Siva

Chapter 1: Siva and The Legend of The Destroyer

Two Years and Nine Months After Release

Not every hero are born to save worlds. There is one who would even destroy it for his goal.

In the online world of RPG: Terroa, there exists a hero branded as an abomination. His name was, and forever shall be known as, The Destroyer.

The modern world was shaken by his arrival, the very air trembles when he breathes. His actions are recorded in history, he was a villain feared by all. In every aspect of the word "villain" itself, The Destroyer give pride to the ones in the same profession. But...

In every story passed down from generation to generation, there will always be the existence of the two sides of the coin.

One side belonged to what was intently believed by the masses while the other side is the truth and the real history behind the events.

These sides can never be equal nor will ever be fair for while the other gains favor and sympathy, the other will always be subjected to judgment and prejudice from the results.

It's a fact. It's the disgusting desease of society.

Not everyone is brave enough to look at the eyes of their foe and understand their actions for it is more comfortable to hate than to understand one's intent. They just chose the easier to believe side of the story since the majority stood on that common ground. This is ironically the result of the fear of being the "others" --the very same fear that gave birth to The Destroyer.

In all of this, through the course of chained inevitable events, this majority unknowingly made him stronger, pushing him to commit what he did this day...

***

--Release Date April 21, 2103

--2yrs and 9mos later

From left to right of his vision was the sight of the seemingly endless horde of users. They lighted their weapons, prepared their spells, pulled their arrows, and activated their war ships.

It was nearing 2 P.M. in the mighty city of Dakar, the city where almost all of the most powerful players of Terroa are now gathered.

—all against a single man.

Numbering around over 2 million, it was near 72% of the total numbers of all the B to S-ranked players in Terroa. In fact these numbers closed in to almost 99% of all the people with hidden anger and unfinished business with him….The Destroyer. This is the largest force ever assembled in the game and every media perks in the business is waiting in silence for the main person of this event to come.

Actually, this silence is lent upon by the anticipation of a decisive battle that might actually decide whether the peace of this world should exist or not.

The Panorama Corporation which created the game had announced their support of this endeavor but also told of their problem. Any avatar who dies in this battle will not be saved by the back up system anymore. It means that for every player that was covered by the insurance system, their insurance is revoked and they can’t buy back their dead characters, in exchange for the event’s reward money and the opportunity to use their very own insurances to create a new character instead.

For weak hearted players, this is such a huge gamble.

But for those players whose careers have been more or less disturbed by The Destroyer, this is just enough of a hassle for them to finally end his meddling activities.

His fame will end here.

Their overall commander, a short man from the Tekz Race, the leader of the so called The Union of the Six Federations army, stood mightily in the elevated stage in the front wall of the city.

The citizens have been evacuated, and this whole city that sized over 20,000 sq. km will become a battlefield from just a few minutes from now, if Intel is correct. A hot trail of wind was blowing from where they were facing and the heat of the Sol had made the plains wet with the sight of hot sand.

And just when the tension was rising to its utmost limit and with all of their confidence in their numbers all bid a smile in their faces, an information prompt on their visions popped up in a holographic display.

[You are inside the Killing Zone. Your defenses are reduced by 70%]

Their smiles instantly vanished and their tensed faces bade the ominous threat of such ability. No magic nor armor could protect any person from his Spirit and that’s what made him frightening. Of all the discoveries of the secret and hidden classes of fighters, his avatar’s build alone was the sole player who had gained and actually exploited RPG: Terroa’s only fault.

He exploited the fact that this game boasted a freedom that no other game had ever offered and used every nook the system had to offer to increase the affectivity of his ability.

And with this, the players that awaited his arrival for the ambush looked around them for signs of his image.

“Anything up there?” Called Commander Jack.

[Negative sir.] The officer in the watch tower inside the city answered on his communicator. [There’s not a sign of his…]

Then, it happened.

From 5km above them, the warships they thought was already overkill against a single man, exploded one by one as a bluish lightning strike traveled on them in incredible speeds.

Jack’s communicator echoed with reports from them and along with it was the sound of screams of their plead to life.

Pain is real in Terroa. And so when there is pain, fear will always be present.

The feeling of being electrocuted is there and one of The Destroyer’s ability is as such. He can wield four high level elemental magic at which was already impossible to achieve even with the pioneer users of the game. Without actually dedicating monstrously large amount of time in research, practice, money, the effort to gather the materials and resources to design one, and of course, trial and error, one cannot achieve such progress in both invention and magical ability.

One by one their ships exploded over their heads and they all looked puzzled as they trailed with their eyes how the blue lightning traveled from one ship to another.

Murmurs erupted, some even started to cower and run, as the might of the so called Destroyer showed why he was feared all throughout Terroa.

“Fuck! Shoot him down! Shoot him down now!”

[We can’t get a lock sir! He’s moving too fast!]

[HELP MEEEEEEEEE….]

[He’s a monsteeeeerrr…]

[Gwaaaaaaa…]

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…!!!”

Jack had overused his contacts for this one, summoning eight warships just to kill a man was overkill no matter what eyes looked. Even with the already tentative 1.5M players who wanted to take part in the hunt, to actually reach 2M in total, it was already a feat. It shows just how much of a wanted man The Destroyer really is.

But with all impossibility that’s in existence, this one right in front of him is one that was really hard to believe.

The lightning strike stayed only a few seconds in one ship until transferring into another when it already exploded from inside.

No matter what he did, it was really impossible, a very frightening feat a user, and not an NPC Boss, could actually do.

Then, when all eight had already exploded, the blue lightning strike flew in a steady image in the clouds as if it was gathering strength into a powerful attack to the men below. As this thought entered his mind, Jack looked down on them all and gave a scream, “GET AWAY!” as the image of blue light in the clouds came falling right in the midst of the gathered forces.

At first there was an orange beam of light from the clouds. It wasn’t too vivid nor too transparent but to all whose reactions and perceptions were enough, the warning of such light gave them two seconds to run.

Upon the third, a lightning strike hit the middle of the northern flank and the impact was followed by a thunder that echoed from around 3km. Dust and rubbles flew and the clouds covered an area of around 100m from the impact crater.

As the smoke scattered, so is the smell of burnt meat.

Those players knew that whoever was there in the area where The Destroyer landed had been toasted to crisp without as much of a fight being thrown back. This is how strong this person is. It’s not just his Killing Zone but the way he manipulated the Magic Junction System to create this magical ability was terrifyingly genius.

“WHERE IS HE?!!”

An angry bellowing voice came from the middle of the crater area and its raging tone was enough to put everyone in there, staggering, with some taking a few steps back.

No one wants to meet a direct confrontation with this monster for they know he was as strong as a whole kingdom’s army itself. It was the reason why they gathered this numbers versus him alone in the first place.

“WHERE IS HE…?!!”

He repeated the question. But this time, a jolt of blue lightning traversed the crater in several directions and it parted the dust clouds that covered him.

For the first time after a long time, they saw how this global fugitive looked like. A man dressed in black lower slacks and white upper polo, black layered hair that flowed brushed up, and a black mask that covered the upper part of his face, a domino, that was his sole redeeming factor.

It’s him. The man that destroys one city after another, always shouting for the same thing for its destruction.

“WHERE IS MY BROTHER…?!!”

Six random lightning traveled across all directions and whoever was hit by that attack burned, if they luckily wasn’t dead crisp like the others.

“What are you doing?!” Jack shouted on them. “Kill him! Kill him now!”

On the order, the players all had their unified screams as they attacked him from all directions. Arrows, spears, fireballs, ice paths, and many more kinds of attack flew at him as the target only did a step and then vanished from their sights.

When he appeared next, he was already above them, in a spat of rage that everyone felt in their cold spines.

The Destroyer dived down like a pointed tornado, with players being thrown away by the collision from his strike. Those who held high grade weapons tried to meet him but they were only met with catastrophe in a form of a black sword piercing attack.

Blood graphics and gore spilled all over him and the once elegant man in white formal wear had now fully transformed into The Destroyer.

This is the image they all knew. The person covered in blood of those who he defeated in battle, and still had the eyes that said he will continue more. This is how the game called Terroa came to be known as the world made of battles. Never stop hunting, was its motto after all. And as such, right at this moment, the conservative players who only wanted to take part in this event for the fame to gain backed out when they finally realized what grave mistake they had utterly made.

Cold magic flew as The Destroyer swung his sword, a reminiscent of the Tier-4 magic spell, Absolute Zero, that freezes anything the spell was cast upon. Only, the attack didn’t have the casting time nor its cooldown period as every swing and kill killed another and continued on.

Ten people is killed every second, and it was a frightening sight even to the media people watching above. Everything else was being broadcasted live to the real world and everyone expected that this is going to be the last time they will hear of his name.

“I’LL KILL YOU ALL…!!”

His scream was full of pain and agony, of hate and fury, of sadness and gloom. At that, another explosion happened inside the city as the fall of the warships seemed to be intended towards there.

Soon after, a fire explosion happened around the target as an advanced field magic that turned land into fire was cast upon where The Destroyer is. It sacrificed a few players in the process as friendly fire but it was one necessary sacrifice for the benefit of the many.

For two seconds no one moved. They all watched the fiery inferno with positive anticipation. But On the next few moments more, they only felt horror as it became a shock to them when they saw a silhouette of a person standing on its midst.

Even Jack was speechless as he saw for himself what he had seen many times in TV.

“Move! Kill him! Don’t give him a chance!”

And as if to answer his call, the black sword that The Destroyer had became white in the flames as if it was feeding on it while his whole body was still in fire like a blazing armor. He raised the sword and swung it down, it froze the caster and everyone around him and the fight earlier on initiated once again.

Fire and Ice met, they melted and froze, bodies were burned and frozen, screamed bellowed and the voices of those who fell in despair echoed in their ears.

But it’s only a matter of time before he gets tired.

This thought made Jack smile as he ordered for the rest of the men to converge on him.

“Use everything you got! Don’t think about friendly fire and just kill him and bring him down!”

Fog started to form in the battlefield, spreading from just over a hundred meters from the fight until reaching half a kilometer in diameter. And just when it finally reached where Jack was located, 65m high on the wall, a kilometer away, a buzz on his communicator device rang in his ear.

[…et…there…ir…]

The communication line was static and the line wasn’t clearly heard. But even through the interference, there are still a few words and sounds understandable, but not enough to compose a sentence nor a line.

“What?” He tapped the device on his ear. “What are you talking about? I can’t hear you clearly…”

[…ir…et…out…re…ow!]

“I can’t hear you!” Jack shouted and so he walked out of the foggy area and into the higher place, where the arbalest cannons rest. “Huh? Hey HQ! Say that again.”

[…lasma…field…get…men out…re…now!]

Jack tried to patch the sentence, murmuring. Lasma. Field. Get. Out. Ere. Now. Did he mean Plasma field? Get. Out. Now. Get… And it’s there that he realized so he ran down the edge and shouted on the men.

“GET OUT OF THE FOGGY AREA!!!”

And there came a static.

The blue light came in and it was just a short burst but at the next moment, a very large explosion occurred that shattered the wall, killed everyone in it, trashed the people at the edge of the foggy area and created a crater far large than the ones before. It’s even bigger than the foggy area itself since the impact strike was around 1km in diameter or even bigger. Adding the blast radius and the explosion’s impact itself that rattled everything close to a hundred meter, Jack’s mind rattled when he regained his bearing.

In Jack’s vision, a total of 600,000 people died in an instant. And at the middle of it all was a single standing silhouette, slowly walking, making its way towards the now broken wall.

Mouths agape, whispers were delivered, murmurs and whispers echoed around Jack.

The weak hearted ones started to run away and some of them who had Wing Sets started to fly away. To save what remained of their careers, even if the price was to surrender all of their high end equipments and money, they did the only rational thing to do at the moment. To run away from the man considered to be an invincible player in Terroa.

600,00 people just died in a single attack.

He had the fighting sense of a warrior born 500 years ago. He even have the intelligence of that which was born in 22nd century. A man who trampled over those 600,000 players in an instant…

Not even the strongest monster in Terroa was able to do that much damage. No. Not even the fabled dragons could do that much damage to an entire army.

And yet this man did the impossible.

Jack trembled. Because in the dusty fog that housed the silhouette of the man, were eyes, more frightening than the scariest demon monster created by the Neurolink Device’s special graphics engine.

Those were the eyes that transcends in-game quality of a death experience to teach people the realities of war--of the reality of fear.

Death is an ugly thing and it was always part of war.

And in order to save the world of such reality, all technologically advanced countries scouted genius scientists and engineers to create the world of Terroa. But through them all, the Panorama Corporation, a game company, was the one who succeeded first.

