CHAPTER 16: TO BE FREE

The time flew by before anyone knew it. There were many more games contained in the Trial series, and thus there were many chances for the subjects to prove their mettle, teasing and jeering each other all the while. Idia even got a chance to play Star Rogue, giving him the highest score out of the whole group: 8882 points.

"Hmph, I've lost my touch," Idia admitted. "Back in the day, I racked up 9999 points and then still kept going."

"I can't believe you're so good at this!" Jill praised. "All of you guys did really well… except for me, of course."

"Miss Fortune strikes again?" Azul guessed jokingly.

"Yep. Every game, no matter what, my luck usually never lets me win," Jill said. "Grim probably diluted my curse somewhat."

"Naturally!" Grim took the praise.

"When will you stop using that as an excuse?" Vil asked. "There's no such thing as good or bad luck. You simply don't practice enough, and then you blame your losses on your 'curse'."

"I'd like to agree with you, but… my whole life has been plagued with bad luck," Jill said. "Vending machines that don't give me what I want, automatic doors that don't open for me, flowers that wilt within a day in my presence. Not to mention countless injuries, plenty of illnesses, and I've lost nearly every game I've ever played." She shrugged. "It's hard to come to any other conclusion."

"You're probably just not careful enough," Jamil said. "Surely your luck can't be that bad."

"Of course it is," Jill said matter-of-factly. "I was born on Friday the 13th. That's an unlucky day."

"Really? Why is it unlucky?" Riddle wondered.

"Thirteen is just a bad number," Jill explained. "There's all kinds of bad superstitions that come with it. The day even spawned a franchise of slasher horror movies."

"It does seem like coincidence," Azul mentioned. "Perhaps the reason you feel unlucky is because you believe in those superstitions so strongly."

"Could be… but then again, I did get chicken pox twice…" Jill said.

"You'll never break that so-called curse until you put effort into it," Vil criticized. "Take it from me, I know a few things about curses." He broke a rueful smile.

"You think it's that easy?" Idia sighed, putting the tablet down. "Life isn't like a game where you can change your stats. Some things are just impossible."

"Only if you let it be so," Vil said. "Take these videogames for example. If Jill practiced over and over again, she would get better at them, and her losing streak would go away."

"Well said. Actually, I wouldn't mind practicing more as well," Riddle said. "Maybe tomorrow before we go back to school, we could do this again."

"Only if we do a multiplayer," Leona said. "I'd like to kick all your tails in real-time."

"Maybe Ortho can download a party game for us, like Mario Party!" Jill grinned evilly. "Then again, you guys might tear yourselves apart over it."

"A party game sounds fun!" Ortho said happily. "We might not have time tomorrow, but we could get together at Ignihyde and play some—"

"No way," Idia cut across his brother.

"Aw, but why?" Grim whined.

"This isn't a sleepover, remember? We're doing research here," Idia said. "And it's not like we're all friends or anything. Maybe Jill is Little Miss Friendship, but I know that most of us here can't stand each other. We couldn't do this at regular intervals."

"You play board games with me," Azul reminded him. "Games are more fun when they're played with more people."

"I agree with Azul Ashengrotto," Ortho said. "If you let people in, you could have more fun."

"You know I can't do that—" Idia tried to say, but the lights flashed once more and the automated voice spoke up.

TEST CONCLUDED. DOORS UNLOCKING. PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR REGULAR ACTIVITIES.

"Finally, we're out," Jamil sighed in relief. "What time is it?"

"Definitely late… well, late for you guys anyway," Idia said. "Let's call it a night. I'm getting your researchers to escort you to your rooms." He exited the Trial Games menu and pressed onto his tablet a few times. At his command, the small horde of white-coated scientists entered the room and gestured for the subjects to come with them.

"Finally, I'm beat," Grim sighed.

"Wonder what our rooms are like," Jill said quietly.

"This better be a good bed," Leona griped.

"I really wouldn't mind doing a gaming session again," Azul admitted.

"I'll see you all in the morning," Riddle said with a nod.

"I can't wait to get back to school," Jamil confessed tiredly.

One by one, they all bid goodnight to each other and then followed their researchers to their rooms.

"Good night," Vil said, then approached his researcher, a lovely blonde woman by the name of April.

