The smell of fire in the air was suffocating. The smoke blinding. Heat—scalding. Was this it? Was he really going to…

  Die?

  A battlefield. Corpses of [Players] and [NPC]s layered thick upon the ground. Scattered and broken. Wretches and remnants of their former selves. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to even walk. The sloshing of mingled blood accompanied each shifting of boot to ground. How had it come to this? Come to such conflict? To such an end?

  To war?

  [Players] battled against other [Players] and monsters alike. [Player] versus [Player], [PvP], but there were no rules of engagement in this. No honor, no experience, nor promise of loot or rewards. Just slaughter for slaughter’s sake.

  “Help… me,” he heard—faint, just barely an echo among the cacophony of destruction. “Please…” The last was weaker than the first.

  He jammed his oddly shaped weapon into the ground, pushing himself up. His legs wobbled—his muscles heavy. Sweat poured into his eyes and he had to keep reminding himself repeatedly that this wasn’t real. None of this was real. Well… except if he died.

  That—That would be very real.

  “I’m… coming,” he croaked with all the breath he had left.

  A cough wracked his body, and he reached up to stifle it. Glancing, his gauntlets were covered in thick blue blood. Orc blood. His blood.

  He stepped forward and over a corpse. Another foot and over the severed leg of a monster. Then its arm. Then its head. In its eyes there was surprise, as if it were real. Why had the developers programmed them as such? Did they want the [Players] to contemplate the cycle of life and death, even in this place of fantasy?

  Each step forward was labored. Each step, deliberate. He paused and stared up. A bloody sun set above a red sky. Fitting. It was even one of the [Keywords] for this area. Why oh why had he come? Arrogance, that’s why. Pure ego. There was no other explanation.

  A scream rattled his thoughts. Familiar and close. He had no time to flounder. No time to doubt. He was a defender. A protector.

  … A tank.

  He glanced to his left.

  [System]

  HP: Critical - Status: [Last Stand]

  He had gone under zero and activated his [Last Stand] ability. Less than ten seconds till death if he did not receive healing. Can’t think about that now.

  Must move.

  Must protect.

  Arrogance. He laughed—truly, this was the peak of vanity. Protect? Protect who? He could not even protect himself. He should have stayed in his chair. Stayed in his place. This world, and others like it, were not for those like him. Not for the weak of body. Not for the weak of mind. The weak of heart.

  Finally, he saw it. The source of those screams. It was someone he knew. Someone he admired.

  Mariona!

  She held out her chalice defensively, her legs braced for impact. Directly in front of her was an angelic figure. Celestial… and wrong. Golden armor that glittered in the sun. A spear that looked to be made of light itself. But glitching—forever glitching. The air around them seemed to break apart into infinitesimally smaller pieces. This entity—this glorious goddess—had eyes of red, and the snarl of an animal that had turned against those that would dare proclaim themselves its masters. The spear went skyward and then flashed as it slid downward, slicing through reality itself.

  Too late… He was too late.

  The skills of his character flashed through his mind… nothing! He had nothing to save her.

  Mariona turned at the moment of impact and caught his eye. Even though her features were filled with the horrors of death, she shot him one last innocent smile before the end. That was her way. Smiling until the last.

  He closed his eyes. He did not wish to see. To witness her end. To witness his weakness made absolute. Then, the sounds of fighting ceased. All was still. Silent. A small ding rang in his ears…

  He opened his eyes.

  [System]

  [Level up] - Choose an Advanced Class

  ***

  Some time earlier

  Beep

  Beep

  Beep

  “Fucking alarm,” Cian said, grumbling to himself.

  Beep

  Beep

  Beep

  “Enough!” He slammed down on his phone with all the strength he had, and felt a shake rattle up his arm. It was so intense he felt it in his bones. He pulled back and held his quivering appendage.

  Great… today was going to be rough.

