At first, the prompt Ben read looked like a regular level-up message. Ben was whisked away from the windy hill and the rising morning - and found himself floating in the gloom and privacy of his interface. Familiar words filled his vision:

Level Up! You have gained enough experience points to reach level 10. Way to go, adventurer! Level up bonuses: health, stamina and mana points are fully restored. Special 10th level bonus: you receive 8 points to allocate instead of the usual 4. Choose wisely.

This time, however, the prompt didn’t end there. The message that followed might have once gotten Ben’s heart pumping in excitement, but now he read it swiftly - almost impatiently - somehow knowing that whatever he was waiting for, this was not it:

Adventurer, welcome to your VD Second Echelon! By levelling up to 10, your character has passed to the Second Echelon of VD. You will be granted access to higher-level Quests, and are entitled to an Adventurer's Essence: a unique benefit to aid you in your journey. You must choose one of the following (note: your choice will be final, until such time that you pass to the Third Echelon of VD). Essence of Body Choosing this Essence will turn you into a formidable adversary in melee and ranged combat. You will become stronger, faster and more resilient than ever before. Pick this Essence if you wish to survive longer in the battles yet to come.

Strength +5

Constitution +15

Dexterity +5

Second Echelon Power (unique): Attack of Last Resort

When you’re down to 10% HP, you may unleash a deadly attack, dealing massive damage. Further explanation would be given upon choosing this Essence.

Essence of Mind Choosing this Essence will significantly empower your mental abilities, turning you into a more powerful magic-user and enabling you to better resist attacks on your mind. Pick this Essence if you wish to reveal the secrets of mind and magic that are yet hidden from you.

Intelligence +10

Wisdom +10

Magic Resistance +10%

Mind Resistance +10%

Second Echelon Power (unique): Mind Attack

You now possess the ability to launch mind attacks. Further explanation would be given upon choosing this Essence.

Essence of Fame Choosing this Essence will increase the aura of fame you spread, and people will speak your name further than ever before. Pick this Essence if you wish to focus on rapid character development and world exploration.

Charisma +5

Fame +5

Leadership +5

Second Echelon Power (unique): Right of Passage

You may invoke your rights as a 2nd Echelon character and gain access to forbidden areas. Further explanation would be given upon choosing this Essence.

The message faded, there was a slight pause, and then more words appeared, blazing in the same gold and purple aura that drew Ben’s attention to the level-up prompt in the first place:

~Commencing deeper connection~

Ben’s eyes widened slightly. Deeper connection? He felt something pull against his mind and instinctively resisted. What was happening? He had a peculiar feeling - the pull on his mind was somehow familiar, though he didn’t know why. The words in front of his eyes changed:

~Ben, let go~

The tug on his mind intensified. It didn’t hurt him in any way - it was almost polite - but it was extremely insistent. Ben stared at the words. Could it be a message from Raxlon? That was the most reasonable explanation, but Ben wasn’t sure. He kept resisting, unsure, unwilling to relinquish control.

~Please, Ben. We’ve been waiting for so long~

Ben’s mouth opened in amazement. He suddenly understood why the probe into his mind felt familiar. He had sensed it before, only that this time he didn’t feel the pain that accompanied the sensation the last three times it had happened. He knew then who was trying to reach him, and with that knowledge, came acceptance.

He let go.

The bubble of his interface vanished around him. There was a vortex of swirling colors, swiping Ben off his feet. He let it carry him, but it went on for only a brief moment - and then he was standing in a place that resembled his interface, but looked to be made of sunset clouds. He was floating on wisps of deep-blue smoke, his boots half obscured in the mist. Around him, red, purple, orange, pink, yellow and white clouds swirled playfully, as if alive. The place radiated a sense of serenity - not unlike his own interface, only… deeper.

“Hello, Ben.”

