The World Reborn
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Netslum Tartarga
"Didn't have any dreams about Skeith last night." Haseo rubbed his head as he wandered around the Netslum. "But hopefully, today's the big day." He saw Gaspard standing at Canard's shop counter. "Hey, Gaspard." He waved to his little pink friend.
"HASEO!" Gaspard jumped up and down and waved with both hands. Haseo sighed, but smiled. "I haven't seen you lately! What have you been doing?"
"Oh, well…" The teen knew he shouldn't speak of this problem with his non-Epitaph User friends. "I've been here. I've just been working on an event."
"An event? That sounds fun! Would you like me to help?"
"It's a special mission for certain players only. A small handful." Haseo shrugged. "I wish you could help, though."
"Aw, alright." Gaspard got over his disappointment quickly. "I can still help you by running the shop!"
"Thanks, Gaspard. I'm counting on you. Say hi to Silabus for me." Haseo waved again and continued to the Serpent of Lore. He is so positive. Why can't I be like that?
"I will!" Gaspard stood proudly at his post, inviting a customer to browse through the items.
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"You're late! Again!" Pi shouted at Haseo as soon as he came through the door.
"Oh, you're here, today, huh?" Haseo just brushed her off.
"Pi will be assisting you today. She has been given administrative duties in case of an emergency." Yata said. "Please, come in. I must give you instructions on what must be done." Haseo, Pi, and WRAI stood (or floated) before the Raven guild master.
"This final piece is the biggest piece of Ovan's soul, because this is where he lost consciousness." The Creator's Room was being shown on the screen as Yata spoke. "This Winged Regret will be much more powerful than the others combined. I'm glad to see that you're well-supplied for this mission. We don't know what will happen to you all if you die during this battle. Are you willing to accept the consequences?"
They all nodded.
"Very well. My real self is currently in the hospital room where Ovan's body is being held. Aina is here also. And Shino is here to assist me."
"What?!" Haseo didn't know that Shino would be helping.
"The hospital workers think we're crazy, thinking that we can cure Ovan like this." Shino's voice came out of Yata's PC. It was kind of funny-looking. "But they let us in, anyway."
"… We have placed headsets on each of them, so that their bodies and minds will become one again." Yata got his character back. "It does sound farfetched, indeed, but we must try it. As you well know, this is not a mere game."
"Alright, get to it. What do we do?" Haseo groaned.
"You remember how to get to the Creator's Room, yes?"
"Yeah, I saved the area words."
"When you get to the Creator's Room, you will investigate the sign and defeat the monster. You may use healing items on yourselves, but you cannot use them on WRAI. Her character is so different that I'm afraid any player interactions with her will cause a virus."
"That's weird." Haseo remarked.
"You're weird." WRAI shot back, sticking out her tongue.
"Once you defeat the monster, you will search the room to find Ovan and Aina's characters." Yata continued. "I'm not sure where to find them, however. This is just the most likely place they'd be."
"So, you're saying we're just gonna wing it from there?" Haseo raised an eyebrow.
"As far as finding Ovan and Aina's PCs, yes. After that, though, there are more things to do." Yata pushed up his glasses. "I'll just let you go. WRAI will explain the rest once you find them."
"Finally." Haseo stretched as if tired.
"Will you ever grow up?" Pi clicked her tongue.
"Alright, let's go!" WRAI flew out the door.
Σ Immersed Crime's Paraphrase
"I can't believe Ovan found the Creator's Room before Father. He knew it existed but could never find it." WRAI swiftly avoided the swinging axes in the pathway.
"…" Pi had a confused look on her face.
"You've been quiet." Haseo saw Pi was troubled.
"Well, I…" Pi mumbled. "I just didn't know Master Yata had a daughter."
"You said that before." Haseo put his hands behind his head. "What's the big deal? Does he usually tell you everything? He doesn't tell me shit."
"It's… hard to explain." Pi fiddled with her own glasses.
"Whatever." Haseo stopped prying, in his own way, of course. They came to the last room and found the data anomaly.
"You ready? This is it." WRAI warned them.
"Let's do it." Haseo touches the sphere and they enter the outer dungeon.
Creator's Room
"So?" Haseo asked after they were silent for a few seconds.
"So what?" Pi and WRAI asked.
"Aren't you going to give me a history lesson?"
"Ha, funny." WRAI put her hands on her hips. "We don't have time for one now."
