Chapter 12: This is Reality

The queen tilted her head, her tone taking on a shade of offense.

"You… refuse our honor?"

"I’m just saying," I tried to explain, "I didn’t come here to get knighted or praised or whatever. I came here for one reason—to win the damn prize money. Five million dollars. But now, all I want is to find my friends and get out of here."

"Coin over character"
She looked down on me with narrowed eyes. "Then you are not here to aid us? Not here to deliver our world from Niobeorth’s Tyranny? That your purpose here is… reward? Not duty? Not justice?"

"Listen," I snapped, "this is just a game. And you—you’re all just a bunch of highly detailed NPCs. I mean, seriously. Everything here is so realistic, it’s creeping me out. Your responses… they actually make sense, like you’re real or something."

The queen was quiet for a long, tense moment. Then she spoke again, slowly, like someone accepting a painful truth.

"Then it is true. You do believe this world to be a lie. A mere illusion"

She stepped forward, her voice carrying more sorrow than scorn now.

"Hear then the truth, as it has long been hidden. In ages past, two great mages brought hope to our realm—Merewyn the Dove, and Niobeorth the Raven. With their combined power, they banished the Dark One from Ashalondaria."

She turned toward the stained glass windows behind the throne, each depicting a piece of the tale.

"But Niobeorth… changed. He grew bitter. Ambitious. His heart blackened, and he took Merewyn hostage, twisting her magic for his own ends. She attempted to summon aid from the Outer Realm… but her spell was intercepted."

Intercepted?

"It was Niobeorth who made contact with your world—not to seek aid, but to lure innocents under false pretenses. He promised safety, freedom… but brought thousands here only to feed his sick ambitions."

My stomach dropped.

"He now commands the power of a puppet master—a god among mortals. He bends minds, controls souls. Even Merewyn herself… is but a shadow of what she was. Yet one of you… disrupted that spell. Briefly."

She looked directly at me.

My breath caught. I remembered. That glitch. That moment when everything shimmered. When I touched Merewyn during the introduction.

"In that fleeting moment of clarity," she continued, "she cast a final spell. A whisper of resistance. She granted you magic—but not in full. Her strength was fading. Niobeorth’s influence… ever strong."

She stepped back, her voice echoing.

"You and your kind were scattered. 1,025 Outer Realmers. Split across five locations—205 in each. But in your region…" Her eyes dimmed. "Only 84 survived."
I froze. "Wait. Stop. Are you trying to say they… the rest have died? Like died-died?"

She gave no answer.

I shook my head. "No. No, I don’t buy this. You’re sticking to your script, I get it. This is part of the worldbuilding, your algorithm the dark fantasy lore. It’s cool. But don’t try to convince me they’re actually dead. Because in my world once you die, you just disconnect from the game."

"You are still in denial, then," she said softly.

"I have to be," I said, clutching my head. "Because otherwise… I don’t know how to handle this. I mean, look around! Magic? Monsters? All of this feels real—but if we’re talking real-real, then none of this makes sense."

I pulled up my HUD, showing it to them.

"Look. You see this? This is my interface. My health, stats, inventory. If this isn’t a game, then why do I still have this?!"

The king and queen and many residents of this world stared, clearly disturbed. They had never seen anything like it.

I dropped my arm. "Now that I’ve got your attention, my answer is still no. I’m not joining your war. I’m finding my friend, and then I’m leaving this world behind."

The king finally stood.

Unlike the queen, his voice was heavier. Deeper. Commanding, yet weary.

"We do not understand the power you carry. But we have seen it. This… system of yours. It is unlike anything in our realm."

He descended the steps of slowly.

"He seeks to conquer all. Not just Ashalondaria, but the realm beyond. Your ‘Outer Realm.’ What you perceive as fiction may not be falsehood. The magic that binds you here was never born of us. Whatever force brought you to Ashalondaria… it serves a darker master."
I backed away slightly. "That’s insane…"

I clenched my fists. "This isn’t right. None of this is. We didn’t sign up for this. We were just trying to escape our own lives—and now you expect us to fix yours?"

The queen’s voice trembled, but remained composed.

"Do you not grasp the gravity? Niobeorth is not content with conquering our world. He seeks yours next."

"I don’t care! Just let us go! Takayuki, gives us back our ‘Log Out’."

"Go where?" the king asked solemnly. "There is no escape from this. Whatever spell binds you here… it was not of our making."

That made me pause.

"What… are you talking about?"

The queen leaned forward slightly.

"Who is this… ‘Takayuki’ you keep naming? And what is this ‘log out’ you speak of? What is… an N.P.C you mentioned before?"

I stared at them.

My voice cracked.

"…What the hell did Takayuki do to us?"

I looked down at my hands, trembling. My chest rose and fell rapidly.

Was I… going insane?

While I stood there, lost in thought, a notification pinged in my HUD, a call. Judeth. She was finally calling back.

I answered right away, but I didn’t realize the volume was still set to speaker. Her voice echoed through the hall, loud and raw with emotion.

"Jack?" she choked out. "Jack, oh my god—you’re alive?"

"Judeth?" I blinked. "Of course I’m alive—what’s going on? Did Camille break your—?"

"No! No, that’s not it!" she cut me off. "It’s the game—Alchemy & Alloy. Takayuki did something. Jack… back home, we were watching you guys, and then—then the screens just went black. And then…"

She couldn’t even finish her sentence. I heard her sob again.

"What do you mean?" I asked, unease building in my chest. "Judeth, don’t mess with me. This isn’t funny."

"This isn’t a joke, Jack. I swear—I’m serious. I’m really worried about you. You and Jarrod and everyone…"

Then she sent something—a flurry of videos and news clips. My HUD projected them instantly. I stepped back, my heart racing.

A newscaster appeared onscreen. Her voice was calm, but her face was pale, almost as if even she didn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"This just in: tragedy has struck the Onlife community. Reports confirm that over 400 players have died under mysterious circumstances after participating in the launch event of Alchemy & Alloy. The victims’ bodies were found in conditions mirroring their in-game deaths—some gruesomely dismembered, others completely vaporized, and some… vanished entirely. The government has issued an immediate shutdown of all Onlife pods. Authorities are currently investigating the VR system’s neurological feedback mechanisms. At this time, we advise all players and families to—"

The video cut off.

I just stood there, staring at the frozen image. My mind reeled. The players who died in the game… they actually died? That wasn’t some elaborate simulation. They’re gone.

I could feel the tension in the hall. Every warrior, mage, and survivor around me had heard everything. No one said a word. Even the king and queen were silent, watching me.

My voice trembled.

"Judeth… can you try to force disconnect us from the pods? Open them up? Wake us up?"

"I already tried," she whispered. "I opened your pods, Jack. Yours and Jarrod’s. You’re not in them."

"…What?"

"You’re not there. Neither of you. The pods are… empty."

The words hit me like a hammer.

I wasn’t breathing. I couldn’t. My pulse drummed in my ears.

I turned slowly toward the king and queen, their regal faces unreadable.

"…Do you believe us now?"