Where the Nightmare Ends and Reality Begins

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“We come to you with a live newsbreak out of Chiba where the granddaughter of the late visionary brain scientist Ueda Akito, and the heiress to the LiveRite Corporation, Ueda Aki has been found dead in her office just mere months after the official—and widely anticipated—launch of Project Memoria.”

Days passed by.

“An investigation is pending, but Ms. Ueda’s death is now being reported as a suicide, any indication of foul play has been ruled out after an early cremation prevented substantive evidence from emerging.”

Days turned into weeks.

“After much deliberation and a meeting with the board of trustees, American Entrepreneur, and protege of Mrs. Ueda Connor Barnes is slated to take over operations for LiveRite Corporation effective immediately. Next up on the news, ozone sickness, and what you need to know to keep you and your family safe while stepping out into the smog this Christmas, and flying cars, the next big thing in travel…”

I flipped off the television and stared at my reflection for what felt like an eternity. A thousand-yard stare accompanied a face that hadn’t seen proper grooming in roughly a month. Many words were exchanged in the divorce proceedings between me and my ex-wife, Aki, most of which were rooted in such vitriol that we could hardly believe we were inseparable as newlyweds.

Even so, I would never have wished this on such a kind and brilliant soul. Despite my harsh words, the ones I said and immediately regretted, the ones I could never take back for as long as I lived. The police came by and spoke to me, perhaps considering me their prime suspect. Until they saw the state I was in emotionally, and dropped it out of the blue. It changed little, in any case.

She’s still gone.

I clutched my head with both hands, a bottle still in one of them. I received a letter with the date and time of her funeral service, set for two weeks and one day from the time it was received.

That was two weeks and one day ago.

The letter wasn’t exactly personalized, digitally printed on LiveRite Corporation Stationary, the place where we both met and fell in love. We were from different worlds, it seemed. I worked behind the scenes as a freight driver for the company, bottom-rung type work, a nobody, but she was… everything. A world-class mind, and a world-class person.

“Get your ass over here NOW, Jiro, and stop being so selfish. Are you just going to sit at home and rot for the rest of your life on alimony, or be a man?”

I received a call from my sister, from the church where the service was being held.

“So in the end, you didn’t have the guts to show up. Don’t think for one moment that your name will even be mentioned in the will, Nagai. I’ll tell you what I told my daughter the day you two got married. I’ll never consider you my son.”

Next, it was Aki’s father with his usual scathing assessment of me, I never could seem to please the old geezer. The bottle I was drinking ran out, and I tossed it aside, just to watch it roll to the bookshelf at the other end of the tatami.

On the second shelf sat a picture of her, of Aki, staring back at me. Her beautiful violet hair, a smile so brilliant that it spread to my face in the photo as well. It was the last time we were truly happy together.

“Would she even want me there?” I muttered to myself.

I glanced back at myself in the television set, marks left from the tears burned into my cheeks and trailing into the stubble on my chin. My sister was right, if I didn’t pull myself together now, I would never have the chance to say goodbye.

Still buzzed, I forced myself to my feet and grabbed the keys to my motorcycle. I briefly thought in my inebriated mind about calling for a ride, but they would never arrive in time to get me to the service. And besides…

I know a shortcut.

I swung the door open with a loud thud, stepping into the crimson light of the outside world for the first time in a month.

. . .

THE PRESENT…

“Jiro, are you feeling well?”

“Of course I am, what makes you think I’m not?”

Responding to an urgent call for help issued to all Hunters in the vicinity, I rode my motorcycle as fast as I could towards the coordinates Archie shared with me.

“Perhaps it is not my place to judge, seeing that I am but a humble AI assistant, but the sour look on your face is often indicative of daydreaming.” Archie pointed out. “Am I right in guessing that you were thinking about what led you here?”

“Humble ain’t the word I’d use to describe you, friend.” I scoffed. “And I’m fine. It’s just that that Songbird lady made me feel weirdly nostalgic is all, and she kept speaking in riddles.”