  Cian sat up and stretched, looking around the small room. It was bare—far more so than he had seen it before. Last night, hopefully, was the last he would spend in this room. College… somehow he had managed to pass high school, and now he was moving on. Flying the coop, so to speak.

  He smiled. He had made it, despite what every doctor had told him. Looking to the right, he saw a familiar sight and frowned—

  His wheelchair.

  “Not without hardship,” he whispered to no one in particular.

  Not without hardship indeed. He had spent much of his life laid up in that chair and in that bed and in that room. He couldn’t wait to get out. To escape.

  “Breakfast,” he heard his mom call.

  The last breakfast he would have here. He took a sort of oath to himself in that moment that, no matter how hard it got, no matter how much or fast his disease spread, he would not move back here. If he were to die, it would be on his terms. Preferably out in the world so that all could see him curse whatever god had made him this way. He would spit in his creator’s face when they came to collect his soul.

  Pshh, like god actually exists.

  “Cian!” she yelled.

  “I heard you!” he replied, and even that small act took his breath away.

  Cian… What a joke. His mother had told him it meant ‘Enduring.’ Perhaps it was her fault for his condition. He had been cursed from the offset to a short life. A painful one. He had long since been given that diagnosis. Doctor after doctor, test after test, confirmed the worst… he had [The Sickness]. He had learned about diseases of the past. Diseases like cancer, which killed an untold amount of people. Humanity had thought themselves above it all. Conquerors of even that which ails them.

  It was not to be.

  Near the end of the 21st century, a disease was born. One with no origin and no seeming cause. It cannot be spread, nor contracted… nor cured. For whatever reason, [The Sickness], as people have since called it, slowly saps the strength from its host. Gradually, almost like a bloodletting. It’s calculated in its manner—taking the smallest amount each day. As a child, while others became stronger and stronger, he found himself weaker and weaker. By ten, he could barely walk. By thirteen, wheelchair bound. Fifteen, unable to exercise due to weakened lungs. These days… Well, he even had trouble wheeling himself forward, and had to mostly rely on the built-in battery of the wheelchair. Pathetic… he could not even move himself around. If not for the time period in which he lived, he would have been left to the elements as a baby. Or abandoned in the woods. Sometimes… Sometimes he wished he had been. It would have been a better existence. An easier end.

  But still… If he were to die now, it would be on his terms. His alone.

  With newfound determination, Cian reached over, pulling the wheelchair to him. One by one, he slid his legs over and then, finally, hefted his body over the bar. He hit hard, and had to rest a moment before he put his hands to the controls, pressing the lever forward. Such an archaic thing… They had chairs which used an [Enmity Core] to read your thoughts and move you how you wished, but it was another side effect of the sickness… a weakened mind. Anything that used an [Enmity Core] threatened to overwhelm him. Potentially kill him.

  Cian rolled into the room and went to his designated place at the table. No chair to obstruct his own. His mother was in the kitchen, wearing a black suit of sorts. Probably a board meeting planned later. She had taken additional responsibilities of late. More work. Sometimes he thought he was the reason she threw herself into work so heavily. So she wouldn’t need to be around him often. Needn’t need to be reminded of what he was. She stood above a sizzling frying pan, paying him little mind.

  His father, on the other hand, had thrown himself into the arts. Writing, poetry, painting… you name it. He channeled his pain into the craft and, with technology where it was, jobs had become far more scarce than in the past. Or, at least, that was what he had been taught. Now, while some went to college to learn a trade or skill to help them with a future career, some went just for the experience of learning itself. The world was changing. There were ‘no more worlds left to conquer,’ and so, some people looked towards the stars. Others, the web. Mass transit had made entire nations more or less the cities of old. All humans now waited until humanity was star-bound and a new age of exploration would begin… but for now, they had the [Coeus], which is what had been previously known as the world wide web, or the internet. The plan was simple: use an [Enmity Core] to link your mind to the internet. But it had evolved and evolved rapidly. Soon, you weren’t just using your mind to move a cursor on a screen, but you instead were moved inside entirely. At least, your mind was.

