Cian gasped as he fell out of eternity and into his body. A sudden eruption of pain wracked him, and he turned, leaning off the edge of his bed, violently vomiting across the floor. He tried to breathe, but he couldn’t. Tried to hear, but there was too much noise. He couldn’t speak, as his tongue failed him. Couldn’t think, as his mind was overwhelmed.

  Zav appeared in his peripheral of his vision. His friend said something, but the ringing… the shrill clangor in his head—he could hear nothing except his own beating heart thud, thud, thudding in his chest.

  “Snap out of it,” Zav said, his voice just cutting through the noise.

  The world quieted. Stilled. His vision focused. His ears cleared. He could see Zav’s frantic face right above him now, panicked and sweaty.

  “Are you alright,” Cian asked, staring up at his friend.

  “Am I alright?” Zav replied, incredulously. “Me? Am I alright? Hell, I thought you were about to have a heart attack. Fuck, I think you may have given me one.”

  Cian wiped the dizziness from his eyes and sat up. His stomach churned and, almost, he hurled again.

  Zav quickly grabbed a towel and began to clean, throwing the dirty rag into the corner of the room soon after as he leaned with his back against the bed, sitting on the floor. He wiped sweat from his brow and cleaned it on his pants.

  “Sorry,” Cian muttered, feeling utterly helpless. In [Everlight], he had walked. Ran. Fought… Even killed. Here—Here he could not even clean up after himself. Pathetic. He was so utterly pathetic.

  Zav waved him off. “No, I’m sorry—I pushed you into it. You told me and, stupidly, I didn’t listen. No… You don’t need to do it again—”

  Cian held up a hand. “Zav… It was incredible. I could experience everything! The smell of the fresh snow. Hear the wind rustle through alleyways and through my hair. Feel the cold and wet of the sleet. I could walk. Run!” He pointed to his skinny, worthless legs. “These didn’t matter. There—There I was… free.”

  Zav smiled. “I told ya’,” he said cockily, as if he weren’t panicking just a moment before. “Still, that seemed rather dangerous. You were moving around more than normal. Twitching about. You were even mumbling… Something about a [Bargain]?”

  “The [Bargain]... You know, with Leto and Asteria. It’s part of the game.”

  Zav looked at him curiously. “Did you hit your head?” he asked. “What [Bargain]? Leto and Asteria; Who are they? They [NPC]’s? Other [Players]?”

  “Stop fucking with me,” Cian said. “The [Bargain]... You know, ‘Your life. Your memories. Everything you will be and will not.’ That sort of thing.”

  Zav put a hand to his chin. “Maybe you should take a break for a while.”

  A splitting headache wracked him and the room spun for a moment. Groaning, he said. “Maybe you’re right.”

  Zav pointed over to some pizza set on one of the wooden chests. “Saved you some. It’s pretty late, you know. We have a tour first thing in the morning. You should sleep it off.”

  Cian looked at the food, and his stomach ached. “Not hungry,” he said. “But I am exhausted. I’m going to turn in.”

  “As you should,” Zav agreed. He stood and turned off the light. “Goodnight, roommate.”

  Cian fell asleep before he could even respond.

  ***

  Cian woke from a dreamless night to the smell of burnt bread. Opening his eyes, Zav smiled down at him, wearing some other black shirt from a 21st century band he had never heard of.

  Zav threw down a paper plate with some sort of burnt pastry.

  “Eat up,” he said.

  Cian groaned, leaning up as he ate, ignoring the burned bits. He was starving. Ravished really. But he felt drained… like he was hungover.

  “This isn’t gonna do it,” he said. “I think I need something more to eat.”

  “You’ll need to hurry your gimp ass up then,” Zav said, smiling. “Here, wear this.” He threw some clothes at him.

  “Did you go through my stuff?”

  Zav nodded.

  Cian sighed, pulling his old shirt off and putting a new shirt on. Followed by pants, socks, and shoes.

