“I constantly tell them not to look in the box, but they always do anyway. It's rather amusing.” -Pandora

Seattle, Washington

United States

2 Days before launch of PADW

Emily opened a bound manila folder and carefully removed its contents, as if they would break just by the gentle brush of her fingertips. She laid out the papers and sifted through them one by one, scanning each with sparse intent and typing notes on her laptop.

It had been a long day, and the temperature was rising from all the individuals packed together in the spacious assembly hall. Nevertheless, she was particularly interested in one of the files that she received.

File #223: Subject Summary of Completion and Test Recording

Please submit this form to your supervisor upon completion.

Subject: Ray Andylon

Gender: Male

Blood Type: B

Height: 5' 11”

Weight: 175 pounds

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Brown

Note: Eye correction required [Right -2.5 ------ Left -3.25]

Physical and Endurance Exam Results:

Cardio: S

Notes: Subject's ability to sprint at moderate speed level is consistent. Limitations noted due to slight contraction of bronchial tubing. Subject has history of asthma, and medication with albuterol inhaler has been discontinued for past three years. Excessive, deep air intake may prove problematic for initial login, but negligible with results from intrinsic scans upon transfer. Subject form suggests intense professional training, which was confirmed at the high school level and has been continued to the present.

Strength: A

Notes: Subject is competent at lifting heavy objects and shifting between stations with time constraints. Endurance is not an issue. Subject has knowledge of differing exercises and is aware of proper muscle groups for each exercise and operates them accordingly.

Reflexes: S

Notes: Subject displays excellent performance when presented with constantly changing situations while maintaining focus. Exercises 1-7 were performed flawlessly with exercises 8-11 receiving only one flaw each. Subject stance was analyzed and, upon inquiry, subject mentioned participating on his high school’s wrestling team. Along with athletic history, a form is attached providing information with specific athletic stats past and current.

Emily took a moment to glance up from the paperwork. A young man in his early twenties stood before her with a passive expression on his face. His hands were clasped behind him as if he were standing at military attention. His brown hair was slightly disheveled and he wore a black polo fully buttoned. The woman noted his build as well. Lean muscle. Not the show-off gym muscle that some males enjoyed admiring in a mirror. He was built for the endurance described in the report.

She was supposed to take note of these characteristics. She'd done it for so long that it became a habit with everyone she met for the first time. Even with acquaintances. It never hurt to assess someone's transformations.

As she was about to speak, a man approached from behind and tapped her shoulder insistently. His light blue button-down was darkened from all the perspiration under his arms and neck. He motioned to her and she leaned towards him, despite the noise level in the room reaching intolerable levels. She glanced at Ray, who still remained motionless; however, his eyes were roaming almost imperceptibly around the room. No, perhaps it was more along the lines of analyzing.

She nodded to the man and he made a hasty exit. Her eyes followed him until he approached another man, this one wearing some sort of security uniform, and began speaking frantically about something inaudible. The man in the security suit beckoned for him to follow and they exited the room from an unseen door.

Emily sat back in her chair for a moment and began to fuss with her ponytail. She knew it was a distracting and unbecoming habit, but she was convinced it helped her thought process. The exchange between the two men was troubling. In any case, Ray didn't seem to be distracted by it in the least when she made her introduction.

“As your supervisor for this testing process, I am required to provide you with information that will encourage any inquiries on your part,” she said.

She felt like a broken record, and was convinced she certainly sounded like one. Her words came out fluidly, but they almost felt robotic in a way. Sometimes, it was irritating to just hear her own voice with this job.

Ray responded with a stiff nod. “Alright.”

Emily smiled. “Ease up, kid. No need to be so tense.”

Ray hid a deep inhale of breath through his nose as he composed himself. He returned the smile. “Right. Got it.”

“Good. Now, since this is our first official meeting, allow me to introduce myself. I am Emily Tanner. I will be your supervisor for the virtual world. My job is to go over these files and collaborate with your test instructors to ensure that you are given the proper coding that represents your true ability here in the real world. It will be applied to your person upon entering the virtual world, and it will build upon the levels and stats you gain. Do you have any questions so far? I know we are moving fast, and it's a pretty wild concept to grasp.”

