Prologue #1

I still remember that day in 2040, when everything

changed all around the world. It started with the sudden blackout everywhere on the globe. I was in the school cafeteria, getting my ass beaten by the Sophomores.

It was a cloudy day, and I was just at my limit before I collapsed, that everything went nearly pitch black. My immediate thought was that I had fainted. Then I heard the confused screams and chatter of the other students. Even the Sophomores had stopped kicking. All the lights were out, and although it was only one in the afternoon, it was still as dark as midnight.

That was when we first came into indirect contact with them, the Spirits. A bright blue screen with golden borders popped up in front of my eyes with a DING!

I gasped, got up to a sitting position on the floor and scrambled back a few steps. I looked around at the silhouettes of the other students and they all seemed to be seeing their own personal screens, although I couldn't see theirs. I looked back at my screen and started reading the text on it:

[WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE OF INVICTUS]

You Have Been Chosen As A Player In The Great Challenge Of Invictus

This Event Is Being Held Across 12 Galaxies To Choose The Best EMISSARIES For The GREAT SPIRITS Across The CLUSTER-578239

Your EMISSARY PAGE Will Be Loaded Shortly!

As soon as I had finished reading this absurd screen, it disappeared. I had hundreds of questions exploding in my head right now. What was the Challenge Of Invictus? What did it mean by Players or Spirits? And most importantly what the hell was an Emissary Page?

As soon as I thought that, a new screen popped up in front of my eyes. It read:

EMISSARY PAGE

PLEASE WAIT WHILE IT IS BEING LOADED!

It was at that moment, that I realized the Sophomores were no longer focused on me. I quickly got to my feet and dashed out of the cafeteria (bumping into two tables, at least five people and toppling over someone's forgotten lunch). I stepped outside in the corridor and squinted trying to see what was going on. But it was too dark to make out anything clearly. I could sense people moving about and hear the confused babble, but nothing special in particular.

I decided the best decision would be to step outside and try to make my way home. It didn't look like they were gonna continue school today anymore. So I made my way to the doors of the building (bumping into more angry figures) and pushed them.

I suddenly felt a tingle at my finger tips. To my shock, it jolted upwards to my hands and pushed me away violently from the doors. Another screen appeared with a DING!

SELECTION QUEST #1

Prove Your Worth By Enacting Your Revenge On Your Attackers.

Difficulty: E

Rewards:

Penalty For Failure: Elimination From The Challenged Planet

Revenge?! Elimination?! What the hell was this? I got the gist of this "Quest" though. I guessed it meant getting my "revenge" on the sophomores or I would be- What? Kicked off the planet Earth?

Well let alone fighting those scary jocks, I would be lucky if I could find my way through school in this darkness. I thought to myself. But well, I guess I didn't have an option as I couldn't leave the building. I needed to utilize this darkness then to even get close to those sophomores.

I turned around and saw to my surprise that there were red triangular markers, the kind you saw in video games, hanging a few feet away from me in the dark. I started running towards them and- SLAM!!

I had run headfirst into an wall. Confused, I took a step back. I finally realized what those four markers were. They were my TARGETS, the Sophomores!!! I stood there in shock for a full minute. What was this game like system? Did I get beaten up so much that I entered a comatose state and am now dreaming this crap?

Well I guess I cannot get hurt in a dream after all! With this positive thought (ignoring the pain from running into the wall) I started marching towards the cafeteria once again. I stepped into the room and saw the four markers sitting together at a table. I started moving towards them slowly and quietly.

Then I realized, that I wasn't the only guy with a quest. As soon as I stepped near enough to even touch one of the jocks, the one nearest got up and headbutted me so hard, I could almost see the stars.

"Oww, what the heck?"

The big guy turned to his friends and yelled, "There he is, our Target! Kent, grab his hands from behind!"

The guy named Kent, who was probably the dumbest, got up and pinned my hands behind me. Then the big guy, whom I recognized to be Luke, drew back his left hand, and threw a punch at me. Since it was dark, he missed my face and instead brushed against my cheek.

I struggled frantically against Kent's hold. I threw my legs in an attempt to kick Luke, or anyone for that matter. Suddenly, I heard a dull thunk and one of the markers flickered and disappeared.

WHAT THE HECK? DID I KILL LUKE?!! No wait... he's a strong dude, no way he died from this. He's just knocked out I guess.

I twisted wildly, and to my surprise, I wriggled free from Kent, who seemed a bit disoriented by the thunk and Luke's silence. I took a wild swing at him. I felt my fist connect to his face, and heard a pained grunt.

By now I could see a lot more clearly, as my eyes were getting used to this ominous darkness. I could see Kent, rampaging towards me like a bull. Instinctively, I stepped aside from his path, and being this big, it took him a few moments to realize that I was no longer in his trajectory. He couldn't stop himself in time and crashed into the third guy, whom I didn't recognize.

Another marker flickered and disappeared. I guess the other guy was knocked out. I knew it wouldn't be long before Kent got back to his senses. I also had the fourth guy to worry about, who was now running towards me at full speed. I grabbed a fork from the table beside me and thrust it out as if I was brandishing a sword.

I don't know to this day, what the hell I was going to do with it, but luckily for me, it was at this moment that Kent decided to charge at me. He ran straight at me from behind, and tackled me so hard, that I was sure I broke at least 5 different bones. But in that confusion, I had accidentally thrust the fork into the fourth guy's eye.

He screamed in pain, and before I realized it, I twisted the fork which I was still holding, in his eye and thrust it in deeper. I felt his blood splurting out and drenching all over my right hand. I let go of the fork and slammed my knee in the face of the hunched bully.

Another marker flickered and disappeared.

I was starting to feel confident now. I felt like I could take down the big Kent by myself. I turned back to see what Kent was planning next. I found myself face to face, or rather should I say, face to chest with Kent. He was looming over me. All the confidence drained out at a speed faster than sound. I sidestepped him, and started running.

I could hear his thudding footsteps behind me. He bellowed, "GET BACK HERE YOU PUNK! I WILL KILL YOU AND CLEAR THIS DUMB QUEST BY MYSELF!!"

He lunged at me and pinned me to the floor. He raised his fists and started smashing my face in. I could feel his fist break my nose, I could feel the blood splurting everywhere, I could hear myself screaming in pain, as he knocked out a tooth which fell into my mouth.

I couldn't see anything anymore, and was just about to lose my senses, when I felt another tingle in my chest. I realized that it was coming from my heart. I don't know what happened exactly but I am sure I heard an explosion and could feel a warm sensation passing throughout my body.

DING!

DING!

I slowly opened by eyes, and before I could take inventory of my surroundings, two new messages caught my attention. The first one said:

TROPHY UNLOCKED

Name: Blood of The Weak

Class: Hidden

Description: Awarded to Emissaries whose hearts stop within the first 60 minutes of the Challenge.

HEART STOPS?!! Did that mean I was dead? No, I felt very much alive. I could still feel my face hurting from all those punches from Kent. As I thought about it, I looked around and finally understood why everything seemed so quiet. The darkness was gone. But so was everything else in a 1 mile radius. I was sitting at the centre of what looked like a blast radius.

What in the actual hell happened here? Then I remembered about he explosion I thought I felt earlier. Good news, it blew away Kent. Bad news, it blew away everyone else as well.

As I turned back to the second message and read it, I could feel the color draining from my face. It said:

[PLAYER Alex Kross HAS BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE CHALLENGE OF INVICTUS]

However owing to the Blood Of The Weak Trophy And The Guardianship of {The Fallen Spirit} You Shall Be Allowed To Stay On The Playground.