And with this great invention, even the UN, SAAU and the Atlantic Federation back in the real world had acknowledged their success. They supported the project and aborted the impending world war three.

But then again, this is just a substitute place for earth to do war. This is just a game. A recreational area. A place where people can relieve their stress, let go of the shackles of a pyramid society, and have a fun adventure that is impossible in the real world.

And yet how?

How is this person able to instill fear on these men?

The thought was unbelievable. This person wasn’t just randomly spouting that nonsense about his brother. Is he really looking for him? If so for what reason? No answer dawned on him no matter how Jack thought.

But through all his thoughts, one thing is for sure.

This man will destroy Terroa until he finds him.

Chapter 2: 16 Months After Release

16 Months After Release

--Release Date: April 21, 2103

--16 Months Later

A black Rolls Royce limousine is traveling in the streets of Manila and inside, a background of a female voice delivering the news for the night can be heard. Staring outside the window of his luxurious silver wheeled, black tinted vehicle, his eyes marveled on the night life of the city.

It was buzzing with life and excitement.

Electronic Ads were blinking, people were walking, building lights emanated the office workers doing their jobs, the stalls and booths outside all beamed with business, a city of life and activity radiated in Manila's streets.

A smile emerged on his lips and the expensive suit he was wearing emanated its splendor from the traffic lights they were passing by.

“This place is alive.” He told his two companions, facing them with a contented expression. “This place has a nice vibe on it. He sure chose a nice place…”

A rare feat, the two men in black suits exchanged glances. Even though the three of them were of distinct races, from the translator device attached on the ends of their ears (that made them look like elves), the tone he, Augustus Laniary, gave off was enough tense them up.

Whenever the boss is happy and feeling good, he would always give out rewards. But along with those lines, failure is not acceptable. Not only they would have a cut, they could also experience worst things, including the few chances to receive a severe punishment that crosses the line of life and death. That was expected. Failure in the organization is recognized as a severe crime.

In the news in their limousine’s on-board TV, the news changed from a traffic accident into the news about a missing famous person. It was being delivered by a beautiful female news caster.

It played as the background on their travel and the two’s eyes were dragged to their principal as their attention was forcefully pulled by their boss’s words.

“Thanks, boss.” Marty said and he felt the tense rising in his chest as he nudged at his partner. Rude, with shaking hands, turned them into fists as he spoke with a trembling voice.

“Ah Boss, Doctor Faust’s working place is close from here.”

“Really?” The Boss raised a brow. “It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”

The news on the TV changed into the news about the most famous recreational activity and job right now. Hearing that, they paused to watch the news.

[…and war is just around the corner!] The female news anchor was joined by a male anchor and he made a comment that was really attention grabbing. [It‘s been four weeks since we last saw a siege war. And now, I think the Titan Goliath Guild is following the trend.]

[Right.] The female news anchor replied. [They‘ve just announced their acknowledgement on attacking the second largest fortress of the Sylphiadora Guild. All for the crime, according to them, of snatching a rare MOD that was supposed to land on the hands of the TGG.]

[Well, that was a serious crime in Terroa.]

[It really is.]

[MODs. Rare and very valuable. I wonder what kind of MOD is it that they will launch that large scale of an attack.]

[I heard that it was a Special Type.]

The female news anchor clapped her hands. [Oh! I think it was understandable. If that was me, I‘d also be angry at anyone who stole it from me.]

[Well, we can only look forward to this event.]

[Yes it is. Well, that‘s for tonight folks…]

[See you again tomorrow. I‘m Kathleen Brew.]

[I’m Brad Goldoni. Don‘t change your channel. There is more about this war in Terroa Day Today. Up next.]

The Boss’s eyes were dragged to the TV and he smiled even more when he heard that people are into that game. People were treating it as their way of living while actually enjoying its very essence.

News like these are one of their way to confirm the increasing popularity of their business.

“Money is really everything in this world.” The Boss added and he waved a hand on the two. “I’ve decided. Let’s pay our old friend a visit.”

On that prompt, Rude nodded and turned to the speaker phone on his right back side. He picked up the hand piece and pressed the device on his ear. He then pressed a holographic button that appeared and ordered for the driver to change their destination. And at that, the limousine’s smooth sailing maneuver turned to a U-turn and converted their direction on the busy highway.

***

…Rex was staring blankly at the door of their house doing nothing, just waiting for the sour prickling pain on his face fade away with the cold of the night.

While the night deepened for the seconds building up into minutes, he remained there fixedly staring at the base of their door ten meters away.

Inside, he could hear faint voices of his parents talking to each other. And by the sound of his mother stomping her high heels on the Narra (a type of expensive wood) floor, Rex knew that she was in her agitated mode.

That was another reason why he still can’t muster the strength to open the door—let alone approach it.

When he looked up and saw the stars with the orange and purple stripes in the clear dark canvas, a heavy sigh escaped his chest.

“I’m the worst.”

It was neither rebuttal nor self mocking. The sigh was actually for the regret he would feel again as he knew that he was about to mess her mother’s mood, again.

Still, with the life seeping out of their door in this time of the night, Rex’s lips curved into a smile as he came to murmur to himself.

“Sorry mom…”

——A man must always bear the weight of his actions.

As he bitterly thought of this, he looked up again and just let the noise inside permeate his consciousness.

It was a nice evening in the Kingsley household.

The father, a famous doctor, in his white under polo, reading a newspaper on the couch and waiting for his wife to finish her rituals, and the mother--also a famous doctor, was putting the last touches of make-up to her beautiful features. For a 36-year old, her magnificence was an utter betrayal to her biological age.

The reason for these lively notions was that they were about to attend a formal gathering with some important conglomerate people in a certain hotel.

It was a work-related thing.

No. More like, it was obligatory. The two’s face clearly show that discontented look. They had no choice but to attend even though they don’t want to. And another reason why they look anxious is because of the person standing in front of their door silently.

The doctors were waiting for their eldest son to come home from school so he could look after the house and young Baron who was already asleep. But regarding the time he should have been home, Rex was already 4 hrs late. This was enough to cause them to worry.

The Kingsley Family is a family of four, with the three year old Baron being 16 years younger than his kuya.

As per the eldest, well, he was what every little brother and loving parents would wish for. Gifted with strong sense of justice, responsibility, wits, and big chunks of charm, he took care of Baron and practically becoming a father as their parents, for the past three years since the young lad was born, has always been busy.

So eventually, the brothers became close.

Rex would always play with Baron whenever he has time. And even though there are times that he doesn’t, he always make sure that he can provide one.

In school, however, he has a rather different persona.

As a freshman university student and a world-class athlete in Tennis, he was an image of glory. He took care of his classmates, and eventually his entire school, becoming a legendary existence that excelled on both sports and general academic studies.

Also, as the Unified Government still has its own devil to purge out of its system, specifically the street level, adding the fact that he was a young man that has a strong sense of justice, his name resounded along with a reputation.

He was the defender of the weak and yet an idol image for the strong. He wasn’t a vigilante, but it was just that given his fame and strong charms came jealousy from those who had lesser blessings in their physical life.

And yet, the reason he just stood there, unable to enter their house was also from another reason.

To put it simply, he was afraid of facing his parents who endlessly talked about him suppressing his strong urge of responsibility. What he did earlier should have just been left for the police to handle.

But he knew himself. Rex is also a man. He has his pride. But most of all, if it’s against the protesters who threatens his family, he was also an older brother. So he had grounds for the cause of these bruises and marks on his face and body.

He had spent 2-yrs of his puberty in this regard.

But, well, things do change over time. Especially since one and a half year ago…

Amassing the right strength, Rex let go of another sigh and took a step forward. The external LED light turned on and it shed light on the house’s main door with him.

The moment Rex stepped in, his mother greeted him with a frown.

She was about to snarl at him for being late but stopped midway when she saw his face. There and then, her anger evaporated and she stared at him for the next few moments.

Her eyes weren’t directed on his expression but to the bluish grey marks just beside his left eye and the dried up blood from the fresh wound on his lower lip.

She ignored the incoming damage to her gorgeous red gown and the way it might get stained from Rex’s muddied school uniform, as she hurriedly hugged her son without a single care.

“You did it again?” His mother said, half angry, half worried. “Rex, just how many times do I have to see you like this?”

“Tsk. You know why I‘m doing this.”

As he spoke, Rex averted his eyes to avoid making contact with his mother’s. But the act only made her more worried.

Placing a gentle hand on his face, Rex’s expression vanished on the clouds of hurt. It was obvious that the wounds and marks on his face was painful. He never had the strength to resist his mother’s caring touch, the softest, warmest, most comforting hand he had ever known.

Everything he was going through, all of it, in just that single motherly act, everything was exploited in front of her. There was nothing he could hide, it was clearly visible in front of her mother’s eyes.

Then, from the corner of the house, his father peeked through wearing the same concerned expression with his mother.

Hearing the rustling noise of his feet, his mother turned to his father wearing eyes almost about to give up.

“Honey…”

“Son.”

“I know, dad. I’m sorry.” Rex, facing defeat, pulled down his mother’s hand and lowered his head in front of his father.

He shook his head lightly and placed a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Violence will seed acts of violence. The more you use it, the deeper it engraves itself to your soul.”

I know that already, Rex thought. But he also thought that he didn’t. More like, the meaning still eludes him.

“But dad, if I don’t fight them, they will continue to threaten our safety. If I don’t fight back and show them how to fear me, then someday…Baron…they might…”

Rex couldn’t help but ball his fists as he gritted his teeth trying to contain his anger.

“It’s not yours to worry over. Let them be, Rex.” His mother interrupted. “Your father’s and my work is just being misunderstood right now because it is still not widely accepted. But we believe that the day will come where people will recognize it as something that the current society needs.”

“But the protesters, they’re going too far…” As much as he wanted to hide it, the pain and fear in his chest was so great it became tears flowing down his cheeks.

His mother couldn’t bear the look on his son’s sobbing so she hugged her son and held her husband’s hand.

“I’m sorry.” Rex murmured, “I was just afraid they’d hurt Baron someday so I… I tried to warn them but it turned into a brawl and…and…”

“Ssshhh…” Rex’s mother hugged Rex and caressed his back while giving a sad gaze on her husband. “It’s okay now. We are safe. Just let it all out.”

Rex, no matter how strong and solid his front was, he was still just a young man who has yet to pass his teen years. Fearing Baron being threatened by the protesters was unimaginable that the feeling itself manifested as an impulse to give out a defensive offense.

He did so to protect his brother’s future.

The sobs were deep. It was full of pain, regret, and the escaping pent up fears in his chest. Rex cared for his family so much that he was willing to jump into the fire to suffer burns just to save them.

Unable to take it any longer, his father, firmed his hand on Rex’s shoulder, as he took a sigh and smiled at him.

“So, how many are there this time?” he asked in a tone that earned a sharp unbelieving glance from his wife.

From his lowered head, Rex chuckled as he looked at his father and made a shy face before he answered.

“Five.”

His father chuckled and his mother elbowed him as he whispered, “You sure are getting better at this” before stopping at his wife’s now burning glance.

It was a warm moment and Rex’s fears and anxieties vanished in the effective comforting ways of his father.

Small laughter emerged from them and Rex wiped his tears with his sleeve.

At that moment, small rustling noises came by behind the three and from the bedroom, they all looked at that direction with softened expressions.

In there, the 3-year old Baron in fruity white pyjamas dragging along his hotdog pillow was rubbing his eyes and yawning.

“Uuurgh…kuya?”

Escaping his parents’ warm embrace, Rex, with smooth gestures, took a quick stride and went to pick his baby brother up, placing him on his shoulders and caressing his back as they went back inside his room.

“I’m here. Kuya’s here.”

Rex said it as soft and as playfully as he can, gently cuddling Baron and feeling his small embrace tighten on his neck along with another yawn.

“I caught…mumble, mumble… terfly, mumble…”

Rex chuckled heartily on every instance that Baron did the mumbling right beside his ear. To learn that he had caught a butterfly in the garden earlier today, he must have worked really hard at it. Rex promised himself that he will dedicate the morning tomorrow to listen to Baron’s story about it.

These were those moments that Rex wholly committed a portion of his brain’s memory area to remember. And as he chuckled hearing the rumblings coming from the already half asleep Baron, he gently lowered his center of gravity after they had reached the bed.

He laid his head, tugging the hotdog pillow on Baron’s left cheek that he pulled to himself then making a warm satisfied smile.

“…kuya…strong…mumble, be like mumble…”

Watching Baron, Rex kneeled down beside the bed and continued to break down to a frown as he laid flatly on his back on the carpeted floor.

