NEXT DAY: 10 AM
…
…
"Are you sure you are taking the correct name?" the receptionist asked as he looked at me carefully.
"Pretty much sure. Is there any problem?" I asked with a bit of confusion and he shook his head as he spoke,"there is no 'Charles Richard' in the 'College of Police Learning' of this University."
"Are you sure you checked the first years? I am sure my cousin is in that batch. He did ask me to come meet him for something important," I asked again with a really 'troubled' look and he sighed as he leaned forward,
"Listen kid. I have checked not only the first year, but all the years. There is not a single 'Charles Richard' here. Maybe you got to the wrong college or something?"
I pressed my lips as I looked at him before nodding and speaking,"thank you for listening to my request," bowing respectfully and leaving from there without causing any more fuss.
'He wasn't lying,' I thought as I tried reading the expression of that receptionist guy. It was hard as it is to convince him to provide insider information, but to think the result would be like this…
'Charles did study here… but not in this timeline… ' I thought as I was more than just sure about it. After all, just like all my enemies and allies, I had studied about Charles pretty much thoroughly.
In fact, I did that one week ago, if we include the days before the regression. Seems like the difficulty is a bit more than what I anticipated.
Slowly moving out of the campus, I reached a nearby ice cream stall, bought an ice cream and decided to cool down for some time. Sitting on a nearby bench, I took a small bite from the ice cream, as I began thinking about what other leads I have on Charles.
'For starters, let's not include anything after 2072. Since Charles is one year older than me, he should be around 18 right now. In 2071-72, he should be around 12… middle school? I know his highschool was Memoriea High School in Liwertown, but about the middle school… Maybe I can start from the Orphanage?' I pondered a little about it.
"Not like I can visit a place 400 kilometres away from here. I neither have the time nor the money," I thought about it as I relaxed a little. While all this was really exhausting, there was little I could do about it.
'Let's focus on things which I can do,' I decided as I looked around. And then my heart beat became a little bit faster as a certain idea came into my mind.
"That place should not be too far from here, right?" I pondered as a small smile formed on my face and I stood up before moving towards the nearest air bus station.
"Wesker. Wesker. Wesker. Oh! There it is… the next bus would come in… 15 minutes," I thought as I moved towards the station where the bus to Wesker would arrive.
The bus arrives and I move in soon reaching the neighbouring Wesker Outskirts. Travelling by foot, I looked at the streets with a tinge of nostalgia. A mellow feeling consumed as I changed my directions many times before reaching a certain 'Homemade Cafe'.
-Click!
Opening the glass door, I entered the cafe as my eyes searched around for a familiar face. Though unfortunately I couldn't find her at all.
'Did the change in timeline affect this too? Or maybe she is off shift today?' I sighed with a slightly disappointed expression.
"Excuse me sir. Is there anything I can do for you?" The staff working there spoke as she looked at me with an awkward expression and I nodded,
"Cappuccino medium please. And a plain sandwich."
"Right away sir,"she spoke as I placed my order and moved to a corner table. I took out a certain book I bought from the air bus station, and I smiled as I began re reading it.
After about 10 minutes passed, the order came and a familiar voice rung into my ear,
"Your order, sir."
I turned to look at that girl and my eyes widened. Brown haired that reached up to her waist and those sapphire eyes that looked like a gem. Those eyes shining at me, while she gave me a beautiful smile, I observed her for a few seconds.
"Thank… you," I was lost for words as I almost fell in love with her again, but kept my emotions in check before I calmed myself.
She chuckled at my stupefied look before placing the order on the table,"that is a nice book you are reading, sir."
"Cough. I.. I have just started reading the book. It looked interesting," I lied through my teeth as I knew it would pique her interest a little.
"It's a nice book. One of my favourites, actually," she spoke as she moved a little closer to take a look at the chapter I was at. Observing that I was just starting the 3rd chapter she smiled,
"She doesn't propose to him and leaves him hanging."
"Oi! That's not fair," I blurted out, making her laugh sheepishly before she moved away muttering,"I was just lying."
I sighed as I looked at her as I knew that she wasn't lying. I put the book aside as I began taking sips of the cappuccino and also taking bites from the sandwich. Though my eyes were looking at her from time to time as she worked at the counter.
Everytime our eyes would meet, she would just laugh out loud and I would glare at her a bit more than before. Though she would laugh even more as I sighed before finishing the meal taking my time.
'Seems like things are fine right now,' I thought as I didn't know what changes might have occurred to her life in this timeline. Watching her smile like that made me feel butterflies in my stomach but I didn't show it on the outside.
'Let's leave now,' I thought as I stood up before moving towards the counter and narrowing my eyes at her as I sighed before shaking my head and she called me back,
"Oi!"
Turning back at her I looked at her as I questioned,"what?"
"What's your name?" she asked with a slight curiosity. "Mikael," I answered as I looked at her before waiting for a few seconds as she smiled,"Aurora."
I nodded before speaking,"see you later then, Aurora," and moved away from there with a small smile forming on my face.
