Chapter 59

~ A Flicker of Reality ~

SW/SW/SW

…where am I…?

He was standing in a void of complete darkness. No sound was heard and nothing could be seen. Slowly he lifted his hand experimentally, only to realize that it was a futile thing to do, as he could not even feel his fingers moving.

Was this… Hell?

Was he dead? Was he killed?

He could not remember anything… his mind was blurry…

—ther!

He heard something calling him.

…or rather someone.

Where did it come from? It might have known something about this place!

—other!

He led his formless body aimlessly, unknowingly returned to the same spot as he was before. The sound seemed to come from all directions, confusing him all the more.

—brother!

He froze at that.

Brother, it said…

…who…?

He swirled anxiously, but all he could see was never-ending darkness.

—Brother!

—Brother? Wak…

…what…?

—Brother? Wake up!

0000

He woke up with a scream, followed by a feminine yelp beside him. Looking around, his vision was met by a somehow familiar park.

“Brother, you scared me! You started dozing off and then woke up screaming like that!” a girl frowned worriedly. “Bad dreams?”

He placed a hand on his forehead, murmuring, “…maybe.”

How could he forget? He was Kail… and this girl… she was Nia, his twin sister.

“Are you okay? Want something to drink?” she pointed at a vending machine nearby.

“…Dirabela Wine,” he blurted it out unconsciously, earning a long stare from his sister.

“Brother, you’re playing games too much! You silly!” she laughed at him, ignorant to his confused look, “I’ll get you some choco milk, okay! Be right back!”

He stared into space.

Why did he answer that…? What the heck was Dirabela Wine?

Then a memory flashed inside his mind.

…I knew you’d love this Dirabela Wine! How does it taste, sweetheart?

…tasteless as always…

…hmm?

…ah, no. It… tastes like you, Hathor.

His eyes widened in response.

Who was that?

Who?

Who was Hathor?

Why could he not remember a thing? His mind was in a complete mess that it hurt just to try to remember. What was going on? Was he sick?

“Here you go,” she presented him a can of chocolate milk. “Careful, it’s hot. Drink slowly, okay?”

He murmured his thanks as he reached out his hand, “…thank you.”

“Yum! It’s so sweet! I like sweet things! Don’t you too, brother?” she chirped happily.

Was he? He couldn’t remember a thing…

As soon as he sipped the drink, a look of pure disbelief and horror formed on his face.

…it was tasteless…

“Y-Yes,” he hastily (and nervously) agreed. “I like it when it’s sweet.”

Then a comfortable silence befell them. Kail stared into space as he tried to remember his dream. He recalled a woman with white, unblemished skin and hair as red as blood. Oh, and her smile. The smug smile he loved so much. Who she was, he had no idea, but he felt that he knew her.

Who was she?

Who…?

“Brother?” came Nia’s murmur. Kail turned to his side and gazed into Nia’s black iris. “Mind sharing your dream to me? I know I’m not really that helpful and certainly can’t tell you the meaning of your dream, but talking heart-to-heart will lighten the burden on your mind. And heart, too!”

He shook his head slowly, “Nah, it’s okay. You’ll laugh, anyway.”

“I promise not to!”

Seeing the determination in her eyes, he gave in. Like there was any harm in telling her his dream…

So he told her. He began with how his dream started. He told her about his castle, rich in tapestries and furniture, about his role as a king, and lastly about her although he couldn’t remember her name. Nia listened attentively, mesmerized by his tale. At the end of the story, she stared at her hands which were folded neatly on her lap with an unreadable expression on her face.

“…it’s kind of unbelievable. I mean, of all dreams your mind decided to place you as a king who has literally everything. Not to mention you had your own castle! And it was floating to boot!”

Kail leaned against the bench, sighing, “Yeah, I know. Crazy, right? But that world isn’t real. It was just a dream and I don’t really want to go back.”

“Why? It sounded amazing and magical, from the way you described it. It suits a gamer like you.”

He lifted his hands, frustrated, “Aw, c’mon, Nia! That world isn’t real and cruel, too. I mean, after living as a filthy rich and powerful king, and you woke up to realize that you’re just an ordinary kid with no talent… it’s trolling at its finest.”

