The situation spiraled out of control after Lucien uttered those words. Something akin to a green flame erupted from the ground they stood on. The green flame didn't burn anyone, but touching it inflicted unbearable pain.
Zuko felt like fainting as he witnessed it all. Although the green flames didn't touch his body, the agonizing screams from everyone present sounded terrifying to him, given his difficult upbringing. It left him paralyzed with confusion.
The torment didn't end with witnessing his best friend's transformation into an uncontrollable creature. Jessamy, the only person he could trust in the world of the Viatrix Upheaval game, underwent a transformation himself. His entire body expanded, his already large and perfect muscles bulging even larger and intimidating. His legs, once human-like, morphed into kangaroo-like appendages with large, thorny claws.
"Am I truly within the Viatrix Upheaval game? Is there really something like this within the game?" Zuko could only wonder as his knees buckled, leaving him weak on the ground. "I've never seen anything like this before," he muttered, addressing his friend. "Zuko, please explain what's happening to me within the world your family created," he whispered softly.
His attention returned to Jessamy as a green horn emerged from the center of his forehead. In an instant, the man's appearance became far more terrifying and menacing than Lucien.
"Why am I the only one experiencing this?"
Unbeknownst to him, his thoughts dragged him back to a painful memory from the past. A question lingered: why am I the only one who's worthless?
Jessamy, transformed into a titan-like figure with green horns, aimed a large sword towards the out-of-control Lucien, ready to strike. Zuko, who didn't know what else to do and couldn't bear losing his friend, attempted to approach, even if it meant risking his life. For once, he would be someone useful. He would protect his friend!
But things don't always go as expected.
***
"You orphan!" a classmate had taunted him back in elementary school.
"Orphan! Orphan! Orphan!" almost all his classmates had jeered at him back then.
"Dear, you shouldn't be friends with orphans like him. He surely didn't grow up well without parents to raise him," a mother of one of his schoolmates had said when he was young.
"Zuko, I know you don't have parents. But, don't you have the awareness to study harder at home?" a school teacher had continuously intimidated him upon knowing he was an orphan.
"Zuko, why were useless and stupid kids like you even born into this world?" a grown woman he encountered had asked.
"Hurry up and turn eighteen and leave this orphanage. We hope to take care of someone far more talented than you."
That had been Zuko's life all along. Ridicule, scorn, belittlement. It became his daily bread that he had to swallow without spitting out. It was as if he, born less fortunate than the majority of people in the world, was inherently vile and unworthy of the life his body possessed.
"Why don't you just kill yourself, Zuko?" a classmate had asked when they first entered junior high. He was a student from the same elementary school as him, aware of all his past. Because Zuko wasn't very academically accomplished, he didn't have many options for which school to attend.
Since then, for years during his time in junior high, his life had been filled with a desire to end it all. However, at the same time, he feared death. As a result, to distract himself, he chose to work as a waiter in a bar known for its criminal activities.
It was from the earnings of working in that illegal place that Zuko managed to save up enough money to buy a smartphone. With that smartphone, he finally could download a game that had always been talked about by many people.
"Finally, I'm no longer just a spectator," he thought. "Finally, I can also be a player in a game that almost everyone in the world plays!" His eyes gleamed as he stared at the device screen, pondering what adventures lay ahead for him and what kind of friends he would meet.
"It's truly exhilarating."
Viatrix Upheaval. A game, another world, an alternate reality he hoped would momentarily make him forget how bleak reality was and socialize with new people who didn't know him, didn't know his background, and most importantly, would never mock his status as an orphan.
So, becoming a knight errant for the Mac An Savery kingdom filled with towering explorers like titans? Hmm, not appealing. Zuko had often been bullied by bigger kids. So, being part of a titan kingdom, even if only in a game, didn't sound enticing. He was worried his trauma might resurface.
Or becoming a knight errant for the Mac An Cameron kingdom filled with intelligent scientists who loved research and cherished knowledge? Hmm, actually intriguing. However, Zuko was aware he wasn't that smart. Just peeking from the outside to see what quests he'd face if he chose to join them already gave him a headache from the reluctance to think. Not appealing. He played games for fun.
Bagaimana jika jadi ksatria bala bantuan untuk kerajaan Mac An Gaothaire yang berisi para penyihir sakti dengan beragam fantasinya yang di luar nalar? Mungkin tidak sesederhana jadi ksatria panggilan di kerajaan Mac An Savery yang perjuangannya hanya bermodalkan otot. Tidak akan serumit jadi ksatria panggilan di kerajaan Mac An Cameron yang harus menghafal banyak rumus untuk merakit senjata, strategi, dan yang semacam itu juga. Lagipula bukankah jadi penyihir adalah impian banyak orang di dunia nyata yang membosankan?
Klik.
Choose.
"Who do you want to be?"
Klik.
"Choose your destiny!"
Bwaang.
"The end of this story is in your hands!"
*
"Why do I always fail in my life?" A question stirred Zuko's heart, bringing back a sliver of consciousness, albeit very thin. He was given his name according to the will left by his parents who intentionally abandoned him on the porch of a poor orphanage. However, no matter how fancy a name his biological parents gave him, the life he lived was truly that of a pitiful loser.
Suddenly, he received a message in the chat column from another user.
"The 'Player Nearby' feature shows you're nearby. Are you Indonesian? How old are you?"
"Fifteen years old," Zuko replied honestly.
***
"Ugh!!" Zuko yelled as he regained full consciousness. When he thought he had already been awake before, it seemed he had been dreaming. A dream within a dream. A unique experience he first encountered in another world.
He immediately sat up, feeling exhausted from lying on the bed. He looked at his topless body wrapped in bandages, feeling quite sore. But, it wasn't the time to be weak. He observed the surroundings, all dominated by wooden materials. However, compared to Jessamy's previous home, which was more natural and had a strong mossy scent, this place was much more organized, consisting of neatly arranged wooden structures.
"This place is much more deserving of being called a home than the hole in the tree earlier," Zuko said inadvertently. He lifted his head, staring at the high ceiling and the second floor and attic.
"Are you awake?" Jessamy asked, returning from outside. His body, still dressed like a medieval fantasy hunter, was also wrapped in bandages in some parts. In his left arm, he carried a long-barreled firearm, while his right hand held three creatures resembling winged deer in the middle of their backs.
Zuko immediately became alert again, clutching his abdomen where the wound still hurt. Only then did he realize Lucien was nowhere to be found. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHERE'S LUCIEN?!" he shouted, brandishing a fireplace poker he found on the floor.
Jessamy answered, "You won't be able to meet him again."
Instantly, Zuko's entire body felt weak, and unconsciously, he fell to his knees. With an empty gaze, he could only ask, "Why like this? What happened to Lucien?"
Jessamy replied, "The cycle in this world is like that. If you don't kill, you'll be killed. If you sacrifice, you'll be sacrificed. If you survive, then you're safe, but if you don't, others won't bother to remember you."
"That's impossible."
"Get used to it. Consider your friend never existed."
"WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT DO YOU PLAN FOR US?!!"