Ashes of History

I blinked. “Where is…here?”

Callen spread his arms wide, as if presenting a grand stage. “The place between memory and death. Don’t overthink it. It’s been a while since you fell…. you’re friends have already carried your body out of the dungeon and you’re healing but it’ll take some time. While you rest, we figured we’d have a little chat.”

CIX snorted, as he crossed his arms thick as tree trunks. “Enough with the honeyed words, Callen. The kid doesn’t need flattery. He needs answers. The truth.”

The white void hummed almost as though it too was anticipating their answers.

Ryder tugged at his suit, unbuttoning it with practiced grace. Runes shimmered faintly in the lining, like veins of moonlight sewn into the fabric with silver thread. He ran a hand through his slick violet hair, making sure not a strand was out of place. He crossed one leg over the other staring at me, his eyes the same shade as his hair.

“What do you know about the First Six?” he asked calmly.

“Nothing.”

“Hopeless! This is the worm that’s supposed to save the world?” CIX's massive hand gripped the chair, snapped it like brittle glass, and hurled it across the void. It shattered into countless shards, suspended in the air.

“Easy,” Callen muttered, snapping his fingers. The fragments of the broken chair lingered in the air a moment longer then reformed. CIX sat again, grunting.

Callen turned back to me. “Guess we start at the beginning.”

He gestured around. “This place, these chairs…it’s all happening in your head, Ash. Ryder calls it, the Resonance Space. And because its in your mind, we can twist things to how we want just like you can use our weapons and power. But that’s only the surface truth.”

I frowned. “So what’s Resonance, then?”

Callen’s tone softened. “The truth? We don’t really know. But we do have some theories. We know that when you pick up our weapons, you’re opening a tether linking our past with your present. Like a two-way channel.”

I swallowed hard. “So… Affinity Resonance has something to do with your past lives? Am I supposed to finish your unfinished business so you can move on?”

CIX leaned forward, a cruel grin splitting his face. “You don’t understand, worm. This ability is unique to you. I’ve never seen anything like it, even in my time.”

Ryder tapped his temple, eyes narrowing. “When I linked with you, I didn’t just hear your thoughts…I felt you. A rush of memories, fears and faces. I knew your comrades the instant you thought of them. the wounds you carry, the dread you hide. Everything you are…we experience.”

Callen’s hand pressed to my shoulder. “And you experience us. Our skills, battles…even our deaths.”

My throat went dry. “So….you are dead?”

Callen sighed then smiled faintly but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Dead… alive… what’s the difference, here? What matters is that we’re here…. to help you. And before you go back, there are things you need to know. “

Ryder rose, his voice sharpening to a blade. “Remember that mirror dungeon? The shadow doubles? Someone orchestrated that and they are quite powerful to create such a dungeon from nothing.”

“Okay,” I shrugged. “So what do the First Six have to do with this?”

Ryder’s gaze sharpened. “Everything. We’re 99.9% sure…the Orchestrator is one of us.”

The blood in my veins froze. “But…aren’t you all dead? Except you three…but you’re not really alive either. Are you saying there’s someone out there with Resonance like me?”

For the first time, Ryder hesitated, his composure cracking.

“Unlikely, but I can explain,” he began slowly. “This world…. is a game. I know you and the current hero suspected it and I am confirming that it is. But it’s not a normal game. About ten years of this world’s time ago, we…the First Six arrived. It was supposed to be the demo of a hyper realistic MMORPG to generate hype before the full release but something went wrong. The game’s name was God….”

“....Godhood,” I blurted before he could finish.

The three exchanged glances.

Ryder’s eyes narrowed. “How did you…?”

“I...I...saw it. Right before I woke up here. It was some hero's memory...I think. I couldn’t even explain to you what I saw… but I think the place was called…Sa..pporo. Was that any of your memories?”

“Hmm,” Callen muttered, then glanced at the others. “Not mine. Ryder? CIX?

CIX scowled. “I have no memories of this place.”

Ryder stroked his chin, thoughtfully. “It does sound…Asian. Maybe Japanese or Korean. Or perhaps Indian. If only Sid were here, he would know.”

“Sid?” I asked but was ignored.

Ryder continued, “At first it was exciting, the dungeons, loot, quests…exactly what we were promised until it was too good to be true. Because no matter how many times we tried, we couldn’t log out. That’s when the cracks started to show.”