It was then that he saw his parents on the door with a bright light on their background, something that made Rex feel warm and yet ominous at the same time. Raising his body, he sighed again and sat down to the small chair he pulled from beside the bed.

Without looking behind him, Rex spoke while staring at the sound asleep face of his brother.

“Mom, Dad, I will protect Baron. No matter what, I will do it with these two hands.”

Rex said it and glared furiously at his clenched fists.

No reply came from the two from the door but instead, they approached Rex and his dad turned on the lamp light on the table beside the bed to a dim glow.

The soft light on the side table was lighting the gentle face of Baron. At that, they all watched the tiny chest rise and fall while the face who owned it appeared adorable with a smile on his fruit filled pyjamas.

“We can’t go like this.” His mother said, placing a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Not when I saw such a beautiful sight.”

“Rex, your mother and I…we decided something.”

“What is it?”

“I think we needed a break.” His mother looked at her husband and he nodded placing a gentle hand on Rex’s shoulder.

“We’re going for an outing this weekend.” He said.

Looking back at his sleeping brother, Rex turned his head to them and smiled with a nod.

“Yeah, I think we really needed the break.” He said and his parents smiled back at him that night that he would never ever forget.

Weekend.

The time came faster and they were already in the midst of their car travel. Rex and Baron was sitting on the back, enjoying the provincial view in the Express Way. Nearing a provincial Exit, his mother sitting beside his father leaned back and smiled at them. Rex on the left side looked at his sleeping brother and fixed the seat belt on his shoulder, making sure that it was tied.

Rex smiled back on her and dragged his eyes up front.

In the express way, divided by steel railings and concrete blocks, a cargo truck went out of its way and lost its balance. It hit the railings and the impact was enough to create a spark that soon changed into the sight where the metal railing snapped.

A part stabbed the truck’s front, killing the driver on the spot, then the body of the truck skidded aside, letting its cargos go out of its locks and pour on the high way.

Rex’s eyes widened in shock from what happened and before he could even react, the large shadow befell on their car, hitting the engine part. The impact automatically ruined the front part of their vehicle and flipped the whole car vertically. It rocked them all inside like a violent whirlpool, meanwhile, all he could hear are the screams of his mother and the painful cries of his baby brother.

The car landed on its broken front side and rolled like a barrel for three times.

Blood were spilled inside the car.

Still, disaster did not stop there. The speeding car next to them also met the same fate and it hit them on the right side. It was worst than their situation and the car engine exploded, burning whoever was inside.

Three more exploding sounds followed that and the highway was filled with smokes and wails. The deathly sight was enough to put anyone‘s stomach upside down and scattered bodies of those unfortunate passengers of a bus could be seen everywhere.

Blood was spilled on the highway, body parts were here and there, everything was in chaos. Death was widely spread like seeds on a farm.

It only took a few moments and like a snap of a finger, lives were lost just like that.

Pedestrians, onlookers, video freaks, image junkies, and even the media were crowding there one by one. No one helped anyone for they were afraid to cause more harm than help.

In a dazed state, Rex woke up and he immediately felt that he can move his whole body. It was thanks to him being tied on their car’s back seat that he could move.

His first thought was Baron and he saw him unconscious with a line of blood drawn into his left cheek.

“Baron…” His call came as a whisper.

He felt an unexplainable pain on his throat and dragged his hand there. He felt something hard and pulled it, removing a piece of metal that was stuck on his flesh.

Ignoring the pain and the piece of metal, he checked his brother’s condition. The blood was flowing from his head. That sight brought forth two kinds of news in him. One, he was alive, and that made him happy. The second thought made him grim for the blood was coming from Baron’s head and it wasn’t stopping. If help come to him later than sooner, he could lose his life from more complications.

Rex couldn’t swallow. His throat was bleeding and he felt the disgusting yet familiar taste of blood in his mouth.

With his breath getting shorter, he glanced at his parents’ side and felt the world collapse on where he was. Tears flowed on his eyes as he saw them. While holding her left hand, his father was stabbed with a piece of the railings. He was dead. And his mother, crushed by the impact of the car that collided on them, was also dead.

The tears flowing in his eyes became a decoration as he unwittingly burned the image on his memory.

He tried to call for them, at least try to check if they would at least reply, but there was nothing. There wasn’t even a sense to check if they are alive or not.

His father had been skewered right to his body and basing from the dent on the passenger side, it would be a great miracle if his mother would still be alive.

He cursed the fact that he knew that. He cursed himself for being able to think like that. Right now, being an honor student made him a loser. He cursed the fact that he knew they were dead, killing the hope that they are alive even before he could think straight.

Still he called out to them. “Mom…dad…”

His hands shook. He felt his body failing him now.

Pain was slowly creeping its way on his skin. His left flank was hurting. A metal bar had grazed his body, creating a wound that seemed like it was a faucet for blood.

His vision was getting hazy. Still, he moved.

His only goal now was to free his brother. He tried to remove the lock but the impact of the car had damaged the right side that it was impossible to reach for the lock.

Looking around, he saw the shrapnel he pulled earlier in his throat and picked it up. With trembling fingers, he tried to cut the belt tying his brother to the backseat.

Meanwhile, the sound of liquid flowing from somewhere entered his ears and Rex knew from the smell that it was not water.

He quickened his pace, cutting his finger and the belt at the same time. The flame started to crawl its way from the burning car to their direction. In his peripheral vision, he could see that the red flames from the burning car were slowly crawling towards their direction like a swaying zombie.

“There are still people alive here!” Rex heard voices from outside.

“Help!” He tried to scream but the pain in his throat was enough to stop the words in a whisper. He puked blood to clear his mouth along with the tightening of his breathing. He swallowed but the pain was even greater so he just kept on his activity while letting it all flow out his mouth like a drool.

His hands were filled with his own blood, but the belt was nearing its limit. Finally, it snapped and he grabbed Baron, embracing him, checking if there were further injuries he had sustained.

Upon knowing that aside from the head injury, there was nothing more to worry about, he tried to open the door to his side to escape.

“Kuh…Sh..it….!!”

The door on his side was locked with the piece of metal that injured him. The door on the other side was also useless since the burning car and its dead driver was there. The smell of gasoline entering his nose was enough to cause him to panic.

With no other way out, he punched up, hitting the back window.

There is still hope! He yelled to himself.

Rex began to pound the glass with his still able hand, punching until his fist bled more. His left arm was hurting like hell but he endured it and kept holding his brother. The window cracked yet still far from getting smashed, still, he punched continuously until his fist began to bleed more than the faucet on his left flank.

He couldn’t care less even if he was using his bones to smash the window, the thought of letting his brother burn there with him had prevented his brain from thinking about his own safety.

It was a luxury, he thought bitterly and swallowed the blood on his mouth to let himself breathe.

I won’t let my brother die here!

Rex continued to punch until the window cracked and began to take shape. When he had created a hole in there, he saw a civilian’s shadow suddenly appeared holding a piece of metal.

“Get out of the way!” The man screamed.

He used the metal to hit the window and it shattered.

The man pulled Baron and Rex up, grimaced when he saw Rex’s body in that bloody complexion. The man’s eyes spoke of empathy, pulling them to safety a few meters away. Then, when he saw another man came to them, he screamed to him to call for an ambulance and help the people around.

In the midst of that, Rex glanced back and saw that the fire had made its way to the gasoline line on their car.

His reflexes acted faster than he could think and he anchored his body, quickly protecting the man who held Baron as a reaction to the impending thought.

“Get down!”

Chapter 3: After the Sunset

When he came to, he was looking up into the ceiling, into the white led light that shined throughout the room.

“Where…” He stopped before he could even finish. No words came from his mouth and he felt pain crawled its way to his neck. He dragged his hand and felt the bandages. A tube was directly put into his mouth and he could feel it extending up to the depths beyond his throat.

A feed?

He thought. It was a nutrient and oxygen feed, a modern scientific method of giving life support to a patient with inability to swallow and even breathe.

Looking around, he saw a red blinking light on the wall along with the machines that supported his life. Then he heard the door opened with a bang with a nurse running with a frightened expression towards his direction.

“You’re awake?!” The nurse cried. “You shouldn’t be awake!”

Rex raised his right hand, his left hand was in cast. He tried to make up a hand signal, but the nurse only reached it and placed it on his side. She checked for the machine and her expression grimmed.

Two more people entered and one of them looked like a familiar doctor.

Even though he can’t speak, he could clearly hear what they were talking about. Basing on that alone, Rex’s thoughts jumbled off.

“He shouldn’t be awake! This is impossible.” The doctor shouted. “Give him a sedative and make him sleep. His mind is still in shock.”

As he heard the words, the second nurse pulled a syringe from the small box she carried and the first nurse caressed his head as the other pressed the liquid into the feed on his arm. The first nurse pulled a pen light from her pocket and checked the focus in his eyes. Rex followed its movement and the light went off, slightly blinding him while the nurse kept on speaking.

“It’s alright. Relax. Sleep. You’re in a shock.”

With no words and his consciousness slowly being drawn to oblivion, he summoned all his strength and moved his still able hand. He grabbed the nurse’s arm and she looked at him with a surprised expression.

“B…Ba…ron…” Rex endured the pain in his throat and spoke the word with clear eyes.

The nurse stopped her resistance and instead, with a now real caring touch, stroked his hair with teary eyes.

“Your brother is alright. He’s safe. You saved him.”

Hearing the news, Rex released the grip and relaxed his stiff neck. His breathing calmed and he ignored the rising liquid on his mouth.

The other nurse, upon seeing the red liquid, moved in a panic and the doctor yelled giving off orders to her. The nurse who received his grip looked at the peaceful expression on the now sleeping patient and she unknowingly clenched a fist in front of his chest.

Seeing her teary eyed expression, the panicking nurse nudged at her and pulled her to accompany her upon the doctor’s orders.

“What are you doing?!” She exclaimed. “He might be dying!”

“He won’t die.” The nurse said and wiped the forming tears on her eyes. “His will is too strong.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The accident just happened the other day and yet he was already awake. And you know what he whispered to me?”

“What?”

Her smile became brighter. “Baron. He spoke his brother’s name.”

At that, the two of them stopped and looked back on the direction of the said patient’s room.

“That’s impossible. We just fixed his throat. How could he…”

“That’s why I said his will is too strong.”

“Damn. He endured the pain to the point that it bled…”

“He cared for his brother that much that he was willing to cross the line of life and death for him.”

On that word, the announcement voice on the hospital rang and the two of them moved their feet towards the direction where they should have been present a few moments ago.

“We must save him.” The second nurse said.

“Yeah. We must.”

***

Rex wandered his eyes the moment he woke up. No words. No actions. Just his eyes probing in the white room filled with machines and the green and blue blinking lights on the wall. The tube on his throat was gone and what were left are the IV stand and the nutrient dip.

He checked to feel for his throat. There were still bandages in there and the feel of its slightly tight application was choking him.

He moved his hand and the green light in the wall blinked red.

When he had successfully loosened the bandage, the familiar face of his nurse entered the room.

“You’re awake.” She said. This time, she wasn’t frightened nor in any grim expression. “I guess it’s about time.”

“How…” Rex gargled on the sand dry feeling on his throat. He touched his throat and tried to sit and the nurse helped him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t force yourself.” As she spoke, she gave him a glass of water from the side table. From that action alone, he knew that he was already far from critical condition. “You’ve been sleeping for the past month. I know you must be worried about your brother.”

Rex stopped from drinking and turned to her. “Where…is…he?”

Though the voice was still hoarse, with a few pinch of pain in there, Rex ignored it all and continued on.

“Don’t talk yet. You can only go as far as drinking water but your pharynx has been damaged severely, affecting your speech. From here on out, expect that your voice would change according to how you heal yourself. Worst case, it might be like this forever so please don’t use your voice for now. It’s still in the process of healing.”

Rex nodded and held the glass tighter, lowering his head.

“He’s alright. He’s in the OR right now.” She said the words with a layer of worry and sadness. The expression she wore made Rex felt anxious and so he grabbed her hand with as much force as he could.

He himself saw the once slightly muscular arm became skin and bones. Still, with as much little force it may seem, the look in his eyes was enough to stop the nurse from resisting. She understood very well what those eyes meant.

“Wh-Where…”

The nurse pursed her lips as she saw how Rex was enduring the pain in his throat. But his eyes told her otherwise and she felt hurt by those gazes. It felt so heavy that she averted her eyes.

“He…he’s in a coma.”