  “Alright mom,” Cian said. “Mind handing me my legs?”

  Zav, his own burnt pastry hanging out of his mouth, rolled the wheelchair to the side of the bed.

  Cian hopped down. It was… easier than before. Strange that. He stretched out his arms and decided to roll himself as opposed to using the automatic mode.

  “Slow down there, speedy,” Zav said, pulling on his own pants, failing, and falling to the floor. He writhed there for a moment until his leg went through and he bounced back up with a gusto. “Alright, ready. After you, meals-on-wheels.”

  ***

  Cian had loaded his plate to massive proportions, shoveling down as much food as he could get his greedy hands on. Zav merely stared at him in slack-jaw amazement as he put down helping after helping. He felt empty. Limitless. Like a void. A black hole. He felt as if he had been starving his entire life. He only stopped at Zav’s insistence that they were going to miss orientation. With that, he finished up, wheeling himself out the cafeteria doors.

  Zav waved to a group of girls, putting his hand on the handrails behind his chair, as if he was actually helping him.

  Cian rolled his eyes.

  Surprisingly, a few of the girls looked interested. Maybe there was a method to Zav’s madness.

  A short distance away, he saw a group of fresh faced student, just like himself. You could always tell… they looked like lost sheep, actively seeking the shepherd.

  And like a strike of lightning, the shepard arrived.

  A woman, a few years older than him, tall, muscular and fit, with high-heels that made her tower over most others, with long ash-brown hair, almost glistening in the morning sun and against her cool-tanned face, strolled casually through the courtyard.

  Everyone, both men and women included, were stunned by her appearance.

  She cleared her throat. “Ahem,” she said. “My name is Laera Virel, third-year at NAU, and for today, I’ll be your tour guide. First, does anyone have any questions?”

  Zav raised his hand.

  Cian stared blankly at his friend before whispering through clenched teeth, “What are you—”

  “Is the tour handicapped accessible?” he asked, gesturing to him. “I’m taking care of my friend, you see.”

  Laera narrowed her eyes, but then those glorious blue gems came to rest on him. She scanned him up and down, as if she were searching for something hidden beneath the surface.

  “The entire campus is accessible,” she said. “And I am quite confident your friend can take care of himself. Do not make his pain your platform.”

  With that, she turned and gestured everyone to follow.

  Cian kneed Zav in the leg. “Serves you right,” he said.

  Zav smiled at him. “Oh, I’ll break her down. You’ll see.”

  Cian forced a laugh. “I have a better chance of standing and doing the jig.”

  Zav playfully slapped the back of his head. “Then I suppose I better get you some dancing lessons then, because you’ll be eating those words.”

  ***

  The tour was quick and pointed. Laera was clearly used to this sort of thing, and each question was answered with a quickened fortitude of someone who had not the time to waste, but who certainly knew the ins and outs of the subject.

  As the other students began to disperse, Laera pointed to him. “You, come speak with me a moment.”

  Cian pointed to himself, mouthing, “Me?”

  Laera nodded, beckoning him with forward a finger.

  As Zav moved closer, she pursed her lips. “Not you. Just him.”

  Zav frowned, but stepped back. Whispering under his breath, he said, “You better put in a good word.”

  Cian rolled forward, not acknowledging his friend at all.

  Laera leaned on a tree in the middle of the quad. Playfully, she reached up and brushed the leaves with the back of her hand.

  Cian coughed as he rolled into the shade of the tree. “You wanted to see me?” he asked. “Listen, if it’s about Zav, he’s—”

  “Shh,” Laera said, her eyes shifting down to meet his own.

  This woman seemed to loom over other people. There was something royal about her. Not just her appearance, but the way she held herself. And he, sitting down… She dwarfed him entirely. He had to admit; it bruised his already fragile masculinity.

  She continued to eye him for a time before adding, “You seem familiar to me. Have we met before?”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “I don’t think so,” Cian replied. “I don’t think I would forget you.”