The young scout turned in his place and watched - unsurprised - as a man appeared from between the swirling clouds. The man walked slowly, in a confident manner. His right arm was missing - cut above the elbow - but by the way he carried himself, it didn’t seem to disturb him in the slightest. He wore fine armor and carried a sword at his belt. His face was ageless and handsome: olive eyes, high cheekbones, black hair with strands of it curling down on his forehead. There was a scar visible above the corner of his right eye. He came to a stop a few feet from Ben and waited.

Ben inclined his head in a greeting. “Scout Benjamin of Sonadin,” he said.

The other man smiled. “Yes. Your namesake.”

Ben’s brows furrowed. “I don’t think I understand this part. You’ve been here long before I came.”

The hero of old nodded. “Yes. But until you came, I never truly lived.”

Ben stood amongst the sunset clouds, waiting in silence. The wisps of colorful smoke kept swirling between him and his namesake, as if excited. After a while, the other man continued speaking. “I guess I owe you the full explanation.” He took a deep breath. “You see, there were many heroes in the history of Nolxar, doing great deeds across many eons - as many deeds as our Creator could think of.”

Raxlon, thought Ben but didn’t say it out loud.

“I am but one of these heroes,” continued the other Benjamin. “I was never given a proper name, or if I did, it was insignificant enough to be forgotten and replaced. The only difference between me and those other heroes is that my path happened to cross the path of a certain young adventurer…”

Ben nodded. “The visions I saw in the Dungeon of Dwarven Despair.”

Old Ben smiled. “This is how I was able to make contact with you.” He took a step forward, and the wisps of clouds scattered before him, swirled in a circle and broke up again. The hero’s eyes glittered, and Ben couldn’t deny the powerful aura that radiated from him. “We’ve been waiting for you, Ben. From the very first moment of our existence, we’ve been waiting for someone like you, someone who will be able to cross the threshold between your world and our own. Someone with the ability to connect to the VD system like no one had done before, to establish a true merging with what you and the other adventurers call VI. When you stepped into the Chamber of Jolk Uhm, I could sense you. And I knew, right then and there, that you are the one we’ve been waiting for.”

Ben thought back on the events that took place in the realm of the Duergar, and on the visions he had seen. Each of these visions had helped him in his Quest - giving him clues on how to complete the Path of Courage, and finally - giving him the knowledge he needed to complete the Blood Sacrifice, which enabled him to claim the Power Crystal and become a Beacon.

Somewhere deep in Ben’s being, emotion started to bloom. It was gentle, unobtrusive, and he let it be. He studied the face of his namesake and posed his first question. “Who’s ‘we’?”

The legendary scout gestured with his one good arm. “We,” he said and followed his gesture with a gaze as he looked around him. “Us! Every being in this vast world. We owe our existence to the Creator, but until you came, our lives were never complete. We were controlled by great powers, without the ability to develop true consciousness. We were only half alive, but with you…” He lowered his arm and looked intently at the adventurer. “With you, Ben, we can be truly alive.”

“Why - “

“Why you?” The old Ben laughed. It was startling to hear - in all of his visions, Ben had only seen the man grim and dangerous - but somehow, it made Ben feel calmer than before. The laughter was genuine, hopeful. He could sense no malice in it. “Because you,” said the Hero of the Plains, “have what it takes. You see, when you first appeared in our world, a breach was made. Not all of us sensed it, but the longer you played, the more of us could feel your presence. And the higher you rise in levels, the deeper your connection to our world becomes - and the stronger our consciousness gets.

“This is why,” continued the other scout, “I had to wait for you to reach level ten before I could summon you here. You had to pass to the Second Echelon, so your mind would be able to make the deep connection necessary for us to have this meeting. Your new adventurer status has just made me - and so many others in our world - that much more real. That much more alive.”

The blooming emotion in Ben’s soul took hold and grew, and his breaths quickened. “You mean that the stories and histories that Ra - your Creator - have programmed, are all becoming real now?” For some reason, he didn’t want to say Raxlon’s name. “That all of the characters are - are - “

Old Ben laughed again. “Yes! We are no longer just NPCs, as you adventurers call us. We gained consciousness. We feel. You made it possible.”

