An angel in a white dress was crouching next to him, and cool liquid streamed down his throat. Ben’s eyelids fluttered, and he sighed in relief as the worst of his pain ebbed away. “Milenna…” he whispered. He tried to rise, but his body was too weak.

“Hush, fearless leader.” Milenna put a delicate hand on his chest. She didn’t have to apply much pressure; Ben was too weak to resist and didn’t really want to anyway. “I brewed this potion myself,” said the sorceress. Her melodic voice was close to a whisper. Her deep purple eyes were pools of emotion, and her smooth raven hair brushed his bruised face as she knelt over him. “It will restore you completely, but it takes a full minute for it to work.”

Her hand was still on his chest, and Ben found he had enough strength to raise his arm and take her smaller hand in his. She let him do that and kept watching him with those too-beautiful-to-be-true eyes. Ben swallowed. He wasn’t sure he deserved what he thought he recognized in her eyes, but he also wasn’t as naive as before; nothing was as it seemed, and Milenna coming at the last second to save his life was perhaps not as straightforward as it looked.

“Why -” He began, but Milenna shook her head. “Lie back and rest, Ben,” she said. She pulled her hand from his and began to rise. “I think you would want to hear this.”

Ben furrowed his eyebrows. “Hear what?” He asked - but quieted when he heard heavy footsteps coming from behind Milenna. Red.

“How is he?” The warrior’s booming voice - so different from Milenna’s soft words - echoed around the chamber as he approached. “He’s not dead, is he? I don’t think he managed to touch the waystone -”

Milenna turned around to face the big man, and for an instant, she blocked Ben from his view. “He’s fine,” she said stiffly. “I gave him one of my full restoration potions. He’s still unconscious, but he’s recovering.”

Still unconscious? Ben quickly closed his eyes - and not a second too soon, as a moment after he heard Red grunting in acknowledgment. “Lucky bastard,” said the mercenary. “I can’t believe he only died once since he joined the game.”

Ben heard the sound of a sword being placed in a scabbard, followed by what sounded like a vial being uncorked. A moment later, Red sighed in relief. “Fucking ghosts,” he said, and by the sound of it, Ben guessed he was wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “I always hated fighting ghosts.” A pause. “They would have killed me, you know. You came just in the nick of time.” There was a note of sarcasm in that last comment.

Milenna’s voice was cold when she answered him. “I came when I could,” she said simply. “I had to log out - unlike some of us - and there were... things... I had to check.”

Red produced a sound that resembled a growl. “Things?”

Ben heard him taking a few steps and risked opening his eyes a slit. The warrior had his hand on the hilt of his sword and was standing very close to Milenna. The sorceress, for her part, seemed unperturbed by the threatening intonation in the warrior’s voice. Instead, she raised her chin and glared at the bigger man, unflinching.

“Things,” agreed the sorceress. “One of them was to visit your… ranch.” She lengthened the last word, adding to it a contemptuous flavor. “You wouldn’t believe what I discovered when I came there. Or would you?”

Ben couldn’t see Red’s face - his back was to him - but he saw the big man’s neck muscles grow rigid. Red’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. “I don’t know what you think you saw, but I can assure you -”

“I know what I saw,” snapped Milenna. “And you better take your hand away from that sword. I learned a new spell recently. I’m not particularly strong with Fire Magic, but I’m pretty sure this one will burn the skin off your bones, and it’s activated by proximity.”

Red glared at her for another long moment before he snorted and took a step back. His hand, noticed Ben, did leave the hilt of his weapon. The warrior turned his head, and Ben quickly shut his eyes again, pretending he was still out cold.

