"March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move towards perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path."

Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese poet (1883 – 1931)

“Wake up, Milly. Wake up!”

Milly cracked open her eyes, her head pounding. The storm was over, and morning light poured through the windows. The electricity had just been restored in the building and computers flared to life across the office.

“Come on. We need to get going before everyone else figures out what’s going on,” Xavier urged, his excitement palpable.

She glanced around the office. Most of their coworkers were gathered at the windows, their alarmed whispers growing louder with each passing second. There was thick tension in the air as the office seemed balanced on the edge of chaos.

“Milly, I swear, I will leave you behind if you don't get your ass moving. Now!” he insisted, increasingly impatient.

She blinked, and her eyes fell on her shattered monitor. Oracle’s message had vanished, but another one—this time in bright gold letters—had replaced it.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The thirteenth God Contest has begun!

All players should attend the lobby for the tutorial.

Fight well, and may your deaths pave the way for your species’ future.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“I…what? God Contest? Tutorial? Xavier, I-I don’t understand,” she stammered.

She glanced over at Xavier’s computer. The message was plastered across his monitor as well.

“It’s on every screen in this place,” he said, pulling out his phone and showing her the screen. “No cell signal. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

“What?” she asked, more confused than ever. “Toto?”

“Seriously, Milly? The Wizard of Oz? Man, you’ve lived a sheltered life.”

“I know what The Wizard of Oz is, Xavier. Just what the hell is going on?” She felt weak, her head still spinning after being knocked unconscious during the storm.

“Come see for yourself,” he said, hauling her to her feet. He led her over to the north-facing windows, where the confused murmurs of their coworkers were quickly growing into rejuvenated terror.

Milly pried Xavier’s fingers off her wrist and approached the window until her nose was squished against the glass.

That’s…that’s not possible.

The city was gone. Every office tower, every road, every home, and every person had vanished. Every trace of civilization had been erased from existence.

In its place, a majestic mountain range stretched far into the distance, the mountains’ height making the Castle of Glass seem like an ant next to a giant. Majestic waterfalls cascaded down their slopes, forming brilliant rainbows where they crashed against the rocks. Snowy peaks and massive glaciers sparkled in the sunlight, melting into rapid rivers that flowed down broad valleys filled with pine, spruce, and fir.

It was as if the Rocky Mountains had been delivered to their doorstep, only its beauty was exaggerated, as if the entire landscape had been carefully crafted by an artist’s loving hand.

It was too much for her to process. She stared out the window with her coworkers, mouth open in disbelief as her words failed to form. She scratched at the glass, as if she could peel away a sticker and reveal the city hidden beneath. A war of emotions erupted inside her, and she didn’t know which would emerge victorious.

Xavier led her away from the window, leaving behind a greasy smudge where her nose had been pressed.

“It’s not just the mountains in the north,” he said, surprisingly composed. “Every direction has a different terrain. Look!”

He led her quickly around the perimeter of the office, and she gasped as they passed by each window.

To the east lay an immense ocean, its crystal blue waters dotted with an archipelago of islands. A white, sandy beach stretched from the water to the walls of the Castle of Glass. Palm trees dotted the landscape, and schools of fish broke through the gentle, rolling waves for their morning feed. Flocks of ocean birds glided on windy currents and nested in the crevices of the rocky coastline, and crabs skittered across the sand to escape the morning sun.

It was an artist’s idealized rendering of a gorgeous Mediterranean sea.

She tentatively touched the glass and felt the heat of the world beyond.

“It’s warm,” she whispered in disbelief.

“You’ll need to find something other than your hoodie to wear when we’re adventuring on the beach,” he said as he pulled her away from the window.

Adventuring? D-did Xavier just make a joke? No, he’s dead serious. Just what the hell is going on?