CIX’s laugh was thunder, sharp and bitter. “Cracks? Try fractures. We were like rats in a maze, just…running in circles with no escape. We had to act!”

His tattoos seemed to pulse with faint light as he spoke, the scars on his arms glowing like storm clouds lit from within.

Ryder’s gaze cut to me, cold now. “Two years. That’s how long we searched for an exit. Until one of us, Arisu, discovered a way to hack the game from within. He called it the System…a virus if you will… to force our way home, instead….”

“Instead what?”

“Obviously it didn’t work you worm,” CIX roared. “Instead it…. gave rise to the Summoning gate. The very same portal, the second-generation heroes have become summoning slave tools for the Church. And worse….the Dungeon beasts grew in numbers, evolving causing senseless deaths and irreparable damage on this world.”

I could barely breathe, but I forced the words out.
“…So what happened to him? To Arisu?”

Neither answered right away. Ryder’s eyes slid past him, heavy with unspoken weight.

“Some of us believed he died in the attempt,” Ryder said at last. “Some…think he is in hiding.”

“Hmph…," CIX sneered. "...in the end he was a coward, that’s all there is to it. It matters not where he went. What matters is stopping the summonings before they cause this world to unravel in on itself.”

“Wait,” I realized. “Maybe we should find the other six and they can help fix the summoning gates.”

“Most of them scattered,” Ryder said sitting down. “CIX and I are died, maybe the others too. We don’t have time to chase ghosts….but if you insist, I distinctly remember Sid said something about staying in the Gold Ring, perhaps start there.”

Okay, I can do that. But still, the weight of it all was weighing me down. 

The game, summonings, the Church. How was I to figure this all out by myself? I turned toward Callen, hoping the uneasiness in my gut would fade. It sounds stupid but when I couldn’t find his body that day, I hoped he might be alive somewhere. Now… everything pointed to the opposite.

Wait a minute….

“What about you Callen?," My voice wavered. "Ryder, CIX, Arisu and Sid. That’s four. You were Hero #33....So,why are you here?”

Callen only smiled faintly, weariness pooling in his gaze. “You tell me, Ash. Last thing I remember was fighting a Leviathian in a high-tier. Next thing I knew, I was here. Alone. Until these two drifted in.”

“So you don’t know if you’re dead? You don’t know how you got here?” My chest tightened, the panic rising. “I don’t know guys…this is just too much…I just, I can’t do this.”

Callen gently slid his arm around my shoulder. His hands were flickering but still enough to ground me. “No one said it would be easy, Ash. I told you before I wasn’t the one destined to fix this world so I decided to pave the way for the next hero who would. I just never thought it will be you…but if nothing else....I hope that my weapon will help you where I failed.”

“To be transparent, Ash,” Ryder cut in, his tone firm but not unkind. “Your quest won't be easy. Once they realize what you are, there will be those who try to tear you down. Remember this: nothing worth doing is done alone. Arisu tried… and failed. Learn from that. Be better than us.”

I managed a small nod, forcing a chuckle despite the heaviness in my chest. “CIX? Any wisdom to add?”

CIX folded his arms, a sharp grin cutting across his face. “Wisdom? Yeah. Crush anyone who dares stand in your way. And...let me fight more. I tire of watching from this damned chair."

Ryder exhaled, his sternness softening. “As crude as he puts it, he’s not wrong. You need to train more. Without a strong body, our weapons will be nothing but steel. Learn discipline, instinct will only take you so far."

Callen leaned forward, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “And remember....you’re not as alone as you think. We’re with you. Maybe not always visible, maybe not always near. But we’re watching. So… make us proud, okay?”

A sharp crack rang through the air. The room itself groaned as the whiteness around us began to fracture, thin lines spiderwebbing out like glass under strain.

“Guess you’re coming to,” Callen said with a grin that looked both relieved and bittersweet.

The chairs beneath us began to dissolve, splinters of light scattering upward.

“Wait....how do I reach you again? Do I just… pick up your weapons and....”

“If you need us,” Callen said, his voice already fading, “you’ll find a way.”

The whiteness shattered in an instant. Their faces bled into streaks of light, their voices fusing together into a single thunderous roar:

“GO.”

And—I was falling.