A full day outside the game, where I did nothing but relax, did my body and mind some good. It allowed me to not only get some food into my stomach but to let me think through some things. Things that I would be doing from now on. With a simple push of a button, my pod closed and I entered the game. Like every other time I had logged in, it happened between one blink and the next.

  Welcome back Kyren Vulpier.

  68 hours, 49 minutes have passed since you logged off.

  Current in-game time: 06:21:33 AM

  As I dismissed that box, another replaced it.

  Today is the day of the Spring Festival. The official day that winter ends its long, cold grip. From all of the gods up here, we hope that you enjoy the festivities.

  Well, at least I didn’t miss the festival while I was offline. Maybe there would be a few limited-time items I could get. With a flick of my fingers, the window vanished. My shower was fast. Too fast. The moment it finished, I found myself eyeing my outfit in annoyance. While I had proclaimed to myself that I would not care about what armor I wore, it still felt wrong to put the dress on. It was like I was giving something up by doing so. Thankfully, another window popped up. It gave me something to distract myself with before I had to force myself to put the thing on.

  The quest wasn’t offered so much as shoved at me. Given that I wasn’t near the battlefield and that the quest type labeled it as a world quest, I was fairly sure everyone got this quest. It didn’t help that, based on the rewards and consequences, this one quest would definitely shape how this game progressed. While this wasn’t the first game to do this, it sure as hell was one of the most extreme.

  I shook my head at the quest as I closed the window. The dress slipped over my body as I thought about the developers and their decision to make the game unplayable if we failed the quest. But who knows, maybe the developers have a back up plan. Well, that or they expect the hardcore gamers and military members to do most of the work. To carry the whole game on their shoulders. I sighed before shoving the quest to the back of my mind and walked to the door. I was ready to explore the city.

  As my hand touched the door, a new noise filled the space around me. It sounded like fireworks going off in the distance. When the sizzling pops of the last explosion finally quieted, a bright flash caused me to wince and my eyes to water.

  While my eyes rapidly blinked away the spots, I found a white box with a red bow floating in front of me. It hovered in mid-air. Not moving. Almost as if it sat on top of an invisible table. As I reached for it, the box exploded into glitter of every color. It almost looked like a firework of its own as the contents held within were revealed.

  A stone the color of the sun high above was suspended in the air. I reached out and grabbed the thing without thought as to if it was safe or not. To my surprise, the stone felt light, almost like it wasn’t there. If not for its size and the heat it gave off, I would have thought the thing was a figment of my imagination.

  Curious, I looked closer at the stone to find that it was covered in runes. Lines and lines of them. Unsurprisingly, I recognized none of them. All I knew was that the item in my hand was magical in nature. I had no clue what it did or even if it was passive or active.

  With a bit of effort, I pushed a bit of mana out as I tried to sense the object. It was a void. Any mana that got within a few inches of its surface vanished into it. Almost as if the thing was a black hole but for mana and nothing else.

  A mix of awe and dread washed over me as I read the item’s description. The potential power was intoxicating, yet the unknown consequences sent a chill down my spine. While most other people might not have to be worried about this item, I was. Just one look at that Succubus Class told me all I needed to know about how bad things could get. Maybe this was the game's way of forcing the change. Well, I would never use it.

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t say never. Those buffs were amazing. If I was caught between a rock and a hard place, I would take my chances and use this thing. But it would have to be something dire. Just death would not be enough to force my hand. As I stored the stone away in my inventory I stepped out of my room and into the hallway.

  While the hall itself was fairly empty of people, the stairs were practically packed. Groups clumped together as they chatted about this or that. I found the scene calming as most were dressed in comfortable clothes. Not a single piece of armor or weapon was on display, though that didn’t mean that there were none in attendance. While the weapons were likely in their owner's inventory, any armor in the area was likely hidden. Hell, I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told me that their clothes were just as strong as my dress.

  Speaking of my dress, while a few people looked me up and down, most of them focused on their group and where they stepped. The one person whose eyes lingered too long got shoved from behind. His trip to the next floor was nearly cut to nothing as a result. The woman behind him shot me a wink before she sped up to catch up with her companion as he tried to regain his balance. People jumped out of his way and laughed at his predicament.

  I found a smile on my face as I watched the scene. With a quick breath, I joined the crowd of people and made my way down to the ground floor. The place was packed but only around the doors as people made their way in and out of the building before they dispersed in various directions.

