The Tri-Blade Alliance

Chapter 21: Flashes From the Past

A/N:...

S/N:...

Disclaimer:...

(x)

"You're such an idiot," Lizbeth said while laughing.

"And yet, I can still make you laugh," Arctic said while smiling. They were in the fields, and had spent the day together. Being the leader of The Tri-Blade Alliance, it was his day off. So he decided to spend it with Liz. "I heard about what happened," he said, no longer smiling.

Liz had stopped laughing as well, and looked down sadly.

"It was my fault," she said miserably. "If I hadn't been so persistent, then they would still be alive."

"It wasn't your fault," the guild leader said reassuringly. "No one could have known that the room was a trap, least of all you or me. But hey, at least you got out alive. And if they were here, then they would not want you to mourn for them."

"True." Lizbeth wiped away the tears that were falling.

"And I heard you became quite the introvert. And I think I know why. You don't have to be scared. I'm here for youㅡwe all are. And if you ever need help, just remember: You have me on your friends list. Send me a message."

"Thanks," Liz said, smiling again. "You know," she said while looking at the sunset, "I've been thinking about becoming a blacksmith."

"Well, I'm sure you'd be the best in the Liz," Arctic replied, winking at the female player.

"Oh my god!" Lizbeth shouted, laughing out loud. "I knew you were going to say that!"

"You gave me an opening," Arctic said, laughing as well. "What, was I not supposed to say it?"

Lizbeth sighed and laid down on the grass, with her friend following suit. She looked towards him and smiled.

Too bad he was taken.

(x)

"Let's dance!" Arctic and Kutthroat screamed as they clashed. They both used their fists to do the talking. Where one would strike, another would answer in kind.

"Why does Laughing Coffin want us dead?" Arctic demanded.

"You're giving people too much hope," Kutthroat responded. Eventually, they broke away and drew their swords. Arctic's eyes widened at the deep black color of his opponent's blade. "Pretty, ain't it?" the sword's wielder chuckled menacingly.

"Well, you won't get a hit on me!" the heroic player shouted while charging a sword skill. When his opponent charged his sword skill, he took notice of the unusual and justifiably unsettling black color that it formed. They charged and struck each other's blades with all their force.

The guild's leader winced and sent a punch to his opponent's face, stunning him and knocking him back. He charged a sword skill, and screamed as he dashed forward with a forward thrust. When the sound of steel striking V.R. flesh reached his ears, he looked up with a triumphant smirk…

Which immediately turned to an expression of horror as he screamed, NO!"

He had stabbed someone else: a woman, and his in-game wife, Takano. She swayed in her spot for a bit before she collapsed her forward. Her unfortunate assassin caught her and held her close, sobbing quietly and repeatedly whispering, "I'm sorry."

Despite her intense pain and rapidly decreasing HP, she smiled and raised a hand to lovingly caress her in-game husband's face. "It's okay. No matter what happens, I will always love you."

"Same," he said quietly. He was about to take out a healing potion when she put her other hand on his, stopping him. Arctic looked at Takano in shock as she smiled and closed her eyes, before shattering into crystal shards.

Arctic was stunned, looking at the spot where Takano once was, faintly feeling her touch on his face. He stood up and looked at Kutthroat, who was maliciously laughing, before looking to the sky and screaming as loud as he could. His scream reflected his grief, anger, regret and sorrow. Eventually, he felt something...burning stir within him. He looked down to face his opponent, tears streaming from his eyes as he never stopped screaming; as a direct result of the burning power, his eyes had turned into a nightmarish red color. He picked up his sword and dashed in a near-ungodly speed to his opponent.

However, Kutthroat took out a white shard and disappeared in a bright flash, his laugh ringing in Arctic's ears. He didn't stop, dashing towards the spot where his opponent once stood. In his rage, he cut through a tree, letting it fall.

When his anger subsided, all of the negative emotions hit the young player like a freight train. He staggered over to the spot where his love had shattered, both figuratively and literally, and fell to his knees. His sword lay in his hands, which he stared at for a seemingly endless amount of time. To the outside world, it seemed odd that he was staring at the sword in his hands blankly. But to him…

He saw his blade, and especially his hands, stained with blood that was too life-like to be considered virtual. Maybe because the blood was real.

