Prologue: The beginning of all

Proofread by Artek

Year 2088

Jan 31st, Tuesday, 9pm

‘What a pain! Why is grandfather so keen on these stupid parties’, were Ryu’s thoughts, while he was flocked by almost a dozen cute ‘ojou-samas’. He was already tired of those girls trying to hit on him and his inner soul cried out ‘Somebody help me’, to no one in particular.

And as if she had read Ryu’s thoughts, a little girl approached him and the ojou-samas elegantly and then bowed to them. With a beaming smile, the little girl spoke, but the words carried no hint of warmth.

“Nii-sama, why are you flirting with all these girls and not talking to Mia?” she threw daggers at her older brother, with her eyes. The girls around him understood that staying any further would cause an Armageddon and so they ran away in an instant giving various excuses.

“Nii-san”, Mia pouted as she called to her brother.

Ryu smiled at the little girl. He was sometimes astonished at the change in the girl’s character, a switch to the elegant mode from the normal mode only took seconds for his little sister. She called him ‘nii-sama’ when in the presence of outsiders and now that the two siblings were alone, she had reverted back to ‘nii-san’. But the true horrifying aspect of Mia was her dazzling black eyes. And now those eyes were glaring at him.

But suddenly the glare disappeared as if it never happened. Mia looked at her brother and smiled, her cheeks turning a little red. He smiled; those eyes and that smile had always been a lighthouse for him.

“Nii-san, I… I have something for y-y-you!” she said, stuttering slightly.

Ryu was taken aback slightly as he was not expecting such a development to occur and so was at a loss of words, this causing him to stare blankly at Mia .

“Mou! Nii-san! Are you listening?” and there she once again pouted her cheeks making Ryu to chuckle softly. But this time he responded. He didn’t want to suffer his little sister’s imperial wrath.

“What did you get me, Mia?” he asked with a puzzled look.

“Not telling.” She pouted again and turned her head away with a ‘hum’.

“Is that so? Too bad. Nii-san too wanted to give little Mia a present” Ryu knew this was the only way.

With glittering eyes Mia looked at Ryu making Ryu smile involuntarily.

From the inner pocket of his suit, Ryu took out a small box, wrapped decoratively with some expensive looking cloth and then presented it to her. Receiving the box with sheer amusement, she unwrapped the decoration and opened the box in anticipation. Inside the box was a chain of silver with a locket. On the roundish locket were the words ‘DK’ engraved on to it. Mia knew what the ‘DK’ meant, it was her father’s name after all. The girl felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she was strong. She wiped the tears that were about to fall, with a smile on her face she spoke.

“Thank you, Nii-san.”

She then wore the chain around her neck and gave Ryu a victory pose making Ryu laugh at her gesture. Mia smiled back and then grabbed his hand, dragging him to another room.

The room was lit dimly and Ryu could understand that there was already somebody inside the room. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Ryu immediately recognised that the figure belonged to his mother.

Miyuki greeted Ryu with a warm smile and gestured him to come near her. In her hands was what looked like a sword, a katana to be precise! The mother gently embraced her son, wishing and blessing him.

She then separated from the boy and then extended her hands that were holding the sword towards Ryu.

“This beautiful katana has been passed down to generations after generations in the Yasahiro family. An heirloom, a tradition, an honour. It belonged to your father and now, it is yours!”

Ryu’s training in martial arts was adequate. When asked by his grandfather to train his body, Ryu agreed to Isamu’s demands. Ryu made sure he was good enough to be able to defend himself in case of some abnormal situations arose. Other than that the boy showed no real interest in martial arts, for some reason martial arts failed to impress the boy. Yet, Ryu had properly built his body with exercise and other sports while seldom practicing the martial arts he was taught.

But this time he was excited, for the sword that was before him had an aura that was pulling Ryu’s mind towards it.

He accepted the sword with trembling hands as excitement surged through his body. This was a first time for the boy, such excitement just from holding the sword was not a daily occurrence for the young master. Drawing the katana from the sheath, Ryu gazed at the elegant sword. The sheath alone was a masterpiece, pure black in colour with silver lining that ran over the black body. He knew the code of bushido. He was holding a true katana for the first time. Even though his previous self would not have been too much excited, the Ryu that day wanted to cherish that moment.

The katana was 70cm long, with a beautiful curve and a sharp edge! He understood that the sword was treasured and was subjected to great care. ‘Beautiful’ was the only thought he had.

“Sekisetsu” Ryu heard his mother’s voice. “Sekisetsu is the name of the sword.”

‘Sekisetsu - Snowfall’ thought Ryu. He was about to ask his mother the reason why it was named so, but before he could ask, his grandfather suddenly appeared.

“Boy what are you doing here, the guests are leaving. You are the host of this party. Bid them a proper farewell. Come now. Carry that sword with you too. You are now the formal heir. Let the world know of it too.”

“Yes Ojii-sama”. Ryu bowed to his mom and walked towards the hall. On the way to the hall, Isamu whispered “I got your game boy. It is in your room”.