Hearing the news, Rex snapped from his bed and stood up. With swaying motion, he went into the door and straight outside. The nurse got into a panic and dialed from the room’s intercom. She followed him and tried to stop him but there weren’t enough strength on her pulls that she was rendered weak by a swaying patient.

Rex ignored the hurting joints. His left arm was covered in cement and right leg was also in cast. Still, like a zombie in the hospital, he never bothered to be stopped and went straight to where the OR is.

He knew this place well like the back of his hand.

This is the place where his father and mother had worked once.

They were the brightest of doctors when it comes to the mind. It was their field, it was their calling, and with his childhood spent almost every day in this place, he knew exactly where to go looking for his brother.

OR. When he arrived, there were already male personnel behind him who also understood from the nurse’s and his actions what he wanted to do.

So instead of stopping him, they helped him to reach where his brother was. They knew his story and couldn’t pull themselves on stopping him to see the last family he had left.

Though he cannot enter the room, through the window, while he dragged his IV stand weakly, he saw a few doctors tending on his also bandaged brother inside the Observation Room.

But unlike him who was like a mummy with the number of cast and bandages on his body, his brother’s only injury was in the head.

The doctors were busy monitoring his status and the readings on the supporting computers that they did not realize the commotion going on outside the room.

Rex forced himself to reach the window and he leaned on the glass to support his body.

Tears flowed in his eyes as he saw his brother’s state. He gargled on the pain of his injured throat and he tried to stretch a hand on his brother but was stopped by the glass window. His sobs hurt like hell, still, he couldn’t stop. The image of his dead parents in his mind was vividly clear and he knew that he won’t be able to erase that sight as long as he lives. The memory of that one last glance on their burning car just moments before the explosion knocked him off was also adding to his aching heart.

The image of his parents holding hands made his sobs even more painful.

When the nurse saw that his wounds were opening up and the red line was forming on his neck, she knew that it was not safe anymore. A doctor then suddenly noticed him outside the room and he rushed to check on them outside.

“Why is he here?! He should still be sleeping!” He yelled to the nurses and they all pulled Rex together. “You! You should be resting right this instant. There is no point in seeing your brother now.”

Rex knew this doctor well and so he did not mind the scolding that he received. But instead, looked at him with his tear filled eyes.

“Is he…gon…be…” Rex tasted blood on his mouth as he failed to finish the words. With tears and the heavy feeling of his gaze, a strand of sweat flowed on the doctor’s temple and their eyes were locked for a few moments before the doctor understood.

SIGH. “He’s gonna be fine.” He told Rex. “We already performed a surgery to remove the cloth on his cranium. His condition is already stable. We can only wait for him to wake up.”

Rex, upon hearing the news, relaxed his shoulders and he held the doctor’s arms. Then he retreated into strays of sobs. Blood was flowing in his mouth and neck, making the nurses panic.

“Rex, we already did what we can but you are in a worse situation than your brother. You should be resting and healing your injuries. Don’t make me do the same pain-in-the-ass surgeries on you twice.”

Rex understood the doctor’s words and he turned around to see the female nurse’s eyes talking to him in a stare. He just glanced over her chest and called her name.

“Aman…da.”

The nurse jolted in surprise as she heard her name and a smile emerged on her lips as she grabbed his leaned hand. And at the next moment, he embraced her and she felt his entire weight on her. She tried to push but couldn’t do so. And until the male nurses had helped him, that’s where they realized that Rex fell into unconsciousness on her shoulders.

“Bring him back to the ER. Clean him.” The doctor said before coming back to the OR. “And even if you have to, tie him up on his bed so he won’t be standing again.”

Amanda could only nod at those commands.

They all did as directed.

All the while as he slept, Amanda was the one who went the extra miles to personally make sure that Rex would receive the best care possible.

Chapter 4: 20 Months After Release

Four months came to pass and Rex did what was told. His legs healed but his left arm was still in cast. It was shattered severely that the doctors were boggled to the stories of the people who saw his struggle.

He learned of the story of what happened after the explosion. The two of them were the only survivors of the accident. 15 vehicles were involved in the tragedy that was dubbed as the worst in any highway history. The cause was a stray bullet that hit the truck’s windshield and in turn hit the truck driver’s hand that made the truck turn out its way. The rest was as he had remembered.

After the explosion, he covered for the man who carried his brother. His throat was cut by a piece of metal and it was actually a miracle that he was still able to help his brother escape.

His leg was also a piece of story. Amanda told him that his leg was broken from an engine part hitting it. It was a total miracle that it missed his body and thanks to the media, the videos of how he got totally trashed had explained most of the injuries he had.

Amanda asked how he received the wounds on his hands. With difficulty, he told her what he did with his hands; cutting the seat belt with the same sharp metal that stabbed his throat.

Hearing those words, Amanda was in total shock.

After that, nurses and med-techs started to pour on his room as they all visited him to see a living legend.

Rex, in turn, never once neglected to visit his brother every day.

He also learned of the man who had helped him escape that time but he never gave any information about himself. He only got minor injuries and was also thankful that Rex risked his own life to save him from that explosion.

Rex created a roar of news one after another. With the help of the hospital staff, the media who wanted to interview him was stopped on their tracks until they all eventually gave up. They knew that it won’t help the patient recover and it would only add up to the stress that he already felt.

“I knew you’ll be here” Amanda asked and brought a drink to the standing Rex. “Come. It’s time to rest.”

“Is it?” Rex turned his head. Then he stared back to his sleeping brother. Visiting time is already over and only thanks that they were in the same hospital that he could visit him twice in the same day.

“Yes. How are you feeling?”

Rex reached for his throat. Although there were almost no pain left, what he actually touched was the large scar that was sure to leave a mark in there.

“Better.” He said. “All thanks to you.”

Amanda did not hide the blush on her cheeks as she heard the words. She covered his face with the file tray and forgot the medicine packs that were there. In turn, it all fell on the ground and she knelt down to pick it all up. Surprisingly, Rex also helped her.

Their hands touched and she stopped and moved back. But Rex wasn’t minding it and she pouted to see his still reaction.

And then from behind, the doctor came and stopped. Rex turned around and saw his face.

“Uncle Faust.” He called.

“Can I talk to you?”

“Yes sure.” Rex replied and Dr. Faust prompted for him to follow, leaving Amanda with a fleeting glance to his back.

In his office, Rex was reading a set of papers.

Financial papers, regarding his brother’s care. His papers all had the green PASS stamp in their back- ground but his brother only had one of them in their papers. The rest had the red UNPAID in there. But not only that, there were still some papers with information that he did not understand.

“Rex. I know this is going to be hard but hear me out…”

“My parents’ medical insurance, our insurances, isn’t it enough to pay for all of this?”

“It is.” Dr Faust said in a straight, worried face. “But only for the next two months. The life support machine is a different issue.”

Rex read the paper speaking of the life support machines. He was shocked to see the five numbers per day written in there and he knew that it wasn’t a lie. He spent his toddler and younger years in this hospital and he knew the doctor well like a real uncle. He won’t lie to him because his father and Doctor Faust were good friends.

He knew that Doctor Faust was the one who took care of all the necessary papers when the cargo truck’s company offered their help on their bills. But in case of her brother, they could only offer half of it since it was also a personal treatment. He knew that he needed help.

…fast.

“Two months…”

“Rex. Do you know of someone who can take care of this problem?”

“No.” Rex shook his head. “Ever since I can remember, we never once had a relative visit the house. You knew that as well.”

The doctor remained silent. Rex was right. As far as Faust can remember, their only family was the staff of this hospital. Five years ago his parents were scouted by a certain famous electronics company to pioneer the development of a gaming console.

It was rumored that it would push the gaming experience given by the already superb performance of the Dream Rift device.

A year and a half ago, the said project was released and because the idea was still new, and the daring plan of the said gaming company earned a lot of criticism, his family earned the spiteful attitude of all those around them. But right now, the once criticized game was slowly becoming the latest trend. There are others more who was also going out with their same concept but it was his parent’s work that was the only one recognized as the most secure of them all.

The said project was Virtual Reality.

The device that his parents developed was called Neurolink Device. Its purpose is to use the brain’s dream wave patterns as a means of access to a world created by a central server computer.

In the gaming history, there were lots of attempts on creating that dream-like experience and the closest is the Dream Rift where aside from the sense of touch, smell, and tasting, seeing and hearing the game world in a superb 3D rendering was its number one pull.

Gamers all around the world became excited with this and so it became the trend for all game developers.

But then, after five years, Dream Rift slowly lost its edge and the craving of the gamers for the ultimate gaming experience became so insatiable, it forced developers to the edge of their seats. And so, five years ago, they scouted geniuses amongst geniuses on every kind of fields and tried to develop the ultimate gaming machine.

Rex’s parents were among them.

They are the prodigy of modern Neuro-Science and they were recruited to the team from the same people who developed Dream Rift.

Using the mind as the medium, the texture and quality of the preset created world would appear to be almost real. And with that, a second life in a different world was created and all of the hungers of the gamers were met. That world is then dubbed as Virtual Reality.

Since then, Faust never had news of how it went until he received the news of its release over a year ago.

This family who had never once talked about any relatives, meeting this kind of accident is just purely heart wrenching. It was devastating news.

“I’m sorry, Rex, the hospital management is strict on this.”

Rex dropped the papers and closed his eyes. He endured the throb on his temple and the increasing heart rate on his chest.

“No doctor. You already did what you could. I am already in your debt as it is. I will try the bank and check if dad and mom’s savings accounts would have enough.”

“Alright. I will give the permission to let you go but you won’t be alone. You will be accompanied by a nurse.”

***

As the day passed, Rex was preparing to leave when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

As he spoke, the door opened and Amanda came wearing casual red shirt, a sleek miniskirt paired with an everyday kind of jacket. She looked dazzling in street clothes, simple yet beautiful, and Rex’s eyes were glued on the clear curves that her clothes emphasized.

“Is it your day off?”

“No.” She replied with a bright smile. “The doctor asked me if I can accompany you so I told him yes.”

“Lies.” A second voice came from behind her and Amanda jolted to see her partner, the med-tech Alice, entered the room.

“Alice!”

Alice made a smirk.

“She was the one who pestered…hmfffft…”

“Ahahaha…don’t listen to her. She plays too many games so her brain is a little bit jumbled with reality and fantasy.”

Alice pulled the hand covering her mouth.

“Phwaa…and here I came to tell you to take care only to hear you say such lies about me right in front of my face.”

“But you came spouting nonsense first!”

“But it was the truth, you stalking freak.”

“I’m not a stalker and I’m definitely not a freak.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not.”

“Alright. Alright. Girls, girls, shut up and let the patient prepare his way.”

“ “Ah! Head nurse.” ”

The two turned their heads to the direction of the door and saw a bulging woman holding a paper in her hand. The woman went passed through the two and gave the paper to Rex.

“It’s been signed. Show this to the guard and they will let you pass. Just make sure that you come back before night. And eat well.”

Rex received the paper and smiled. “Thanks nana Mendez.”

“Heh. When I was younger, you calling me that made me mad but now, well, take care of yourself child. You’re still not well.” Then she turned to Amanda. “And you young lady. Oh I knew what you did last night. And I am telling you to do your job properly.”

Lowering her head and pouting, Amanda nodded and Alice was in the verge of laughing.

“If you’re ready, we can go now.” Rex said and the two went out of the room.

***

Moments after the two had left the hospital grounds the Head Nurse turned and faced Doctor Faust who was also looking at the window towards their direction.

“He grows fast.”

“Yeah…” With a long sigh, Faust held a picture in his desk and in there was a family and the hospital staff. It was a picture full of life. At the middle of the picture was a boy wearing a lab gown that was too big from his elementary size. “To think he would grow up to be a strong kid. His parents would be proud of him.”

Martha Mendez could only nod to that. Looking at the papers, she checked the details of the investigation regarding the accident. And it came directly from the investigators who investigated the accident.

“He went so far as to defy death…”

“Yes.” Replied Faust and he checked a video on the holographic display in his desk. The video was about Rex who was punching the back window of the car with his bloody hands. Then a man came and helped the two. “He inherited her kindness and his bravery.”

The old nurse looked at him and then to the video. Her expression softened when he saw Rex’s bloody state when he got out of the car.

“Such accident, why him? Why them…” As she spoke, she wiped the tears that formed in her eyes and sobbed softly at the handkerchief on her hands.

“Accidents happen, Martha, it can happen to us all. We can only be thankful that he was still alive and was able to save his brother.”

“Rex…he grew up to be a splendid man.”

“I just hope we can help him more. The hospital is strict on these kinds of problems. Not even him being his father’s son can be saved from the financial world’s cruelty.”