  As I let the stream pull me toward the front doors, I noticed that Ginny was the only guild staff in sight. Given her posture and the rather large book in her hand, no one expected many people would need the guild's services today.

  The moment I was outside the guild hall, I pushed, slipped, and danced my way out of the current and into a break between two stalls. The rich aroma of grilled meat and sweet pastries mingled in the air. Laughter and cheerful chatter joined it in creating a symphony of joy to go with the festive atmosphere around me. An older woman in the stall on my right chuckles as she watched the throng of people. Her voice was nearly as rough as her skin. “Ah, the enthusiasm of the young.”

  As I turned around to face the woman, a man spoke from the other side. His voice was deeper and seemed rougher. “Can you blame them?”

  “Never said I did,” she answered with a sigh. “I still remember some of the things we used to do during our youth.”

  “Those were the days,” he agreed. “But let's not take the lady’s time up with stories of our exploits. She has her own memories to make while she can.”

  “Just make sure to make a few of them with friends.” Her eyes caught mine as her tone sent a shiver down my spine. Her words made it seem like she knew that I was alone and had no plans to hang out with anyone today.

  “Before I go,” I finally spoke up. “Do either of you have any recommendations?”

  “The arena is always a great place to go,” the old man spoke as his eyes went distant. “Fights will be happening there all day. Pretty good place to make…”

  “AND LOSE!” the woman cut in.

  “…quite a bit of money.” He finished without stopping. “Then there are the various shops and stalls. Though I hear that there will be quite a few shows, plays, and other events planned this year.”

  “Apparently the person planning the festival this year has something planned for just after dark too.” I turned to see the woman deep in thought as she tried to recall something. “Did the fliers call it fire bombs? No. Fire spells? No…hmm.”

  “Fireworks?” I offered, not really expecting that to be the case. Not when I had yet to see any sort of infrastructure or technology needed for something like gunpowder.

  “That’s it.” She proclaimed as she snapped her fingers. “Based on the stories, it is something that some of the bigger cities have, though we have never had the chance to see such a display.”

  “Well, thank you for the information,” I offered a bow to the two of them. “I should probably get going and let you both get back to selling your wares.” As I spoke, I got a look at what their stalls contained. The woman sat behind a grill covered in sticks of meat and vegetables. As I watched, a person walked up, put a coin down, grabbed a stick, and walked off.

  She must have noticed my expression, as she chuckled. Her finger tapped a piece of metal that hung over the grill. “Never seen an antitheft enchantment, I take it?” I shook my head. “Expensive to buy and quite annoying to keep going, but well worth it. Especially when you get to my age and have no other use for your mana.” As she lowered her hand, my stomach gave a low growl to let me know its feelings on her product.

  She smiled and passed me one. I hesitated to take it, but the old man spoke up from his stall. “Don’t you know it’s rude to refuse a grandmother’s offer of food?” Before I could say anything about her not being my grandmother, he continued. “No matter whose grandmother she is.”

  With a sigh of resignation and happiness, I took the proffered stick of steaming and sizzling meat. She smiled as I took a bite. Liquid burst into my mouth. The heat of it was enough to force my mouth to stay open as I huffed and puffed to cool the piece down. Even with how warm the air was, I still managed to release steam with every breath. Both of the stall owners laughed as they watched. “Here,” the man said as something tapped on the wood behind me. When I turned, I found a wooden cup on the edge of his stall. While he didn’t look like he had moved an inch, I didn’t doubt that he had placed it there. After a nod of thanks, I took a sip of the drink.

  The flavor that exploded in my mouth was something I had never tasted before. It was sweet yet held a soft tart bite to it. As the drink mingled with the meat juices, the flavors wove a melody together. Before I knew it, the stick and an empty cup were all that I had left. The two items were gone. It was as if they had disappeared between one thought and the next.

  Without warning, I felt something as it trailed down my face. It took me a few moments to figure out what it was and would have taken longer if not for the old man's kind words. “Things in life can be like that. Here one moment, yet gone the next. This applies to anything and everything. It is up to you to remember them.”

  With his words, an image of my parents as they laughed together surfaced in my mind. The image stirred a deep ache within me. A lump formed in my throat as words failed me. Still, I managed a faint nod. I blinked back tears as the memories of my parents threatened to overwhelm me. It took me a moment before I was able to set the cup down gently and rejoin the festival crowds.