He heard Red sigh. “Whatever you believe you found out, you must know that things are not as they seem,” said the mercenary. Some of the anger left his voice, but it was still far from the cranky-but-friendly tone of voice Ben grew accustomed to. “I stayed here to protect Ben, and there was… a price I had to pay for that.” He paused, and now Ben detected bitterness in his voice. “And where were you? We barely survived the battle with the elves in the city, not to mention our trek through the forest -”

“Oh, I know everything about your battle with the elves,” said Milenna. Now it was her turn to sound angry. “Killing forest elves! By the score! You know what it means in VD, yet you let him make all the wrong decisions - and unless I’m mistaken - and I’m not - you enjoyed every moment of it.” A pause, followed by hard breathing. “You see, I learned some things about you, Red Mercenary.” That contemptuous tone again. “Playing the evil character was always one of your kinks, wasn’t it? It only fits what I managed to gather about you -”

“Oh, really?” Red’s voice rose to meet Milenna’s outburst. “So you found out I played some evil D&D characters in the past. Big fucking deal. We don’t have to be saints in this game, Milenna. You know it as well as anyone. That’s why it’s a game. At least I stayed loyal to Ben while you poked your delicate nose in things you have no business looking into. Where were you, eh? Tell me that, sorceress. How come you let me protect him alone? You must have understood - just like I have - how important he is. Yet you chose to disappear for days -”

“Loyal to Ben?” Milenna sounded incredulous. “That’s a fine heap of bullshit, Charlie.” She spat, and Ben was glad his eyes were closed; the image of the beautiful woman spitting in disgust was not something he wished to remember. “You are here because of many reasons, but protecting Ben isn’t one of them. At least not like I think of protection. I know something about the people you work with, and I know they’re watching everything you do. You report to them, don’t you? That’s why I didn’t come earlier, if you must know; so they wouldn’t know I’m still interested in this Quest -”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Milenna.” Red sounded half amazed and half exasperated. Ben opened a narrow slit of an eye again and saw the warrior raising both hands in exclamation. “I thought you were smarter than that.” He barked a burst of incredulous laughter. “Jeez! That’s a grand conspiracy theory if I ever heard one.” He placed both hands behind his neck as if straining to find some logic in it all, then lowered them and let out a long breath. “Let’s say you’re right: I’m being watched. Why come now, then? Why reveal yourself to them?”

Milenna was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke again, most of the anger was gone, replaced by something else. A kind of… awe? “I don’t think these watchers can see me here,” she said quietly. She turned her head and looked directly at Ben. “This place. This temple. It’s protected somehow, both from within and without. I think… I think the Engill protect it still. Isn’t that so, Ben?”

Red, too, turned to look at him, and Ben had no choice now. The scout fully opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his sword that he had dropped to the floor at the end of the battle. All his injuries were gone; he was completely healed and felt as strong as ever. The Beacon took a deep breath and looked from Milenna to Red and back to Milenna. “The Engill always protected this place,” he said. “Only now…” He raised his head, looking at the ceiling - and, perhaps, at the ones who were trying to look at him beyond the veil and found out that their way was blocked. “Only now, their protection exceeds the one world they once knew. You’re right, Milenna. We’re all protected here. There’s no one to guide us or pull our strings. We’re on our own.”

He lowered his head and was met with an understanding look from Milenna - and an open-mouthed dumbfoundedness from Red. “Holy crap, Ben,” said the black-skinned man. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

Ben met the warrior’s gaze and frowned. Red was trying his best to act surprised, but Ben’s Wisdom score was too high compared to the mercenary’s poor Bluff skill. The warrior wasn’t as good an actor as he thought he was, and it was evident to the scout that there were many things the mercenary was holding back. He didn’t answer Red - turning away from him was answer enough - and instead faced Milenna. “Do you know…” He pressed his lips, swallowed, and tried again. “Do you know what happened to Shiraz?” He meant the shadow mage’s player, of course, not the VD character, but Milenna understood.

A pained look crossed the beautiful sorceress’s face. “I tried to find her,” she said quietly. “But she… disappeared.”

Ben felt something catch in his throat. Disappeared? An image of the red-haired shadow mage, lying limply in his arms, the rain falling freely on her wide-open and dead eyes, flashed in his mind. “What do you mean?” He asked. His voice cracked, but he didn’t care. “You can’t mean... she couldn’t -” He couldn’t bring himself to voice his fears. So instead, he asked: “Are you sure? Do you even know who she is? In real-life?”