"We did before?" Haseo asked.
"Idiot." WRAI flew to the giant Sign and touched it. The ground shook and crumbled. Out of the large crack flew a huge Winged Regret. This one looked the most like Corbenik, except bigger, and cried a horrific cry as if it was dying.
"It has so much HP!" Pi shouted.
"It's attacking!" Haseo put his guard up.
The outbreak of battle
"Urgh!" WRAI was hit hard by the beast. Her character started glitching.
"WRAI!" Haseo turned to her.
"I got it!" She changed her weapon to a cleric's wand, but she wasn't fast enough. The monster hit her again, and she went flying and crashed into the barrier. "AUGH!"
"WRAI!" Haseo repeated.
"The monster's specifically going after her!" Pi noticed.
"Why?" Haseo saw the Winged Regret fly towards the fairy. "What the hell?" The Rogue took out his broad sword and blocked the beast's attack. Pi continued punching it from behind. "Why is it targeting you?"
"Maybe… because I… have the other pieces with me." WRAI couldn't stand.
"You do?!" Haseo pushed the beast away. "Don't move, I'll defeat it!" He switched back to the dual guns and performed his melee Rengeki on the Winged Regret. "JUSTICE MELEE!" He shouted during his last slice. The monster froze and screamed, and then it exploded, leaving only the piece behind. He turned to make sure WRAI was okay. She was lying still on the ground. Her character's right ribs were torn away and a binary code took its place. The rest of her was producing white noise. "No…" Haseo ran to her. "WRAI, are you okay?"
"No! You can't touch me!" WRAI shouted the best she could. She put her hand over her missing ribcage.
"How come that happened to you?" Pi came to Haseo's side. "We got hit but that didn't happen to us. What… What are you?"
"Nothing… gets by you, Pi." WRAI coughed. "You were suspicious all along."
"Suspicious? Of what?" Haseo knelt down beside the fairy.
"I wanted to hide it as long as possible, but now's a good time to explain." WRAI began. "I'm an AI, Haseo."
"Wha… What?" Haseo wasn't sure if he heard that right.
"My name is an acronym: World Restoration Artificial Intelligence." She said. "My Father, Yata, created me for the purpose that my name states."
"I knew it!" Pi crossed her arms. "Master Yata is too young to have a child."
"Too young?!" Haseo always thought Yata was an old geezer. "How can you be an AI?" His attention returned to WRAI. "You don't… I mean… you're so… human-like."
"Yeah. I was designed a lot like Aura; all the emotions and thoughts that are in The World are in me, as well." WRAI stuck her nose up. "Except Aura was… well let's just say she's beta compared to my skills."
"Heh, I guess." He grinned.
"I have seen the outside world, too. Your world." She continued. "It's beautiful, but ugly. Fun, but hard. Happy, but sad. Just like this World. No matter what you humans do to escape your reality, it even follows you in your fantasy games."
"How did you see…?"
"Through the Internet." WRAI smiled. "And I saw my Father, and I was happy. Unlike Aura, I do not have a mother. Also, unlike Aura and Morganna, I shall obey my creator's wishes." She stood up slowly, and put out her arms out in front of her. She summoned all ten pieces, and they circled each other until they became one. A bright light appeared before a book took its place. The book landed on the rocking chair in the middle of the white room. WRAI crouched over in pain.
"How are we going to heal you?" Haseo was worried.
"Don't worry. Pi!" WRAI called out to the pink woman. "Enter the first code that my Father gave you, please!"
"Right." Pi nodded and paused for a second, typing in the code on her keyboard. An orange cylinder of light appeared around WRAI, and she floated to its center.
"Wha-?" Haseo jumped back.
"I'll be healed in no time with this!" She gave a thumbs-up. "The rest is up to you, Haseo."
"What should I do?" He asked.
"I think I understand." WRAI looked up at the book in the chair. "Go up there and see if that is The Epitaph of the Twilight."
"Um, okay." Haseo jumped up to the chair and read the title of the book. "Yeah, it is! Oh…" He got flashbacks of Ovan with this book, and Aina, too. "Aina said Ovan would read this to her!"
"Yes, of course!" WRAI said. "Those two are in the book!"
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A/N: OK, well, let's stop there before the chapter gets too long. I'm pumping 'em out now! R&R! There's only 7 reviews! That sucks! Please do it!