Ray didn't take much time to ask his question, even though the question was actually more of a confirmation, “So basically, my ability in the real world has been gauged and it will be applied to me in the virtual world. That is my starting area. The stats and levels will improve upon it from there. Do I have the gist of it?”

“Yeah, you pretty much got it. The only other thing you're missing is that you can improve yourself even without gaining levels. Just like you can in the real world.” She left a notable emphasis on the word.

“It seems a little unfair if some people are more athletic or stronger than others,” Ray commented.

Emily appreciated his observation. “In hindsight, it does seem that way. However, you will find that people have capabilities that make you all equals. It depends upon how your unique talents are used that will bring the desired outcome. The intrinsic scans are also in place to determine what your possible innate potential is that you have yet to reach. I assure you that nobody ever reaches their full potential. We hope to bring that out in the virtual world.”

Emily paused as she reflected on her own responses. Strange. This young man had her blathering. The typical concise statements she was used to were gone. His questions sparked her own curiosity.

I wonder... She dismissed the notion and returned her attention to Ray.

“Do you have anymore questions?” she asked.

“Only one. Is there someone I can speak to about the database we'll have later?”

Emily cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, there is a final assembly held the day before you are sent in. You will have some guest speakers who will explain how everything works. If you don't get some answers you are hoping for, I am sure they will hold separate meetings afterward.”

When no more questions were forthcoming, she went back to examining the forms and scanned through some of the unimportant details: background checks, possible criminal history, highest level of education, they could all wait until a later date. After a quick skim, she reached a report that seized her attention. At first, the letters didn't quite register in her brain. It was like a calculator input with a formula that defied all the laws of equation it had been taught. She tightened her mouth as she read his intrinsic scan report.

It didn't seem possible.

She slowly looked back up at Ray. “You didn't look through this folder, right?”

Ray tilted his head. “No. They told us not to. It was sealed anyway.”

Emily nodded and composed herself. “Of course. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. It's been a pretty long day.”

She rubbed her eyes and glanced back at the form...

Intrinsic Scan Analysis Report:

Subject displays tremendous physical and mental capabilities. Physical capacities include heightened reflexes and situational strength/endurance limiter removals. Circumstantial testing displayed a 97% success rate for limiter removal in dangerous and time-crucial situations (situations and conflict varying upon mental state and source of conflict).

Mental capabilities were impressive, resolving highly difficult problems and amending provided instructions with opportunities to ascertain flaws and/or enact improvements. Readings indicate unidentified potentials at rates ranging from 87%-99%.

Subject Final Intrinsic Scan Analysis Score: SSS

Emily closed and sealed the folder with a special lock she withdrew from a small metal box on her desk. She stared at the folder. It was as if she was seeing through it and still reading Ray's files. SSS.

She felt a thought tugging at her, but she couldn't quite grasp it. It was like someone was dangling the answer at the end of a fishing line constantly being pulled out of her reach. She drew a pen from her pocket, pulled out a stack of notes and wrote a short memo to herself: More research: Ray Andylon, ID 223. She ripped the sticky note off the pile and stuck it in her pocket before extending her hand across the table to Ray.

“You are dismissed. I will see you after the final assembly for a few last-minute instructions. I wish you luck.”

Ray grasped her hand in a firm grip and they shook with one quick motion. “Thank you.”

Ray grabbed his backpack off the floor, gave Emily a formal nod and proceeded to the cafeteria for dinner. Emily watched him until he disappeared behind the glass double doors at the end of the assembly hall.

She stared down at her hand. A person's handshake could tell a lot.

Ray strode down the crowded hallway and pulled out his cellphone. He missed seven calls: one under the name Keiichi, and the other six under the name Lucy. It was typical of Lucy to call a few times in a row with only a few minutes of space between. Ray grinned when he opened his text message inbox and found ten more texts from her and two from Keiichi. He didn't see much point in calling them just yet. They were probably at the meet-and-greet he was late for. No point going now.

