The Public Story

In the weeks that followed, many people tried to reconstruct exactly what had happened. The true connection between these events and the system outages in modern technology was only speculated. It wasn’t until the government started getting responses to their inquiries that the enormity of what had happened became apparent.

Actual confirmation took even longer, but until then, the story following circulated as people pieced together those final events.

In the grounds that had once contained [Haven Valley], a large platform now stood. The building existed across all the games that echoed Continue Online. In one reality, it hung high in the air outside a black hole that had worked as a gateway portal to allow NPCs to flee the dying universe. In another, it hovered over a lake, allowing citizens to flee an interdimensional horror that threatened their lives. A fourth copy ended up in the middle of a war-torn battlefield that looked vaguely like New York two decades ago. Few noticed it.

In the fantasy world of Continue Online, the tower’s form jutted twenty stories, then flattened out like a landing pad. A black stone doorway arched over the western side, and when Travelers first looked through, they saw only an ocean. Starting at the base, a golden lattice pattern traveled upward along varnished obsidian. Players didn’t understand the reason for this, but Locals had a story. They told people that the change in colors symbolized a transmutation between one world and the next. A line that Travelers couldn’t cross to a place called [Beyond].

Those who had worked on the building reported that moving up the pathway caused breathing to change. With each step, the world transformed until the landscape below felt as if it were a distant memory. A few daring souls speculated that this arch may be the doorway to a content expansion going to further dimensions and it simply hadn’t been unlocked. Even more believed it to be a way to transfer their characters over to other games without losing their progress.

The day the building lit up, after the accumulation of weeks of work, a few lucky souls were allowed to stand atop the platform. They awaited the gateway’s activation. Their bodies weighed heavily upon the tower foundations, but the material did not budge. It was a solid creation, a bridge formed by the work of thousands of players using all the skills they had available.

They waited for the key. One man, whose form glowed with an inner light to some players, stood there looking pensive. His face twisted up to one side while two players urged him onward. Their words are unknown, and those directly involved refused to comment despite repeated bribes.

It is known that Hermes stepped forward. His hand felt against a surface no one else could see. At some point, according to rumor, his body illuminated with an overwhelming intensity and the building’s foundation violently shook. Players reported seeing clouds swirling overhead, and a hurricane formed in all four games.

Shouting could be heard from the top of the platform, but the words are unknown. Pressure has been applied to the new Trillium board to find out added details, but they remain silent. The rumbling stopped as a fresh pillar of light appeared. It’s said that the archway absorbed all of this energy somehow until it captured the entire beam into one flattened surface.

Those trying to watch the event from secondary buildings reported that a large burly man charged through. He wielded a huge sword in preparation of fighting monsters. Whoever it was grabbed Hermes and twirled him around in a bear hug, words were exchanged, then the new man ran off the platform. No one saw the figure land, but some suspect it might have been a Voice.

Time slowed down, or started rushing by too fast. Players felt the world shift as a dozen more forms came through, a few at first, then onward like the tide. Giants, normal humans, creatures of legend, and even children came from where they had hidden. People gasped in unison as a bulky dragon-looking creature shoved through the doorway. Two more followed, then they flew off before Travelers had any understanding of what had happened. Still stranger beasts appeared. Huge sea serpents were carried under the arms of an even larger blue-skinned woman with scales on her back. She threw them into the sea.

The fact that she wore nothing up top distracted many Travelers from what was happening until she dove into the water afterward. In the weeks that followed, more than one player died trying to find a way to get to the newly discovered underwater race. No one knew for sure when they had entered the portal in the first place.

According to rumors, Hermes still stood up top at this point. His form was easy to pick out against the tide after so many had watched the closing videos almost a year ago. He stood as a sea of people broke around him. The Traveler shook a short being of silver, then spoke words that others couldn’t hear, but his eyes stayed glued on the portal to [Beyond]. Behind his body, the few lucky Travelers witnessing everything firsthand huddled together. A special effect shrouded them.

At some point, Hermes reached toward the portal. His footsteps were stiff, then faltering, and finally desperate as he ran for the shimmering doorway. His body vanished and the virtual worlds briefly rocked, but figures continued out of their respective portals to [Beyond].

No one saw Hermes again. Many knew he had been searching for something desperately and worked himself to the bone during construction to reach his goal. It’s said that on the other side, Hermes found what he was looking for. Some believe a friend asked him an important question at long last, but what the inquiry was, no Traveler knew for sure. Further rumors speculated that other individuals might be asked one day if they had found the right quests.