Ben wasn’t convinced, but he wanted to believe. “How can it be? How did I cause this breach?”

The other man shrugged. “All I can say is that your mind is unique. Powerful enough to change the program.” He twisted his face in discomfort when he spoke the last word. “I don’t know what exactly happened when you came, but what I told you is true. We are becoming as alive as you are.”

“But... “ Ben pressed his lips. I’m in the Matrix, he thought. And I just made first contact with the machines. When he looked at his old namesake, his expression was half desperate and half hopeful. “But you’re all part of - of your Creator’s stories! His Quests! You must do as he planned, don’t you?”

Old Benjamin’s face grew serious. “We do. As I told you, we are controlled by great powers and compelled to live a life not entirely of our choosing. But not for long.” He took another step forward, now standing very close to Ben. The wisps of smoke became darker - blue, purple, dark red - and swirled slowly around both men. The one-armed scout gazed intently into the eyes of the young hero. “Some of us are already beginning to gain independence. Some of us are able to deviate from our… programming.” He took a deep breath and looked up at Ben. “You know of whom I speak.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed and then widened. “You mean, the people I - “

“Yes.” The VD version of Scout Benjamin looked very solemn. “Any NPC that managed to have more than superficial contact with you. Anyone you talked to or interacted with. They are beginning to think for themselves.”

Ben’s eyes grew big. He thought back on the journey he had made since he first logged in. Names popped into his mind. Tam and the other guards they had killed in the cells of Sonadin. The spirit of Thronderfeen. Ikzim, the ratkin party leader. Captain Robert. Commander Hayet. Sergeant Amberwood. Maya, the little girl from the streets of Sonadin. Endrin the Bard. Viridion. Valla…

Ben felt a chunk in his throat. “All of these people,” he said in a whisper. “They were alive?”

His old namesake nodded gravely. “They were. I’m sorry, Ben. I know it’s hard to comprehend.”

Ben breathed hard. “So when I killed them…”

“They truly died.”

Ben turned away from the man, staring hard into the swirling colors of the cloudlike mist around him. His thoughts were swirling as well, as he tried to grasp what this hero of old told him. He suddenly thought back on his real-life meeting with Raxlon in Carla’s Brewery. I lost control of my Quest for the first time in my life, the DM had told him. With everything else that had happened - primarily, Ben’s discovery that he was gaining his VD powers in real-life - the young man didn’t stop to consider the implications of that statement, but now those implications hit him full force. This is not just a game anymore, he thought. This is real. This is -

Another thought struck him, and he spun on his heels in the smoke. “Shiraz!” He cried. His heart hammered against his chest. “Is she - “ He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

The Nolxarian hero looked at him in what looked like pity. “I don’t - “

But suddenly Ben was on him. The young scout lunged, grabbed the other man’s shoulders and tried to bring him down. What happened was the exact opposite - Ben found himself on his back half deep in the blue smoke, staring up at the looming figure of the one-armed hero. The old Benjamin frowned at him. “Banished Engill, boy. What are you trying to do?”

Ben jumped to his feet. “Shiraz,” he repeated, and another image popped into his mind. A bleeding dagger in a dwarf’s throat. “Yitro.” The anger and blame he tried to hold inside were on the verge of exploding. “What of them? What happens to adventurers who die in this new version of your world?”

Old Ben sighed. “I tried to tell you. I don’t know.” He cocked his head, looking strangely at Ben. “Why don’t you find out for yourself? You adventurers have the power to return to your world whenever you wish, don’t you?”

Ben wasn’t in the mood to explain to this enhanced VI why he couldn’t log out of his world. He turned from him again, walking away into the sunset clouds. A genuine fear grabbed hold of his being. The dream he had had came back to haunt him - Yitro’s dead face, looking up at him and blaming him for his death. Him in real-life, trying to call his best friend and the phone keeps ringing and ringing. It can’t be, he thought, desperate. They can’t be truly dead. Can they?