The hallway merged with a sky bridge encompassed by glass with a view of the city below. Seattle was bustling with massive crowds of people heading home after a long day of work. The traffic was as horrendous as ever, with cars knit tightly together and evidence of an accident a few blocks up the road. Ray didn't much like the city. A person couldn't walk without bumping into twenty or so people before making it across the street. Even the narrow bridge felt uncomfortable as he hugged the railing that lined the glass.

Ray noticed the jumbo digital screen that overlooked this section of the city. An ad for some sort of shampoo had just ended. Replacing it on the screen was a female wielding a lengthy pole weapon in combat with another female warrior clad in thick armor. The armored female deflected her opponent's attack with a finely crafted lance. The curved blades attached to the sides of the lance allowed the halberd to drag alongside it and forced the other female's momentum to carry forward. It was a magnificent battle.

Just as the armored female prepared to deal a critical side swipe, her lance was halted by a male with a lance of his own, this one a lime green and exuding some form of pestilence. The man in green readjusted his hat and gave the other lance wielder a wry grin. The armored female leaped back and took a defensive stance. As the duo was about to charge her and take advantage of the one-sided battle, a steel arrow cut across their vision and exploded into a nearby boulder, completely decimating it and showering the two surprised warriors in sparks and debris. They turned to their new adversary who stood upon a giant lizard covered in sapphire scales that shined in the dying light. The young male upon his steed gripped the hair on the lizard's back to steady himself as it charged forward. The armored female moved in unison and as each team was about to clash, a sudden bolt of pale lightning struck between them, sending up a geyser of dirt and stone.

Both teams gazed at each other curiously and soon became distracted by a great darkness that polluted the sky. A pair of blood, red eyes emerged from the blackness, accompanied by a face with a crimson mask covering its mouth. The monster carried a broadsword seared with flames.

As the new enemy descended upon them, they brandished their weapons dramatically. At the last moment before each side met, the screen went dark. Golden, fiery letters appeared from all sides of the screen and merged together to form the words Puzzle and Dragons World.

Ray stared at the screen a little longer as the advertisement shifted to a news bulletin.

He felt an excited chill run down his spine.

I won't let any of this go to waste. He promised himself.

The cafeteria was crowded, just the way he hated it. Ray's fellow Players were already seated, and he could pick out their excited conversations concerning what they planned to do once they entered the virtual world. Some of them were showing off their ranks and monster boxes from the previous Puzzle and Dragons, the one for the android and ios released many years ago.

Man, how long has it been? Ray reminisced.

He discerned a few key words from specific conversations. They discussed conquered dungeons, teams that were most effective against certain enemies and other achievements. Most importantly, some mentioned potential first monsters they wished to partner with in the virtual world.

Each Player would get the opportunity to list five monsters he/she wanted when first starting out, beginning with the first as the most desired and the last as least. Ray didn't know how it was decided who received what monster, but he assumed it had to do with how often the monster was used by the Player in the previous Puzzle and Dragons. He hoped rank didn't apply. The original Puzzle and Dragons existed for years, but Ray started the game late, due to not owning a cellphone that could run the game. Emulators were banned.

So basically, he was way behind most of these Players as far as rank was concerned. Nobody had a prayer of catching up to Players who had a two-year head start. In the end though, it was just a number, right?

He heard a familiar name uttered by one of the Players, “.....Leilan.....”

The name halted Ray in his tracks. It was a name he had discovered during his first few weeks of playing the game.

He recalled the mixed emotions he felt as he pulled on the gacha machine that released a variety of eggs, all different colors, that could hold one of thousands of monsters:

With a trembling finger, Ray pulled down on the arm of the gacha machine. A gold egg emerged. Ray stared unblinking as the egg shook a few times. After a brief moment, it burst open with a bright light that consumed the screen of Ray's phone. As the light diminished, he saw a girl with streaked, amber hair wrapped in a long ponytail. Her Chinese dress was a deep red laced with gold and her small rainbow wings were outstretched, prepared to take flight. She wielded a broadsword burning with an unquenchable fire that mimicked the flames that swirled around her in a controlled circle.

