Curio Fragment

[Please wait one minute for your body to reconstruct]

In the corner of Elizabeth's eye, a soft white light shone in the dark. While she concentrated on it, a hand reached out from the light... Pale and still, fingers spread wide as if asking her to hold on. Elizabeth's hands moved on their own, drawn to it.

The moment their hands met, she felt weightless. It was as if her spirit soared, breaking free from the void's grasp.

In an instant, Elizabeth discovered herself back in the center of the forest. Where an overwhelming stillness surrounded her entirely. The goblin's strained breathing broke the heavy silence. Exhausted, it crouched on top of her fallen body; blood dripped all over its body.

The goblin, seemingly unaware of her presence, reached down to retrieve its dagger from her chest.

A cold unease settled in Elizabeth's chest. Like a winter's frost numbing her core, a chill spread across her skin. As she saw her and Rianne's mangled bodies for the first time.

It didn't hurt, not physically anyway, but a deep feeling of displeasure covered her. But, then, a gentle pressure wrapped around her.

She looked up.

Lumière hovered in the air, with a soft smile on her lips. She drew Elizabeth toward the sky without a word, pulling her quietly.

Elizabeth rose slowly, her feet lifting off the forest floor with no resistance. Meanwhile, the tall trees that once towered over her now shrank as they rose higher into the sky.

She gazed downward; her piercing green eyes slowly traced the outline of her body. It was faint and translucent, like Lumière's.

"Were you watching?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes still fixed on the scene below.

“I was,” Lumière replied. “It was a remarkable battle.”

Elizabeth gave a quiet scoff. “We must have looked pathetic. Two against one… and we still lost to a goblin.”

Lumière shook her head gently, a faint smile on her lips. “No. I’ve seen hundreds of thousands of players face their first battles. Many don’t even manage to raise their weapons. Some freeze. Others turn and run, just as your friend did.”

She glanced at Elizabeth, her voice calm but firm. “But you... despite everything, you stood your ground. You fought with determination until the very end. That alone sets you apart.”

Elizabeth didn’t respond right away. Her thoughts began to shift.

And below, the goblin let out a sharp, guttural roar. It lifted its head as if celebrating its hard-earned victory. It stood over Elizabeth’s fallen body, its shoulders hunched and chest heaving.

Then, without warning, Elizabeth's body began to break apart. It started at the edges, thin strands of ash lifting into the air, scattering in the breeze. Within seconds, her mangled body was gone. What remained was her wooden hammer, resting where she had fallen.

Across the clearing, Rianne’s body followed the same quiet end. Her form crumbled into fine dust, leaving behind her holy tome.

Despite the stillness that followed, the forest still bore the marks of their battle. As the blood stained the ground while it dried.

At first, Elizabeth didn't see it. But when she looked closely, she saw two black crystals on the ground where their bodies had fallen apart. Each crystal was about the size of a baby's clenched fist. Although it was dark, the crystals glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat deep in the forest.

The goblin’s eyes widened. It stumbled forward with greedy hands, clutching Elizabeth’s crystal first. Without hesitation, it shoved the dark gem into its mouth and swallowed it whole. A low shudder ran through its body.

Then it turned to the second, Rianne’s, and devoured it just as greedily. It paused, eyes half-closed, as if enjoying the strange energy within.

Something had changed.

The goblin’s once-limping right arm now moved without restriction. It flexed its fingers, tested the joint, then let out a grunt of satisfaction. The injury was gone, as if it had never happened.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “What was that? And what is happening to me?” she asked, glancing at Lumière.

“That,” Lumière said, “was a curio fragment. A vessel that holds the lingering trace of a creature's soul.”

“When a creature dies in this world, the creature's soul begins to fall into the abyss. What’s left behind is the curio fragment. It contains a fragment of your strength, your memories, your experience. For monsters, consuming one grants a portion of that power. For humans, it can be used to grow stronger... or even unlock new abilities.”

She paused, then added, “That’s also where we... your personal guides come in. Our role is to hold your soul before it’s completely lost, and keep it stable until a new vessel is prepared.”

Elizabeth floated quietly, Lumière still holding her hand. “Soul?” she muttered, eyebrows drawing together. “Isn’t this just a VR game? Why does it need our souls?"

She hadn’t thought much about it when she first logged in and just followed Rianne’s lead, curious to try it out. But the mention of souls… it felt out of place.

She had read stories in books... plenty of them, about players getting trapped in virtual worlds, unable to log out. In those stories, dying in the game also means dying in real life.

Lumière smiled faintly, as if sensing her thoughts. “There’s no need to worry. It’s merely part of the game's lore. Your actual soul is still safe in your body, resting at home.”

Is it reallly...

Elizabeth wasn’t convinced.

She expected the game to be a better version of augmented reality. It would have sharper visuals and maybe a bit more immersion. But what she experienced went far beyond that. The pain she felt when the dagger tore into her... it hadn’t been dull or simulated. It was sharp, real, unforgettable. And that goblin... it didn't move like a scripted enemy. It reacted. It fought like it was also fighting for its life.

Even Lumière, floating beside her, didn’t feel like an artificial construct. Her voice was natural. Her movements were fluid. The warmth of her hand felt unmistakably human.

The game had been live for a week. Rianne said there hadn’t been any reports of accidents or players getting stuck. No warnings, no panic, nothing on the news. Then again, Rianne’s “research” mostly came from watching the streamers she followed. Elizabeth doubted they had dug very deep into the game.

I’ll wait and see, I guess.

She thought, her gaze drifting to the forest below.

Lumière continued, “Right now, you’re what we call an observer. You can move around the area near where you died, roughly the size of a football stadium. You’ll need to wait one minute before the system creates a new soul vessel. And the timer doubles every time you die within a week, and the timer only resets every Monday. After that, it’s your choice. Revive and return to the game… or go back to the white room and log out.”

"Do you have any more questions?" Lumière added.

She figured that the one-minute timer Lumière had mentioned must have passed by now, so she asked, “So... how do I revive?"