Very, very real.

Arctic snapped out of his trance and shakingly planted the sword a couple inches above where Takano's head used to be. When the game instantly marked it as her grave, he collapsed, leaning on the sword as he silently cried in his hands. He was so deep in his sorrows…

He failed to acknowledge the entire guild, who had watched the entire spectacle, horrified by the events that ensued.

(x)

"You sure you want to go?" the guild's vice commander asked, following the official leaderㅡand his best friendㅡto the door. Arctic looked back to see his two best friends, Solar and Skye.

"I have to," the player-to-leave responded. "Neither of you have any idea what I'm going through."

Solar bit his lip. "Yeah, I'm sure we don't. But then, who's going to take your place?"

"I'm sure you two have it handled."

"How will we know when you come back?" the Tri-Blade Alliance's top tactician asked, sadness lacing her voice.

"Life's never a when situation," Arctic told her. He put a hand on her head. "It's always an if situation." Skye blushed. He turned away while removing his hand from her head. He proceeded to open his friends list. He selected all of the players on the list, and unfriended them. Arctic turned to Solar and Skye and, with a sad tone that broke their hearts, told them, "Don't come looking for me. Please." With that, he walked out the door, held up a crystal and said:

"Teleport: Town of Beginnings."

(x)

Arctic glared darkly at his open inbox. He was sitting on his bed, and was currently in an inn at the Town of Beginnings. Despite it being midnight outside, he still had his curtains closed and all light sources in his room put out. The only source of illumination was his menu.

"Congratulations! You have been deemed eligible for a brand-new armor set and weapons!

Armor: The Shadow Set

Weapons:

Sword of Shadows (?-Class) (One-Handed Longsword)

Blades of Silence (?-Class) (Twin Daggers)

ACCEPT

DENY

―GM: Kayaba Akihiko"

Wasn't it odd that he got this message after Takano died? He fingered the necklace he was wearing in thought; his necklace was a lapis lazuli gemstone, shaped like a teardrop and was placed around his neck with a black leather cord. Deciding he now had nothing to lose, he pressed "ACCEPT."

Instantly, Arctic felt his world go dark. He couldn't see. Couldn't hear.

Couldn't breathe.

However, this feeling was replaced with sheer power. Almost like...he could take on 50 Illfangs at once. He chuckled silently at this feeling.

Eventually, when the darkness cleared, he looked through the window and winced at the rays of light coming through.

He decided to take a look in the mirror to see his new armor. He was surprised by what he saw.

He was dressed in all black, with a mask covering the lower half of his face. He looked at his eyes, which had changed to a nightmarish red. And the last time his eyes became that color…

It still hurt to think about her, and how he was responsible for her death.

And yet…

"Arctic" chuckled, ignoring all of the negative emotions swirling through him.

Guilt.

Anger.

Regret.

Sorrow.

These demons are what make up the being known only as "Arctic."

(x)

Floor 22

"How good is this?" "Arctic" asked the kind merchant, referring to the broadsword he was holding.

"Not very good, I'm afraid," the merchant admitted. "It's C-Class, and I have no use for it."

"I'll pass, then. I've already stocked up on throwing knives," "Arctic" said as he gave the broadsword back to the merchant. He felt a pair of eyes staring at him, and he turned to see Solar standing in the town square, looking right at him. What's he doing here? "Arctic" immediately facepalmed mentally after asking himself this. Oh, right. Tomorrow's the day of the boss raid. He must be here doing some last-minute recruiting.

Solar walked up to "Arctic", and the former seemed tense. To clear the tension, Solar cleared his throat and smiled. "Hi. Are you interested in participating in the upcoming boss raid?"

Does he not recognize me? Despite this, "Arctic" said nothing, as Solar awkwardly stuck his hand out. "Anyway, my name's Sol―"

"I know who you are," "Arctic" responded in a tone that he noted wasn't his own.

"O-Oh," Solar said, retracting his hand.

"And yes, I'll join."

"Gr-great!" Solar immediately perked up. He caught himself, and asked, "What's your name?"

Before "Arctic" could respond, a voice from the deepest shadow in his head told him, Don't tell him your name. He doesn't know. Use that to your advantage.

"...Shadow," "Arctic", now formally known as Shadow, replied.