Milenna looked sad when she looked at him. She nodded. “I had to use all of my connections to find out her player’s identity - she hid it well - but when I finally got to her house, she was gone.” Her eyes grew troubled. “The police was there, Ben. I saw the cops speaking with her parents. I came close enough to hear some of what they said - there was shouting, her mother was sick with worry - but I don’t think anyone knows where she is. I…” She pressed her lips, looking frustrated. “I heard the word ‘kidnapped,’ spoken by one of the cops, but I had to go before anyone asked me why I was sniffing around, so I don’t know anything else. I’m sorry, Ben.”

Ben’s head spun, and he had to close his eyes momentarily. There was so much he wanted to know - who Shiraz was in real-life, for one - but he knew that everything he’d ask might reveal things about him to Red and Milenna, things that he didn’t feel safe sharing. Not being able to trust either of them was frustrating, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Besides, if what Milenna just told him was true… Ben shivered, and it wasn’t only from fear. Anger, hot and pure, gradually filled his soul. Kidnapped. He could think of only one group of people who would want to kidnap the player who played Shiraz. And he had a sickening feeling that he also knew why.

When the Beacon opened his eyes, he clenched his right fist tightly around the hilt of his legendary sword, and the look in his eyes caused Milenna to gasp - and Red to grunt and curl his lips. None of them said a word, though, and Ben was thankful for that. He stood there for a few moments until finally, he sheathed his sword and took a deep breath. “We’ll find her once we get out of here,” he said.

Milenna raised her eyebrows. “Why not now? We can log out - no one will know as long we do it from inside the temple, and if you ask me, it’s becoming too dangerous to play this Quest now -”

“No.” Ben’s tone left no room for argument. “We can’t. We have to finish this.”

Milenna tilted her head. “Finish this? You mean, that damn Crystal you’re after? Ben, I still don’t know everything, but from what I managed to learn, claiming this Crystal of Bree is the most dangerous thing you can do. You must not claim it. You can take it, safe-guard it, but don’t claim it, not until -”

“Are you insane?” Red cut her off, and this time he sounded genuinely put out. “Not claim it? After all we’ve been through? You bet he should claim it! With the power from this crystal, he can -”

“Can what?” Milenna turned to face the raging warrior. Her eyes were blazing. “Can what, Red? Why is it so important to you? I’ll tell you why. It’s what they want him to do. The people you work for. Just like they wanted him to kill the elves. If he claims the crystal, he has no chance -”

“You don’t know the half of it, you stupid -”

“Stupid? Don’t cross the line, mercenary. I can make your life look like hell not only here but out there as well. You don’t know me -”

“You are stupid if that’s what you believe, Kiera. I did some investigation of my own, you see, and I know exactly who you are. If you think for a moment -”

Both of them suddenly stopped and turned to look at Ben - who was enveloped by a shimmering aura in the color of clear morning skies. The Leader Aura blazed bright, illuminating their faces and filling both of them - who were still followers of Ben - with a sense of righteousness. It was Ben’s hope that with their morale boosted, and with such a potent reminder of their bond to him, they both would just, well, shut up for a while.

It worked. Both the warrior and the sorceress closed their mouths, though Red’s chest was still heaving, and Milenna’s cheeks had splotches of red in them. Ben slowly walked between them - Milenna raised her hand to him, and Red started to say something - and carried on without looking at either of them.

“Hey!” Red called out, sounding indignant. “What the fuck, man -”

Ben stopped and half-turned to them. “Are you coming or not? I want to check this waystone.”

Milenna and Red exchanged glances. The sorceress raised her delicate eyebrows. “Emm, don’t you want to tell us what you think? About the crystal, I mean, and all the rest -”

“Actually, Milenna, I don’t,” said Ben, and his tone caused the woman to open her mouth in shock. “I think I heard enough, and there’s no use arguing about it now, right? You still believe in me, both of you, or the Leader aura wouldn’t have worked for you. So just come along and try to stay away from each other’s throats. We’ll figure out what to do with the crystal - and all the rest - in due time.” He turned from them and resumed walking toward the waystone. Behind him, he heard Red snorting and Milenna whispering something under her breath, but he didn’t stop. They would come, he knew. If even half of what he suspected about them was true, they didn’t have any other choice.