They moved to the south side of the building, where the world beyond the glass was blanketed in thick Amazon rainforest. Home to thousands upon thousands of colorful songbirds, the jungle canopy rose far above their tenth-floor office. Only a small fraction of light pierced the canopy, and the jungle’s understory was packed with ferns, vines, and moss. The soft pitter-patter of gentle rain against the window presented an eerie peace against the tension inside the tower.

Milly spotted Calista staring out the window, her eyes wide and legs trembling.

She looks so scared. I should go check on her. Make sure she’s safe.

She started to move towards her, but Xavier led her away from the window before she could.

“Xavier, she’s…everyone’s terrified. Shouldn’t we be helping?”

Xavier followed her gaze and scowled when he saw Calista.

“You can’t be serious?” he scoffed, pulling her along. “There’s no one I want to help less than Calista fucking Gale.”

As they rounded the corner to the western side of the tower, they saw Mr. Fredrickson with a group of managers from the upper floors. They were shuffling staff away from the windows and into the boardroom.

She spotted their CEO, Jacob Stone, amongst the managers, and, for a brief moment, their eyes met. A chill ran up her spine that had nothing to do with the impossible terrains beyond the glass.

“Shit, I stand corrected. I might actually want to help the managers less than Calista,” Xavier hissed, skipping the western window and leading her straight for the elevator. “We don’t have time for this.”

“You two! Milby and Zachary," Mr. Fredrickson demanded, marching towards them. "Into the boardroom. Now! Mr. Stone will address his staff in five minutes and give you orders!”

An unexpected spark of anger flared deep within Milly, piercing through her fear.

“My name isn’t Milby, Mr. Fredrickson! It’s—”

Before she could finish, Xavier shoved Mr. Fredrickson hard in his rotund stomach. Their boss stumbled backwards into a cubicle wall, a look of utter shock plastered across his face.

“Fuck off, Fredrickson,” he spat. “And learn our fucking names.”

Mr. Fredrickson's shock twisted into alarm, and he fled back to the protection of his fellow managers.

“Xavier, wh-what the hell was that?” she said, stunned by his aggression.

“Now he’ll know not to mess with me,” he explained cryptically as he led Milly to the elevators and pressed the call button. “Plus, he deserved it.”

She yanked her arm out of his grasp and rubbed her aching wrist.

“I know Mr. Fredrickson is a bad boss, but that was too much. They’ll fire you!”

His eyes flashed to the huddled managers.

“Something tells me that doesn’t matter anymore,” he muttered, his mind whirling. “There’s value in being seen as the wildcard, Milly, especially when others will seek to control you. And in this scenario, that’s the best play.”

“Scenario? Xavier, what the hell are you talking about?”

Her spark of anger caught fire, shattering through her crippling shock. Her hands shook as her long-bury rage finally surfaced.

This job. My boss. My whole…fucking life! And now this? I can’t take it anymore.

She snapped and slammed her fist into the wall so hard that she left a small dent in the aging drywall. “Just tell me what the fuck is going on, Xavier!”

To her surprise, Xavier actually smiled at her outburst.

“I knew there was fire buried somewhere in there,” he praised, giving her a little smirk. “You’re a survivor, Milly. Like me. I’ll tell you what I know, but not here. I don’t want to lose our advantage. Wait for the elevator.”

She tried to ask another question, but he simply raised his palm and pointed towards the elevator doors.

With an irritated huff, she slapped his hand away and headed over to the western window.

Great plains—like those of the American mid-west—stretched to the edge of the horizon. Tall grasses covered flat prairie and gently rolling hills, intersected by lazy, winding rivers and wooded valleys. Low lying shrubs and copses of willow and birch were scattered across the landscape. A herd of bison sent a flock of a thousand blackbirds into the air, and a lone falcon picked one off for its morning meal.

Milly could smell the dry air and the wildflowers through the cracks in the window, and she had a sudden, chilling, realization.

It’s real. It’s all real. The mountain. The ocean. The rainforest. The prairie. Where…where are we?

