1

  Colton Collymore could feel the cold, frigid air slowly burn his nose. That cold air made anyone have the urge to be covered in blankets. Collymore’s Eyes gleamed as white fog escaped his mouth. As he looked up, he saw the moon. The shining, brimming moon that felt magical. A bizarre sphere that men were only able to touch once.

  However, that light cannot be made without the sun. The moon is dependent on the sun because without it, that white sphere would be a lump of clay sitting there, without brimming a single ounce of light. Compared to Colton, the two were twins. Colton is empty without his comrades. They were his forever lasting “light.” However, that light which gave him hope, ultimately became his demise.

  With a swift stab of a needle into his neck, Colton was put to sleep. Before falling unconscious that last sight was his so-called “best friend” with a face of hate, anger, and most of all, a face of relief. Of course, Colton questioned everything at that moment. “Why did they do this? Did I make a mistake? Was I not worthy?” Confusion, sorrow, sadness, and many more emotions were swirling inside his head.

  The poor raven-haired man was shackled and showered in injuries. Finally awoken, Collymore’s throbbing pain made him want to vomit. He could feel his aching muscles with every subtle movement he made. Looking at his comrades though, pushed away that pain instantly. Naturally there is only one answer in the world of supernatural beings. This was an act of betrayal.

  “Why did you betray me,” Colton asked. “Because you’re strong.”

  “Because I’m strong?” Collymore questioned.

  “Strength is the only thing that matters in this world now. And your growing strength was terrifying,” they answered.

  Colton wanted to be mad but they’re right. Instead of nurturing the talented, killing them ensured their safety or in other words, their status. Colton himself even killed a few of these talents because their word is absolute. He’s thankful for all they’ve done and if dying can give them a sense of security then why be mad? As long as his people could live a happy life, dying without regret was plausible.

  “Can you at least protect my family?” Colton asked, lifting his head up slightly, “they have nothing to do with this.”

  Someone Colton Collymore believed to be his best friend, Jack Huxly, was the leader of the exalted group called Against The Gods, which ruled the current world. Jack walked in front of everyone and just stood right in front of Colton. “Sorry that won’t be possible,” he expressed, “You’re someone with potential unmatched throughout the world. Wouldn’t the people who brought you into this world have that too?”

  “If anything, that sister of yours must die,” Huxly exhaled.

  Colton couldn’t help but be surprised by his response. His family were ordinary people with no power whatsoever. People that could barely lift a weight over their heads and yet he won't protect them? Colton unbeknown to him, was just used for personal gain. He was just a pawn.

  “What did you do,” Colton questioned, softly.

  Jack walked up to Colton, knelt down, and whispered in his ear, “I killed them, dumbass.” Moments later, seven swords were thrusted upon Colton’s body. An endless amount of scarlet, red fluid spilled out his mouth. Colton’s body throbbed with each breath he took. His head is spun in circles, the itch to breathe, and most importantly, the will to live and kill.

  “YOU BASTARDS,” he shouted.

  “I’LL KILL YOU ALL YOU UNDERSTAND,” Colton yelled.

  “I WILL MAKE SURE TO KILL YOU IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY,” he howled.

  Colton tried to scream again, however no words escaped. Desperate gasps for air were inevitable with the amount of blood there were. His eyes felt heavy and slowly everything became a blur. He glanced at a bird and watched it completely froze in front of him. He looked around and found everything still. Several minutes go by and he’s still alive, perplexed he knows that time is now frozen.

  Suddenly, goosebumps rose from his skin. Sweat drizzled down his spine and fear clouded his perception. He never felt like this, even when he fought monsters. An entity he’s never encountered. He glanced upwards and witnessed a dusky shadow fall towards him. Fingers were attached to his chin in an abrupt manner and out the shadow came a woman.

  She had dark, lushed black hair and red-hued eyes. Her playful smirk and slightly angled eyes felt as if she looked at a dog. Collymore never felt this way even when fighting monsters, this entity was entirely different.

  “Look at the pitiful state you’re in,” the woman asserted.

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  He was not amused. “Seriously? I didn’t notice,” Colton said. Collymore tried to keep his poker face however, his shivering body defied his words.

  “Enough with the tough act Colton,” she demanded. She slowly loosened her grasp from his chin and knelt to his level. She stared for a few seconds before continuing her grand long speech.

  “You know the reason why the Pleiades chose T.D.S as the game to ruin the world right?” She asked. “Of course not.”

  She was not impressed. With a soft sigh she began to explain the events that took place.

  In 2045 Colton’s world experienced a new age of video games. Virtual reality MMORPG have boomed, and everyone wants to experience the new world. A few years after virtual reality was out, a new MMORPG game was created called T.D.S. s were practically everywhere and people around the world were anticipating the game to be released. Every top school that focuses on virtual reality made T.D.S their top priority. Even one of the greatest virtual reality schools, The Patriot Academy.