The waystone had changed slightly since he last saw it. The pillar was still 18-feet tall and marble-white, but now four small alcoves appeared around its lower part. Ben was reminded of the first waystone he had seen in the Dungeon of Dwarven Despair - that, too, had changed once he touched it, and, just like then, items were resting inside each of the nooks: he saw a simple gold ring, a short sword, a card with a drawing of a fish, and a wooden cube.

Above the alcoves, as expected, was now a golden inscription engraved on the white stone. It was written in Common, and Ben let out a sigh. He had found his riddle.

“It’s… a song,” said Milenna in wonder. The sorceress came to a stop next to him, and her eyes scanned the inscription. “An old Elven song, I think, though written in the human language… and two words are missing.” She pointed at the riddle, and Ben nodded when he saw that indeed, the seventh and eighth lines of the song left room for a final word.

“Another bloody riddle,” said Red gruffly. He also joined them, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the sword in the second alcove. There was nothing special about how it looked, but all VD players knew that waystone items were extremely valuable. The warrior even started reaching for the weapon - and stopped when Ben grabbed the other man’s arm with all the swiftness of his 29 points in Dexterity. The scout felt the warrior’s muscles tense under his grip, but Red didn’t push forward. Instead, he lowered his arm and frowned at Ben. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just... like loot.”

Ben blinked and almost smiled, but he was still too angry at the mercenary, so he just ignored him and turned his attention back to the waystone. “It’s a riddle,” confirmed the scout. “We have to find out what are the missing words, so we’ll know which item we should take. Milenna, can you read it? I think it would help us to hear it spoken out loud.”

Milenna regarded him thoughtfully for a moment and nodded. Then she read, her clear voice reverberating in the vast chamber.

“How do you know if you’re the one?

Ask yourself: can this be done?

Can you find the way through ash and bone?

Can you save the world and join the throne?

Can you choose and tell from right and wrong?

Can you find a rhyme to end this song?

The crystal waits oh mighty...

Just walk the path and choose the…

A word of caution to the wise!

To he who seeks to claim the prize!

The Engill watch so please, choose well!

Or else you doom us all to hell!”

Her voice died, and for a long moment, the three companions stood silently, staring at the riddle and the items. Ben had already figured out what he had to do, but it was Red who spoke first. “I guess it makes sense,” said the warrior slowly, “that the riddle in this chamber would be directed specifically for the one who is destined to fulfill the prophecy.” He looked solemnly at Ben. “The queen let you pass. The nagas let you through. The door of the temple opened for you. The specters gave you the Engill’s warm regards. And now this stone asks you if you know you’re the one. It all revolves around you, Ben. It really does.” There was no bitterness in his voice, now. The mercenary looked grave and thoughtful.

Ben nodded - every word the warrior spoke was true - and turned his attention to Milenna. “And what do you think?” He asked quietly.

The sorceress gave him a small smile. “I think that you have to choose well, else you doom us all to hell,” she said.

Ben raised his eyebrows, and Milenna’s smile grew. “Well, if you insist… there are two parts to this riddle.” She pointed at the seventh line. “First, you have to decide what you are. What kind of mighty… something… are you?”

Ben nodded, and Milenna lowered her finger to point at the eighth line of the song. “Once you know that, you have to find the suitable rhyme - which, clearly enough, will also belong to one of the items we see here.”

Ben nodded again. “Just so,” he agreed. “And if I choose right, the right path will be revealed to us - taking us to one of the five sealed doors that Red had found earlier. Simple.” He didn’t add that the entire temple might come crashing down on their heads if he chose wrong.

