crystal at the end of the scepter against a specific portion of the wall and the ground began to rumble beneath them. The wind picked up in strength as the stone gateway began to open before them. It opened far too slow for their liking.

Leilan approached the other female monster and stared with her into the forest. It was far too quiet for the aftermath of a violent skirmish. The rest of the light mystic knights that remained took up positions behind the walls waiting for the inevitable attack.

"What do you see Athena?" Leilan asked after a moment of silence.

Athena pointed to the edge of the oasis further to the south. "They are bypassing the traps we set."

The armored male monster behind them at the entrance spoke up upon hearing this bit of bad news, "It would seem they really do have some all-knowing entity on their side. Hopefully the sealed passage down below still has its exit hidden for us to make our escape."

Before anyone else had a chance to speak, the southern edge of the shrouded oasis seemed to explode with activity. A figure sitting upon a strange mount burst from the trees and spun in circles through the sand. The rider hooted and hollered as he kicked the sand into the air. After a few more donuts through the sand the rider turned in the direction of the temple and sped onward at breakneck speed with a plume of purple smoke drifting behind him. Following were armored dark knights of all classes that plodded forward through the shifting sand.

Leilan and Athena could now see that the steed this monster was riding was unlike any creature they had ever seen. It was comprised of metal parts with two big, glowing red eyes staring lifelessly at them from the front. A pair of curved handles were used to steer the metal beast and two wheels spun at seemingly impossible speeds to drive it forward. The rider made a sharp turn that kicked up more sand into the air and he got off at the foot of the temple stairs.

He threw off his purple leather coat lined with soft animal fur and whirled it above his head as he laughed insanely at the two female monsters who stared at him expressionless. He gave them a wide obnoxious grin and flipped down the visor on his helmet so he could better see against the sun's rays. Behind him the dark knights were still on their way. He waved at them dismissively while still maintaining his reprehensible grin.

The monster spread his arms enthusiastically as if he were greeting some old friends. "Well if it isn't Athena and Leilan! How wonderful it is-" He stopped himself as he stood on his tiptoes to see who was behind them. "Well damn! Is that Ra too? I thought we tore your ass up at Hera's place!"

"Who is it?" Ra asked keeping his eyes intent on working the gate open.

"Beelzebub," Athena answered flatly.

Ra grunted, "Ah, that asshole."

The dark knights had now caught up with the insane monster and stood awaiting his commands.

"I'd love to catch up ladies, but we are reeeaallly in a huge rush. We can do this two ways," he paused for a moment as he considered the options he would give them. "Y'know what. Screw it. No options. We just kill yah!"

The dark knights took this as their cue and began rushing up the stone steps. They wordlessly formed an organized line that spanned the entire length of the steps with their shields raised to block the ranged attacks from above.

The light mystic knights flung their spears down at the mass of black that crept up the steps behind the relentless defenses. None of the projectiles could pierce the shields or break through any holes. The shields were forged to interconnect with the ones beside them. The only opening was a limited gap at the feet. With the incline of the steps there was just simply no angle. The dark knights to the rear flung their own spears and fired crossbows to limit the attacks of the light knights above. The fight would be taken to even ground in a matter of seconds.

"Chelone!" Athena barked.

The light knights obeyed her commands and squatted at the top of the stairs with their tall shields propped into the crevices of the stone. A second line formed behind the first as support. This second row of knights lifted their shields above their heads to cover themselves and their comrades in the front. A similar process was repeated a few more lines back. A select group of the golden knights hugged the lines and took positions behind the walls with a partner hefting a shield to defend the ranged attackers.

"Steady!" Athena shouted.

The light knights braced themselves behind their shields. The soldiers in dark armor were nearly upon them. They trusted Athena to be their eyes.

Just as the dark knights reached them Athena commanded, "Brace!"

The timing of the command was perfect. Just as the dark knights began to unleash their attack, the gold armored warriors locked their arms in a firm stance to absorb the force of the blows from the enemy's heavy shields and weapons. Leilan took up a defensive stance in front of Athena as she eyed the strikes of the enemy forces. Athena then saw a break in the momentum.

"Push!"