“Huh!!” Ryu was puzzled. The game was not even released yet. The launch was scheduled to be a couple of months later, and so Ryu was dumbstruck at the thought of having the capsule in his room.

“How?” asked an astonished Ryu.

Isamu smirked, “Boy, who do you think I am?”

Ryu smiled too. ‘You are a scary man Ojii-sama, a scary man’. But these words never left his lips

*---*---*

Year 2088

Jan 31st, Tuesday, 6pm

Yasahiro Mansion

Brian Woltale was what one would consider as the modern day ‘Noble’. Wealthy, arrogant, handsome and powerful, a typical noble. But Brian was not stupid of all things. In fact he was a cunning man.

And the same Brian was now on his way to the Yasahiro mansion.

‘Ryu Yasahiro’, Brian spoke to himself as he laid back in his car, comfortably, ’we finally get to meet, heir of Yasahiro’. A mocking and arrogant smile flashed on his face as he contemplated the moves he should make to befriend the young master of the Yasahiro family.

Truly, Brian Woltale was cunning and cruel.

*---*---*

English Alliance, just like the formation of the New Japan Federation was the result of the first nuclear war. The English Alliance consisted of most countries of ‘United Kingdom’ and was united under the Banner of the Woltale noble family, considerable feat indeed.

During the first nuclear war, fearing China’s military power, almost the entire world donated military and financial support to India, hoping the Indians would drive away the Chinese army. But fate was not their ally at all, as Chinese army marched forwards, relentlessly. And by the time the war was over, the superpowers of the world had all lost their strength and were at the brink of fall.

It was then, under the power of the Woltale family, the birth of English Alliance brought stability to those regions. And Brian Woltale was the son of the man who united the former Europe.

The car that Brian was in stopped in front of a huge mansion. Brian got out of his car to be greeted by a handsome 17-year-old boy. The two boys shook hands with gentle smiles.

“Welcome Sir Brian, it’s an honor” said Ryu spoke while his hands shook with Brian’s.

---***---

“It is time for dinner my friends, please have a seat” Isamu waved his hand over the incredibly long dining table. The guests took their seats quietly. Once all the assembled ones had sat down, Isamu gestured the maids to bring in the dishes.

The next moment maids poured in into the hall carrying different plates in their hands and in the next moment, the large dining table was filled with dishes. All the guests broke into a smile, impressed by the food before them.

Isamu sat at one end of the table on a chair that resembled a throne. To his right was Ryu, Miyaki and Mia while to Isamu’s left was Brian, the VIP guest.

As the dinner started, Brian who was just opposite to Ryu, began talking with Isamu, asking various questions, speaking out his thoughts. Ryu who was silently eating his food listened to the conversation between the two in front of him.

“So Ryu-kun, what do you think of the current world?” a sudden question was thrown to the young master.

Ryu stopped eating and then silently looked at the one who had forwarded the question. Brian Woltale gazed at Ryu with a smile, urging him to reply.

“Even if you ask me that, my world right now is the mansion. So I can’t particularly reply to the question”, Ryu replied, seemingly uninterested.

Hearing the response, Brian gave a wry smile and then began to speak.

“That is no good young master of the Yasahiros. You are the next in line to be the heir and such a man should not be so irresponsible” Brian spoke in a condescending manner. “If everyone in the world were to actively participate, this world could become a better place. For example, look at the English Alliance itself. We strive for a better tomorrow while aiming for a better and beautiful Earth. We have produced technologies that heals the Earth. The times of war are over, don’t you think so, Ryu-kun?”

Ryu nodded at Brian with a smile.

“And so here is my proposition to the heir of Yasahiro, help us rebuild Earth.”

Ryu’s eyebrows twitched. Isamu who was quietly listening to the boy’s words was now deep in thought. All the guests that were in the room stopped their dinner immediately. A trade alliance between the New Japan Federation and the English Alliance was too good a news to ignore. The benefits were numerous and so the guests were already making plans of exploiting the alliance.

“I politely refuse” said Ryu as he continued his dinner. The dining room had an eerie silence for a while until a visibly flustered and frustrated Brian spoke in a calm voice.

“Err! Ryu-kun, may I know the reason for the refusal? I believe what I proposed was not that bad an offer.”

Hearing Brian’s word, Ryu placed his knife and fork on the table and then stared at the noble boy before him.

“Indeed, what you proposed was a wonderful thing. The people of both the countries get access to different technologies, the trade improves, economy will flourish, the two nations will have a stronger bond. Truly wonderful indeed” Ryu spoke, but the voice was cold.

“Is it not? All the more reason to accept the offer?” Brian once again pushed Ryu to agree.

“All the more reason to refuse, I would say. The first nuclear war came to an end nine years ago. And why is it that until now there has been no actions of alliance from your side till now. From what I learned, the New Japan Federation had requested for an alliance to the English Alliance in the past too, that too numerous times. But every time we were refused with some kind of excuse. And now you suddenly jump in with a such a proposal, that too on my birthday! Suspicious is all I can say, and so the Yasahiro’s refuse.” Saying so, Ryu once again picked up his tableware and began eating quietly.