  He had only experienced the process once, for a brief moment. A lapse in judgement by an untrained teacher. The experience had utterly drained him, causing him to become violently ill and in need of a few days in hospital.

  Interrupting his thoughts, his mom placed a plate of eggs and bread down in front of him. “Eat,” she said. “You’ll be on your own after today. Allow me this. One last time.”

  Cian nodded.

  He had always imagined there would be tears between them. Farewells and well wishes… but now he knew that they had both long since shed their tears. One year; that was his latest and last diagnosis.

  One year.

  He had one more year to experience something other than this place.

  “You could always stay,” his father suggested, taking a sip of coffee and putting it to the table. “You have nothing to prove. Not to anyone. Not even yourself. You’ve… been through enough.”

  “And stay here,” I asked, anger tinting my voice, “to die alone?”

  “Not alone,” his father said. “Never alone.”

  His father reached out, and Cian knocked his hand away. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “I’ve… got to.”

  His father nodded, but then asked, “And do you still wish us to give you space?”

  Cian nodded. “There would be little point if you were at my dorm every day. I wouldn’t appreciate it. And I’m sure my roommate wouldn’t either.”

  “And what of him—your friend. Is he… ok with it?”

  I breathed out slowly. “If you are asking if Zav will be ok with finding my corpse… Then yes, we’ve discussed it. He said—He said he would want it to be him over anyone else.”

  His father nodded and took another sip of coffee. “Good friend.”

  “The best,” Cian replied. Quietly, he added, “And only.”

  His father stood and pushed in his chair. “Well, since your mother is busy, I suppose you’ll need a ride?”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Cian narrowed his eyes. “My stuff is already in your car. You know this already.”

  “I know,” his father replied. “But it still seemed like I should ask. You’re your own man now. One who’s had to experience life far faster than most. Don’t let those others forget it.”

  “I won’t,” Cian replied, taking his last bite.

  He pushed the lever forward and made his way to the door. His father opened it and stepped outside. He turned to his mother. “This is it,” he said. “If we don’t see each other again, I…”

  His mother turned and smiled. There was not a hint of sadness in her eyes. Only a far off look. The one you get when remembering someone long since gone. In her eyes, he had already passed. He supposed it was better this way. Better for them both.

  They nodded to each other, and he rolled his way out the front door.

  ***

  Normally, in this age, having your own car would be considered a luxury. Long since AI had taken over the task of driving. Fewer idiots on the road. Fewer crashes. A more docile population. In special cases, one could receive a license if special accommodations were in order. Accommodations, such as being stuck in a wheelchair for most of your life. Besides… most of the population traveled little. It was unneeded with access to the [Coeus]. A strange name… from the mythology of ancient Greece. The son of Earth and Sky, whose name literally meant ‘To Question.’ Question what? Who? The earth’s problems have long since been solved… except the very one which plagued him.

  It was only a few hours to Nue Angeles University, the place where he would spend the remainder of his life. Close enough that he convinced his parents to allow him to go there, but far enough that they couldn’t just pop in to see him. He felt regret at that. He loved them. Truly, he did. But it was hard looking at them at times. He could see it in their eyes—Dead dreams. So much they had sacrificed for him. They would never admit it, but he knew it to be true. No more… No more.

  When they arrived, they pulled into the place meant for loading and unloading. There were few cars and even fewer people. This was unsurprising. It had been a rarer occurrence, with the advent of [Coeus], to even have a physical campus. But some traditions refuse to die. In this, he was grateful. His friend, Zav, had declared he would attend NAU in person and had practically begged him to go. It was the first seed of rebellion planted in his head. At first, he was against it, but with the latest diagnoses… Well, his time was limited. This was his only chance to live.

  His father set the vehicle in park and exited, going to the back, loading a few of his bags on his shoulders and throwing one into his lap as he managed to unfold his wheelchair and sit. The bag hit his lap, knocking the air out of him.