“We’ve done our best.” Martha said and handed down the signed paper in Doctor Faust’s desk. “But Doctor Faust…”

“Yes. I know.”

“Keeping this from him…he will be shocked.”

The paper in her hand were a different paper. It was a diagnosis paper and the words written there were in a clear printed red ink, indication of VIP and a severe kind of medical situation.

“I‘m not keeping it from him.” Faust said and put a hand on his face as he sat down. “Rex would be very shocked to learn it the hard way so I have to prepare him for it.”

“Baron…he‘s too young.”

“He will live. We will do what we can.”

“How cruel. After all these years…the new hospital management is just too cruel on those kids.”

“It‘s business for them.” Faust’s voice was stern. “I had personally experienced this kind of cruelty before and even if we say that he was Kingsley‘s son, money is the real fuel that drives the world.”

Saying that, the room was filled with a different kind of suffocating silence. Martha could only purse her lips in frustration.

Chapter 5: Invitation

Night was upon them when they arrived at the hospital’s gates. Rex is having lowered shoulders while Amanda was looking at him with anxious pair of eyes.

“Rex…”

“I’m alright.” He turned to her and smiled. “I’m just thinking.”

“Are you really alright? With how I can see your expression, you don’t seem to be in good terms.”

“One and a half month.” Rex said. “According to my calculations, mom and dad’s savings are only good enough for him for the next one and a half month. Thinking about it makes me anxious. What if he still won’t wake up after that time?”

Amanda bit her lower lip and fell into silence.

Then an idea came from her mouth. “I will help with my salary.”

“Don’t be a fool!” Rex’s voice came a little bit hoarse and a slight pain came from his throat. Still, his tone was strong and direct. “We are not your relatives, we don’t share any kind of connection, and you also have other important things to do. This is our problem. I can still manage by that time.”

Feeling kind of offended, Amanda’s brows joined together and she pouted and crossed her arms.

Seeing this and her slowed pace, Rex turned around and spoke in a milder tone. “I’m sorry I yelled. Look, it’s not that I don’t want to receive your help. But it’s just that you’ve already done too much out of your line of work to help me. I just don’t want to feel in debt to you for some reason. And even if you tell me that it wasn’t any kind of debt to be paid, I would still feel the same way.”

“But…”

“Besides, not only you also need to spend your money with your family, it’s still too soon to say that I might really need your help.”

For the first time in a while, Amanda saw a smile on Rex’s sober expressions. This sight also brightened up her mood and she went to his side close enough to almost make anyone think they were in a relationship.

Rex was a bad ass type. He walks while having his hand on his pocket. But since his left arm was still in a cast, his right hand hugged the envelope that contained the papers from the bank. The sight from behind made Amanda blush. His physique had regained some of his original weight and his broad shoulders looked as if it was of a man older than her. And so, she slowly moved her hand as if to anchor it to his arm.

But when they came in the hospital, they saw a limousine parked in front the main building. The two marveled on the silver wheels and the expensive extravagantness of the vehicle and it was here that Head Nurse Martha called out for her then to him.

“Amanda. You’re off now. You can go home. You, go upstairs and eat. We will talk about your mission later.”

The two abided with the orders and Amanda said her goodbye to Rex. Rex waved a hand to her and she felt the missed opportunity when she left the premises.

Rex’s hospital room was in the privileged ones. It was a courtesy from the hospital management. Aside from the discount from their fees and the cargo truck’s company’s support on his hospitalization, the room was also a gift from the hospital as part of his parents’ medical insurance. After all, they worked here for 15 years before being scouted.

When he was preparing to change, he remembered to visit his brother first and so he skipped the meal and went ahead.

There, he heard voices talking in front of the room.

The first voice was Doctor Faust while the other was from a man Rex thought was someone from his personal life.

“And you came here telling me this nonsense? I’m a doctor and I know better than just intuition.”

“It’s not intuition.” The other man’s voice sounded with hardness. “You know it as well as I do. They are the same. Faust, what are you doing? Do you want to commit the same mistakes again?”

Leaning back on the wall to hide his presence, Rex felt the pause to the doctor’s reply.

A few moments later, the stranger’s voice echoed in the seemingly empty hall. “You know better than I do, this kid needed that transplant.”

“I know!” Faust slightly yelled. “But the current standing of his family can‘t do it. This is not the same as what happened 20 years ago! We could only wait until he reacts with the medication.”

But the voice of the man was calm. “While you are waiting, money is being spent. And god knows just how much it costs to keep someone stable. And it‘s not helping him one bit.”

Rex felt the ache in the words he heard. He wasn’t told of this truth and even though he felt furious of the doctor hiding his brother‘s condition from him, there is also something about the current standing of his family.

“We…we already did our best.”

“But you can still do something better.”

Again, another pause came from Faust and curiosity drills Rex to peek through the hall. He sees a tall middle aged man in white suit talking to Doctor Faust and Doctor Faust was having his fist into the wall of his brother’s room. He can’t see the man’s face since his back was turned to him but it was still enough to make the impression that with his expensive suit, he was the owner of the luxurious limousine outside.

“Faust, listen to me. Mistakes can be corrected. Let me help.”

“Help?” Faust’s face was filled with anger. “You want to help? Hah! Even if the world turned upside down, all you guys will think about is money and nothing more. That‘s all you are good at. Heh. I won‘t even be surprised if I learned that you held this hospital in your palms.”

Rex thought for a moment and processed. But no matter how much he think about it, he don’t understand what they were talking about. Still, the fact that they’re talking about his brother had bothered him so much.

“Alright. I admit that we are a body that makes and manipulates money but I’m serious. I really mean it. If you don’t do the right thing this time, you will commit the same mistakes twice.”

Mistakes? What mistakes? What about Baron?

“It won’t happen.” Faust’s hard tone pushed Rex to peek on them again. This time, he saw an outline of a man hiding flattened into the wall.

And just as he was about to peek deeper, the man spoke with a firm voice.

“It will happen.” It was cold and solid. Rex saw the change on Doctor Faust’s expression and he knew that those words bade some truth in them. “I saw the papers, his condition, the numbers, and the situation. This is just a repeat of the same mistake you did with her.”

“Don’t push that on me! Why did you even come here?” Faust changed the subject with a weak abrupt question. He collapsed on the floor with his back on Baron’s room. “Why are you here, Augustus?” His last words came weakly.

“I only came to see an old friend but when I saw you and this kid, I can’t help but to be concerned.”

“We’re not friends. And I know this is just business to you. I know it.”

“I may be a businessman with splendid plans in the future, but hear me when I say, what I’m telling you now wasn’t for you…but for this kid.” Then at that moment, he kneeled down on the collapsed doctor. “Faust, do not commit the same mistakes. It is not for you to decide.”

As he spoke, he left the frozen Faust and went ahead. Then, from the corners of the hall, two big brutes came like ghosts and escorted him.

But that was out of his concern now. What he was concerned about is the content of their conversation. They were definitely talking about Baron and some kind of condition.

Faust knew something was up and yet he held it a secret to him.

Clenching his fist, he turned around and rushed towards the entrance of the building. Even though he was still unable to run, even though his right leg was feeling a kind of tingling pain, he ignored it all and did what was warned of him to never do.

He ran.

There, he saw the three men about to board the limousine and yelled for them.

“Wait!”

The three men turned to see him. His two guards immediately tried to protect their principal but the man called Augustus pulled their arms and let the rushing kid spoke.

“Wait….please…” Augustus let the kid catch his breath and studied his complexion.

“I do get the feeling that you were listening to us earlier.”

Hearing those words, the two guards’ brows twitched and one of them even raised a brow to the kid.

“The patient you were talking about is my brother.”

“Ah.” Augustus studied Rex’s state and spent a few moments to stare at his casts. “How…sad.”

Short, concise, true, plastic…Rex felt all of these on that short reaction from the man. He meant it but in a way that it sounded a bit awkward, leaning to the direction of an unrealistic reaction.

“What are you talking about? About my brother’s condition?”

The man tilted his head and shook it sideward. “I don’t know, kid, I’m not a doctor.” And the man turned his back to him to board the limousine. The two guards bade him a last glance in silence and the engine started to roar. But then, the window opened and Rex saw a small shining golden card on that small opening.

Rex picked up the card from the hand and read it.

[Call Me.]

A number was displayed below the words.

That was all.

***

As the limousine drove off the hospital grounds, Augustus was staring at the face of the kid who said he heard them speaking in the hallway. That in itself pricked his interest.

“And not one of you noticed him?” He asked the two.

Marty was feeling a trembling from his knees as he answered. “Yes. I was the one guarding your back but I never noticed his presence.”

“He couldn’t be from the front side. I was there.” Rude seconded.

“True.” Augustus smiled. “I myself is guilty that he sneaked up on us like that. He’s incredibly light on his feet.”

Seeing that smile, Marty and Rude swallowed. They knew they have a fault. When people like that are able to escape their detection, it means that their security is lacking. And with that fact, the principal could have been killed. Security lapse, there was no other kind of explanation to this.

And so to confirm their suspicions, a glint in The Boss’s eyes told them that a punishment is on its way.

***

Rex went inside and headed straight into his bed. Feeling tired, he laid his back there without changing and looked at the golden card on his hand. The light reflected from the ceiling revealed its expensive make and he wondered just how much it cost for this one single card.

“Surely, it’s not given to any ordinary person.”

He remembered who he was. Businessman. Money maker. A big time person who can manipulate money and know his brother’s very sensitive condition.

Standing up, he went straight to the door only to see it open and Doctor Faust’s face greeted him.

Chapter 6: Goldwyn City

Silence was filling the room and it was awkward. Faust holding a few papers, Rex reading some, and them, not saying a word was very awkward in a way.

Finally, Rex held down the papers and heaved an angry sigh.

“And what was your plan on keeping this a secret to me? I am his only family left!”

“I wasn’t actually going to hide it from you. It’s just that, with the operation going to really cost much, I had to prepare you for this news. That’s why I told you about the money and the two months’ time he had left.”

“Do it.”

“What?” Faust was surprised with the change of tone on Rex’s hoarse sounding voice.

“The operation! Do it! I will prepare the money.”

“Are you out of your mind?!” Faust exclaimed. “If you do that, then what? You’re going to take him home and take care of him there? Do you have money for his medicines? What about proper care, do you know how to do it? Let’s talk about his hygiene. Are you even sure you can take care of him? How are you going to feed yourself? You can’t even work for the next six months of your life, not even for the next year after you heal yourself! This was kept a secret from you exactly because of situations such as this!”

Reality struck Rex like a large meteor. Now he understood why. He knew that the papers only told a few numbers, information, and a fraction of the real problem. His brother has a weak body and he was rejecting the medicine. He needed a bone marrow transplant, a brain surgery, and new anti-bodies. And both are going to cost lots of money, adding up the fact that he was still in a coma.

Even with the operation, it’s still unknown when he’s going to wake up. And until that time comes, they had no choice but to attach Baron to the life support machine.

He knew that this was coming. Baron’s vegetable condition was already a sign itself. Then at that point, Faust saw the card tucked on Rex’s hand.

“Wait…is that…”

“Augustus.” Rex’s mouth moved. “I heard you in the corridor.”

Faust closed his eyes and broke down on the seat.

“So you heard it?”

“Not all of it.”

“Even so, you already knew. So that’s why you were silent.” He covered his face with a hand and then removed it, looking straight into Rex’s eyes. “Are you planning on asking him for help?”

Rex took a moment to look at the card before nodding.

“Don’t.” That short prompt made Rex think. “I know you know of his kind already, but he is different. He will use you beyond your debt’s payment.”

“Even so. Baron‘s life is at stake. I can live with it.”

“It‘s still too soon for you to make up your mind.”

Rex looked at Faust and the doctor sighed. He leans on the chair and put a hand on his mouth while looking at the papers in the table.

“Did you hear about…my past mistake?”

Rex felt a surge of emotion in those words. Even if he felt that it was out of bounds, he still needed to know why Faust was against the idea of asking for the help of that man. After all, he already had the feeling that the man named Augustus is telling him something else. Something that was already obvious yet, it was still hidden in front of him.

“Only of the mistake. Nothing more.”

“Before me and your father came here, we spent a year of internship on another hospital. There, we met a patient named Maya.”

The opening made Rex look at his expression. The look of pain was written on the doctor‘s eyes. “Is this the person with the same condition as Baron?”

Faust nodded. “The solution to her problem was a transplant and the surgery. But her family don’t have the money, and so they came like sharks in a smell of blood. It looked like they already knew that she needed their help and offered a 5% onetime interest loan.”

