“Now, I’m sure that many of you have learned by now I’m one of the Radiant Dawn agents.” he said, smiling gently. He looked impossibly regal, staring placidly from the screens displayed in front of every single player in the game.

The fighting on the battlefield outside had stopped, all orcs and converted players pulling back. The free side watched Lucien, pacing around the top level of the Wizard’s Tower like a lion surveying his kingdom, completely transfixed. Few noticed the figure all in black with a scarf slipping through the crowd.

“While this information is accurate, it’s not exactly true. It’s better to say I’ve...allied with them. Temporarily, at least. I do regret the way things went down, but I don’t regret my choices in the slightest.” He paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back.

“You see, I have come to a revelation. The world, the real one I mean, is full of decay, decadence, disaster, and unmitigated greed. The politicians constantly lie, and act in the interests of the highest bidder, or even their own cold hearts. People suffer, people die, people who need medication are cut off because they can’t afford it. The rainforests are burned down, global warming is on the rise, and the masses are collectively more interested in celebrities’ tweets on breakfast than fixing society. Prices are up, paychecks are down, leaders are clueless, and it’s all in service to the rich, who constantly grow richerand are mindless in that pursuit, and if pressed I guarantee you they couldn’t tell you why. Short-sightedness is wreaking havoc, where governments spend billions upon billions on defense budgets but a paltry sum for the citizens, and are told it’s the only way. Where decency is met with disgust, those trying to help are met with ‘mind your own *bleep* business!’ I have seen it, boredom and apathy rotting the human spirit, robbing it of everything that we are capable of. Who wants to live in a world like that?”

Lucien whirled around, pointing a finger at the camera. “I don’t! You shouldn’t, either. It is my professional opinion that we cast off the chains of the old world. Why go back to that corrupt, ugly life of drudgery and madness? Why be forced to live how the world presses us to live, when we could escape?” He swept his arms out grandly, smiling with hope and promise.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I too despaired. Once. But then my eyes were opened, forced open by this glorious game! That’s when I was approached by the Radiant Dawn. They want to make a new nation using our bodies, or something. I no longer care. That world is old, and ruined, blasted beyond hope of saving. I no longer care for what happens to it. Why would I, when we are on the cusp of something new?”

“I don’t like the sound of this.” Mayhew said worriedly.

“Rejoice! Rejoice my friends, for at last we have an answer! It is not in faraway space or under the ocean that we shall flourish. No, humanity’s future lives in a new reality altogether. Virtual reality!” He swept his hands out with a flourish, a smiling savior heralding the dawn of a new, better age. “Look around! See the bright blue sky, the cool green grass, utterly untainted by pollution! The greatest, rarest, and most expensive material goods can be generated infinitely! There is no need to grind away at boring jobs anymore. Not when we can grind on quests! Think of it. This new reality can supply our needs much more readily than the old one. We are pioneers, the first pilgrims in this virtual world. We have a chance to start over, not with our flawed, outdated bodies, but as beings of pure intellect and will. This ‘prison’ shall be our escape. The limits of the outside do not apply here. We have no bodies to ruin, we exist as minds in virtual space, but we can feel as with our bodies nonetheless.”

“I know it will be hard in transition, I know. Losing everything you knew, giving up an entire world...it will be one of the most difficult things we will ever do. But think of what we’ll gain in return. A brand new place, free of the taint and grudges of the world of old. World peace isn’t just possible, it’s a reality in waiting!”

“It’s not like our population will remain static, either. Once the others on the outside see our virtual utopia, they will flock to us in droves. And with programmers like Hansen here on our side, we can accommodate an endless number of refugees. And it won’t stop there. Thanks to robotic manufacturing, servers can be physically constructed from in here. We can expand indefinitely, all of us in our perfect and ideal forms. We have no more use for our bodies, those old meat-sacks. Why bother, when we can reach to be what we truly feel ourselves to be? In here we require only electricity to keep going-which is an easy enough supply to manufacture. We control every facet of this game, this...paradise. What has the real world that cannot be made by this one, so real, so much like the outside anyway? Who cares if the Radiant Dawn use your old meatsacks, when this world gives you more than the last ever could? The outside is dead. Let fantasy become reality! Long live Real Fantasy Online!”

Lucien thrust his fist triumphantly in the air, before the entirety of the game. There was absolute, deafening silence. Mouths were open, whether in fear or awe none could tell.

“Ah, I see. Don’t worry, I’m not about to curtail your new freedom.” he said, red slightly tingling his cheeks. He straightened his coat, trying to look as dignified as possible. “I know what I’m doing may be considered harsh. But it’s necessary. I will not be your new god-king. In fact, I will have no option for government service whatsoever. I intend, like I hope you do, to take my new life...and live. What say you, players?” he asked, a bright, winning smile on his face, stretching out his hand to the camera invitingly. This was it. This was when everyone would realize that there was a perfect world, right at their fingertips.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” resounded through the screens, every free player expressing their displeasure at the prospect of staying in here forever. The pursuer in black redoubled his efforts, slipping up to the wall of the Tower and carving a hole in it. He stepped through and made a beeline for the staircase.

Lucien frowned and cut the jeers with a wave of his hand.

“I see. So be it! I was hoping at least some of you could see this paradise for what it truly is. But it doesn’t matter. The plan is in motion, it cannot be deterred. You will see the true beauty of the world...whether you want to or not.”

The screens cut out, and he turned away from the windows, frowning. They would see. It didn’t matter if they wanted to or not. Their eyes would be opened. Just like his were.

The NPCs and brainwashed players surged forward again, tearing avatars to pieces. Horns blew and drums sounded, Orlin leading the countercharge.

“Don’t falter! We gotta stand strong! Teledash!” He vanished, spearing a brainwashed player through the gut, collapsing into data. He focused on the next target, so he wouldn’t have to think about...what Lucien had said.

Back in the Library Labyrinth, the Victorious Vampires stood dumbfounded, Alex’s jaw literally hanging open. He was glad he was no longer human, and thus the same species as that…

“Moron! Vhat a fool! The lad’s gone insane!” he declared loudly.

“Wasn’t that the plot to The Matrix?” Lina wondered.

“But I don’t wanna live in the Matrix!” Jamie wailed.

“We may have to, if we fail here. We’re almost there, doubt he’s gonna just roll over for us. He’s got the deck stacked in his favor, I’m sure.” she said grimly, glaring nervously at the exit.

“D-Don’t worry about that, I’m not sure it’s gonna work like that anyway.” Mayhew said, mind racing and calculating, trying to recall everything he’d been told of the cerebral interface system. “You need to be plugged in, or you die. Oh my God, he could kill everyone if this plan goes off!”

Alex strode to the door and grasped the handles, grinning maliciously. He would survive, his body would be under his control again, and all the upstarts would be...dealt with.

“Vell then, no time to vaste. Shall ve?” He threw open the doors and they stepped inside.