The first row of light knights jerked their shields forward and dug their heels into the ground for a balance of foundation and forward force. They had plenty of ground behind them along with the support of their comrades to the rear for maintaining position. The enemy dark knights had no room to retain a proper stance to withstand the force of the shields due to the short width of the stairs. The shields forced them back and many tumbled into their comrades or fell off the edge. All it took was one push to completely rattle the enemy's offensive. The top of the stairs were completely sealed by the shields with no way around with the walls blocking passage to either side. The dark knights closer to the rear flung their spears and fired arrows in random arcs to see if any might penetrate the defensive formation. All of the projectiles glanced harmlessly off the shields protecting the front and top of the soldiers. The formation was seemingly perfect. It took advantage of the high ground, the narrow area of passage, and the lack of footing on the enemy's part.

Leilan deflected any ranged attacks that came anywhere near the squatting Athena who eyed the formation of her soldiers with undeterred focus.

"Absolutely brilliant," Leilan said as the soldiers continued to shove the enemy back down the stairs.

"Beelzebub should have led the attack," Athena said. "He is an impulsive fool. His own forces are now blocking his advance."

To confirm this they could hear Beelzebub shouting a stream of curses from below as attempted to push through his own soldiers that blocked his way.

A movement to the north caught Athena's eye as she spoke and she narrowed her eyes curiously at the other edge of the oasis. A humanoid figure had broken through the canopy of trees and began to beat his wings furiously in their direction. There were six black wings on the monster's back instead of two. His blood-red armor seemed to dominate the horizon with his contrasting long, white hair. He drew a massive sword from his back as he approached.

Another monster appeared from further north, but Athena recognized the flaming chariot immediately.

Leilan deflected another spear before noticing Athena's grim expression. She followed her eyes to the north and let out a curse as she recognized the two monsters.

"How much longer?" Leilan shouted.

A loud clang sounded from behind her like a hammer striking an anvil.

"Well, no more than a minute," Ra answered. "Why?"

"Lucifer and Belial are on their way," Athena answered.

"Swell."

The stone rumbled under their feet as the stone doorway continued to slide up from the ground with a groan of resistance as the rock grinded against each other. Ra nodded with satisfaction and moved to join Leilan and Athena. He froze as he caught the image of a stream of darkness heading towards them at an incredible speed. Athena called out orders for her knights to prepare themselves for the coming offensive.

Leilan recognized Lucifer's active skill attack immediately. "Damn. He prepared his Evil Nova."

They had all seen how absurdly powerful Lucifer's primary active skill was. A streak of darkness that expanded with the more distance it covered and was primarily for assassinating light attribute enemies, rendering them helpless with a single blow. Even the percentage of its attack power increased over the distance. An attack such as this would be devastating for both Athena and Ra. And on a narrow, open landing with the entrance still blocked there was nowhere to take cover.

Ra stepped in front of the two female monsters and tapped his scepter against his heels like a baseball player getting ready to bat. He took a side stance with his scepter leading and sword pointed towards the streak of expanding darkness in his rear hand.

"He isn't the only one who saved an active skill," he said reassuringly.

"Ra. Your Solar Lazer is barely even five percent of his active skill in its original state," Leilan said. "Covering that amount of distance and growing in strength, you won't even slow it down."

Ra addressed her with feigned hurt in his voice, "Your faith in me is duly noted. You haven't seen my active skill with all its restraints removed."

Restraints?

Ra focused on the crystal of his scepter and a blinding flash emitted to consume the platform they all stood on. The dark mystic knights on the stairs didn't shield their eyes in time and reeled back to collapse into their comrades who fell into the ones behind them. The mystic light knights who still maintained their defensive formation were thankful for the reprieve.

"Release restraint on Solar Lazer," Ra stated. An unseen locking mechanism inside his scepter released with a metallic click. The sharp black metal fastened to the crystal shifted outwards. "Release restraint on Solar Canon." Another click of metal released. The dark nova from Lucifer was nearly upon them. "Release restraint on Solar Explosion." A final click. Ra braced himself, straightened the rear arm holding his sword, and relaxed his leading arm to accept the kick from the outward force that would soon arrive from the trembling scepter.

"Initiate active skill Solar Incineration!"

The massive streak of light that emitted from Ra's scepter sucked the air around it inwards and tore the stone from the platform. The searing light reached the approaching darkness in a matter of seconds and pierced straight through it with no signs of resistance. The darkness shattered into strips like flimsy paper and dissipated as crackling fractions of light sought them out from the main body and quelled them mercilessly. The sky cleared once again as if the darkness had never existed at all.