  Her eyes turned angry. “And why is that?”

  Cian panicked, and his tongue failed him. “I… Uh…”

  Laera scoffed. “You men are all the same. Here, I thought I’d ask you something, but—”

  “No,” Cian replied. “We are not ‘All the same,’ I’m living proof of that. If you brought me over to talk down on me, then you can… You can kiss my ass.”

  With that, Cian turned and rolled away.

  “Wait,” Laera said.

  He turned back.

  She smiled. “Sorry, you’re right. That was rude of me. I apologise.”

  Cian was surprised, and he didn’t hide it as he asked, “That’s it? Just like that, all is forgiven?”

  Laera laughed softly. “What can I say? I’m a pushover, to be honest.”

  Cian's heart sunk as he muttered, “Sri?”

  Laera’s face went from placid enjoyment to surprise in a flash. When she looked at him now, she saw something different. Someone different.

  “Lyceus?” she whispered.

  “Lyceus?”

  “The [Orc]. [Everlight]! Are you Lyceus?”

  Cian thought back and remembered… that was his character’s name. “Oh yeah,” he said. “I guess that was my name. So it is you… Sri?”

  Laera casually looked around and then mimicked running a blade across her tongue, just like her character had done in the game. It looked rather odd to see a normal person do it, and he chuckled when she did.

  Laera narrowed her eyes at him. “I can see why your stats are so low.” Her eyes went wide. “I mean, no offense. Ah, shit—that was a fucked up thing to say.”

  Cian waved her off. “It was, but I’m used to it. It’s not the worst I’ve heard, believe me. You can say what I lack in physical prowess I make up for in thick skin.”

  Laera leaned against the tree and slid down until she sat at its base. “Good thing you’re a [Tank] then.” More seriously, she asked, “It’s the Sickness… isn’t it?”

  Cian nodded, not able to say the words himself.

  Laera put a hand against her face, blocking her eyes. “I have a brother… had a brother who had it.”

  “When did he pass?” Cian asked.

  “Years ago,” Laera replied. Then, as if regaining her senses, she leaped back up. “Not that I mean to dump this on you.” She flipped a hand, and a small holographic clock appeared in front of her. “Shit… I’ve got to go.”

  “If it’s downhill, I can always give you a ride.”

  Laera smiled. “Oh, you’re funny. Catch you later. Maybe tonight? In game, I mean.”

  “Maybe,” he replied.

  Laera waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd.

  [Everlight]... Perhaps he had made his first friend outside Zav. Even if that “friend” was a homicidal goblin thief.

  Cian glimpsed Zav across the quad and rolled to him. Despite how much he had eaten earlier, he was still starving. If he was going to jump back in tonight, he had to prepare both his body and mind.

  ***

  Later that night, Cian laid back in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

  Zav coughed nearby. “Are you sure you want to go in again? Last time…”

  “I’m fine,” he said, and, surprisingly, found it to be true.

  Cian leaned back and got comfortable. In his mind, he thought of what he wanted to do. With the advent of the [Enmity Core], that’s all that was required. Just a clear head and a decisiveness of what you wanted.

  Soon, he felt himself being pulled—ripped through time. He felt as if he fell. Fell from the top of the mountain, only there was no resistance. No outside forces to stop his descent.

  And then he hit water—submerging into the subconsciousness.

  [System]

  Welcome back to [Everlight]

  Cian opened his eyes and found himself resting in a bed not too dissimilar to his own in the real world. But that was where the similarities ended. As he scanned the small room, he saw it to be made of sturdy wood. It was so different from where he had come from. Breathing in, the air just felt… cleaner. He knew it was just a trick of the mind—that none of it was real—but that didn’t matter. Sometimes the most powerful forces are the ones built in the minds of the dreamers.

  Gingerly, Cian rolled off the side of the bed. His feet touched the hard floor as he stood. Again, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He had been giddy about the feeling of walking all day. He could hardly stand it, sitting in his chair, and wishing it could be different.

