The scars and the two worlds

The walk home was torture.

Every step echoed in my ears with the cruel laughter of Javier and his gang. The bruise on my left cheekbone throbbed with every beat of my heart, but the strongest pain didn't come from there... it came from inside, the shame of having tried. And of having failed.

I remembered the alley near the school.

— Look at the brave otaku!” Javier pushed me, his cheap gum breath hitting my face. “You think you're the hero of your cartoons?” One of his friends spat at me, staining my clothes.

My hands were shaking, but for the first time in three years, my voice came out... albeit tremulously.

I blinked to push the scene out of my mind, but the humiliation stuck to me like a shadow.

I opened the door to my house, and there he was, my father, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His gaze swept over the bruise and my hunched posture, and his expression hardened like cement.

— So now, in addition to being weak... you're an idiot? — he roared, moving closer to cover me with his shadow. — Trying to fight four of them? You're pathetic! — Before I could react, his fist struck my stomach. It wasn't hard, but it was precise, hitting me right where Javier had hit me hours earlier. The air left my lungs in a silent gasp.

— This...— he whispered as he bent me over, — is so you remember. Either you learn to fight well, or you learn to hide. But letting them kick you around like a dog...— he spat on the floor, — that's not what we do in this family. —

I said nothing, the words stuck in my throat. “Punished for trying,” I thought bitterly as I climbed the stairs.

As always, if you lose, you lose twice.

When I woke up, the scent of virtual wood and stardust hit me like an ambiguous embrace. I was standing in front of the Harmony Guild, its crystal data towers shining under a violet sky. But something was different: my avatar's cheek throbbed with a purple glow where the real bruise should have been hidden.

— Was I going crazy? Or did this fictional world reflect my wounds like a cursed mirror?

His pupils focused on me as if I were a conscious being, unlike last time. — You're... the boy who hides in the shadows, aren't you? — he said, his voice as harsh as crushed ice. —  Do you always wear those... decorations on your face?

—  Only when I try to defend myself and fail...—  I swallowed hard.— I don’t have to explain myself to you, especially someone who looks at me like I’m trash and doesn’t even bother to hide it.

His eyebrows rose a millimeter. — Are you referring to our last non-conversation? — A hint of a smile played on his lips. — Forgive me. I don't usually waste time on ghosts who avoid the light. —

I couldn't stand her... but I wanted to keep talking to her, even if it was just a little longer.

A group of players drunk on virtual energy stumbled past. One of them bumped into Noelia. She didn't even flinch, but the guy collapsed instantly, clutching his arm as if it were broken.  — See?— she whispered, without looking at the fallen man. — Some people learn to strike first. — And that justifies treating everyone as a threat? —  I snapped, annoyed, watching the guy try to heal himself with a clumsy spell, hampered by virtual alcohol.

— No— she admitted, surprising me. “But it explains why I ignored a boy who looked down before I could.” Silence.

The sound of the data sources seemed to amplify.

— You're Asimil, right? — he asked suddenly. —I've heard a lot of bad stories about you: that you're lazy, that you run away from your missions... and that you're low level for how long you've been online.— Before I could say anything, Noelia grabbed my wrist and dragged me almost by force to a nearby wall where there was a digital poster.

—Survival Pit — he announced, pointing to the poster. —Battle royale-style event. One hundred players, thirty level A creatures, and... only one winner —

—Why invite me now? No, first of all, how do you know my name? I never introduced myself to you, and in fact, this is the first time we've spoken,— I exclaimed, annoyed. Noelia looked at me silently for a few seconds, sighed, and looked up at the sky. —You remind me a little of my younger brother. He's weak, capricious, and doesn't have an ounce of courage.—

My blood boiled. Being weak was one thing, but I wasn't going to stay silent... at least not here. However, before I could respond, she continued, — But... Like him, I see something in your eyes that others don't. Maybe you just need a little push to get ahead, but even so, it's up to each person to decide whether to take that push to move forward or fall down.—

Hearing that left me speechless; I really didn't know what to say. Except for Sacres, he was the first person my age who seemed to trust me. I felt a dull thud in my chest and froze. — Besides, — he added casually, — you didn't look away today. And those who stop hiding... deserve a chance to fight. — 

A transparent panel opened in front of me: an invitation to the battle royale event. I stared at that screen for a few seconds without saying anything until I was finally able to articulate my first words after coming out of those emotions.