  “Wait, I don’t need a history lesson, just tell me the reason,” Colton commanded, “Shut up and listen!”

  “Yes ma’am,” he responded instinctively.

  T.D.S, also known as Tombs, Dungeons, and Superpowers, is quite simple. Tombs and dungeons appeared throughout the virtual world. You start off with basic stats that are stronger than the average adult. The goal is to go into these tombs and dungeons and clear them. Upon entering the game, you have to pick a class. There are a total of six classes, swordsman, tank, magician, priest, assassin, and berserker. Next there is a “welcome” chest and upon opening it, you can get a skill for your specific class. It’s random and the only skill you can get is among the F tiers. Of course, you can level up your skills and there are a total of seven ranks. F being the lowest and S being the highest.

  Dungeons and tombs are relatively the same, except for the rewards it gives you at the end. When you clear a tomb, you can earn equipment that gives you a special trait called relics. However, dungeons are completely different. It's a place you can level up your basic stats and refine skills. Also, upon clearing a dungeon you can get a skill depending on the difficulty of the challenge. The harder the dungeon is, the higher chance of getting a good tier skill.

  A few years after the game was out, everyone knew what the game was and high-ranking Pleiades decided to at least give humans a fair chance. Tombs and dungeons started appearing everywhere in the world. Places like the United States, Korea, Japan, China, etc. People that were pros in the game became kings and ruled over the world. People that were casuals or noobs at the game were treated like trash and were forced to listen to the higher “beings.”

  However, Colton was even worse than them. Colton never got the chance to play the game, so he was treated like a literal slave. With hard work Colton was able to rise the ranks and prosper. Although he has no knowledge from the game he had a talent for fighting. That rare talent alone was able to keep his family off the streets and fed. Nonetheless, you can only get so far with only talent. The weak still had to follow the strong, that’s the way human life is now.

  “Yeah, it’s all because of that virtual reality game,” Colton thought, still looking towards the sky.

  Colton doesn’t have enough energy to continue this conversation, so he just stayed there, on his knees. His eyes were already looking at the death reaper the more he sat and waited for his inevitable end.

  “Don’t you want a second chance,” she stated. “What the hell is it talking about?”

  “Well then, tell me do you want a second life,” the woman asked. “Yeah, I do.”

  “Do you want to go back in time and get your revenge,” the girl yelled.

  “Yes, I do,” he told himself, still looking towards the lady, “ANSWER ME GOD DAMMIT, DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR PAST?”

  “If you could do such a thing, then yeah, send me to the past,” Colton yelled, in a weak, raspy voice. “Okay, let the ceremony begin.”

  A white magic circle, the size of a building, started to envelop around him. He wondered what the purpose of this doing was. Were the gods unsatisfied and wanted more entertainment? Did they want to see Colton suffer again even after regressing? He wants to ask questions but, he himself knows the black-haired girl won’t answer.

  Suddenly the white circle became a grueling red color that looked worse than blood. Colton looked towards his hands, and they were gone. His body slowly started turning into particles and with a swift blow of the wind, he was sent towards the moon. “I wonder, what does revenge look like to you,” the girl asked, looking towards Colton’s already gone body, “I can’t wait for your answer the next time we meet.”

  Before the question could be answered he was gone. Colton was worried, scared, but most of all, excited. He has the chance to redo all of his wrong doings. Streams of ideas were reverberating throughout his mind. Ideas for revenge, ideas to protect his family, and goals to purely destroy the gods.

  “What does revenge look like to you?”

  Colton doesn’t know the answer to the question. He has questions that can’t be answered for the time being. The question is bugging him and causing a disturbance. Revenge is a mystery or better put, something completely unnatural. It’s not something that can be explained in simple terms. So describing such a thing is irrelevant, no, something that serves no purpose.

  Colton is stuck in place in a dark, ominous room. With all his efforts the man couldn't move and could only sit and wait. Almost immediately, scenes of his life were being displayed like an old, black tape recorder. In the early stages it wasn’t so bad. Showing scenes of his school life before the catastrophic incident, however, that all changed soon.

  The landscape displayed memories he hated the most. Scenes of his hardships, failures, regrets, and many more were visible. The man hated every moment of it. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, his entire body rattled, and his mouth hung open. Huge gasps of air lead to him hyperventilating as he grabs his chest. Collymore laid there, unmoving like a gargoyle.

  Slowly but surely, he was going insane. The old, rugged scenes were being played over and over again without the intention of stopping. The word escape was only a dream but there is one thing he can do to escape this hell. His eyes closed and when he opened them one last time, he was in a room. A room that feels vaguely familiar.