  But here—Here it could.

  Cian bent his knees and tested his legs. Strong, he felt strong, despite his [Stats].

  “Oh yeah, [Stats]. I leveled!”

  As he said the words, a message flashed on his screen:

  [System]

  [Level Up]

  Do you wish to allocate [Stats] or learn a [Skill]?

  “[Stats],” he said, not giving it too much thought.

  [System]

  [Stats]

  [Might]: 1

  [Vigor]: 1

  [Nimble]: 1

  [Acuity]: 10

  [Charm]: 3

  You have [5] [Stats] to allocate. Where do you wish to spend them?

  “[Vigor],” Cian said. “All [5].”

  [System]

  Acknowledged. All [Stats] have been allocated to [Vigor], making its new total [6].

  “Thank you,” he replied, and then felt silly. Did he really need to thank the [System] itself?

  With his level up complete, Cian stepped to the door and pushed it open, walking outside. On his way down the wooden stairs, they creaked with his every step. That’s right, he was an [Orc]. Supposedly large and powerful creatures of myth, despite what his current [Stats] suggested.

  The innkeeper, a middle-aged stout dwarven man with dark, rough skin and pale eyes that beset the oncoming blindness, gave him a nod as he walked outside. The world materialized before him, a town, likely in the north, blanketed with white snow. A winter paradise.

  He felt… home.

  [System]

  Sriax’nilx would like to join your group.

  Do you accept? Y/N

  Cian casually pressed the “Y”. He immediately felt the [Bond]—that pull of someone in your group. Soon, Sri came sauntering up, her short goblin form having a certain swagger that her real-life counterpart Laera did not share.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” Sri said. “I knew you’d be back.”

  “Of course,” Cian replied. “Have to earn some more coin after a certain na’er-do-well goblin stole mine.”

  Sri smiled mischievously. “Steal is such a… loaded term. I told you, I gave you a lesson, and you paid for that lesson. We are even now.”

  “Even,” he replied. “Sure.” Softer, he added, “But you did help me, I suppose. No way I could have handled those three on my own. It was so…”

  “Exhilarating?” Sri said, snickering. “The hunt? The kill.”

  Cian stared down at his goblin companion. “You know, you’re nothing like… Laera. It’s hard to compare you two—”

  Sri shot him an angry look. A dangerous one. “Don’t say that name here,” she whispered through clenched teeth. “Not to me. Not to anyone. I am Sriax’nilx of the [Grimeye] tribe. Nothing more. Nothing less. You’d best get used to it, Lyceus.”

  “Lyceus…” he rolled the name over and over on his tongue.

  “Aye, Lyceus [Clanless], not Cian, the wheelchair bound.”

  This woman had a fire about her. An aura that said to not piss her off. He had met no one quite like it, and he didn’t quite know how to proceed\ around her. She was as a coiled snake, always ready to strike.

  Sri looked around nervously before turning and asking, “Did you want to do a dungeon?”

  “Dungeon?” he asked.

  Sri sighed. “You really just jumped in blind into this world, didn’t ya’?”

  Cian shrugged

  “Listen up, Ly… I’m about to impart knowledge.” Sri sighed again, adding under her breath. “I guess I’m destined to be a tour guide here as well.” Then stronger, “Alright, a dungeon is a feature in which adventurers, such as ourselves, can enter certain keywords at a [Waygate]. These gates are three words. However, the first is always the city or area in which the [Waygate] is located. The second word is a thing, and the third is a descriptor.”

  Cian scratched at his chin.

  “I can see you’re confused,” Sri said. “Fine, how about I just show you?” She began walking towards the center of the town. “This town is named Thawgarden and we are on the continent of [Kruces.] The first [Keyword] is a location. Typically speaking, the location needs to be in the vicinity of the [Waygate] in which you are accessing. For this, let’s use Thawgarden itself. Secondly, we need a thing. This can be a creature or even an item. For this example, let’s use gnoll. Lastly, is a descriptor. This can be many things. Let’s just use Rainy. So our full [Keyword] will be [Thawgarden] [Gnoll] [Rainy], using [Keywords] at a [Waystone] will create a rift for us to enter which will lead us to a scenario that the system creates using our [Keywords]. Be careful though, anyone else who uses the same [Keywords] can also travel to the scenario, and there are no protections.”

