Two Allies, One Warning

Ikel and I continued walking around the map, but strangely we didn't find more players in this area, it was a bit strange, could it be a dangerous place, or was it a trap by Ikel to hunt unsuspecting players and kill them without any problem?.

We drove to a village, nearby there was a sign that read The "Ghost Village", which looked like a stone graveyard, collapsed houses, holograms of market stalls flickering like ghosts.

And as if fate wanted to scare us, we received an alert on our HUD.

                                                              [50% OF PLAYERS ELIMINATED] 

— AMAZING! — hissed Ikel, inspecting a crumbling wall.  — Less competition, but more freaks- 

Ikel could not finish the sentence as he was interrupted by an unsettling sound. We heard the debris moving.

From behind a half-ruined house, a cloaked figure emerged. He was not walking; he was gliding, leaving a trail of glowing violet sludge that smoked as it touched the ground, his face looked worn, as if he had not slept in several days or weeks, he had his weaponry worn, and he was moving very fast towards us, he did not look like a fighting player but more like an Arcane Toxicologist. A class of mages who are able to generate corrosive liquids for their enemies but not for themselves.

— That doesn't smell good! — growled Ikel, putting himself on guard. But for my part I froze for a second.

That guy took advantage of my moment of weakness to attack me. — You two will be my next experiments for my archaic runes toxologico! — I shout as I hit the ground for an instant. And before I could realize it, Ikel pushed me just in time to avoid the mage's attack.

A tentacle of violet sludge emerged from the ground beneath Ikel, coiling like an anaconda around his torso and right arm. — Damn, this burns even hotter than my flames! — Ikel shouted. His orange flames sizzled and died on contact with the mud. Which caused his life bar to plummet as he was unable to defend himself. — Suppress my energy! I can't... breathe! — The mud began to climb up to his neck, squeezing him tightly.

To flee.

Fighting.

Ask for help.

Resign myself.

The possibilities were crashing against each other in my mind like a swarm, giving me no respite. Every second that passed was another weight on my chest, crushing me. What was I supposed to do right now?

Then I saw it.

His eyes.

A golden reflection, like honey on fire. It was not fear that shone in them, but something much more imposing: restrained, impotent fury, a voiceless cry for justice.

And all at once, I saw myself in another time.

The high school bathroom, the walls damp and cold, three shadows against me. Blows they couldn't hit back, taunts that tore me more than fists. I learned then what it meant to be on the floor, to learn my place through blood and silence according to them.The same rage I now saw in her, I had already felt.

And in that instant, something broke inside me.

Or maybe... something woke up.

I didn't think about it.

I didn't plan anything.

My legs moved on their own, as if guided by an instinct that had been dormant for too long. An echo from deep within me dragged me forward, burning like a fire impossible to extinguish.

A voice that was not mine, but belonged to me, echoed clearly inside my head:Do the right thing.

A faint green fire burst from my palm. It was not an attack, barely a curtain of dancing sparks, hesitant, as if even magic doubted me. But it was enough. The sparks crashed into the enemy's eyes.

— AAARGH! WHAT IS THIS! — roared the toxicological wizard, disoriented. The violet liquid in his hands wavered, losing strength. But that was more than enough for me.

Ikel broke free with a sharp twist, rolling to his feet. — Nice trick, buddy! — he gasped, surprised, with a smile he didn't expect to see in the middle of the battle.

For the first time, something in me flared up. It wasn't power. It wasn't glory. It was... usefulness.

I was stunned, almost incredulous at what I had accomplished. My legs were shaking, adrenaline was clouding my mind and I was overthinking every second. What should I do now?

Then I saw Ikel. He moved decisively, surrounding the toxicological wizard, and raised a finger pointing to his chest... his heart. The message was clear.

I swallowed saliva. Scared, my whole body trembling, I started to run. I followed him. I imitated him. We flanked him, one on each side, as if we had trained for it all our lives.

My green fire was weak, barely a smoldering gnat, but it was distracting. It illuminated. It pointed. Ikel, it followed me, striking where I would have gaps.

He was sweating.

I was trembling.

But we were a coordinated chaos, a makeshift cog that, against all logic, worked. — HA! No one can resist my hooks! — exaggerated Ikel, after a useless but noisy combination.

I smiled. A small, awkward gesture, but real. Was this freedom? No. But... was it companionship?

The wizard shouted. The air thickened. A purple sphere began to condense over his head, spinning like a hole in the sky. — DAMN, IT'S A POISON COLLAPSE! — Ikel shouted, — RUN, ASIMIL! — He pushed me against a crumbling wall. The vortex grew, devouring the light, dragging even the sound.

I knew we would not survive. I closed my eyes, waiting for the cold restart of the game over.

Silence...

Then I opened my eyes.

And he was there.

Standing on the vortex, as if stepping into a harmless puddle. His cloak billowed, and at last I saw his face: ebony skin, pointed ears, golden eyes like ancient coins. A dark elf. The same one who had spoken to Noelia before the tournament.

Without a gesture, without a word, he raised a finger.

And that vortex imploded. The wizard was swallowed up in a digital groan and disappeared as if he had never existed. Ikel gasped. — WHO WAS THAT GUY?! IT WAS UNBELIEV- — 

I did not listen. Fear paralyzed me. I recognized him. His golden eyes pierced me, cold as the space between stars. In the coliseum he spoke calmly of ocular eyes. Here, his mere presence disarmed me, an absolute emptiness that crushed everything.

He walked towards us. Every step was mute, but it rumbled inside my chest. He stopped in front of me, ignoring Ikel. A pin appeared in his hand. Small and silver with a stylized eye engraved on it. The same one Noelia was wearing.

He dropped it in my palm. It was not heavy. It didn't burn. But the fact that I was holding it in my hands already posed a serious threat to me. — What...? — I tried to ask. There was no response. He simply turned and dissolved into the darkness of the village, as if the world itself had invented and erased him in the blink of an eye.

Ikel approached, still fired up from the euphoria of battle. — What was that, a secret NPC, a GM, a friend of yours? — I paid no attention to it for the moment. I squeezed the pin until its virtual edges almost pierced my skin. It was not a gift. It was a warning. Noelia. The hooded one. The eye. All connected. And me, caught in the middle for reasons I didn't understand. — I don't know, — I lied, my voice breaking. But... why me, why would a low-level casual gamer be in the middle of this? 

In the HUD, the counter was going down.

                                                                   [40% OF PLAYERS REMAINING].

Ikel patted my back, ignoring my tension. — We'll figure it out on the way, brother, next fight! —

We moved forward.

Me, with an ally shining at my side... and an icy pin in my pocket.

And with the bitter certainty that Noelia's indifference was the least of my problems.

Above us, hidden in the shadows of the rooftops, a pair of emerald eyes glimmered. They followed her every step from afar, unblinking, patient, as if counting the exact moment to strike—or to reveal something we weren’t ready to see.