  “Sorry,” his father muttered, smiling mischievously.

  Cian laughed. “Sure ya’ are.”

  “We can still turn back,” his father said in a high-pitched, mocking voice.

  Cian shook his head. “No. This is it. I’ve decided.”

  His father smiled sadly. “Looks like you’re a man, after all. Come, let’s get you situated.”

  Dorm E, Room 205. That was his destination.

  His father and he didn’t mull around much. They found a map and went straight to the room. He would explore the campus himself later. Hell, he still needed to finalize his class schedule. They pulled up to the room in the E dorm that read, ‘2-0’ but was missing the ‘5’. Still, it was visible as the person who painted the door had not removed the letters when doing so, and the ‘5’ was highlighted in white where it had stripped the paint. He lifted a shaky hand to the keycard reader and heard a pop from beyond the door.

  He pushed it open.

  Two beds, two dingy wooden storage chests, stained carpet, and a single window in a room that couldn’t have been larger than 250 sq ft. His own room at home was larger than this.

  His father coughed. “It’s… quant?”

  “You can say that again,” he muttered.

  His father hefted his bags onto the bed on the left. The right looks to have already been taken. Zav must have already come by.

  His father scratched at his neck. “So then…”

  “So…”

  “I’m not good at this,” his father said. “So I’ll say this, if you need me, I’m only a small bit away. And if this is the last we see each other… I’ve always loved you, and I’ve never regretted it.”

  Almost his words brought tears. Almost.

  “I know… and thank you.”

  His father nodded and, without another word, turned and closed the door behind him.

  Cian looked again at his room, rolled to the side of the bed, pushed himself into it and stared up at the white ceiling.

  Morbidly, he thought, What if I died right now? My first act on my own? He chuckled at the absurdity of it and fell asleep smiling.

  ***

  Cian awoke to the shifting of his bed. Opening his eyes, a familiar face greeted him.

  “Zav,” he said groggily. “What are you doing in my bed?”

  Zav, eighteen years of age, same as him, sat quietly at the edge, scratching at his neck, his black hair as tangled and disheveled as his clothing. He was a bit of an odd fellow. A fan of the 21st century. Of old things. He was into music called ‘grunge’ and rejected any stylistic choices from this century. Even now he wore a shirt, a yellow happy face, from a band he had mentioned before, but whose name eluded him at the moment.

  “Finally,” Zav said. “Thought you had maybe kicked the bucket already.”

  “Not quite.”

  “Damn,” he replied. “Was hoping to get a more popular roommate. And once the ladies found out that I had held you in my arms as you were dying, and that your last wish was for me to find happiness… they’d have been all over me, like bees on sweet flowers.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Fuck you back, buddy.”

  Cian smiled. “Finally here… it feels like we’ve been waiting for an age.”

  Zav gave him a curious look. “We only decided this a few months ago. More like that’s when I finally convinced you.”

  “When you have as little time as me, you tend to savor the moment more.”

  Zav frowned. “Oh, no… none of this. No pity party. You came here to live. So live! I won’t be hearing a damn word about dying.”

  Cian forced a smile. “Fair enough. So… What do you want to do? Roll around the school?”

  “It’s quite large,” Zav replied

  “If you get tired, you can sit in my lap.”

  “Now there’s a sight the ladies would certainly enjoy.” Zav laughed. “No, let’s stay in for the day. I’ve ordered us some food… and I’ve got you something else.”

  Zav stood and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small chip.

  “What program is that?” Cian asked, his [Enmity Core] itching ever so slightly.

  “[Everlight],” Zav said.

  “[Everlight]... the online game? Fantasy MMO?”

  Zav nodded.

  “You know I can’t,” Cian said. “The sickness… I can only use the [Enmity Core] for a few moments before I’m overwhelmed. Hell, even less if it’s taxing like a game.”

  “And yet, you are going to try anyway. Come on now… live a little. You’ve never seen what these games are like. How real they feel. How freeing they are.”