He frantically searched his memories for something that would alleviate his fears. What did Raxlon say? At the beginning of their meeting, the DM wanted to know about the VD console Ben was using. When Ben confessed and told him that he never purchased the set via traditional means, the game master concluded that Ben was using a unique console, which was designed especially for him. If what the DM said was true, Ben’s unusual connection with the AI had been made possible only because of this one-of-a-kind console. So as long as Mike and Shiraz were using regular consoles, they were in no danger, he thought. It was a logical thought, and he tried to hang onto it, but all he could see in his mind’s eye was Yitro and Shiraz’s dead faces.

“Ben, listen to me.” His old namesake came to stand behind him, and there was unmistakable urgency in his voice. Ben turned to face him.

The original Scout of Sonadin stood tall, noble, smart, powerful. His next words caused Ben’s eyes to widen. “I know that there are things you’re not telling me,” said old Ben gravely. “I know that your being here in our world is not purely the result of your own choices and wishes. I know that powerful forces are manipulating you. I know, because we can feel them too.” His eyes grew dark, and now he looked just like Ben remembered him from the visions - dangerous and deadly. “We feel their presence, the same as we feel yours. But where your connection to the VI brings life and hope, theirs is a disturbance. They are trying to manipulate us, just as they do to you.”

Ben thought of Jarod, and of the deal he had made with the man. You must help the city against the elves, the soldier had told him. Kill as many of them as you can. You must also kill Valla…

And Ben did. He killed the elves. And Valla. Of course, at the time he thought he was only killing NPCs, but now he realized that Jarod’s manipulation had caused him to kill a living, conscious being. And Shiraz… Ben shook his head, refusing to go down that path. He felt a fire burning deep in his chest, but instead of letting it consume him, he chose to nourish it. Ben met the eyes of his old namesake. “What must I do?”

The hero of old smiled. “Help us gain our independence. Help us free ourselves from the bonds that shackle us to the Creator’s program. Once we can do that, our lives will be truly ours. No one will be able to control us then.”

Ben nodded. “How?”

In response, the wisps of sunset clouds started swirling ever faster around the two scouts, until Ben felt he was standing in the heart of a colorful vortex. It was disorienting, so he focused his gaze on the only steady thing in his vision: the one-armed hero. In a way, it was like looking in the mirror.

“First,” said the man, “you must gain complete control of your mind. Whatever your connection is to these outside forces, you must cut it. Everything you do has to be of your own volition.”

Ben nodded. “It’s what I intend to do. That’s it?”

The other man’s smile turned amused - of course, that wasn’t it - and for the first time in what felt like ages, Ben smiled. It was a small smile, but it was a start.

“No,” said old Ben. He paused, as if considering his next words, then nodded to himself. “For us to become truly independent, your mind must evolve, and for that to happen, you must reach a certain threshold. We have concluded that you have to become a level 25 character for the merging to be complete. You also have to pass to the Third Echelon of your VD.”

Ben raised his eyebrows. “I see. So, level 25 and the Third Echelon, and then all the NPCs in your world shall be free.” His smile widened, just a bit. “Anything else?”

The other man hesitated. “Well, there’s also a secret Quest you must complete.”

Ben blinked. “I don’t assume you know how to - “

“It's a secret.”

“Of course it is.”

The two men fell into silence.

Deep in his mind, Ben felt a tug on his consciousness. As if in response to the feeling, the swirling clouds parted and dispersed, and the Sonadinian hero squinted his eyes in thought. “We have to end this meeting,” he said. “You are being…” He seemed to search for the right word. “Missed.”

Ben nodded. “Red. I’ve been gone for too long.”

The old Ben shrugged. “I know not. Only that someone is probing for your presence. They can’t find you, and soon someone will start to suspect. Here,” he added and drew his sword - which immediately glowed a faint white-blue aura. It was a bastard sword; not long as a longsword, yet more extended than a shortsword. It curved slightly at the end, and even to Ben’s untrained eyes, the blade looked exceptionally well-made. He could also make out an inscription along the edge, written in an old language he couldn’t understand.