— Rules? I looked her in the eyes with determination. “Simple,” he said with a smile that was like a knife. “Survive six hours. Kill or be killed. Eye prisms are allowed... and they will be your downfall if you don't control them.”

—Simple,— he said with a smile that was like a knife. — Survive six hours. Kill or be killed. Eye prisms are allowed... and they will be your downfall if you don't control them.—  I had no idea what the hell an “ocular prism” was. Perhaps some high-end item, far beyond my reach... for now.

After Noelia disappeared among the guild members, I remained there, with the hologram of the invitation to the Pit of Survival flashing before my eyes like an accusation.

That girl's words echoed in my head: “Those who stop hiding... deserve a chance to fight.” But one question burned brighter than my newfound determination: Who had given her my name? Only one person in this digital world knew me well enough to betray me... or to try to help me.

I found Sacres in his usual refuge: a hidden place near the silver waterfalls. He was focused, carving luminous runes on the edge of a sword of light. Every movement of his expert hands sent blue sparks flying, dancing in the air like dying fireflies before fading into the shadows. The smell of ozone and virtual metal was intense.

— Asimil — he murmured without looking up, as if my presence disturbed a current that only he could feel. — Your aura beats like a bruised heart.—  I said nothing. I just leaned against a cold pipe, feeling the weight of the phantom bruise on my cheek. Sacres left the sword floating in the air and turned around. His eyes, ancient and tired even in this ageless world, scanned me from head to toe. He didn't need scanners; his gaze was a diagnosis in itself.

—Sit down — he ordered, pointing to a recycled energy bench. His voice brooked no argument. I obeyed. His hands, covered in glowing healing runes, rested on my shoulders. A deep, vibrant warmth began to seep through the avatar, untangling the knots of tension in my digital muscles. It was a relief that bordered on the hypnotic... but it failed to touch the knot of cold and fire that had knotted itself in my chest since my encounter with Noelia.

—That girl... Noelia — I began to speak as Sacres' warmth worked on my back. —She invited me to the Pit. She said... she asked about me. Who gave her my name?— Sacres did not move his hands. The runes beneath his gloves pulsed with an even brighter glow.

—She was the one who came looking for you — he finally admitted, his voice a low purr beneath the hum of the pipes. — — Three cycles ago, after that first time you saw her hanging around the Guild. She said she wanted to talk to you... but you vanished before she could approach you.— He paused, and the flow of healing energy faltered for a moment. — She's been busy, Asimil. Busier than you and me combined on our worst days, or so she told me.—

A thick silence settled between us, broken only by the distant crackling of the sword still suspended above us. The revelation hit me. Noelia had sought me out. Why? On a whim? Because of that strange comparison with her brother? Finally, the words I had been mulling over since the Guild came pouring out: — I'm going to enter the event, Sacres.—

The flow of healing energy was cut off abruptly. Sacres withdrew his hands as if I had burned him. His eyes, always filled with weary patience, hardened to flint. —Are you insane?— His voice was a whip. —You're class C-4, Asimil! The Pit is infested with class B assassins and omega-level beasts. They'll disintegrate you before you can blink. It's suicide with the system's permission. —

I stood up defiantly, feeling the residual energy from his healing pulsing beneath my digital skin. — I don't care— I replied, clenching my fists until my virtual knuckles cracked. —I'm going in.—

—Asimil...— he began, in a tone that was both warning and plea, — That girl is playing a game you don't understand. The Pit... isn't just an event. It's a test. Those who survive change... or break. 

—It's my decision. There's someone who believes in me, and I can't let them down,— I said, staring into his eyes. I saw something strange in his eyes: not just concern, but a hint of genuine fear. Sacres held my gaze for a long, tense second. Then, a guttural growl escaped his throat. With abrupt movements, he reactivated his runes and finished sealing the last traces of damage to my avatar. The gesture was almost violent.

—Very well — he spat, turning away to extinguish the floating sword with a sharp gesture. — If you're so eager to become data dust, go ahead and do it with your boots on. But don't expect me to pick up your fragments from the server.—

And so it was that we both decided to leave and set off for a new challenge.

I had my doubts about this.

Why did I decide to do it? I'm not the kind of guy who leaves his comfort zone to take on new challenges. What does this girl have that other people don't that makes me want to do this?