"Hello, Vil," April greeted cordially. She learned the hard way that he didn't like being called 'Subject E'. She handed him a small basket. "One of the intruders insisted we give this to you."

"A present?" Vil asked confusedly. He examined the contents. "My skincare and makeup…?"

"He said they were very important," April said. "Honestly, I agree. I have my own skincare routine as well."

There was only one person who would make sure Vil had his beauty products. Despite the suffocating nature of this place, Vil couldn't help but feel relief and gratitude. Rook… you're going to be in so much trouble for leaving your post. But thank you, he thought. He then quietly thanked April and followed her down the hallway.

...

Once Idia and Ortho were alone in the room, Idia heaved a loud sigh. "What was that all about?" he demanded. "Ortho, you know why we can't invite friends to our dorm to play games! After this session is over, they'll all go through the River Lethe system! They'll forget all about this!"

"But why do we have to be a secret?" Ortho argued. "Maybe it was necessary thousands of years ago, but times have changed! I'm worried about your future, Idia—being trapped here all your life isn't a life at all!"

"You think I don't know that? I don't have a choice!" Idia griped. He moved a hand through his hair out of habit. "Jill doesn't know anything about curses—I'd take a little bad luck any day if it meant getting to live on the surface like everyone else!"

"You did research the Shroud curse. You could find a way to break it," Ortho said.

"Yeah, and I hit a dead end with my research. It would take a miracle to break the spell… and I don't believe in miracles," Idia muttered.

Ortho hesitated. "But… miracles do exist. We've seen one."

"Huh…?"

"Remember how Star Rogue was a single game for so many years?" Ortho asked. "The developers planned a sequel, but it was canned and forgotten." His eyes lit up. "Then there was the Starsending Festival where we collected everyone's wishes—you played the drums and I got to take the wishes up into the sky!"

"Oh, that…" Idia blushed. It was humiliating being in public with that star-spangled outfit, but Ortho had a blast, and that was what mattered.

"Shooting stars appeared all over the night sky," Ortho went on. "And on that same night, we got the news that Star Rogue II was back in development! Our wish for a sequel came true!"

"Yeah, and Star Rogue II was just as fun as the original." Idia smiled at the memory, but quickly stopped. "Still, I really don't want to put hope into anything. I don't want it to backfire, like…" He didn't finish the sentence, but Ortho knew what his brother was talking about.

"…It's okay, Idia. Don't worry about it," Ortho assured him. "Please get some sleep, and watch your blot levels. I'll monitor things from here."

"Right," Idia nodded and yawned. "This whole thing feels like grinding a long quest and getting no experience. I'm fried. Good night, Ortho." He hugged his brother and then wandered off towards his old room in Styx.

Ortho floated in place, and then gave a sigh himself. "Idia, you're the smartest guy I know… you can do anything if you just tried, so why won't you try…?"

He examined his metallic hands. His entire body pushed the art of technomancy—he had an advanced learning AI, a durable body that could transfer his consciousness into different gears, a vast number of weapons and powers, and the personality and memories of Ortho 1.0. Idia spent two years straight creating Ortho 2.0, and remaking his brother was his finest achievement. Surely if Idia could make Ortho 2.0, he could find a way to set the Shroud family free of their burden…

Idia never liked the idea of staying in Styx forever. He wanted to break out and see the world, create incredible inventions that would help everyone, be a hero…

But then there was… the incident. And ever since, Idia felt confined to his fate.

Ortho floated out of the room and down the hall, lost in thought. If only I could help Idia get his confidence back…

Then he saw something peculiar. At the other end of the hall, a tall, pale researcher had his back turned to Ortho. He was putting his ID through one of the high-security gates, and the large metallic door opened to him. He slipped inside the darkness without a word, letting the door close behind him.

"Herald Herman?" Ortho asked quietly. "Why are you going down into the Underworld? You weren't ordered to go there…!"

He immediately felt suspicious. He moved quickly to the Underworld gate, put in his own ID, and went through. Then he tailed the researcher, making sure that Herald couldn't see him.

What are you up to…? Ortho thought. Perhaps it was something relevant… though bad or good, Ortho didn't know.

Author's Notes: Okay, this is driving me nuts. How do I do a line break? Because I've tried so many times in Doc Manager, but it just erases my breaks!