The Castle of Glass lay at the center of the four terrains, each one an artistic masterpiece. The boundary between each terrain was so stark that it looked like it had been cut with a knife.

A million questions popped into her head, but a single thought rose above all others. She felt her anger recede as she pressed her nose against the window and felt its warmth.

It’s…the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.

The elevator arrived. She tore herself away from the view and returned to Xavier, and together they stepped inside.

“Tell me, Xavier,” she insisted after the elevator doors closed. “Tell me what’s going on.”

I don’t want to be like everyone else, panicked and helpless. Once—just this once—I want to be the brave one.

Xavier looked as if he was seeing her for the first time. He pressed the button for the lobby and leaned back, studying her expression.

“What do you think happened?” he asked, as the elevator groaned and started to descend.

What? He’s never asked for my opinion before. Ever. Not in the entire six months I’ve known him.

“Are you…testing me?” she asked sharply.

“Yes.”

“You’re a real jackass, you know that Xavier,” she spat, her anger flaring.

“I know,” he admitted. He nodded towards the floor panel, its display slowly counting down to the lobby. “Clock’s ticking.”

Milly wanted to punch him square in his smug mouth.

When was the last time I've felt this angry?

When was the last time I’ve felt this…alive?

The thought hit her like a freight train. This moment—this anger—was the first time in years that her depression had taken a back seat to something else.

She took a deep breath as she tried to control the storm of emotions swirling inside her.

“Okay...well, I doubt the city vanished, so I guess the Castle of Glass was moved?” she reasoned, working it through aloud.

He nodded.

“The storm…” she reasoned, gaining confidence. “Wasn’t a storm at all. It wasn’t natural. Which means someone—or something—brought us here.”

“Obviously. And…” he prompted as they descended past the seventh floor.

“This God Contest thing. They’re going to make us fight and…”

She didn’t want to say it.

“And die,” he finished for her. “Denial won’t change our reality, Milly. It’ll only get you killed. Now, check this out.”

He snapped his fingers, and a translucent blue screen appeared out of nowhere in front of him, hovering in mid-air.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Xavier Holloway

Milly just stared at the floating screen, eyes wide in utter shock. She poked the screen with a finger, and it passed straight through the projection.

“Pretty cool, right? This is my player screen,” Xavier said, his excitement finally breaking through his calm façade. “I’m still trying to decide if I should be mad that it says I have no talents. I definitely have two or three.”

“Wait,” she puzzled out, recognizing the phrase from one of Xavier’s many rants. “Player screen. That’s a video game thing, right?”

“Exactly. After the storm brought us here—while you were unconscious—I was thinking about the storm in Band of a Thousand Suns, which was far too plot-heavy for an MMORPG, but it had this amazing exploit in the volcanic mountains that…”

Milly frowned at him, her eyes flaring. “Now is not the time for another Xavier rant. I don’t have the patience.”

“Right, not important. Anyway, I ended up thinking about my character in the game and poof! This screen just appeared out of nowhere.”

She leaned in and read the fine white lettering against the blue background.

"What do these numbers mean?” she asked curiously.

“Those are my player stats,” he explained proudly. “Strength and agility is my usual build in an RPG, so it’s a useful start.”

“Yeah, but what are they for?”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened into the lobby.

“I think we’re about to find out,” Xavier said, grinning ear to ear.

The Non-Canonical Aftermath:

"Wait? You have a toughness of 3," Milly scoffs. "Does that mean you're a pushover?"

"Shut up, Milly," responds Xavier.

"Look at my big muscles," she mocks, flexing her arms and strutting around the lobby. "But one small breeze and I might fall over."

"Milly..."

"And why does it say you don’t have a talent, Xavier? You do! I've never seen a man who can chase away women faster than you can."

"Author! I'd like to lodge a complaint against my coworker."

"Now Milly," the Author begins. "Workplace bullying is a serious matter..."

Scenic Art by Nancy Harron