“So…” Red put his hand on his mouth, tapping one finger against his lip. “So, all we have to do is think what words rhyme with the words for the items we see here. That should narrow our options some, don’t you think? What?” He added as both Ben and Milenna looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Nothing,” said Milenna. “A bit surprised is all. But yes, you’re right. And I already have an idea…” She looked at Ben, who nodded for her to carry on.

“You’re a scout,” said the sorceress. “That’s the first thing you’ve ever been here. A scout.” She pointed at the card with the fish drawing. “And this fish here, I believe, is a trout. A perfect rhyme.”

Ben smiled. “Indeed,” he said. “It crossed my mind as well, but…” he pointed at the sword. “Some of the ancient stories about the prophecy tell that the one who claims the crystal -” he ignored Milenna’s frown - “must be a lord. So I thought, maybe…” He shrugged. It was a long shot - the trout made much more sense - but he thought it wouldn’t hurt to share his ideas.

The others fell silent, thinking, and Ben’s eyes were suddenly drawn to the cube. A thought came to him, and his eyes widened. “No, you didn’t…” he whispered.

“What was that?” Asked Milenna. “You said something?”

Ben pressed his lips together and silently cursed his DM. There was no point in hiding this any longer - they would know anyway if this was indeed the correct answer - so he grimaced and told them of his suspicion. “There’s also the option of the cube,” he said, “as it slightly rhymes with…” He sighed. “Well, with ‘noob.’” And, for the first time since he met both of them, he told them about his first-ever title in VD: The Naked Noob.

They fell silent again, only this time Red’s lip trembled in suppressed laughter, and Milenna uttered a small “Oh.” The sorceress quickly recovered, though, and shook her head. “You don’t think that…”

“Oh yes, I do,” said Ben bitterly. “I wouldn’t think it past him to leave the fate of the world to this kind of sick humor. Shut it, Red. It’s not that funny.”

Red was chuckling, and the chuckle soon turned to loud guffaws. “The crystal waits…” The warrior said between gales of laughter… “oh mighty noob!” He laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks. “Just walk the path and choose the cube! That’s priceless!” He had to lean on the waystone, and his whole body trembled with his mirth.

Ben couldn’t help it; the big warrior’s laughter was catching, and the scout found himself grinning and shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. Milenna, too, was smiling broadly.

Finally, Red calmed down. The warrior wiped the tears from his cheeks and turned to Ben. “So, it’s the cube then? Is that what we choose, oh mighty Naked Noob?”

Ben sighed. The way from “everything revolves around you” to “noob” seemed awfully short. “I think so,” he said. “Being as it is my first title, and I was a noob before I was a scout -”

He paused, suddenly thoughtful again. He tried to imagine himself reaching out for the cube, but for some reason, it felt wrong. “I -” He tried again, and blinked. A recent memory surfaced to the front of his thoughts. What was it that the specter had said before he disappeared? The Engill grant you passage. Choose well, your highness.

Your highness? At the time, Ben was too weak to think about the ghost’s choice of words, but now as he stood staring at the four items in front of him, the implications seemed obvious. His eyes darted to the ring, and he blinked again.

‘Ring’ rhymed perfectly with ‘king.’

And with that thought, the familiar voice of old scout Benjamin spoke in his mind. What was, will be again.

Ben blinked a third time, only this time when he opened his eyes, it wasn’t the waystone he saw. Images flashed rapidly in his vision. Snapshots of another life - his life - but they swirled by so fast that he couldn’t hold on to any of them. He forced himself to focus and tried to make sense of what he saw -

He was standing on a high balcony, looking down on a crowd of people. The men and women - humans and elves - were cheering at him, dancing, joyful. He saw them through a blurry haze and realized he was weeping -

Ben’s eyes widened. The vision was different than the ones he had seen in the past. This time he didn’t experience the memories of someone else. They were his memories, but how could it be? He started to gasp -

He was kneeling, his head bowed, his left hand on the hilt of his sword, and his right fist against the white marble floor. From this angle, all he could see was the polished tiles of the floor, his own hand - there was a gold ring around his fourth finger, and thin silver bracelet around his wrist - and the hem of a familiar white dress. “Rise, my chosen,” said a delicate voice. He raised his head -

