"David?" "David. Can you hear me?""David!!!!!"The distant voice ended with a scream so loud that David felt his head was going to explode. With adrenaline rushing through his veins, he popped up, screaming back. A subconscious response to the shock he just received. He calmed after minutes of heavy panting, finally registering he was alive. He felt the soft cushion beneath him, and the thick, yet soft material on him. Where he was was dark, and felt like it hadn't seen light in years. He felt around and realised he was on a bed. Grunting, he pushed the thick duvet off him, then his feet touched the floor… the well polished wooden floor. He rose on his feet, almost stumbling forward. He felt his hands grab the wall."Wallpaper." He whispered, tracing his hands along it. There weren't wallpapers on the walls in Ladus. Suddenly, he knew where to feel, then tore his palms off the wall, turning to the other side. He walked over to it and stopped. "3…2…1" he counted his steps slowly,

Silence washed over the darkness, creating a soothing effect. David's eyes were shut as he was afraid to see whatever it was he was inside. His previous experience with his family hadn't done him any good, as the words, "You don't belong here, David." Kept ringing in his head like that new song played in a loop. He was afraid, his mind was shredded into bits, and his heart pounded faster than the regular. He knew he had to overcome this somehow, but he still shut his eyes. Even the bravest and most powerful of men understood the power of fear the moment they tasted it. Suddenly, it felt like the scenery changed and birds chirped across the land. He felt the familiar chirps and slowly eased his firm clasp of his eye lids, allowing the sunlight to flood his vision gradually. He finally opened his eyes, welcomed by the sight of Ladus, his home in the gaming world. He got up, wondering why he was there, knowing he was already home moments ago, even with a terrible experience. He also no

"Well… Brett. Took you long enough to catch up. So, let's talk.… Friend." Bill relaxed on the chair, slumping his back slowly. Brett rose, his skin reddened with anger. He stepped towards the man and stopped, towering above his resting form. The air in the room was tense. Sarah watched with peculiar curiosity while Scar just stood, seemingly interested with the turn of events. He expected it, anything that had to do with Brett wasn't exactly milk and cookies. Brett finally broke the silence that flooded the room. "Why, Bill? Why?" He found himself asking, although he knew the answer already. Yet, he wanted to believe that his friend had other reasons for what he had done. Bill instantly rose, grazing past Brett and stopped on the wall. He placed a palm on the wallpaper design, tracing the spirals bit by bit, then he spoke. "You know what the smallest unit of life is?" He asked, turning to face them. Then he continued, "Data. Raw, untapped and unfiltered data." He paused for a s

Ladus was silent, a resonance of sorrow and grief encompassing the town for what it experienced at the moment. Contrary to the generally beautiful setting it once was, its compositions were darker, not evil, but void of joy, brightness, happiness. It seemed like a great tragedy had befallen the town, but it wasn't the case for the residence of the townspeople, they rather lived as they regularly did. The darkness only applied to what the town once was, the exteriors nearer the desert which included Gandu's laboratory, the Doctor's residence and other older structures that came with the dawn of the town. Gandu's laboratory wasn't empty, it was occupied by the gang, including Doctor Enitan who had all returned from what was a terrible day at Aterista. The general mood was gloomy, not one person, not even the comic relief personalities trying to light up the place. Everybody just sat, respectively reminiscing on the massacre at Aterista and how they had barely won the elves, almost los

"Now that you are responsible for his next mission objective. Tell me child, what will you do? By the way, to make your job easier… or harder, your next mission for him will reward him five levels upon completion. You'll gain access to his history in the game for mission context now. Think fast, you have less than an hour, and Your time starts now." She frowned, her heart felt shattered, heartbroken. Nonetheless, she had to make a decision. But, was she? _ _She shut her eyes, clouded in a river of thoughts to make a decision. She didn't want David to leave her alone, but she also wanted him to achieve his goal. It was hard, now knowing she was responsible for him. Her mind drifted to the system, her fists tightening with anger at the thought of it. It was the catalyst for this, playing her against her will. The fact that she was going to decide and play a part in this just seemed evil, worse, the timeline she had to make that decision. She wondered if she could stall, keep being