“Onetime?”

Faust took a pen and a paper and wrote 100 and 105. “If you loan 100 pesos, you have to pay 105 pesos. That’s the onetime interest.”

“I see. And?”

“Three months to pay 25% of the loan amount…or, they take something precious from you or you yourself will have to serve him.”

Rex gasped on hearing that.

Seeing the shock in his eyes, Faust gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist. “We told Maya’s parents to never take the gamble. Even though we knew that there was an 80% chance of their daughter living after the operation, we, no, I first considered the price of their to be decision and advised them. Your father encouraged them to accept the deal but the parents listened to me. In the end, she…”

No words came after that. It was understandable.

“Even so.” Rex pursed his fist, and it wrinkled his pants. “My brother’s life is the one at stake here.”

“But what are you going to pay them?”

“I will serve under them. Even if it takes years to pay them, I will do it. I just want my brother to live.”

“But you will be sacrificing yourself!”

“I don’t care!” Rex yelled it out this time. “He is the only family I have left! I don’t want to lose him too! I saw my parents die, I don’t want to lose the only family I have left…”

Rex burst into tears and he felt the pain on his throat again. Still, the pain in his heart imagining losing Baron too was more painful a hundred times over. The thought of not doing the right thing even if he could do something was intolerable. Even if he had to pay a lifetime of servitude, if his brother could live, then he would be happy enough.

“Rex, this is…”

“You can’t stop me.” Rex interrupted before Faust could even finish. “If I had to die to let him live, then so be it. I have died once, I’m willing to do it again.”

Their eyes met and Faust knew that whatever he says now won’t reach him. He was only 19 and yet he was already standing on his own ground. Faust knew that he had already made up his mind. The kid in his memories was gone. The person in front of him now is Rex who braved imminent death and lived, used his own body to protect his brother, and even made sure that he was alive before really taking the cure to himself. He was a man who made the impossible possible, all for the sake of his brother.

Faust thought, if he made it this far, then probably, he could bare the incoming lifetime of servitude.

He closed his eyes and sighed. “I will call him.” He said. And that night became one of the longest nights Rex ever had in his life.

***

The next day, Rex was sitting beside his brother while he held his tiny hands in his.

“You will be fine. Kuya will take care of you.”

Rex looked at the blinking green light and heard the sound of his pulse rate. He wished as always, even how small it may seem, that there would be a reaction from his words. But Baron remained unmoving and only the sound of the machine’s beeping replied to him with its monotonous sound.

Then, Faust knocked on the door. Rex nodded at him. He stood up then went outside.

“They will not be entering the hospital.” Faust told him and Rex kept his gaze at Baron.

“I expected as much. Are you going with me?”

“Sadly, no, he only wanted you.”

“Then I will be alone.” Rex’s look was solemn so Faust put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s gonna be alright. Just know where you stand.”

Those words made Rex take another glance to his brother and with the thoughts of the meeting running endlessly in his mind, the two of them reached the gate. Even with his arm in cast, his right leg in thick metallic frame support, Rex’s expression still looked stern and rigid. The robotic support was attached on his right leg and it was helping him stand firm on his feet.

The limousine came in time and a man in black suit opened the door for him. Rex looked at Faust and the doctor nodded. Rex went inside to see the luxurious dressing man looking straight at his eyes.

“You look dashingly stiff.”

Rex remained silent.

Augustus made a smile and touched his chin. “And you look as if you don’t want to waste time.”

“I learned about your business from the Doctor. I want to avail a loan.” The straight forward words made Augustus chuckle and the two guards on both his sides look at him. The engine came as a quiet hum inside the limo and Rex’s words echoed like a night hawk.

Augustus seemed to have misheard it and so he fixed the small device attached at the end of his ear. “If my translator is not malfunctioning, I think I heard you say something about a loan.”

“Yes.” Rex replied firmly. “This is for my brother.”

A smile emerged on Augustus’s lips and he leaned back on the soft cotton seat. “Well, I’m sorry to tell you but you…might have been misinformed about me.”

“How?” This time Rex had lost his composure and the stern pose he’s been wearing went into some far away land. “What do yo mean? I don’t understand.”

“It’s simple, Mister Kingsley, I don’t give away loans anymore. I’ve moved on to a higher plane.”

Frustration quickly draws in Rex‘s face. “Then…I am sorry to have wasted your time…I…” With all his composure broken, Rex changed to a distorted mirror, with a voice layered in a hoarse, broken metallic sound.

“Don’t worry.” Rex raised his head in surprise. “I do not want to offer you a loan, but instead, I want to offer you a job. You, are a lucky man. The reason I gave you that card is that you somehow picked my interest. Congratulations. You just earned a privilege to be launched as one of the pioneers in your country.”

“Pioneers?” He raised his tone. “Pioneers of what?”

On Rex’s question, the person on the right side, a bald brute with black eyeglasses gave him a paper and the other guy, the bearded man pulled an expensive looking pen from his breast pocket.

“That‘s a waver. Let‘s not waste time here. The job I‘m going to offer you will give an advance payment. I am a generous man, after all.”

Rex saw the sincere trickery in his eyes and felt a chill touched his nape. He did not sign the paper but instead read its content and asked, “What is the job?”

“You will know that in our destination. Meanwhile, fill that up and keep the paper. You learn of the job in just a few minutes from now. Give it to me after you have decided. If you don’t want the job, you can always throw it away so we can live with our own comfortable lives like nothing happened.”

Calm, composed, imposing, authoritative…Rex felt this all in the man as he opened his arms wide and said those words as if a preacher on his religious group.

This man knew of my situation. He knows me.

He realized that he was being played from the very beginning and it was his mistake that he showed an opening on his behavior. He was the first to show that he needed him, not the other way around.

It was a rule in negotiation. First make a bid, tease the other party, and when he was on the hook, take a step back so he would follow the bait like a good prey. This time, the bait was his need of money and he followed the bait willingly. It was a truth at which he swallowed painfully. Still, he was prepared.

Rex knew well that what he’s entering is a world at which there is no coming back. He had already crossed the path of no return the moment he decided to take that card. And now, he was being tested.

It was a few minutes more, they arrived in a certain place near the warehouse district in Pier 4. It was a place full of poverty; the faces of men, women, and children, old and young was painted with the ever so distinct image of poverty in the Philippines.

“Why are we here?”

“This is the job orientation.” Augustus said with a warm smile and the bald man in black suit gave him a mask. “I don’t have to tell you how to use that, right?”

He paused before he took the offered mask and wore it. It was a modern mask, equipped with quantum magnetic pads that automatically get stuck on the skull of the wearer. The limousine then turned and entered the vicinity. A few turns more, they arrived on a certain warehouse where a few more expensive looking cars were entering an underground entrance one by one.

When it was finally their turn, all of them wore the same masks but Augustus wore a black colored one, in contrast to his all white, red tie and red shoes expensive outfit.

A fully armed guard opened the door where they are and the guard was holding a hologram panel. He checked on them one by one, and to where his eyes placed, the device that he held on his hand let out a distinct blinking sound. When he had already checked that all of the passengers of his limousine was cleared, he nodded and saluted on Augustus, closing the door in a straight move. After that, they went on more for about 5 minutes of ride in an underground floating highway.

“Is this place still in Manila?”

“It is.” Answered Augustus with a smile. “This place has been around for the past 80 years, built by your President Marcus to cater the black market. It once helped in founding the economy of your country to where it is now. When it finally served its purpose, it was then forgotten like a toy and was used instead by our organization.”

Rex swallowed upon learning of this information. What he had just put himself into was a whole new world, both shocking and very alarming, to the point that he even thought that it was the mafia.

“Relax, Mister Kingsley, you are not part of us so we don’t have anything to be worried about from you. I told you of this location and not put you into a sack because I trust that you are here with me because of an important reason. And that reason itself exceeds any kind of grounds for you to betray my trust. Or am I wrong to assume?”

Rex, with his eyes covered in a white glass stared at the solid expression behind the black mask. There were no sign of a wavering soul in there. Augustus was a man from a European lineage. His Caucasian aura had an imposing feel, suffocating enough to make him bid a defeated silent reply. He knew then that those words just now are a form of threat and also a warning.

If I tell anyone of this place, I’ll be dead.

He knew that and when Augustus felt that he realized that already, a smile emerged on his lips that made Rex’s arm covered in cast itch.

That smile was the only thing that his eyes saw. His mind was working on ways to deal with his situation but no better thoughts came into him and so he was left with the decision to accept it all.

“We’re here.” Rex’s attention was snatched and he looked behind him to see a large underground dome. It was the only place this floating road above an artificial city led to.

The underground city and the people were living on its modern streets looked like people from a different world. It was as if it was a place born directly from a sci-fi fantasy movie.

“What is this place?!”

Rex couldn’t hide the amazement on his tone.

“This is Goldwyn City. It’s just a small fragment of Manila but it is large enough to house 100,000 people every hour. It can also operate like Las Vegas without any outside help.”

“Las Vegas?”

“Yes.” Augustus smiled at him. “Welcome to the center of the Black Market Industry in the Philippines.”

Chapter 7: A Game of Wills

Rex took a wonder as he looked outside the window. The people 30 meters below all wore the same mask as him. Not one of them knew one another. The sight of the blinking ads and lights below really gave the impression of a Las Vegas avenue.

Though it was called underground, there were no signs of it being an untidy place. The streets where e-cars and e-bikes ran are all well maintained and no pedestrians are crossing the streets illegally.

In a complete sense of the word, it was a dream-like state for the messed up City of Manila. Rex thought, if only the world above could be like this…

Augustus had a contented expression behind that mask. Rex felt a chilling cold personality peeking on the curve line on his face. It was as if this man’s soul is a deep well that runs no end, abundant in resources, yet, he never cared giving away any of it. It was as if he exists only to sprout envy, wrath, hate, and gluttony to the men that surrounds him.

Unknowingly, he dragged his eyes on the man on his left, the bearded guy was intimidated by that smile and that gave Rex the impression that his thoughts were right.

They arrived in the dome and he saw other men and women in their own colorful set of masks. They were all looking around, a proof that like him, it was also their first time being here. He slowly dismounted from the limousine and the people who saw him all made an intimidated reaction.

Rex did not bother glancing at them, instead, he had focused his attention on the different entrance that their vehicle had stopped.

“You’re coming with me.” Augustus spoke and the bald guy put a heavy hand on his injured shoulder.

Taking a different path than the masked group and they ended up in a balcony, overseeing the stage and the crowd 40 meters below.

Rex immediately took his initial count to almost around a few thousands, maybe tens of thousands of the gathered people inside that big dome.

“This many people…their all the same.”

“Your intuition is sharper than I took you credit for. You’re right, these are all your competition. The same as the people on the other balcony.”

The moment Augustus said that, he saw a few men and women in the same level of balcony as them. Their balcony was in the slightly middle to the right of the center where a woman in a white mask was standing behind an old man, also in mask, in extravagant dotted coat. It may seem that the cloak itself was made from countless skins of dotted animals.

On the further left, there were two masked men with the same height and same posture standing behind a masked woman who’s, with all obvious fact, was a beautiful yet dangerously seductive kind of boss using a pipe. Their location was about 50 meters away from them and upon realizing that they were looking at each other, the woman sent a flying kiss at him that made him avert his gaze.

These people are just few of the many that he saw in the balcony areas. They are all VIPs with their own set of agenda and purpose for coming.

Basing alone on the level of their ability to gather and actually organize an event of such grand scale, Rex knew that whatever this man’s group is, they are a set of people who wielded a power the same as that of a country‘s leader.

Heh. He won’t be surprised if one of these days, they would announce of a war happening somewhere. Who knows just how much influence they really have. He don’t care. He was not part of their world.

To that thought, a drop of sweat on Rex’s temple woke him up on his big bizarre imagination.

As the crowd made their noise, the lights inside the dome turned off and they all went silent. A holographic countdown played on the stage but in truth it was directly fed into the masks they wore. The audio was clear and as the countdown reached zero, the real actual content started to play. It was a video that which Rex was fully familiar about.

“Terroa.” He spoke in a

From the starry filled space the video showed, a bluish planet just like Earth came with its moon. No, it was the camera itself that traveled fast and then slowed down on the blue surface of the planet.

The moon was slowly covering the star and Rex looked at Augustus’s back for he already knew what was coming next. He had seen this one many times in TV and in the ads in the streets.

This is RPG: Terroa, the Virtual Reality Game that his parents were hired to create the Neurolink Device for. Technically, it was a game created for the Dream Rift Console but due to the changes, it was converted into the now trending VRMMORPG genre played in his parents’ invention, the Neurolink Device.