-ZZZZ ZZZZ!
My phone vibrated before I could move out. Taking out the smartphone I looked at the caller ID,
[Daniel]
'Daniel? Shouldn't he be busy or something?'
And I picked up as I spoke,"Hey."
-Hello! Hey Mikael! How are you doing, dude? You didn't cry without me, did you? I know I am-cut
Cutting the call I looked at the phone with a slight annoyed look.
-ZZZZ ZZZZ!
[Daniel]
-Click!
-Hey! Why did you cut the call? Anyways, I called you to tell you that the headset will arrive one day before the server will go online. Be sure to pick it up. Also, sorry dude. I tried but I don't think we can play the game together for the first month at the very least. Things are a bit hectic here. I hope you understand.
A calm smile formed on my face as I spoke,"it's all right. Let's play it together when you have time, okay? I will try doing things solo till then."
-Thanks dude. Honestly, I was worried about what you would think. Thanks for understanding mate. Takes a real weight off my shoulders. You know, I am liking this mature side of yours more and more. Hmmm? Oh! Okay dad! All right Mikael, I need to go. Call you later.
"Sure," I said as I cut the call.
I then turned around to see Aurora carefully peeking at me, before I smiled and then moved away from there as she too smiled back.
'Let's take things one step at a time,' I thought as I got out of the store and reached the same air bus station from where I came from.
Getting back home by the evening, I first cleaned the room a little, before getting back to studies a little. While my high school just finished 4 weeks ago, I still have to prepare for Eugene University.
Not that hard to get into that university, but still I would like to be in the top 10 spot and get that scholarship which provides free education. Last time, I couldn't do it and had to spend all my free time working side jobs to earn the tuition fees.
The next 6 days passed pretty quickly as I busied myself in studying, searching for the people Charles had mentioned, looking for information on Arcadia Online and lastly, finding information on a couple of people that I needed to kill before they could destroy my future this time as well.
And once the 6 days passed, I looked at the headset that Daneil ordered for me, in front of me, while looking at the countdown on the screen of my mobile. Only about 5 minutes were left till the official server goes online.
'This must have been really costly. I owe you one, Daniel,' I thought as I wore the headset, while waiting for the countdown to go down.
Five.
*********
*********
A red haired girl was irritatingly looking at her friends excitedly looking at the headsets in their hands.
"Come on Michelle, it will be fun. Don't make that expression, will you?" One of her friends spoke as she looked at Michelle.
"Are you sure I could play this? I have never played any game before, you know?" Michelle spoke as she was still contemplating the idea between playing the game or not.
"It's all right. This one is really special. You will know it once you join,"the girls spoke with a slight mysterious grin while another added,
"You might find a handsome dude you know?"
The others started laughing at that while Michelle was still failing to understand how one can get a guy by playing a game? Anyways, she decided to give it a try since her friends were pushing her so much to play it.
Putting on the headset, all the girls laid on their respective beds as the countdown played in front of them.
Four.
*********
*********
In a properly arranged room there was sitting a brown haired girl. Her Sapphire blue coloured eyes looked at the headset in front of her with an excited looks as she held her smartphone near her ear
-So meet you in the starter town, okay?
"Yes. The human settlement, Liwa Village," Aurora spoke with her eyes shining bright as she cut the call and put on the head set and looked at the timer. It was finally a chance for her to change her accursed destiny.
Three.
*********
*********
In another room, a total of 12 neatly arranged sleeping chairs were placed one after another, 6 one side and 6 on another.
"Daniel. Eliza. I have hopes from both of you. Make sure you don't fall behind your cousins, okay?" spoke a white-haired man as he patted the heads of his children with a serious gaze.
His eyes then shifted to the orange haired girl beside Daneil as he spoke,
"Marie. You understand what would happen if you fail to show promise, don't you?"
His voice was strict and a chill ran down Marie's spine as she nodded with her head down slightly. The white-haired then nodded before looking at the rest of the people there as he announced,
"Our work is to create an establishment in that game before anyone else does. Not many people know but this game will be the future of mankind. If you dare take it lightly, I would personally make sure that you regret that decision."
The others didn't utter a word in front of that man as they silently gulped and stood there. Soon, on the signal of that man, all 12 of the people present there, laid inside the sleeping chair and put on the helmet as the countdown reached its final events.
Two…
************
************
"Charles. Are you sure you are going to bet everything on this game?" a red haired kid spoke with slight agitation as he looked at the golden haired kid, Charles Richard, putting on the headset with a determined expression.
"I have already lost everything in my life. I don't have any other choice, brother. It's do or die now,"Charles spoke as a grief filled expression formed on his face as he put on the headset and looked at the timer.
"Protect me while I am in the game," Charles spoke and that red-haired kid nodded with a serious look on his face while the timer reached its final numbers.
One…
*************
*************
"Home F*cking Sweet home," I said with a bright evil grin as I looked at the timer reaching Zero, and a familiar screen appeared in front of me.
[Welcome to Arcadia Online!]