  “Because it may kill me.”

  “Life is killing you,” Zav replied. “Or will you let fear control you still? Look… I’ve been looking up information; the [Enmity Core] does more than allow someone to enter [Coeus]; it augments you. Your mind is so in-tune with what you do that some of it spills over into real life.”

  “I’ve heard of that,” Cian said. “Some people call it the [Bargain]. Giving something of yourself to the system and retrieving something in return.”

  “And that’s besides the [Hackers].”

  [Hackers]... those who circumvent the limitations of the [Enmity Cores] and gain great power both in and out of [Coeus] as a result. But it came at a terrible cost… those who push the limits too far lose their minds. Change. Become monsters… and not just in [Coeus], but in the real world. Thus, hacking is considered a class 1 felony the world around. Despite that, it was a rising problem.

  “[Hackers],” I replied. “They don’t know what they throw away.”

  Zav coughed. “Well, as I was explaining, [Everlight]... it is said to have the greatest affinity to the [Enmity Core]. That what you do in game affects you far more in real life. What if… What if we play this game, level up, and it makes you… strong? Do you think it could help?”

  Zav… ever since he had told his friend of his diagnosis, the man had idea after idea of how to circumvent his coming end.

  Of how to Defy Fate.

  With a long exhale, Cian said, “Fine… I’ll give it a shot. But if this kills me, I’m going to haunt you.”

  “Pshh,” Zav replied. “You’re already planning to, anyway.”

  ***

  Cian got comfortable, laying back down on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. His hand shook and in it, he held the small chip. [Everlight]... a game connected to [Coeus] through the [Enmity Core] on the back of his neck. Every person has one installed the moment they are born. To not was as improper as walking around naked. It was just the way of the world. He felt for the device on the back of his neck. As he touched the cold metal, he felt a familiar soreness. He didn’t use his [Enmity Core] much. Slowly, he felt for the drive, and inserted the chip.

  His eyes twitched as the world swirled around him. He was falling. Falling and falling into the infinite. Into the void. But there was nothing. No wind pressing against his face. No sounds of whistling. No time at all. There was nothing. He was nothing.

  Until…

  “Look at this one,” a voice said in a soft, girlish voice.

  Another replied in a similar voice, “Ah yes, such potential… but corrupted. Discard them.”

  “Potential…” the first said as if they whispered. “Opportunity…”

  “Opur… tunity?” Cian’s head exploded in pain, and the darkness undulated in front of him.

  “The corruption is too widespread, Leto.”

  Leto chuckled. “But still… I’d hate to waste the boy, Asteria.”

  Asteria sighed audibly. “Do as you will, sister.”

  Cian’s vision cleared slowly, and before him was a bluish sphere with grid lines interlaced. It spun and spun, the grids spinning in an opposing direction. Then, in front of him, two bright lights appeared, both fluttering; one of red and the other blue. Instinctually, he knew that the blue was Leto and the red was Asteria.

  “What do you want?” Cian asked, but it was more in thought. In fact, he couldn’t feel his mouth at all. Nor the rest of his body, for that matter. He was immaterial… Yet somehow he could see.

  “Straight to the point,” Asteria said. “Hmm, may be onto something, Leto. I like this one.”

  Leto’s blue corporeal form flitted up and down in delight. “I knew you would.”

  “I’m corrupted?” Cian asked. “What do you mean?”

  Asteria snickered. “Too soon, young human. Far too soon for such questions.”

  “We’ve questions of our own,” Leto said. “Or, more like, demands.”

  “Demands,” Cian replied. “I’ve nothing to give you.”

  “That is where you are wrong.” Leto, the blue light, spun around and around his head, or where he presumed his head was, but he could do nothing to follow them. “I’ve a proposition. A [Bargain], one could say.”

  “[Bargain]…” Cian replied. “Is this… is this part of the game? [Everlight]?”