“You! Who are you calling suspicious?” Anger began to boil inside the noble’s heart, for such cold treatment was for the first time in his life. “You dare?”

“I dare. What I said is true, is it not? I am thinking that, there is something you want from us and you know that we won’t hand it over directly. And so now you make this open trade farce so that you can manipulate some secret agent over here to attain what you need. Once that is taken care off, you will slowly withdraw from the trade alliance saying that our products are not of the best quality or something of that sort, right? You sure are something, Brian-kun.You waltz into my mansion, you eat my food, you try to flatter me with useless words and now you raise your voice against me? Do not try my patience, young master of the Woltale family”

As Ryu spoke those words, he glared at the Brian, Though Ryu’s face was calm, those eyes raged like a volcano. Cold sweat dripped down Brian’s back, he instinctively knew that any words spoken now will only lead to his destruction.

“Ryu that is enough”. Isamu roared, “He is our guest, do not dishonour a guest”.

And so a humiliated Brian could not do nothing but walk out of the hall, his head hung low.

Ryu snapped out of his trance like situation, his eyes became clear. Getting up from his seat, the boy apologised to the guests with a small bow and then continued his dinner as usual.

Once the dinner was over, the guests were asked to move to the dancing hall. Only Isamu and Miyuki remained in the dining hall, the two had a smile on their face.

“Miyuki, it is time, he has grown, entrust the sword to him”.

Miyuki nodded, her eyes were on Ryu. ‘Dev, our son has become a fine man, just like you imagined.’

While the others were having fun, one boy was furious. The thought of being cornered by Ryu made the boy feel anger like never before. He was insulted in front of all the guests. But the thing that irritated him more was the fear he had felt when he looked into Ryu’s eyes.

---***---

Year 2088

Jan 31st, Tuesday, 9pm

Yasahiro Mansion

Brian was wandering around the Yasahiro mansion. He wanted to get out of here immediately and so he had phoned his father, asking for permission to leave but he was denied instantly. And so, the irritated boy walked absentmindedly when he vaguely heard some voice. The voices he heard were too familiar that the boy recognised the owners of the voice he had heard a while ago.

“I got your game, boy. It is in your room”. Isamu’s spoke delightfully.

‘Game? What game?’ Brian was confused at the sudden mention of the game.

“Huh? How?” Brian recognized this voice too, it was Ryu. Brian stiffened a little.

That is when it dawned on Brian, he had heard from the maids of the house about Ryu wanting some game named ‘Dragon Lore’. He did not give it any attention in the beginning because it was just a game. Brian was an avid gamer and had almost all the games that the world had.

‘DRAGON LORE! So that’s what he wanted!’ Brian’s lips stretched into a smile, a sinister smile.

‘Ryu Yasahiro, you messed with the wrong guy, I will make you repent for your sins. If I can’t destroy you here, I will destroy you there. Just you wait ’

---***---

Year 2088

April 10th, Thursday, 12am

Ryu Yasahiro was in his room. A few months have passed since his birthday. And that day was a special day for Ryu. The launch day for Dragon Lore, world’s first VRMMORPG. Ryu was excited, he was now in the capsule that his grandfather had bought him. He was surprised at how his grandfather had procured one so early. The first official day of sale was the 1st of April. And yet his grandfather had presented it to him months before.

Unknown to Ryu was that, those with power and money could get a custom made capsule. And Isamu as someone who would even sell his own life for the happiness of his family. Procuring a capsule for a few million dollars seemed like child’s play for him. But nobody knew that this action would greatly change the course of the entire game world itself.

Ryu once again thanked his grandfather and then dived in for the first time.

Do you want to connect to DRAGON LOREYESNO

“Yes” replied Ryu excitedly. ‘Here it goes!! Buhahahahaa

“DRAGON LORE”“BE REBORN”

Ryu was now inside of what seemed like a huge box. In front of him stood a young girl. He stared at her. ‘Where is this? Wasn’t I inside the capsule?’

“WELCOME TRAVELLER. ARE YOU READY TO BE REBORN?” said the girl.

“Yes” replied Ryu, visibly excited.

“My name is Amy; I shall now proceed to your avatar creation. Please choose a name for your avatar.”

“SHIV”

“Accepted. You may now choose your gender”

“Male”

“You may now choose your starting race. Your initial stats will be determined by the race you choose”

“Err... human please”, Ryu was still confused on the race he wanted, so he reluctantly went for human.

“Do you wish to modify your appearance traveller?”

‘Oh!! Modification of appearance? Cool!!’ “Please increase the length of my hair by 30cm, add a bit reddish tint to the end, a little more. Increase my height a little. Bring down my skin tone a shade down. Perfect”

“Please choose your starting location”

“Random”, the answer was immediate.

---***---