LOUISE

The first thing I remembered when I woke up in the world of DFA was floating. For a long time, I could hear voices, sometimes faint, sometimes stronger. They were calm, and when I heard their words, I felt comforted.

We are always with you. That was what I heard first from them.

Despite not knowing where they truly were, I willed myself to be closer to them, to have their words ring more clearly in my heart. When they spoke, I felt a sense of duty.

Many will depend on you.

It is in your nature.

You fight for the heart of the world.

As an amount of time I couldn’t measure passed, I continued to follow the voices. Sometimes I dreamt, but when I was awake, I rushed to the nearest sounds in hopes of hearing them.

As we watch over you, we dream of the future that waits.

Will your arrival bring rejoice of the morning light?

Or the pains of the setting sun?

Or something else entirely?

Whispers of my future followed me. I knew I was getting closer. There was fear in my heart about what would happen once I left this place, but the voices, whoever they were, wanted me to. I didn’t want to let them down.

Whatever path you choose…we are with you.

Whenever you are ready, ascend.

I felt the pull to rise. Even though I wasn’t sure what was above me or beneath me, I tried to swim upwards in the darkness. I saw glimmers of light, slivers of stardust that traveled upwards, guiding my path. I swam with them. Above was a greater light.

We can begin whenever you like. Whenever you are ready.

I gasped as I broke through the surface. I stood on uncertain legs and looked at my hands. I watched as water dripped from them. I wore a white cloak, but it didn’t feel like it had gotten at all soaked. It was bright, almost too bright to see, but my eyes began to adjust. There was a grayish sky above me.

I looked around. Others rose from beneath as well; all dressed the same as me. The water at their feet that only rose to their ankles. The ground was solid beneath us. I knew I couldn’t return to the place below.

Who are you?

I jolted at the voice, and at the sudden pedestal in front of me. The console had buttons with symbols on them I couldn’t understand.

Tell me your name.

That was when it hit me. Memories of this place rushed back to me all at once. This was a game. A game I played before. But now, I was in the game somehow. A hackneyed premise when I’d see it in the media, but living it made it feel so incredible, magical, and amazing that I felt guilty for giving the idea such a hard time before.

“Louise Lumi.” That was easy. I always used my real name in a game with a character creation mode.

Others spoke around me. There were around thirteen of them, all lined up, each with their own console. Each were ghostly, their physical forms felt like they were close to fading away. I could only clearly hear those closest to me.

“Ivanna.” The one to my left said with incredible confidence.

“Raiden.” The one to my right said quietly.

Someone a few spaces over spoke with uncertainty. “Zenk, I think.” Near them, another spoke with an intense voice.

“Kiran.”

More spoke, but they were too far away for me to get their names. I thought I faintly heard a familiar one, but I cast the thought aside as wishful thinking.

Now show me, with your truest heart, your form.

I didn’t have to consciously act for this to happen; my form, ghostly like the others beside me, began to take a more solidified shape. The ethereal bodies shifted and changed all around me, only becoming opaque once they’d settled. I felt like I'd left a dream when a mirror rose from the console, showing me my reflection. A young woman, with steel in my blue-grayish eyes, with long blonde hair. I looked practically the same as I did in my past life.

Those beyond this place will know you by your eyes.

As my eye color changed, each color it stopped on felt a different kind of energy within me, just like I imagined it would when I first played the game and made my own creation. With the reds, I felt fire and pride, the blues brought sorrow and the seas, the greens, excitement and life, and so on. I settled on a deep, piercing blue, always enjoying having the water element for my powers. In addition to my eyes changing colors, a dragon’s tail grew from my back, its scales a mix of brilliant shades of blue and purple.

Reach forward.

I obliged, holding both hands forward. The glistening lights from below came from the consoles, flying around all of us in arcs before settling in their hands. I watched as the sparks danced between my palms.

Your powers will be concentrated through this ability. With it, you will cast your soul forward, utilizing the energies within it. This is the gift of the Proto.

The sparks began to solidify as the bodies did, but their form did not fully complete.

Now your gift must take shape.

Words and images projected from the console appeared before me. I reached forward between the pages to scroll through them.

The first read, “KNIGHT’S FATE. A strong sense of honor. Protects the weak and battles injustice. Path of the sword.” An image of an armored being swinging a sword at monsters to protect a group cowering behind them.

The second read, “WARRIOR’S LOT. Weapon proficiency. For those who seek power above all. The way of rulers. Path of the flames.” The images showed mighty beings unleashing firepower on their enemies. Many followers looked up to them.

The last read, “SOUL’S PROVIDENCE. For those who seek solitude. A deep connection with nature. Path of the wand.” The images showed a being casting spells, accomplishing great feats with magic. They stood alone.

Basically, these were the moral systems of the game. The Knight’s Fate class was the “good guy” class, Warrior’s Lot was the “bad guy,” and Soul’s Providence was neutral. Each had their benefits in combat and in the story mode, but I liked playing the hero, so I scrolled back to Knight’s Fate and selected it. The sparks in my hands formed a sword that felt light, but powerful.

There will be further gifts in time. But for now, this is your base.

The sword dissipated into glimmers and a thin, almost clear pillar descended around me. Pillars descended on the others as well.

I have a few more questions for you. The others won’t be able to hear these, so speak freely. Don’t think too long about your answer. Speak freely and honestly. We’re happy with whatever you say.

I nodded. Then added, “OK,” when I wasn’t sure if the console needed to hear my voice. It was different physically living through a character creator than just selecting buttons on a menu.

What do you wish for the worlds?

“Peace.” I answered, letting my heart speak. “Hopes answered. Justice.”

Protos stand above the populace, but they also are beneath them. Do you understand?

“I…I don’t.” I did, but the default character dialogue here was to say that, and I really wanted to say these lines.

You may one day. Don’t worry about that now. What do you fear?

I had to think for a second. While I was below, I dreamt of great joys, and had nightmares of great terrors. But the terrors couldn’t compare to what I felt when I couldn’t hear the voices.

“Being alone.” I said. Combined with that deep, unsettling, monstrous feeling of loneliness in the depths, I also knew that if I answered that I would get some valuable allies in the career mode.

We understand. Though you may face many evils beyond this place, sometimes solitude can be as frightening. Thank you for your honesty. As your training truly begins, just remember. The sky above began to grow brighter. I had to shut my eyes as it overtook me. We are always with you.

Then I was in the ring, in a sporting arena that didn’t match the ethereal mood of the creation section at all. But that was exciting in itself.

“WELCOME TO…THE DRAGON FIGHTING ALLIANCE!” The crowd cheered, and I felt like I was truly home. All of the new dragon warriors in the ring posed and celebrated, and I did it along with them. Some of the dragons went fully into their dragon forms and flew all around the arena. I noticed we had been split into three groups based on our alignment choice.

And that’s when I saw her.

I thought it was a joke at first, but even across worlds I knew Amvery Astrell. She had the same mischievous look she always did, already probably scheming some plan to cause debauchery here. Had she followed me into this world? Had I followed her? Or had we ended up here together? There could be more of us, but I didn’t see anyone else that I recognized quickly scanning our group, so I zeroed in on Amvery. Even in my moment of glee, I stopped to sigh when I saw what group she was in.

She had chosen Warrior’s Lot. The villain route. Because of course she did.