  “Ever…light,” Asteria repeated. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Then [C??????o????e???????u????s???????].”

  The two gasped, and Leto rammed into his face. Surprisingly, he felt it and it stung slightly.

  “Never say that name,” Asteria said. “Never!”

  “If this isn’t part of the game, then what do you want with me?”

  “Your life,” Leto said.

  “Your memories,” Asteria added.

  Leto continued, “Everything you will be.”

  Asteria finished, “And everything you will not.”

  Cian laughed softly. “I’ve not had much of a life, nor will I have much more of a future. Truthfully, I don’t even know why I’m here.”

  “Because you are,” Asteria said.

  “Because it is fated,” Leto replied.

  “Can you stop speaking in riddles and tell me what you want?”

  “The [Bargain].” Leto hummed softly to herself, and her blue light changed colors depending on her pitch. “It is this: in time, we will ask you for three favors. Three! You are to grant them without question nor explanation. Three times, and we consider the debt paid.”

  “And if I refuse the favors?”

  “Then we take back the gift, of course.”

  “And the gift?”

  Suddenly, Cian was standing in the light; standing in front of the circling blue sphere, his body intact. Standing… He was standing. When speaking of his own death, he had run out of tears. But for this… he wept openly, unable to contain his raw emotion.

  The two entities before him snickered.

  Just as swiftly as it came, it went. His body faded to nothingness, and he went back to his incorporeal form.

  Leto giggled again. “Is it a deal—”

  “Deal!”

  Asteria sighed out in frustration. “It won’t be worth it, sister. Too eager, this one. Too close to the abyss.”

  “It will!” Leto said gleefully. “It will.” She cleared her throat. “We will speak again, human. Now, enjoy your… What was it again? Ah yes… [Everlight]!”

  ***

  [System]

  Welcome to Everlight Online

  Wait as the [System] registers you and your accompanying stats.

  “Stats,” Cian asked, still an incorporeal form.

  [System]

  [Stats] - The basis to which your character can perform certain acts and learn certain skills.

  “List stats.”

  [Stats]

  [Might] - Determines how strong a character is. Affects abilities such as [Grappling] and [Lifting].

  [Vigor] - Determines the health of a character. Affects abilities such as [Endurance].

  [Nimble] - Determines the agility of a character. Affects abilities such as [Climbing] and [Jumping]

  [Acuity] Determines the Keenness of the character’s mind. Affects abilities such as [Scholar] and [Perception]

  [Charm] Determines the capability of a character’s social skills. Affects abilities such as [Charming] and [Performance]

  “And do I get to choose where I put my stats?”

  [System]

  Negative

  The [System] will determine and place your stats based on real-world data taken from your [Enmity Core]

  Determining…

  ?????

  ??????????

  ?????

  Cian’s eyes flashed red, and he felt as if his body was being ripped through time and space.

  ?????

  ??????????

  ?????

  The [System] seemed to reject him. He closed his eyes and waited for it to crash him out when all was suddenly calm. When he opened them again, he saw a single fluttering red light.

  “Asteria?” he asked.

  “Our first [Bargain] of three,” she said. “You let me choose for you. Close your eyes, keep them closed, and trust me.”

  “Trust you,” Cian replied. “I’ve barely met you. I… I don’t even know what you are.”

  “Then do you deny our [Bargain]?”

  “I… No. I accept your condition.” He closed his eyes and forced them to remain shut.

  In the background, he could hear the soft sounds of chiming, as if he were making selections on a screen. So quick. So inhumanly fast. He wanted to open his eyes, but the [Bargain]… he dared not. But soon, all was silent, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

  “Open your eyes,” Asteria said. “And I’ll see you again soon. My sister sends her regards.”

  Cian opened his eyes, and before him, laid out like a blank canvas, were hills upon hills of snow. Off in the distance, a town, with smoke billowing high into the sky. Before he could even breathe, the system placed a message in front of his face.

  [System]

  Welcome to [Everlight].