I use a portal and teleport to Assiath, the capital of my race. It’s a city floating in the sky, inaccessible to other races unless they get a teleportation permit. It can also be reached by flying but since only Celestials possess wings in this game, other races have no means to visit it conventionally. This is also part of the role-play and lore of this imaginary world. Celestials literally live in the sky.

I decide to visit the trading quarter to buy something sweet before Liana seizes me indefinitely. The street is busy as usual with players shopping and non-player characters running various stalls.

I buy myself a delicious looking candy with a minor energising effect and sit on the edge of a local fountain to relax. As I’m finishing the candy, I hear someone’s squabbling.

“Those who can’t do even a simple pirouette in the air are a disgrace to our race,” a girl with sandy wings spits just a few metres away.

“His Highness is too benevolent. If it was up to me, I’d talk to the developers and force people like you to change their race… to any race, just not ours,” her friend agrees, sounding really aggressive.

I analyze the situation. There are two Celestials, judging from their equipment of cherub rank, around level 35. There is one more player in a malakhim robe, level 15 I guess. She’s clearly intimidated by the couple and they’re blocking her way. They must have seen her clumsy landing or something because one’s flying ability isn’t necessarily tied to the level.

Exemplary bullies. Well, time to make an example out of them.

“We would lose a third of our population that way,” I say out loud and step in.

The couple turns towards me, looking all pissed. The malakhim girl takes this opportunity to run away. Good.

“Can you manage advanced flying?” the girl asks and looks at my tattered clothes with utter disrespect.

“It’s not about speed or air acrobatics,” I oppose. “You have to feel the air in your heart and simply enjoy flying.”

“Exactly because of that laid-back attitude other races don’t bow to us,” the boy hisses angrily.

“It’s just a game, there’s no reason to,” I argue. “Sure, there’s Draconia’s lore and in role-play events it might be nice for a more cinematic feeling but otherwise totally pointless.”

“Let’s duel, you stupid noob,“ the girl challenges me. “Then you’ll see what advanced flying is good for. Seraphs are the strongest amongst us.”

“But you’re not seraphs,” I note. I know all seraphs, at least their faces. Liana made sure of that.

“Not yet but soon we will be,” the girl shouts and passes me a dialogue window with a duel challenge.

Duelling in cities is considered to be bad manners and you can’t duel to the death anyway in peaceful locations but some people can’t seem to help themselves. I accept the duel just to give them a lesson.

As the timer starts to count down, the girl prepares herself to fly as soon as allowed. I don’t give her that luxury. When the window states START, I need just a millisecond to prepare a spell because a high-tier one isn’t necessary. She doesn’t even know what hit her when she finds herself suddenly lying on the ground, unable to breathe.

DUEL FINISHED. WINNER: AEFENER

The couple stares with disbelief, first at the dialogue window, then at me again. It’s impossible for a Celestial not to know the name of their Emperor.

“It seems too early for you to apply for the seraph title,” I observe and try to act cold. “A seraph must be able to put up a protective shield right away.”

“Y-Y-Your Highness,” the boy falls to his knees. The girl would probably do the same but she’s still too busy catching her breath.

“Role-play bullies,” I murmur to myself, unfold my wings and fly away.

Don’t get me wrong, I love role-play in story events. I sympathise with being totally absorbed in playing but there’re limits to that. Some people think that role-play can be an excuse for bullying, narcissism and feeling superior to other races and lower levels.

I glide over Assiath, trying to clear my irritated mind. I detest people who make enjoying the game hard for newcomers. As if being called a noob isn’t bad enough, it’s this kind of behaviour that makes role-playing games unappealing for casual players. People like those two give us a bad reputation.

But I stop thinking about them after a minute. Flying is too pleasant for having negative thoughts. Now all I can think about is enjoying all those things I don’t experience in real life—the feeling of having a pair of fluffy wings on my back, the wind that listens to me and the ultimate freedom of the sky.

I breathe in deeply and when I breathe out, I fold my wings close to my body and start falling. Advanced air acrobatics are popular among higher levels and I utterly love them.

I watch Assiath getting bigger as I get closer to the ground and shiver with excitement when feeling the bursts of air around me. I open my wings at the last minute which most people don’t have the nerve to do. Even if Draconia is just a game, the instinct to survive is too strong and the idea of smashing into the ground too scary. And nobody wants to feel pain needlessly, however dulled. I trained hard to be able to perform a coordinated fall without flinching too soon.

I surprise a bunch of Celestials chatting in a park beneath me. It’s considered rude to use air bursts near other people in non-combat areas but I can’t help it. If I want to make the ending really impressive, I need an air boost. The spell has been on my lips since I started falling and now I simply activate it. The energy sends me violently up but, with the right position of my wings, the ascension looks neat.

The current throws me a few hundred metres above Assiath and I finally slow down. I’m panting but I feel happy and energised. Sorry, Erik. That time you took me for a helicopter flight was amazing but nothing compares to using your own wings.

REMINDER: MEETING IN 45 MINUTES.

I sigh because it means that my flying session is over. I set for the royal palace that shines in the centre of the city.

In a few minutes, I land in front of the main gate. The royal palace is enveloped in a protective shield and the main gate is the only way in. Only seraphs and personnel with permission can enter the premises and even they have to go through the guards. Guards are non-player characters with only limited dialogue options but their stats are high so they would have no problem protecting the palace against intruders.

I’m hoping to get into my quarters before Liana notices my presence but she must have some kind of advanced notification setting that alerts her when I enter the palace grounds. I hear flapping wings and there she stands in front of me—majestic, annoyed and unavoidable.

“Finally you’re here and looking like a vagabond,” she snorts. Her avatar has violet hair, she’s wearing official embroidered attire and as always looks absolutely perfect… unlike me. Her golden Celestial eyes are piercing me fiercely.

“The Forgotten Cave is muddy,” I shrug. “Plus, I can’t exactly go out looking all regal, people wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“You can’t exactly go out without the royal guard either,” Liana retorts. “At least try to role-play a little bit, will you?”

“The game would be boring that way!“ I whine. “I could just abdicate, you know.”

“We both know that you love it too much. And… well… I admit the game wouldn’t be so much fun without you around,” she says reluctantly. I’m surprised by her sudden honesty but she does have a cute side only I get to see from time to time.

“We can duel again,” I suggest. “Last time you almost beat me.”

“The only reason I stood a chance was because I came up with a very solid strategy beforehand,” she says. “You’re such a videogame nerd that your spellcasting and flying abilities are far beyond anybody else among the Celestials.”

I grin. “I’m proud to be geeky and nerdy!”

“Go wash yourself and get dressed, we start in half an hour. Please?” she smiles knowingly.

I resist rolling my eyes in front of her. Liana always means well and I know that. Even though she’s like a nagging mother sometimes, she has that power to push people where she needs them for their own good. I actually enjoy being, within reason, scolded by her. Having things done with minimum procrastination is much easier with her behind my wings. She can never know I think that, of course.

Funny, sometimes I actually wish my telepathy worked here. Liana seems like a strict person both here and in real life but I think she really enjoys my carefree company. I mean, if she didn’t, why would she bother with me in the first place?