Ra took an uneasy step back with his weakened legs and collapsed on his rear with a heavy thud. Athena and Leilan rushed over to him and each grabbed him under one arm so they could drag his bulky, armored form towards the now-gaping entrance to the temple. The light mystic knights broke their lines one by one in a strategic retreat and positioned themselves outside the entrance that began to seal as the god monsters crossed the threshold. The dark knights were still disoriented from the blast of light.

They could hear Beelzebub's crazed shouts of fury from below as he continued throwing aside any of his own soldiers that got in his way.

He reached the top just in time to see Ra being dragged into the temple with the light knights breaking formation as the stone slab nearly sealed itself in place.

Ra made an obscene gesture with the finger on one of his hands that threw Beelzebub into an even more uncontrollable rage.

The stone slab sealed the entrance and the monsters were plunged into a stifling darkness.

Ra mustered enough bits of power left-over to light his scepter to illuminate the darkness. The light mystic knights fanned out in small groups to secure the room.

"This is the fifth time," Leilan said.

"Fifth time?" Ra questioned.

Athena nodded grimly her ascent to Leilan's words. "Indeed. This is the fifth time in a major engagement that they have attained the upper-hand. Our diversions, traps, prior defensive strategies, all rendered useless with little effort."

"So they really do have something helping them."

"I am starting to lean towards Metatron's theory more and more," Leilan added. "This being is not of this world."

"Takamura's warning?"

Leilan hefted her halberd and helped Ra to his feet. "Yeah. Well, let's just retrieve the magic stones for Pandora."

The three god monsters followed their knights further into the darkness. They prayed that this all-seeing entity didn't know of the secret passage that led out of the temple.


The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Sarkast

In-Game Timer: Day 7

5:22 PM

Ray listened intently and without interruption as Leilan relayed her story: Takamura's warning, the war of the monsters, and this evil entity that could read their every move. It was an over-abundance of information that flooded Ray's senses. It was almost too much to grasp.

Ray knew Takamura. Or at least, he knew enough about him. Takamura's company was the reason why the virtual world existed. He was the one who came up with the code that created it and allowed it to function. Ray was one of the admirers of his genius. The news of his death had shaken much of the corporate world.

As Leilan continued, Ray laced his fingers in front of his face to hide the hint of a grin he couldn't suppress. He had noticed that Leilan was not the talkative type. She was more of a person who dismissed trivial conversation in favor of an obsessive focus on the particular task at hand. But when she got to talking about a topic of importance or just out of pure interest, she could go on and on, and sometimes Ray could observe that glimmer in her eyes when her features became more animated. Her passion was unquestionable.

The information about the universal code was troubling. A code that was derived from his own world? Ray didn't know how to take this. Did this mean that Takamura figured out how to create existence itself? It sure seemed that way.

When Leilan concluded with the most recent events at Caramoc Cove against Satan he couldn't keep his hands from trembling. He rested his face against his hands so it wouldn't be too noticeable. One thing was certain to him. His comrades were losing this war. But with this Reversion that Leilan spoke of, they now had a much better chance than before.

Ray's mind went blank, and it wasn't for another few minutes that he decided to move after Leilan's story ended. He rose slowly from his chair and worked the sleep from his legs. He stared at the two monsters who were now waiting for him expectantly to break the silence.

"I need time to think," Ray said.

Leilan nodded her understanding. "Of course. It only makes sense. It's a lot to take in."

Ray chuckled. "And here I thought I was going to be playing a game."

He left the room and took a seat at his kitchen table. He drummed his fingers on the smoothed oak as his other hand continued trembling. A thrilled shudder coursed through his body as all the information was processed and came together. His shivering body indicated fear, but their was something that overshadowed it by far. Excitement.

He couldn't remember a time where it had felt so good to be alive. The world he had planned to use as an escape from his own had turned into so much more. It felt as if there was nothing for him in his own world. It lacked something. Was his desire selfish? Of course it was. He knew it well. But his whole life had been spent pleasing others while leaving his own wishes tucked away somewhere that had once been forgotten. Not anymore. This world would give him something that he thought was never meant for him. That greater purpose.