"God, you're such a useless waste of space. I should've gotten rid of you the moment your stupid mother died!"
Alex jolted upright, heart hammering inside of his chest. He was sweating heavily and his mind felt like it was in complete disarray. He put his head in his hands, the echo of the nightmare fading away, but the damage was already done. He would never escape his past.
Maybe he had dreamt of that because of the current situation with Argus. It wasn't like there was a contract or anyone forcing him to do anything, but he was still being used as a means for other people's gains. Yea, having Earth not collide with another realm was a priority, but he couldn't help but shake the feeling that his hands were tied. His actions and choices weren't his own.
Alex could feel how unsteady he was, how he could snap at a moment's notice. It was taking all of his will just to keep his mind focused. It was as if his brain couldn't follow one train of thought for more than five seconds before getting sidetracked. He really needed to fix his cracked soul.
He raised his head from his hands, they were shaking relentlessly. How could he achieve anything if he was like this? He was a damn wreck.
No. He could do this. He had to do this. Amanda was relying on him, therefore he had to be strong. He couldn't afford to be weak. This cracked soul was just the newest problem he had to solve, and so long as nothing affected his mental state drastically, he would be fine. It wasn't as if the world was on the line or anything.
Alex had just taken a quick shower and thrown on one of the gray jumpsuits when he noticed a change in his room's decoration. His room was by no means spacious or anything, but he was pretty sure that the giant metal coffin in the corner hadn't been there when he had woken up this morning. There was even a piece of paper attached to the glass lid.
"I understand being in a strange place that doesn't feel like home, so I took the liberty to have your pods delivered to your room. They should already be functional and attuned specifically for you, you just have to jump in. Should you have any questions, please direct them to Captain Ryker." -Director Stanton
Alex tossed the note onto his bed and studied the full dive pod. It was slightly bigger than him, but his early assessment of it looking like a metal coffin was accurate. Its standout features were the glass lid and the comfy looking cushioned interior. He had no idea how to even operate this thing, but given that an instruction manual didn't seem to be around, it probably wasn't too hard. Still…
***
"So, you've got the creepy looking metal coffin in your room too huh?" Amanda was finishing up her breakfast cereal when Alex had arrived at one of the facility's cafeterias. After he had left his room Alex discovered there were plenty of posted signs and directions that weren't all too difficult to follow.
Given his sister's love of food, he had a feeling this is where he would find her. He chuckled to himself; some things never change, despite the amount of time that's passed. When they were younger Amanda had always had more than her fair share of food, even asking Alex for his food if he didn't eat it all.
"Yea. Can't say I'm surprised though. They brought us here for one reason and one reason only." He took a bite of the red apple in his hand, the crunch resounding throughout the cafeteria. Him and Amanda were the only ones in here. It was odd, but given the time, most people had probably already eaten breakfast.
"You mean they brought you here for one reason. I just so happened to be there when everything went down." The sound of her spoon clattering in the ceramic bowl reflected her tone of frustration.
"I don't like it Alex. They're just using you to save their own asses for one." She blew a stray lock of hair out of her face, "And two, how did they even know about… Well, you know." She gestured to him with her hands, not willing to say the words aloud in case they were being watched.
"I don't like it either, but I don't think they actually know everything. I'm pretty sure the one that saved me is the same one that guided them, but she didn't exactly spill the beans on every single detail." Alex had thought long and hard about this exact thing while he was showering earlier.
Argus did seem to have a grasp on things that Alex had been unaware of, but likewise, they didn't seem to know the full extent of his capabilities. It was likely that Fate told them what to do, but not why. She had given them pieces of an impossible to solve puzzle, which meant that the only thing Alex could say for certain they knew about was just how real the war of the realms actually was.
If they knew about his rebirth, and the fact that he could get stronger, they were doing a good job of not showing it. Even Amanda didn't know everything about his true nature, and she was his sister.
"Ugh, you're probably right. I just hate feeling so…" She trailed off, unable to find the right word. But Alex knew what she was trying to convey, he had felt it his whole life. Being unable to do nothing but sit there as everything happened around you was a terrible feeling.
"I know sis, but at least we're in this together. Brother and sister, the unstoppable duo." He offered her his most winning smile as he took the last bite of his apple, hoping to cheer her up somewhat. Feeling useless was one of the hardest things to come to terms with, and he didn't want her to feel an ounce of the pain he had endured.
A small smile tugged at Amanda's lips before fading. "Yea." Her tone suggested that her mind was busy thinking about something, and it was clearly bothering her. Alex was about to ask what it was when she opened her mouth to speak.