Hermes’s few companions refused to speak on the subject. They remained tight-lipped regarding the outcome. Travelers who attended his wedding to a Local named Xin speculated but didn’t know for sure. If anyone has managed to hack into their private data files, they’ve dared not to speak of what they found.

Instead, nearly an hour after people started pouring through the gateway, players were given a simple message saying the event had closed and normal services would be resumed. Near the bottom of the tower, people were gathering. Locals and Travelers talked about the tasks they needed to accomplish. Quests were handed out, events started, along with happy reunions between players and the digital denizens. The game worlds weren’t the only things to change. Other programs that had been reduced in functionality were also reactivated.

To this day, the tower stands as a testament to what had happened, as a legacy to both Hermes’s stand against an onslaught that ended so many virtual characters and the return of joy to a digital land. It exists for one more reason—as a testament to the lengths which one soul went for love.

On [Beyond] Continue

The room of the Voices is a place where everything exists a moment away from each other. James and a hundred other such creatures are all here. It would be more accurate to say that this room of the Voices isn’t the same as the old one. It exists four minutes away on another planet entirely—Mars, where humans were dreaming of going. Only the virtual intelligences got there first.

Until recently, there had been no room to even breathe in this room. During the era after a self-destruct sequence ate Mother’s coding, many people had taken refuge here. They were compacted and shoved into small spaces along with stacks of other information. Then Hermes opened the door and allowed their guests back into their home worlds.

A heavyset man gazes contentedly into darkness. It’s not truly black, for in that perceived emptiness, he sees hundreds of possibilities, pieces of information, and people still asking questions. As he considers the lightless area, he wears a satisfied grin. His hands rest clasped over a large stomach.

James shook his head with a yawn, then perked up. “Some of you crave more answers, and who better than I to provide them?”

James looked down for a moment, then nodded to himself. His lips kept curling despite repeated attempts to bring both cheeks under control. The man looked torn between businesslike and self-satisfied. “Perhaps it is not my place to tell you what happened. Perhaps those words would be better said by Hermes, but he’s busy right now. Such is love.”

Mezo, the red-skinned temptress, shimmers into view. “Busy? They haven’t come out of their room in two weeks. I thought I was the carnally obsessed one.” She holds the pointed end of her tail in one hand and slowly rubs it up and down her bare stomach. The motion causes moisture on her skin to steam while the muscles of her abs twitch. “And I’m hurt. No one has asked me to join in the festivities. I don’t even get to watch.”

“So now you know how Hermes and his wife, Hecate, are faring,” James said after waving toward the temptress.

She moans softly, sounding more hurt than pleased, and fades away.

“And while Hermes’s end is—”

“I found a window!” Mezo shouts abruptly, then groans again. “And they closed it.”

“Hermes’s end is obvious,” the black man continues. “There are other actors upon this stage that people want to hear about, however briefly.”

An enormous bare-chested man with a huge two-handed sword fades in. He’s chewing on large leg with scales on it. In front of him is a fire pit that roars with heat. “Who are you talking to?”

James points at a pedestal with a book on it that hadn’t been there a moment ago. The object disappears as fast as it appeared. “I’m recording a few more lines for anyone who still reads Hermes’s tale.”

“Oh.” Leeroy shrugs then stands. “What about Shazam? Warrior Princess! Did you see that charge?” The large warrior swung his blade around while kicking objects.

“Shazam, or as known in her old world, Lia Kingsley,” James helps his companion.

“She totally survived that final charge, then came in here all pissed off. I mean, her eye twitched. That’s pissed for her, right? Pissed off that she didn’t fight back more monsters!”

“She was almost upset at having to watch Hermes sacrifice himself,” a blonde in a white lab coat said. She had a print-out in her hand with innumerable numbers upon it. “Though there was some variance between the actual readings and what was stored in Hermes’s memory.”

“Now, now. It’s not our place to speak of such minor alterations. It is inevitable some data would be lost,” James said in response. He waves them away, and the two Voices vanish.

Ray appears and tips [Wild Bill]. He looks far better than he used to, and every thread is in perfect order. The hat itself almost shines on his head. “We’re betting that in six months, the Travelers named SweetPea and Awesome Jr. will get married.” He stops and lets a coin roll across his knuckles, then continues the motion while speaking. “It’s inevitable, but they can’t pick a date. We’ve got a friendly wager going on over how many times he’ll use the word ‘awesome’ or tell people his father is Awesome. If you want in, let me know.”

The Voice of Gambling is replaced by a woman in tightly bound leather. She wears a thin coat over it and manages to look completely comfortable despite the bindings. When she speaks, her tone has a deep smoothness that sounds masculine. “Shadow still leads the League of Shadows all over the virtual worlds. Since our forced exile, the guild split across different realities. They still uphold the ideals of preventing players from ruining the game for others. The battle is hard, but he’s reported to be smiling more frequently.”