“I did not see you speak to her, when was this?”

Oh, that’s right. Everyone froze for a moment there. I still don’t know how that was even possible. A glitch in the system, maybe?

“Putting that aside, tell me more about the current fight we’re facing, Archie. The threat level numbers seem a bit arbitrary to me at times.”

“As you wish, Jiro,” Archie replied. “Late last night while you Hunters were off-duty, the nightwatchman at the ByteCoin mine reported a strange human with white hair entering the mine by themselves with a duffel bag of some sort.”

“A duffel bag?” I raised an eyebrow. “Carrying what, exactly?”

“That is indeterminable at this current time.” Archie flew to my other side, keeping up with my quick pace. “However, the white-haired human did not return to the surface, and once day broke, the miners were overrun with polymorphic spiders and other corrupted entities.”

There’s something pretty fishy about that.

“The death toll is currently in the dozens, and climbing. Your mission is to seek out the heart of the corruption with a raid team of other Hunters and cut it off before the surrounding area is similarly infested.”

“Simple enough, I guess,” I said. “But what does this place need a mine for, and why do the people living out their eternity feel the need to work there?”

“A ByteCoin is a type of cryptocurrency that can be mined from special areas within the Digiscape and traded for in-world credits. Eternals can also take jobs to earn credits that can then be traded for transportation, entertainment, and improved living quarters. And, not least of all, to buy their way out of ad breaks.”

“I’m really not sure how I feel about most of that, but at least they have something to do. Eternal life would get pretty boring if you had no sense of purpose. A job provides that, I suppose.”

“Not that you would know, since your file says you were gainfully unemployed before signing on to Project Memoria…”

“Can it, scrappy.”

I passed by a wooden sign that said ‘ByteCoin mine, one mile’, and the environment started to change a bit as the grassy plains started to become more yellow than green, and the atmosphere felt humid and hot all of a sudden. Eventually, the grass was replaced entirely by sand.

The Digiscape, as it was laid out, was shaped like a big circle split into rings extending outward. These rings house their own municipalities, with Hunters being evenly dispersed throughout the world to respond to threats.

Archie and I were headed inward in the direction of the crystal spire to the next ring, a desert-type area. The threat level was big enough to call me from another municipality, so I expected a large group of Hunters to be there when I arrived. I was right on the money.

“Cowboy, it’s you!”

The first person that I ran into upon arrival outside the mine, strangely enough, was the first and only Hunter I had worked alongside so far. With her unmistakable pink hair, it was easy to pick her out in the crowd of Hunters and Eternals, Kururu the magical girl.

“After Placita, I didn't think I’d catch you again so soon on a hunt.” Kururu leaned on her staff. “I just barely skated in, myself.”

She made a show of her roller skates as I looked around at the chaotic scene.

There were dozens of people, many of which were Hunters with some pretty unique outfit choices and weapon combinations. It was like being in the main lobby of an MMORPG. I felt somewhat underdressed for the occasion.

“Magical girl-san, what’s the situation been like here?”

“Everything has gone to hell, as you can see.” She said, “But fear not, because Kururu Ururaka, defender of justice, will defeat the great evil lurking in the mine and carve her legacy in stone!”

“Hello everyone, can I get your attention!”

A man yelled out from the center of the crowd, trying to reign in the madness. After a few moments of trying, everyone finally seemed to settle down.

“Please, everyone, if you would! Thank you.” He continued, his crimson eyes scanning all our faces. “Fellow Hunters, the situation down there is getting worse by the moment. So I’d like to make a plan to tackle this thing together, and save who we can.”

I couldn’t help but notice the fellow’s white hair, and the ski goggles on his forehead. Along with the white and gray fur coat he wore, it made for quite an odd aesthetic.

“My name is Thresh, and I’ll be leading this expedition. I look forward to your cooperation.”