The Last Road Home

Darius sat in the middle of his messy room, staring at the computer screen while his friends, Chloe and Marcus, argued over their next move in Realm of the Forgotten.

“Marcus, move left!” Darius shouted.

“I am moving left!”

“That’s right, your other left!” Chloe snapped.

Marcus groaned. “Can both of you shut up? I’m trying to save your lives here.”

“You’ve been trying to save our lives for the past ten minutes,” Darius replied. “At this point, I’m beginning to think you’re working for the enemy.”

Chloe burst out laughing, nearly dropping her controller.

Marcus shot them both an annoyed look. “Laugh all you want. When we defeat the final boss, I’m taking all the credit.”

“If we defeat the final boss,” Chloe corrected.

Darius grinned. “Come on, we’ve played for almost twelve hours. We can’t stop now.”

Their characters were finally approaching the last challenge, something none of them had managed to complete despite spending countless hours on the game.

“Darius!”

His mother’s voice came from outside the room.

“It's midnight! Turn that thing off and go to bed!”

Darius closed his eyes in frustration.

“Mom, please! We’re almost done!”

“I don’t care if you’re fighting the devil himself. Turn it off!”

Chloe covered her mouth to hide her laughter, while Marcus shook his head.

“Your mother is the final boss,” Marcus whispered.

“And unlike Grimjaw, she doesn’t need a health bar to destroy you,” Chloe added.

Darius glared at them. “You two are supposed to be my friends.”

“We are,” Marcus said. “That’s why we’re enjoying your suffering while we still can.”

A moment later, Darius’s mother knocked on the door.

“Five minutes!”

“Okay, Mom!”

He waited until her footsteps faded before turning back to his friends.

“Right, where were we?”

“Planning your funeral,” Chloe answered.

Darius laughed, but the sound quickly faded when he glanced at the time. He had spent nearly the entire day playing games, and tomorrow would probably be another day of searching for work he might never find.

Marcus suddenly sighed.

“Speaking of funerals, my mother says she’s taking me to a priest tomorrow.”

Darius raised an eyebrow. “Why? Have you finally admitted that you’re possessed?”

“Very funny. She thinks someone has tied my destiny because I still haven’t found a job.”

Chloe snorted. “Maybe you should go. At least the priest might give you a job before you leave.”

“Thanks for the support.”

“What are friends for?”

Darius laughed with them, but he understood Marcus’s frustration. Almost a year had passed since they graduated with no job.

He had graduated with good grades. But every application seemed to end the same way.

Either they promised to get back to them with nothing at the end or they got rejected instantly.

He had started playing games more often because it was easier than thinking about the life he had expected to have by now.

“Maybe the priest can pray for all three of us,” Darius said. “We might as well get a group discount.”

Marcus laughed. “If it works, I’ll pay for your session.”

“Make sure you pay in advance. I don’t trust your financial situation.”

Chloe shook her head. “You two are hopeless.”

Before they could continue, Darius’s mother called again, this time with a warning that left no room for negotiation.

He reluctantly saved the game and removed his headset.

“Fine. We’ll finish tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Marcus protested. “You mean after your mother allows you to return from the dead?”

“Just leave my house.”

Darius said goodbye to his friends before shutting down the computer. After, he changed into his sleeping clothes, dropped onto his bed, and pulled the blanket over himself.

He stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking about job applications and his unpaid bills.

Then he turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

Sleep came quickly.

Some weird noise dragged Darius out of sleep. He first thought it was the computer he forgot to unplug, but it kept getting louder — like a massive crowd yelling mixed with a deep horn.

He opened his eyes and froze.

He wasn’t in his bedroom. He was standing under a huge open sky in the middle of a giant stadium. Thousands of people filled the seats that rose up all around a circular arena. Everyone was shouting and waving their arms. The noise was so loud he could barely think straight.

He looked down at himself. Still in the same T-shirt and trousers he’d gone to bed in.

“What the hell?”

He turned slowly, trying to figure it out. The stone floor under his feet felt solid. The banners hanging high above the crowd looked real. None of it made sense.

Was he dreaming?

A huge roar swept through the stands. Darius looked across the arena just as a massive gate started rising.

Something walked out.

The thing was nearly nine feet tall, covered in dark-red scales. Two big horns curved out of its head. Its arms were thick and ended in claws that scraped the ground. A long tail swung behind it. When it opened its mouth he saw rows of black teeth.

Darius took a step back without meaning to.

“What kind of nightmare is this?”

Glowing letters appeared above the creature.

GRIMJAW

THREAT RANK: CATASTROPHE

The crowd went wild.

He stared at the words. They looked a lot like the enemy rankings from Realm of the Forgotten, but this felt way too real. The thing in front of him was a lot scarier than anything he’d ever seen on a screen.

Before he could even process it, Grimjaw charged.

Darius barely got his arms up before the fist smashed into his chest. The impact sent him flying. He hit the ground hard and rolled a few times before stopping near the wall.

Pain exploded through him.

He couldn’t breathe properly, just clutched his chest and watched the monster coming closer.

“This is a dream,” he muttered. “Has to be a dream.”

Grimjaw got to him before he could stand. A heavy kick slammed into his face.

Something cracked in his mouth. A few teeth hit the stone as he landed on his back, blood filling his mouth. He stared at the broken teeth next to him, shaking.

Dreams weren’t supposed to hurt like this.

He tried to get up but the pain shoved him back down. The crowd above him was laughing and yelling.

“Get up!”

“Fight back, coward!”

“Did they send us a child?”

Darius wiped blood from his mouth and looked up at the thing looming over him. The fear wasn’t mixed with any excitement anymore. Whatever this was, he just needed to survive it.

Grimjaw raised one huge fist.

Darius scrambled away right before it smashed into the ground where his head had been. The stone cracked and bits of it flew everywhere.

He crawled backward, breathing hard, until his right hand brushed against something on his wrist.

A thick black band. He’d never seen it before.

He grabbed it out of pure desperation.

A transparent screen popped up in front of his eyes.

[COMBAT RECORD]

[NAME: AREN VALE]

[LEVEL: 40]

[SPECIAL TRAIT: RETALIATION GROWTH]

[EFFECT: EVERY SUCCESSFUL HIT ON AN OPPONENT DOUBLES YOUR STRENGTH.]

Darius just stared at it.

Aren Vale? That wasn’t his name.

A few minutes ago he’d been Darius, lying in his bedroom and worrying about his future. Now he was in an arena with some random equipment on, facing a monster that could kill him in one hit.

But that last line kept pulling his attention.

Every successful hit doubled his strength.

He read it again, trying to focus through the pain in his chest. If this was true, maybe he actually had a chance. He didn’t know why he had this ability, why the screen called him Aren Vale, or how the hell he’d ended up here — but he couldn’t just sit there looking for answers.

Grimjaw let out a deafening roar and started coming at him again.

Darius forced himself up. His legs were shaking. No weapon. No idea how to fight this thing. No real guarantee the ability would even work. Running would only put it off for a few more seconds.

He wiped more blood from his mouth and raised his fists.

“Come on then!” he shouted, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’m not running anymore!”