“You’re not without talent, Brother. You’re an amazing cook!”

“Don’t you get tired saying things like that to me? Too bad I can’t taste anything in that dream…”

I can’t taste anything in that dream.

His eyes widened slightly. Now that he remembered, his drink earlier was tasteless, wasn’t it? Wait. Did that mean this world was also a dream?

Nia looked at her wrist watch and gasped, “Oh, no! It’s already that time! C’mon, we have to go! Don’t want to stand in the hallway now!”

“Y-Yeah right!” he groggily followed her, passing through a puddle on the ground. Accidentally he looked into his reflection and stopped dead.

There in the water, staring back at him, was not a high school student, but a mature man clad in heavy armor.

0000

“Brother?”

His eyes stirred open to see Nia beside him. Looking around, the sun was almost set and the school was empty, save from those who had club activities.

She giggled, “You hibernated too much today, Brother! I might as well call you bear!”

He let a hand through his hair, murmuring, “…sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? Let’s go home. I’m starving!”

He packed his belonging and followed her outside. Either from walking too fast or just a plain bad luck, he slipped and fell down torso first. Nia made a sharp turn and shrieked, “Brother!”

“Oh, no. Look at your arms…” Nia whispered as she examined his arms. Then she looked at him in the eye, “Did you hurt your knees, too?”

He stared at his wounded arms with an unreadable expression on his face.

...it didn’t hurt.

His hands were bruised from the impact, but he did not feel anything…

…is this a dream…?

…this has to be…

“…I’m fine, really,” her concern did not make sense to him. Why was she so worried? It was just a light fall and scratches here and there; nothing to worry about. Moreover, it did not hurt.

“Are you sure? Can you stand? Can you walk? Our home is thirty minutes walk from school…”

“This is nothing,” and he proved it by getting up by himself.

“Oh, alright then…”

Nia wasn’t as cheerful as before, evident by her slow, tired pace. He did not know whether to be grateful or not since everything had gone quiet.

0000

He threw his body to the bed. With a heavy sigh he stared at the ceiling with a hand on his forehead. This world must have been a dream, but somehow he could not wake up. He had tried pinching his cheeks but nothing happened.

…and it didn’t hurt.

“Brother, dinner is ready!”

He lazily dragged himself to the door. Midway, he caught sight of a wall mirror ahead. Remembering his reflection in the park, fear crept inside his mind. Would that mirror reflect the man again?

Although afraid he might be, Kail stepped in front of the mirror nonetheless, being driven by curiosity.

It reflected the same man he saw in the puddle.

“…this is nuts…” Kail mumbled disbelievingly.

“…come back…”

He jumped in fright to hear his reflection speaking. It was a very rough voice, unfit for a human.

“…come back to me… to us… this world is nothing but illusion…”

Talk about yourself, Kail replied inwardly.

“Come back. She… needs you. You need her…”

She who…?

“Brother, come down quickly or else it’ll get cold!”

As if magic, Nia’s voice dispelled the illusion. The man was gone, leaving no trace that he was there, if there was any.

…was he hallucinating?

Desperate, he gripped his hair, finding it hard to identify which one was real and which one was not. Was this world he lived in real? Or was it just an illusion? Or was the dream the real one?

He just… didn’t know what to do anymore…

0000

Everything was fuzzy. His ears rung, his lips were dry…

“—the subject has regained conscio—” he heard a voice…

“—how could that be? He’s not supposed t—” and another voice…

He could not hear well…

He felt something heavy on his head. Some kind of motorcycle helmet. He tried to touch it, but his arm muscles were so stiff it hurt just to move. Somewhere nearby, he heard something beeping constantly, like that of a heart machine or whatever it was called…

It was faint, but something smelt like that of a hospital.

…where was this…?

…who were these people…?

“—n’t matter. Start the Reality Render.”

…Reality what…? What were they talking about…?

“—hile the subject is conscious? Sir, it will increase the burden on—”

“—ook like I care? Once we complete this plan, we have no use of him. Just do it—”

All of a sudden, a familiar inscription appeared in front of him, reminding him of his GeaOnline helmet at home.

…and with that, he was unknowingly forced into the world of game once again…