Ray sat staring at the screen for a long while. Time had become meaningless.

She had a wonderful smile on her face that exuded an air of confidence, but also hid a reserved kindness. He tapped the screen with a trembling finger and at the top left of the screen it read “God” with a red orb, a fire symbol sealed within it. On the character screen it read: Incarnation of Suzaku, Leilan.

His first God Monster.

He willed the memory away and grimaced. Not a chance, buddy.

Just as Ray was about to take a strained step forward, he felt a slight nudge from behind. He could instinctively tell it was not hostile, so he glanced over his shoulder calmly and noted the person behind him. The young man was around his age with short black hair and a similar lean build. He wore a winning smile as he gave Ray a quick wave.

“Well if it isn't Keiichi,” Ray said.

Keiichi slapped a hand on Ray's shoulder and they immediately embraced in a one-armed hug.

“Dammit man, where have you been?” Keiichi asked. “I messaged you a few times but didn't hear back from you.”

Ray raised his hands apologetically. “Sorry, they held me there longer than I expected. Had some equipment problems.”

“Seriously? That's a shame. You missed out on the meet and greet. Not that it was anything all that special I guess.” He shrugged. “Though I can tell that a bunch of them are going to be taking a dark path. More than I expected.”

Ray motioned for Keiichi to follow him so they could grab some food. He didn't address the statement outright, but he did take some time to process Keiichi's words. It was typical of games that had Player vs. Player combat to have some Player Killers, but he was hoping that the focus would be more on conquering dungeons and discovering the secrets of the world. The fact that a lot of other Players were already considering killing others was unsettling.

Ray and Keiichi grabbed their meal from the buffet line and settled at a high-top table in a corner of the room separated from most of the cacophony. Ray could now get a clear view of the area and noted that there must have been at least a couple hundred people. Some were Players, while others appeared to be staff.

“So, if we have Player Killers, we'll need to make sure we don't draw too much unwanted attention.” Keiichi paused. “But you go for the whole rogue thing in these types of games anyway, right?”

Ray shrugged. “Usually, but I may try to join a guild so I can have a decent information network.” He sighed. “Which may be a little problematic for someone like me.”

Keiichi nodded solemnly. They were both friends in the original game, so Keiichi knew about the rank issue. Ray's rank was low. He'd started the game too late, and he didn't spend much money towards it like others did, which pushed him even further behind.

“I wouldn't worry about it,” Keiichi said. “If some guilds reject you, then they don't know what they're missing out on. You've demonstrated some of your skills in the co-op dungeons, and they were damn impressive. Besides, our abilities in the real world will be applied. You might even have an advantage.”

Ray nodded. He was thankful for Keiichi's support. A newfound confidence built in him.

If he could have Leilan as a partner...

“In any case-” Ray started.

He jolted as a tray slammed with a loud bang on the table right in front of his plate. The plate leaped up and somehow managed to hold the food in place. Both Ray and Keiichi reared back in their chairs. Ray was more fortunate than Keiichi. He leaned forward just in time to right himself in his seat, while Keiichi's chair settled too far back on its legs and dropped him hard to the floor. He lay there sprawled in a heap with his legs dangling above his head.

The two stared with wide eyes at the newcomer. Her head was lowered and her body trembled. When she looked up, Ray pushed himself towards the corner, cowering in fear while Keiichi covered his face with his shirt and assumed the fetal position.

“Oh god, she's here! She's friggin here!” Keiichi sobbed. His voice was nearly raised to a shout.

A few people turned. Some laughed, while others gave them critical frowns.

Ray threw his face in his hands. “Gods above, I am so sorry! Whatever my sin, I will amend in any way I can. Your humble servant begs for mercy!”

Someone shouted from a few tables over, “Hail Hera!”

A few others replied with their own cheers of worship, “Praise Metatron!”