Ben was still in the process of gasping. He knew that dress. He had seen it in another vision. What did she mean, calling him her chosen? And the bracelet! There was no mistaking the silver bracelet he was once given by his sister Abi; only that was something he wore only in real-life. What was going on? He started to close his mouth -

He was sitting on a tall chair, his arm resting on its blue cushioned armrest. A woman’s hand was resting on his own, her long fingers entwined with his. His eyes, though, weren’t on the woman who sat by his side and had her hand in his. He was looking down at the multitude of people who were gathered in the great hall. He searched among the people, looking - knowing - that the person he sought would remain in the shadows. He turned his head this way and that, frowning when he felt the weight of the crown on his head, and his frown deepened when the hand that held his tightened its grip. “She won’t be here,” whispered the queen by his side. Ben refused to look at her, and it took a great force of will to keep his hand in hers, as was expected of him. “She won’t,” repeated the queen, “and you’re making a fool of yourself. Look at me, my chosen. I am yours, and she is gone. Look at me!” Ben felt wetness on his cheeks and turned to look at her - at his destiny, at the rest of life - but just as he did, something caught his attention: a woman with red hair was running among the people, away from the stage, toward the doors of the great hall. He knew her. He loved her. He was going to lose her for good. Ben started to rise, to call her name -

Strong hands grabbed him by his shoulders, and Ben realized he was on his knees next to the waystone and breathing hard. “Skin,” said Red, “you alright? You blacked out on us for a moment.”

Ben swallowed. What the fuck. He was used to seeing visions in this game, but nothing like this. It was himself he saw, his own eyes he saw through. But then again, were these memories? How could they be if he had never done any of these things? What was, will be again. Ben shuddered when he thought of the words the old scout spoke in his mind. Did that… did that mean he somehow got to glance at his future? And if that was the case, did that imply he was going to become…

“A king,” he whispered. “I will be king.”

“Come again?” Red, seeing Ben didn’t need any support, left his grip on him and took a step back. “Emm, Milenna, I think our leader has finally lost it.”

Ben ignored them for a moment and slowly rose to his feet. His eyes scanned the inscribed riddle again, and this time focused on the fourth line: Can you save the world and join the throne?

To save the world, I have to join the throne. And to join the throne, I have to… “Marry the queen,” he mumbled.

This time it was Milenna who approached, laying a delicate hand on his arm. “Ben, what are you talking about?” She asked gently. “You don’t make any sense.”

Ben didn’t answer. He looked at the fifth line and felt a twang of pain in his chest. Can you choose and tell from right and wrong? Unless he was completely mistaken, it seemed that the choices he made in his vision - the choices he will make in the future - would mean marrying a certain elven queen and abandoning another woman... none of it made sense, but Ben knew what he saw. “Shiraz,” he whispered.

He didn’t mean to speak out loud, but apparently, he did. Milenna sighed and removed her hand from his arm. “She’s not here, Ben,” she whispered back. “But I am. I can help you if you let me.”

The words were too much like the ones the queen had used in the vision. Ben frowned and turned to look at the sorceress. There was pain in her purple eyes, and he knew he somehow hurt her feelings, but he could do nothing more than smile sadly at her. “I know,” he said. His eyes moved to look at Red - the mercenary frowned at the both of them. “I am… okay now. This game…” He shook his head. “It just keeps surprising me, is all.”

Ben took a deep breath and turned back to the waystone. “But I know what I have to choose now.” Without waiting for them to ask him about it, Ben reached for the gold ring and took it.

The waystone hummed in response. A white light enveloped it - which immediately turned into a narrow beam that shot from the waystone and into the depth of the temple.

A moment later, they could all hear a door being opened not far away. Ben felt a chill as he slipped the ring on the fourth finger of his right hand. He forced the image of the red-haired woman away from his mind and hardened his resolve. “The crystal awaits,” he said and turned to follow the beam of light. And so does my destiny.