  “If it’s dangerous,” Cian asked, “Then why are we doing it? Couldn’t we just stick to town?”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Sri asked. “And besides, these dungeons, or scenarios, as most people call them, have the best [Loot] and [XP].”

  Cian wasn’t too sure, but at Sri’s insistence, he let himself be led to the center of town. As they approached, he saw a few [Players] paused around a glowing sapphire crystal, with golden bells circling it. Then, in a flash, they disappeared, their body dissipating into thin air.

  Sri smiled. “Yep, that’s the [Waystone]. Nifty device. You remember the keywords?”

  Cian repeated them as Sri nodded.

  “Good, you aren’t completely worthless.”

  Cian squared his shoulders. “I took care of one of those three bandits, remember?”

  “Only because I let you.” Sri, without him noticing, had brandished one of her daggers. “I could have taken all three myself. Easily at that.” She sheathed it with a flourish.

  Cian narrowed his eyes, but muttered under his breath, “I don’t doubt it. You’re a bit of a wild one.”

  “What did you say?”

  Cian gave her a fake smile. “Nothing important. If we’re going to go, then let’s go.”

  Sri returned him a grim smile. “Be careful what you wish for. Go on, enter the keywords.”

  Cian stepped to the shimmering sapphire. He looked around and found no console or instructions. Shrugging, he touched the sapphire.

  [System]

  Speak your [Keywords].

  “[Thawgarden] [Gnoll] [Rainy],” he said.

  There was a brief pause and then a message appeared…

  [System]

  Accepted!

  Cian felt a pull as his vision blurred, and all disappeared around him.

  ***

  Zav scratched the back of his head. He was glad that Cian had integrated well, and that he was having fun using the [Coesus], but he had hoped to do other stuff than sit in their room and play [Everlight]. But he supposed he could only blame himself. Truly, he expected Cian would not be able to handle it. On the contrary, his friend had not only handled it, but seemed to thrive in it. He hadn’t seen him so lively since they were kids. Since before the sickness had taken so much from him.

  He wondered why he was getting reminiscent. Cian and he had plenty of time still yet.

  Zav placed the [Everlight] chip into his [Enmity Core].

  There was a rush as he fell inwards.

  There he stood in the [Terminal], the place in the [Coesus] before one dived into any one particular program. He saw people milling about in this digital waystation. In here, programmed to look like an old underground railway station, one could get lost in the ever churning waters of the denizens who spent their days here. Billions upon billions of them. They spun around him like vaporous mist, whispering condensation in his ear. They were both real and unreal at the same time. Like ghosts. Haunted memories of the past, present, and future.

  He shook it off. He was wasting time.

  Zav stepped up to one railway and looked at the attendant. The attendant was not a person per se, but an amalgamation of many people. Their face shifted, ever-changing, and their voice sounded both masculine and feminine all at once.

  “What is your destination?” the haunted creature asked.

  “[Everlight],” Zav replied.

  The creature chuckled and bade him forward.

  Zav stepped onto the ladder and then onto the train. A moment later, he was shuttled away down the tracks into the infinite void. The shared human subconsciousness. A place where anything could exist. Where all possibilities are real. Where all possibilities are abstract. A place where he wouldn’t be so lonely. A place where his one friend could walk again. Where he could always walk. Where he could live. And also where he would die. Or where they had never met at all. A place where the dreams and nightmares of humanity crashed together in a brilliant canvas of both bright and muted colors. It was different for many people. Different for everyone. But here—now—for him, that place was [Everlight].

  [System]

  Welcome to [Everlight]