But his anticipation was shattered. Rex’s assuming was put in the trash as the teaser video was actually way too different from what he had been seeing.

And although he felt that he already knew it too, there was something else in there that had grabbed his attention.

As the camera zoomed in on a continent, a swordsman was seen riding a horse into a cliff. He stopped and the view of the clear vast green land was breathtakingly beautiful, the people below all held their breaths at the same time. A blue wide river flowed and divided the green forest and from the angle of the camera, it looked like a snake traveling towards the endless horizon.

The swordsman looked up and five speeding people with their mechanical wings went passed him. The scene then changed into a scene inside a castle where those five men were like jets making an aerial show. This too, Rex knew, was part of Terroa. It has a flight engine that allows players to experience aerial travel on a limited time. When this game was released one and a half year ago, it was one of the features that earned a positive feedback.

The in-game citizens clapped their hands as the aerial show came to a climax and then the king appeared and waved a hand. The scene changed into a war and the swordsman riding the horse earlier was now leading a group into a war against monstrous beings.

Aliens and monsters, Rex knew of them.

This is the enemy that the players must defeat to gain materials and money in the game. There were no actual levels in Terroa. It was a bold decision by the developers to actually make the players experience how it feels to be in a real fight. And so, instead of levels, what defines a strong player is actually his own strength and athleticism.

Swords, hammers, halberds, spears, lance, all kinds of weapons, including use of magic, archery, and even modern inventions exists in RPG: Terroa. Its story revolve around a new living frontier for the humans that was then discovered as natural habitat not only for monsters, but also to a race of humans that uses magic.

Terrans.

These people, when the humans came, had a natural enemy, the Lagram Alliance. And they too, ironically, were the humans’ enemies that forced them to search for new living frontiers.

Eventually, the two races of carbon based life forms joined forces while all of these creatures joined forces as well. It was this storyline that created a boom in the gaming world. History, religions, artistic rendering, the places, familiarity with elements and some sci-fi things and the inclusion of the Periodic Table of Elements in a game was a real masterpiece. The diverse world created by RPG: Terroa introduced a vast universe of limitless possibilities.

Throughout the one and a half year since its release, Terroa’s secrets and feats were unraveled to have only reached about 8% of publication. Meaning, with all its vastness, only 8% were actually discovered.

Bold and daring, not only the experience was real, but players can also make real money inside the game.

Real money. Real cash.

As he thought of this, Rex looked at the back of the person who dragged him to this place. Rex wasn’t a player of that world but he knew how it worked since his parents were the ones who developed it. He could not count how many times they had told him to try and enjoy their work. But he still rejected the idea because at that time, he was busy defending his parents’ honor.

So, if the job that was supposed to be his job is this, then he may have been in the wrong place.

The video ended. It was just a few revelations of a few new feats and Rex felt that he had seen just the normal stuff inside the game.

One reason why his interest was not pricked is because of the fact that the reason why he’s been into fights defending his parents’ work is because of the developers’ bold decision to make the game 90% real.

Not only you can earn real money by playing the game, build things just like in real life, and actually fly like a bird with the same principles of physics applied both in the game and real life, but you can also get hurt real bad inside that game. For him who’s been through thick and pain in fist fights, there was just no sense if he add more pain to himself inside the game.

Plus, inside Terroa, once you die, your character is forever deleted.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome.” Rex heard a familiar voice. A masked man appeared in the stage and his face was displayed in the large holographic display above the podium. “I won’t ask if you liked it or not, but if those of you who are already familiar with Terroa, you might notice that some of the things you saw there, doesn’t, or quite rarely exists in the actual game.”

Some of the people below nodded and Rex himself was also taken in deep thought. What did he mean by it doesn’t exist in the game? All of it exist inside the game.

“Can anyone give me a few things that he noticed?” The man lent an open palm. A few hands raised and he selected a long haired female wearing a mask.

“The swordsman in the beginning! He was using an imbued sword!” She yelled.

“Yes!” The man on the stage exclaimed excitedly. “You are correct! By far, there was no imbued sword ever seen in the game. Can someone tell me why?”

As he asked, a few hands were raised again and so he selected another long haired masked woman. “It is because an imbued sword, once broken, is lost forever and so with it, the tendency of the MOD(s) imbued on the sword to be lost or stolen is high.”

“Ah!” Rex let out a small sound.

That’s right.

MODs (Magic Ornamental Device) are attachments that give out special abilities to a player, or in rare cases, to the weapons and equipments. In Terroa where there is no actual level to determine old from new players, MODs can change that fact and can create a large difference when it comes to fights.

Since science and magic can make up the difference in strength in the game, if a player wished to lighten up his cargo, MODs are a big help.

For example, to achieve the ability quick step, with no MOD, around 50+ types of materials, 400+ items, and lots of money is needed to invent the equipment to enable a player to use the ability. That in itself was a hassle because of many reasons:

One, a player only has 200 slots in his inventory for the items that he needs. Any equipment consumes 5 slots. A typical user‘s head gear to his foot wear are normally a total of five sets so that’s already 25 slots. An accessory consumes only two slots but added that a total of 15 accessories can be worn at the same time, if the player is a conservative like the Mages who‘s weak in close combat, he’d have his eyes, all his fingers, ears, and arms filled with manna boosting accessories.

Although there is no limit in numbers of a single type of item, aside from those, everything else take up one slot in inventory space. But still, even with that big advantage, the number of items that can be stored in the inventory is limited.

Two, gathering resources and materials is no joke.

Rarity, classification, difficulty, and even the hassle expiration dates are ones to be considered. For a simple equipment that gives out the quick step ability, a single swift step closing a 10 meter long gap, the materials on making the equipment itself takes an absurd amount of time to be gathered.

If a player wants to prolong its expiration date, he’d have to freeze the items. And aside from the default private stash that has a fee of Z100 per deposit attempt, paying a separate fee of Z500 per day for the freezer is still a big cut on someone‘s earnings. Especially if he’s a noob.

Three, equipments that has abilities cannot be used that much in combat for they have low durability.

Weapons are a separate issue but equipments, like the footwear with the quick step ability, once used to kick an enemy, might shatter or totally break. They may provide comfort but they are useless in practicality.

And so, MODs, if worn, attached, or imbued by a player whether to his equipment or to an accessory, can actually boost his abilities and save lots of issues.

Even a noob with a quick step MOD as an earring or bracelet can defeat a long time player or any mobs who doesn’t have anything but weapons and armors. The only good thing those equipments does is provide protection from physical attacks but in terms of ability, the MOD holders held the higher throne.

A player can use those skills to take up the advantage in a fight. And so upon seeing that there was an imbued sword, not only it was a waste, like that woman said, but it was also a large handicap since once a sword broke, the MOD itself can also be lost. And for reference, MODs, though divided into 4 categories, are all but a huge issues inside the game.

Rare MODs has over 200+ types ranging from physical improvement to feats such as night vision. Though these feats can be replicated by inventions, having them can become a huge advantage since you can hide them from plain sight unlike invented devices. And each type of Rare MOD has at least 1000 each or even more, if not less than just a few counts.

Special MODs are those with specific purposes like the use of strong Magic. Tier 1 magic are those basic ones like burst (ignites an enemy’s part of the body into burning) and these abilities are instantly gained as basic ability by those wanting to be Mages at the start of their game. But Tier 2 magic, aside from being able to be created in the enchantment shops, are those Special MOD types that was an upgrade of Tier 1 magic. And that’s not all. Aside from magic, higher abilities and feats like air walk are also available in this second type of MODs. There are over 100 types of them and each type has only 100 available MODs.

Then there are the legendary ones.

There are only around 50 of them and each type of these Legendary MODs only has around 10 for each type. No records have yet been discovered of these MODs for if they are known in the public, hunters are surely to come their way and kill them for it. MODs after all are items that drops once the owner dies.

Finally, there are the Unique MODs.

There are only 20 of them, as announced by the developers, and each one is unique and there is no one that has the same type of MOD. That is why it was called a Unique MOD.

Like the Legendary MOD owners, Unique MOD owners never announced themselves in the public.

And then Rex suddenly thought, is this the job?

All the hairs in his body started to rise as a sudden cold chill touched his nape. The cold traveled on his skin and extended throughout his body as he saw the same cold smile emerged on the speaker’s lips.

“Yes. Yes you are right. Except that what you saw is a Legendary H-class Item: Excalibur.” The moment he said that, exclaims could be heard escaping from the crowd and all of them knew that what he said was true.

Excalibur, it was a legend that was discovered just a few months ago. A certain hunting team discovered a place that was infested by A-Ranked monsters and Type-1 aliens. In short, it was a place impossible to go hunting alone or even with an entire guild without any kind of MOD equipment.

But before Rex could even think of something else, the speaker in the stage spoke again and cut off his thoughts.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what you saw just now is the unapproved teaser trailer for Terroa. Supposedly, it should have been released five months ago but due to a certain incident, the release of the video was cancelled and that the video itself was put into the trash bin. Luckily, we were there and saw it so we picked it up.”

After he said that, a smile emerged on his lips.

Lies. Rex thought bitterly. You mean to say you picked up a trash that was supposed to be stored as a software? Only fools ignorant enough will believe that story.

As Rex formed a hypothesis in his mind, a few theory had formed in his thoughts.

This organization is aiming for something big. This job is aiming for the users with money and are willing to go as far as spending money to buy information or the actual MOD itself. Even Rare MODs, Rex recalled the news in the internet that he had once skimmed through, can fetch a price ranging from a few tens of thousands to over hundreds of thousands, depending on its function. And that’s still just a Rare MOD.

If his guess is right, then the actual job that he wanted Rex to be part of has something to do with hunting all these rare items in the game so that they can sell them off for real money.

As he thought of that, he decided. If that’s the case, then I can just hunt them all by myself!

But before he could even conclude the idea, a sudden realization hit him.

I can’t do it. There is not enough time.

It was this crucial fact that made him grit his teeth. And as his thoughts became the words in the speaker’s mouth, Augustus finally turned around to face him.

They had heard what they needed to hear and so the curtains on their private balcony closed off along with the sound outside. The dim yellow light from the ceiling illuminated the small room and Rex felt the tension rising on his throat as the pressure from his gaze started to swell up.

Chapter 8: Family and Power

“Did you like the video?” Augustus asked and Rex was taken aback with surprise.

“Why ask about the video? I bet you already knew about who I am.”

On his words, Augustus’s cold sinister smile came and it was here that Rex somehow found the time to relax. While the other bodyguards were feeling tensed up, Rex was somehow oddly becoming calm facing that kind of pressure.

It was even more worrying when Augustus was hiding his fangs than bearing them.

“You just became a superstar. And your family is also a superstar in their own respect.”

“Leave my family alone!”

“Don’t worry, I don’t have the plan on wasting my time on trifling things so I will tell you straight.” At this point, Augustus’s gaze pierced through the mask and Rex knew from the intensity that this man was serious. “The job I’m going to give you is not like theirs. While those people below are busy hunting impossible to find things, I want you to instead hunt down the secrets of the game.”

It was here that Rex was lost. Still, the intense gaze from the man forbade him from making a reaction. And all he could do was listen intently on his words.

Rex knew, escape from his clasps is impossible.

He had just made a huge mistake of wanting his help in the first place. He met the wrong man, asked at the wrong time, and came to the wrong place.

“There are over hundreds of thousands of secrets in this game, Mister Kingsley. Secrets that costs more money than those silly things they use to improve combat ability. Bring me those secrets and I will pay you accordingly. Abandon this job and you will be sure to find your dear little brother inside his coffin sooner than you think.”

A threat, Rex thought, what a familiar sound. It is more relaxing hearing these things than not hearing them at all because whenever he receives some, his mind work faster and smoother than normal.

He had experienced many life threatening things like this in his short teenage life. Those people who lost their avatars in Terroa bent their frustration and anger to him and his family. Some even went as far as kidnapping and pointing a gun on his head and they all meant to kill him because they lost their money in buying the game and could not afford to buy the expensive game again.

It was because Terroa is a game where a starting avatar is 75% less expensive than when you buy another avatar again.

The game was that much addictive that they would resort to those unlawful things just to relieve their anger. Blaming him and his family was their way out of frustration. And time and time again, he punished them all using his fists. If there was a reason why he never played Terroa despite his parents’ urge, it would be this very same reason itself. Why would he put himself in a tighter spot than he was then?

He had become his family’s shield in the backdrop. He had protected them against real threats like the ones he had received just now. He beat them all up and told them of their weakness why they died in the game.