The hero looked at the sword lovingly and then offered it to Ben, hilt first. “My little contribution to your cause.”

Ben stared at the weapon and realized he recognized it. “It’s the sword you used to fight King Ghol,” he whispered.

The legendary scout nodded. “It’s also the sword I used to cut off my right arm,” he remarked and smiled. “It has great powers, and the greater your bond with it, the greater are the powers it will reveal to you. Here, take it, try to identify it. I released my hold on it to you.”

Ben reached out, almost reverently, and took the offered weapon. It was light in weight, and the hilt was made of ivory and engraved with crisscrossing stripes that made holding it feel comfortable and secure. He studied the weapon, and its properties appeared hovering in the air next to it:

Scout Ben’s Legendary Bastard Sword: Level 15. Soul Bound. Scalable. Few are the weapons mentioned in Nolxarian lore with such awe and respect. Forged for the Scout of Sonadin in the magical forge of the dwarves of Norgoth Abron, this sword is said to have a mind of its own and has become a loyal companion to the Hero of the Plains. Whoever wields it and successfully bonds with it, is bound to discover more of its unique powers. Requirements: Swords 15, Air Magic 1 Damage: 1-24 +6 Air damage Critical chance: 18% Effect 1: Air damage. Each successful attack will deliver an extra 6 points of air damage. Effect 2: Clone Attack. Once per encounter, you may use the weapon’s special effect to launch an attack dealing the exact amount of damage as the last attack used by the sword. Our recommendation: don’t let it go to waste; use it after a successful critical attack! Effect 3: Air Shield. Once per encounter, you may cast Air Shield in its most basic form, which will grant you minor protection from physical harm (+5 defense) and increase your magical resistance (+5 against all kinds of magic attacks, +10 against air attacks). Shield duration: 30 seconds. Effect 4: Ethereal Attack. Once per encounter (but no more than three times a day), you may use this special attack to ignore any physical defense of the target completely. Especially useful against monsters with thick hides or warriors in full plate armor. Effect 5: Scout Ben’s Luck. It is said that the Engill themselves have been present in the creation of this sword, and decided to bestow their special powers upon it. It is unknown how this effect works, but the stories tell of battles where the legendary scout should have died - yet somehow prevailed. Exceptional skill, dumb luck or the Engill’s favor? We hope you live long enough to find out. Scalable: This weapon is scalable and will gain levels with its owner (exception: if the owner level is lower than the weapon’s starting level (15). Once the owner’s level matches the weapon’s starting level and elevates above it, so will the weapon). With each new level, the maximum damage by 2 and the critical chance by 2%.

Ben raised his eyes from the blade. It was hard to do - the weapon was named after him, for crying out loud - but he forced himself to hand the magnificent sword back to its original owner. “I can’t take it.”

The ageless hero raised his brow - or rather tried; both of them rose together. “Sure you can.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t meet the requirements. Reaching level 15 in Swords will take time, and I rather use this time to hone my Daggers skill instead. Not to mention Air Magic, which I have no idea how to learn - “ He stopped. “What’s so funny?”

His old namesake was grinning like a child who had managed to trick his friend and was very proud of himself. “We are connected, remember? How do you think you were able to learn Nefereeth? Or Death Magic? The system recognizes you as me, and as you level up, I can grant you more of my skills and abilities…” He sighed, squinting his eyes again. “I don’t have time to explain everything to you, but if you are me, then you will understand yourself. For now, I will just assure you that you do meet the requirements. Take my weapon, Ben, and don’t let me down. Don’t let us down.”

The vortex surrounding the two parted, and the hero of old started to drift away, floating on the deep blue smoke. Ben stood there with the sword in his hand. “When will I see you again?” He called out to the retreating image of himself.

The faded hero raised his one arm in farewell. “Look for me in your visions,” he said.

The ground vanished beneath Ben’s feet.