“Praise dah sun!” The Player who shouted this last bit received a couple slaps to the back of his head.

Many worshiping Players joined in, adding the names of their favorite God Monsters to the growing list.

The two fear-stricken boys continued their stammering pleas as the girl eyed them. She finally settled on Ray. She stepped on the metal rungs of his high chair and grabbed him by the collar.

Keiichi clapped his hands together in prayer, thanking his God Monster for sparing him and sacrificing his friend.

Ray opened his eyes a sliver. The girl's mouth quivered. Brown hair settled just past her shoulders and, despite the fact that she was now towering over him, she was rather petite. She was barely an inch from Ray's face; her sparkling blue eyes bore into him as if analyzing the very depths of his soul.

Ray finally managed to find his voice. “H-hey, Lucy.”

At the sound of her name, she shook Ray a few more times before embracing him in a devastating hug that should have been impossible for someone of her size.

“Why didn't you answer my calls you jerk?” She rocked the chair back and forth and Ray's head collided with the wall a few times.

Ray strained to breath. “I'm-sorry.”

Keiichi now stood at his side and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Poor Ray. His life was a brief one.”

“Screw-you.”

Lucy turned to Keiichi at the sound of his voice with a mixture of joy and hate in her eyes. This sort of emotional combination should have been impossible, and that terrified Keiichi. He raised his hands nervously in surrender, but the girl had already leaped away from Ray and seized Keiichi in another death hug.

Emily maneuvered through the assembly hall as soon as she finished saving her data on the laptop and filed away all the physical documents. There were still large throngs of people blocking her route, and she shoved many of them aside with obvious irritation. They gave her disapproving and angry looks, but she really didn't pay much mind.

The hallway outside lulled into quiet, and she made good time to her office three floors above. A man sat at a long marble desk, typing away furiously, his brow furrowed deep to match his intensity. The door to the entry room closed silently behind Emily and she made her way past the front desk to her office. The man didn't seem to notice her.

Her office was a generous size with a window dominating a side wall that overlooked the city. Two large bookshelves filled the adjacent wall where a mahogany desk sat before them with just enough room to swivel her chair back to sit. Nothing decorated the room.

Emily withdrew her laptop and woke it from sleep mode. She picked up a disposable phone, dialed a number and depressed an unseen button on the phone's underside.

After a few tones passed, a tired voice answered.

“Hello?” The man yawned on the other end of the phone.

Emily dismissed this lack of professionalism. “Rick. It's Emily.”

The man named Rick made a loud shuffling on the other end of the phone. “Well, I guess if you're calling it must be something important.” He attempted to mask his interest.

“I just received a SSS rank.”

Silence. The only indication of Rick's presence was his slow, even breath. When no answer seemed forthcoming, she broke the silence.

“Rick?”

“Who else knows about this?”

Emily rolled her eyes. “You, me, and the guys who administered the tests. What do you take me for?”

“I know. I know. Just one of those questions that needs asking. Okay, I need you to send me his information. I highly doubt this is a coincidence. And if my hunch is right, there will be more.”

Emily opened a document on the computer and prepared to relay the information to Rick.

“What about the testers?” she asked.

“There is nothing we can do about them. If we tell them to keep quiet about this, it will just arouse more suspicion. No, they will definitely shoot their mouths off. Who wouldn't after testing a SSS rank? We just need to hope it doesn't reach the wrong people too soon when it spreads.”

Emily nodded even though Rick obviously couldn't see her assent.

“This will no longer be a secure line in a few days,” Rick added. “I will meet you at the usual place to give you access to the new line.”

“Okay.”

There was another long silence before Rick spoke, “What about Kurosaki?”

Emily started playing with her ponytail as she considered. “I don't think we can trust him just yet.”

“Well, I suppose he is Takamura's successor. Anyway, I'll be in touch.”

“See you soon.”

Emily hung up the phone and sat there for a moment running the conversation through her head. If what Rick said was true, then more SSS ranks were entering the virtual world.

The question was: Which side would they choose?