It wasn’t anyone else’s fault, never was, it was their fault for being weak. Terroa is a game that challenges your will and your wits. It was meant to test one’s mettle. From before it was even released, information about its system, its nature, about its story, and who its target market was is already announced.

At this point, he remembered his father’s words and realized that he was right. And even so, right now, he had something that he must protect no matter what.

The threat just now was the same as the others, only, it came from a man with real power.

And so because of this, he finally realized the reason why he felt so calm. His thoughts became more composed and he knew that even though there is no visible escape in his fangs, he won’t die.

Augustus knew of the fact that he had the abilities that he needed. They need each other. And from this, a thought came to Rex. So instead of cowering, Rex had steeled his resolve.

Augustus was right about one thing.

Earlier, he spoke of the one reason why he came to him asking for help and so he knew what he had to do. He was even prepared to serve him for a lifetime if it means that his brother would live longer than he is.

That decision hasn’t changed until now.

“I accept. I will give you all the secrets you can get but in return, I need the money.”

“Heh. And here I thought you would cower from the thought that you are messing with me. But your eyes told me otherwise. Very well, what do I get in return as compensation?”

“Me. I will serve you until I repay the debt.”

At those words, the smile on Augustus’s lips vanished and was replaced with a serious expression partnered with a stern silence. Even behind the mask, the cold seriousness of his behavior was enough to make the two bodyguards tense in fear.

“You?” Augustus spoke after a pause. “And what do I need of you? I can get as many people better than you for a much cheaper salary. What do you take me for? I’m not a fool as to not know my quality.”

Even though it was hidden, Rex felt Augustus’s eyes narrowing on him. He was shocked. He never thought that his plan would fail. There was no backup plan. As soon as this thought entered his consciousness, a sudden realization came into him.

How could I forget, I’m not in my best condition to propose such thing. What a fool I am!

He scolded himself over and over, regretting the fact that he was trapped within his idea. But then he heard the man spoke. “But there is one thing I want from you.”

At that, Rex raised his head and saw the same cold and sinister smile.

“What?”

“Your brother.”

Now it came to the point where there really is no backing down. He had misjudged Augustus’s personality. It was a mistake to think that he would play fair. He is an underground character. He can always come out a clean man on every crime he commits. Resources, information, contacts, money, power, he had it all in his disposal. To try and trick him into playing your hand would require not only the same things he had but with wiser, more daring and clever moves and words.

He will never play your card, he has his own game and Rex had just stepped inside this domain.

“To save your brother’s life, you need the money. But I can’t just give it to you without compensation. So in order for you to really do what is required of you, I will have to hold something dear from you. In this case, I will hold your brother’s life. In return of me saving your brother, he will belong to me and in order for you to buy him back…” This time Augustus pointed a finger at him. “Bring me five H-class secrets.”

“H-Class?! And five of them?!” Rex couldn’t believe his eyes. He was not ignorant of the rankings and classes in Terroa.

Secrets or in other words the special quests, items, weapons, characters, pets, places, mission, information, job, builds, skills, materials, organizations, creatures, monsters, designs, even MODs, and Historical Information was all classified as the game’s important secrets. According to their difficulty, they are divided into classes and ranks.

Anything that has something to do with fighting, either it’s a mission, a quest or the enemy itself, it has rankings on their own. The lowest is E-rank while the highest recorded is S-rank.

But on everything else, grade (quality) is classified from Class-5, the lowest, and Class-1 the most extinct.

But there are letter classes as well that was considered legends and special rare cases. Like for example, the legend of Excalibur. It was an H-class rarity item that was just recently exposed as almost impossible to get.

A certain group of adventurers had discovered a book from a mission they went through and there, they read of a location where one of the Terrans’ legendary weapons, the Excalibur, was hidden to protect it from the greedy Terrans of ancient times. But when they discovered the place, these adventurers immediately gave up.

Usually, high ranking monsters do not group together but in Terroa, there are some special cases when an alien is present amongst the group of monsters. These aliens can control them and improve their stats versus the humans.

Sometimes, for every 100 monsters, there are 10 aliens associated with them. These aliens then act like their leader and organize them into unique battle formations against the humans. In a hunting team, once they encounter such rare feat, they could either decide to flee or fight on. But usually they always flee since once you die in the game, you are gone. That is to show just how much dangerous aliens are.

But then there are rare circumstances that humans win over these groups and their rewards are always handsome.

With these facts, Augustus, asking for five H-class rarity secrets was a real shock to Rex. It was impossible to do with a group comprised of noobs, most especially if Augustus wants him to get it alone. Rex was in a tight spot his composure had long since been gone. In front of him, he only saw darkness.

“I can’t accept no for an answer so I will give you a discount. Inside Terroa, a full day here lasts three times there. And so, in three months’ time, that’s nine months inside the game, I want to have my first H-class secret. This would serve as a test for you so the discount would be from either three B-class secrets, two A-class ones, or one H or S-class secrets. Fair enough?”

Rex was in silence. What kind of discount is that? Even finding B-class ones are as hard as finding a gold needle in a sea full of needles.

He was looking at his fists on his lap now. Rex was sweating and he felt that his pulse was so high the air conditioning felt like a sauna bath. But for Augustus, this was the expected scenario.

Are you prepared kid?

He waited for Rex to compose his bearing. It was the feat he was looking for in a man if he wants to earn his respect. And for Augustus Laniary, once a person earned his respect, he would handle that person as a friend and give him the necessary treatment that he deserved.

At that point, Rex clenched his fists and slowly raised his head. And even with the masks on, Rex Kingsley’s eyes pierced through him like a sharp blade.

Resolve.

This is what it was. This heavy feeling was the weight of his resolve. It was this one trait of real men when backed into a corner that they become the most dangerous sword in the world. It was people like Rex that Augustus wanted to meet. And so his smile and his happiness couldn’t be more colorful than this.

“Save my brother.” Rex’s voice came solid yet still layered with the pain of his still healing wound. “I will comply to your demands. I will bring you your secrets but in turn, make sure that you keep your word.”

Augustus knew that if there were more words after the last one, those would be in the form of threat. But still, it was one trait of this kid that he liked. He knew where to stop his tongue and knew where it should be placed.

And so, he waved a hand towards Rude and he picked up a bag with three packages inside.

“I knew you would be the right person for this job so I went ahead and bought you gifts. Consider it my investment for our partnership.”

Rex took it and guessed what was inside. Then he stood up, telling Augustus, “We’ve done what we came here for. Bring me back to the hospital.”

“No can do.” Augustus lent an open palm on the other body guard. “I want to tell you that as part of the deal, you will have to live outside the hospital.”

“What?! Where to…exactly?”

“In an apartment…” He smiled. “…owned by me.”

***

“Who is that man behind Augustus?”

“I will find out, madam.”

When their curtain closed, Rafa Millet waved a hand on Augustus’s balcony. Her bright blue gown shined in the dim light of the place and her mask and the outline of her lustful body gave the impression of a very powerful miss.

The man on her right side bowed and stepped back, vanishing on the dark corner of the balcony room.

She stared down on the crowd and then turned her gaze back to the only balcony with a closed curtain. Her face hidden in her feminine mask bade a smile and the man on her left side leaned closer.

“Tasha.”

“Yes madam?”

“Make sure that you give me the latest news inside the game. I get the feeling that he‘s cooking something hot again.”

“Yes madam.”

Right that instant, the man who went out earlier came back and he was holding a holographic panel on his right hand.

“So?”

“His name is Rex, Madam, and for some mysterious reason, his ID is tagged with TOP-1 Security Tag from the database. Aside from his name, I‘m afraid we cannot dig in more information about him.”

Hearing the words made Rafa sit on the couch with a deep thought. She crossed her arm and the pipe on her left hand let a smoke that was both a scent and a unique attraction. Her cleavage formed a nice curve and she put the pipe on the table up front.

“Rex…hmmm…and he‘s a TOP-1 Security Tag? Uhmm…what a very nice toy he got there. I can‘t help but want him to myself. Ooohhh…”

Her moans echoed throughout the balcony but the two guards behind her remained stiff and stern.

The sound even reached the balconies on their sides and the people there can’t help but imagine just what kind of imagination she was having at this time. After all, reputations are also one of their identities inside this big organization. Hers is as obvious as the way she dressed.

***

Loni did not mind the sight she was seeing and only glanced slightly on the swaying blue dressed woman on their balcony’s left side.

The curve build of the stadium hall made it possible that all of the people in the balcony levels can see each other, and even hear them, if their voices are too loud. There were about 50 meters between Rafa and their balcony but from this distance, her moans came as temptation to the men on both sides of her space.

Rafa’s reputation added charms to her. The lustful beauty and brains of the West was as daring and bold as what the rumors say.

“It is your first time meeting her, right?” Said the old man in front of her.

“Granfather, is this organization really like this?”

“It never gets old.” The old man chuckled. “The one she followed also has the same attitude as her on her prime and I get the feeling that it‘s becoming a tradition in this family.”

“I do not consider them as such. Why do you keep on saying that?”

Not minding her reaction, Loni’s grandfather just continued to stare at the crowd and the talks going on in the jobs they gave out.

At that moment, a holographic panel emerged on Loni’s front and the sound of it popping up made the old man lean back.

“Something happened?”

“Some people tried to hack into the database.”

“Ah…” The old man’s face turned to a sweet smile and he chuckled again. “Curiosity. Same as always.”

“Should I punish them?”

“Tsk. Leave them be. They‘re not worth your time. But, feed my curiosity, how many attempts and who was it that hacked the database?”

“Well…” Loni’s reaction somehow distorted the moment she read about the content of the report. “This is odd. Everyone in the balcony all searched for the same person.”

“Hmm?” The old man raised a brow.

“They all tried to learn the identity of that injured man in Augustus’s balcony.”

“Ahahahahaha…” The old man’s laugh was as big as a hyena. “I knew this would happen. That guy, he really knows how to start a forest fire.”

Loni couldn’t get what he was talking about but she knew that her grandfather was talking about Augustus Laniary, the man who does what he wants and plays with everything as if it was a game.

This organization is filled with these kinds of shady people. She learned of their greed and their not so good attitudes just recently and so couldn‘t help but to feel the way she is feeling right now. Irritated. These people are all playing the game that Augustus had set up.

Augustus Laniary, rumors of his dark activities and businesses were spread wide throughout the world.

They were invited in this country to witness the play that he had set up. A daring and very dangerous play, if Loni had to describe it. It’s an utterly cold hearted set up and she don‘t like it. Using money as the catch to create a chaos inside a peaceful world. Just what would he gain from this, she doesn’t know.

I don’t understand.

And yet, she can’t fully get angry at him.

Because she herself was a player of this world that Augustus was trying to stir. She knew that with the players’ current attitude, moving forward in the game is going to be as hard and as long as her age. By that time, a more easier to play game and more gentler system will be created.

But with this plan, by using the greed and the inner competition between these people, the life inside the game would improve by a few notch. Places that no one else braved, missions that people avoided, weapons that no one had ever seen before, ideas and inventions in a whole new level and scale, all sorts of possibilities are in the verge of opening up with this plan.

There are millions of players in Terroa and honestly speaking, if his plan’s purpose is to stir imagination and chaos in the conservative game play of Terroa’s users, then from the very core of her heart, she knew it would succeed.

It would add life to the game.

But then, deep inside her consciousness, hidden was the thought of going against the flow of this game.

She thought, “I have to save these people.”

“Hm?” The old man leaned back to her. “Did you say something?”

“It was nothing, grandfather.”

“Hmm…” The old man rubbed his chin and kept on looking at the crowd.

At that, Loni glanced over the closed curtains of the balcony on their right side. Then she checked the info of the man the others had tried to know. After she had pressed the picture of the person to see his profile, a warning sound came into her vision.

“What the…?!”

“Ahahahaha…you lose, Loni.”

“Grandfather!”

“Only I can give the permission to let them know of his identity. Not even you, my dear child, have the right yet. But I will give you a hint. Based on my knowledge, if that man enters that world, then for sure, the volcano will erupt. No doubt about it.”

Riddles. Her grandfather had a knack of giving her riddles. Ever since she was young, the mysterious man who supported her from the shadows of society had been giving her these kinds of tests. Every time her mother is in need, without any sort of warning, a letter would always come to her, addressed for her mother and always accompanied by riddles.

And even now…

“Who is he? Why Terroa? Why here?”

“Ahahaha…Loni, to find the answer you just have to log on inside the game. Ahahaha…”

Loni could only stare at Rex’s face as she felt defeat crawling up her sleeves. Only the name and his masked face was available. And aside from Augustus, nobody else know of who he was.