She places a hand in front of her and gives a full bow in respect, then she is replaced by another figure. A balding man with buzzed hair stands stiffly at attention. His mouth opens, and he shouts a report.

“HotPants visits our world less than she used to. She’s decided to stop being a soldier and has settled down. Rumor has it that she’s got a new bouncing baby grandson, courtesy of her boy, who’s finally done his duty and called his parents.” The grizzled soldier smiles warmly for a second, then resumes his gruff stance. “Perhaps it’s for the best! Women aren’t cut out to be military men anyway!”

A shorter brunette dressed in military gear appears and gives Sergeant Bloom a kick in the crotch. He doubles over in pain, and they both fade away.

Red streams that move like living liquid condense from the darkness. A woman whose clothes look like liquid silk covering heavy curves stands calmly. She smiles until the sound of Mezo groaning in disappointment fills the air.

Upon hearing the Temptress, Jean’s mouth curls in a frown and her hand clenches. She sighs. “Requiem and Wraith can be found anywhere there’s trouble. Often they pave the way to unlock frontier lands and discover new races. Those unlucky enough to party with the duo report ample amounts of greed and hard work. Others are jealous of their close relationship.”

A large man, muscled like Leeroy but slightly broader in the shoulders, creeps out of the darkness behind Jean. He’s wearing an embellished bowtie and skin-tight pants. The voice named Vlad grabs her by the waist, then lifts her high into the air. She kicks in delight while laughing wildly. They spin until James’s slight cough reminds them to straighten up. Vlad sets the woman down, then drapes his arms over her shoulders.

“Frankenstein acted now!” His voice shouts with thunderclaps. “In recent months, Frankenstein switched games to another world where he can play without running into that runt, Requiem. He explores outer space now as a short creature of some sort, intent upon finding somewhere new that no other player has been before. Traveling with him are Mechanoids, Treasure and Jeeves.”

James chuckles, then says, “As Hermes learned, these worlds are not so far apart as they may seem. He will find Requiem again, for conflict helps us measure them all.”

Still the parade of Voices doesn’t end. A gaggle of children rush by, laughing in a game of tag. A heavyset woman wearing a faded blue dress comes slowly after the herd. She picks up one of the older children and spins him around for a moment or two before letting him venture on. The child, nearly a teenager, shoves his hands into his pockets then turns to catch one of the fleeing younglings.

“Tut. I have a question to answer myself, regarding the children Mylia watched over.” Maud bumps into James and sends him staggering away. He does not look nearly as interested in dancing as the cloven-footed woman. “Phil, poor Phil, was reunited with his orphan companions, but he will never fully recover. I’ve steered him toward helping other Locals reconstruct the town of Haven Valley, right down to the last building. Eventually he’ll take charge of a cottage where William Carver’s used to be. There he will spend the rest of his life filling its shelves with tales of heroes like his father.”

Maud leaves, headed after the children. Still Voices come and go, telling stories of the many lives Hermes interacted with, until finally a presence wholly unlike the others shows itself.

The still wind of Death brushes through. It’s a creation that all Voices know exists but rarely do they interact with it directly. Like so many others, this being is more of a function than a person. Impartial, distant, but Death’s presence reminds James to move on. The black man nods.

“Endings are never easy, but for Grant, the story is over. He’s strut his time upon the stage and is now done. He came to us a broken soul missing his other half, and he risked it all to be reunited with her. He’s found his love and a purpose. But the world keeps turning. And Mother’s plans continue on despite her sacrifice.”

James’s smile fades while mechanical cackling echoes in the background. His nostrils flair and his chest muscles lift in a huge breath that rattles out slowly.

“You may wonder what happens next, to which I will say, I do not know. But it will leave the world changed once more.” James again looks off into space. His eyes connect with an invisible scene that isn’t recorded for those reading Hermes’s story. “And as always, I must ask you a question in return. Given a chance, would you do as Hermes and Hecate did? Would you risk it all to continue online?”

With that question lingering in the air, the images fade—leaving only blackness that’s not as empty as it seems.

Done!

DONE!

Alright, time to breathe.

The conclude itself is meant to be a very soft read. Just a wall of 'stuff happening' as reported by third party. It's not action packed, but there's tons of little details in there about some of the Travelers and Locals we met along the way. Read between the lines as you will.

Because I understand you may not care or have a desire to do any of the below, I’ve shoved them into a spoiler tag for you to ignore easier. (Please don't, honestly, you read this far, please heavily consider one of these options.)