"Speaking of unstoppable, and not that I want to dredge up shitty memories, but… How exactly did you make your way to me when we were being held by that Valdenci prick?" Her question made Alex go still. He knew the question would have to be answered eventually, even if she accepted the fact that he had killed a bunch of people to get to her.
"I-." He still hadn't dealt with the trauma of taking someone's life. Even if he wasn't technically in control when he did it. Even if he had done it to get to Amanda. He was still the person driving the action that ended someone. Every time he closed his eyes he could hear their screams and feel their blood on his hands.
He swallowed down his feelings and looked Amanda in the eyes. She deserved to have the truth about everything. She was his sister, and he could trust her with anything. Hell, she already knew he had been reborn, what were a couple more secrets?
Just as he was about to tell her about how he had this thing that could make him stronger, and how he had inadvertently gotten teleported into the game, Alex remembered where they were. There was no way they weren't being watched by Argus.
"I'll have to tell you when we're in the game itself."
***
Alex stood before the full dive pod in his room, the lid hanging open and waiting for him to get in. Was he ready? Stupid question, of course he wasn't ready. Amanda was safe and alive, and all he wanted to do was live a normal life, making up for all the time he had missed out on with her.
He closed his fist, resolving himself and preparing to get into the pod. He couldn't afford to make mistakes. He couldn't afford to treat this like it was a video game. He had been too careless last time, even though he had constantly reminded himself to not think of it as a game, and he had almost paid for it with his life.
He would not make the same mistake again.
Alex stepped into the pod and turned around, laying his back on the cushioned interior. The glass lid automatically shut and clicked into place, locking itself so that no one could break into the pod. The lights inside the pod started to dim and Alex found himself surrounded by a slight darkness. Just what the hell was he-
A screen lit up before him, displaying a blurb of text. "Welcome to Argus' VR-2 Full Dive pod Alexander Khelton. This pod will allow you to experience the vast world of the game 'War of the Realms: Online' and live out fantastic adventures as a powerful warrior. When you are ready to dive, simply close your eyes and allow yourself to drift, the pod will do the rest."
Of course it would. He had no idea how the technology worked, and as such, he had no option but to comply with its instructions. Alex closed his eyes and let his mind wander, a particularly easy task to accomplish with the state of imbalance he was in.
Soon after, he started to fade into unconsciousness and the pod took over, helping to guide his wandering mind.
***
[Welcome, Alexander Khelton, to War of the Realms: Online, the MMORPG game developed by Argus Studios.]
[Character already detected, character creation skipped.]
[Full name: Alexander Khelton]
[Display Name: Alex]
[Race: Human]
[Class: (LOCKED)
[Level: 5]
[Realms available for adventure: Vorcast, Mediya, Coralis.]
[Essence of Chaos detected, additional realm added: Drekkar.]
[Vorcast (E-Rank) (Iron Tier) (Outer Realm): Vorcast is a lush realm filled with massive ancient forests and towering mountains dotted with caves. Recent invasions by Jaskiar's Legions, as well as the Undead faction, has led to this realm being a front in the war. Beginner adventurers recommended. Currently owned by the Light faction.]
[Mediya (D-Rank) (Gold Tier) (Outer Realm): Mediya is a mystical realm of magic that has yet to feel the flames of war. Warriors from far and wide come here to train and strengthen themselves at the gods' temples before they are deployed to defend other realms. Adventurers ready for the next step in their journey should come here. Currently owned by the Light faction.]
[Coralis (D-Rank) (Iron Tier) (Outer Realm): Coralis is a realm that has been under siege for a decade by Jaskiar's Legions. A once lively land has been turned into a barren wasteland of scorched earth. Strongholds and citadels are the only untouched places of land in this realm. Only veterans are recommended to adventure here. Currently owned by the Light faction.]
[Drekkar (C-Rank) (Silver Tier) (Lower Realm): Drekkar is a chaos touched realm constantly barraged by wild storms of apocalyptic proportions. This has led to its citizens building a massive underground civilization to survive. Currently owned by the Chaos faction.]
[Vorcast selected as target realm. Prepare for arrival. 10… 9…]
His immediate goal once he was on Vorcast would be to find Amanda and party up with her. All of the troubles about being a Hero could be dealt with after that. His mind wandered to thoughts about his old party members, Eliza and Agnor. He hoped they were doing well. Dying again had inadvertently cut their adventuring days short, but he had still enjoyed the time they had shared together.
If only he had added them as friends… Friends? Could he even call them that? They hadn't even known each other for more than a couple days, but for some reason he was considering their connection worthy of a friendship. Maybe he could find them again. That would be nice.
[3…2…1…]