The group turned, and Ichio jogged toward them, his earlier encounter still weighing heavily on his mind. But for now, he focused on catching up with his friends, knowing that sooner or later, he'd have to figure out what the man—and the calabash—truly meant.
As Ichio approached Ronin and the group, Ronin crossed his arms and smirked. "Oh, so you did come. I hope you're not planning to stay with us and leave Sherry hanging, are you?"
Ichio stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes. "Seriously, man? You called me here, I came, and now you're trying to diss me off?"
Ronin chuckled and shrugged. "I'm just saying, don't leave Sherry hanging when it's time for you two to meet up."
Ichio sighed. "You're unbelievable."
Ronin ignored the comment and turned to Yasei. "You know what to do."
Yasei smirked, stepping forward. He activated his Shadow Movement ability, and shadows began to twist and coil beneath the group. In an instant, the world around them blurred into darkness. When the shadows dissipated, they found themselves standing at Arena Serifall on Floor 75, the lively buzz of the crowd filling their ears.
The group walked toward the large arena where a major match was about to take place. Spectators were already filing into the stands, and the air was electric with anticipation.
Ichio followed the others to their seats, his eyes scanning the arena. "What's the match about?" he asked.
Ronin leaned back in his seat. "It's a duel between Larou Ken, the 20th strongest, and Alex Barker, the 21st. Alex issued the challenge, trying to claim the 20th spot."
Ichio nodded, intrigued. The arena roared as the announcer introduced the fighters. Larou Ken, a tall, imposing figure wielding a massive greatsword, stepped into the ring. Opposite him, Alex Barker, a buff rogue with a cocky grin, entered with a flourish.
Just as the fight was about to begin, the crowd suddenly grew silent. A strange energy rippled through the air. Above the arena, a figure appeared, descending slowly from the sky.
Ichio's eyes widened. "Wait… that's him."
The man landed gracefully in the center of the ring. His presence commanded attention, and he stretched his arms wide. A microphone materialized in his hand, and he tapped it twice.
"Test, test. Can everyone hear me?" the man asked, his voice booming across the arena.
Ichio's breath hitched as he studied the figure. "That's the same man from before," he murmured to himself.
The man turned, surveying the crowd. "Players, NPCs, and… people."
Confusion rippled through the arena. Murmurs broke out among the spectators.
"What does he mean by 'people'?" Ichio thought, his unease growing.
The man raised a hand, silencing the crowd. "Right now, I believe everyone in the game should be seeing me. A projection of me is scattered across every part of this dungeon, visible to all players and NPCs. But that's not all. Outside, in the real world, those playing EGO: Explore Game Online and those who aren't… should also be seeing me."
The crowd erupted in chaos.
"What's he talking about?"
"Did they hack Infinite Arc Studios?"
"What's going on?"
The man frowned, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "Do you all mind shutting up? Like I said, I should be projected everywhere—throughout the dungeon and the real world. Now, listen carefully."
The arena fell silent, the weight of his words pressing down on everyone. Ichio clenched his fists, his mind racing. 'What is he planning? And how does he have this much power?'
The man's eyes scanned the crowd, his expression unreadable. "Good. Now that I have your attention, let's get started."
The man lowered the microphone, gazing over the silent crowd with an enigmatic expression. He then raised it again, his voice steady and calm, yet carrying an undeniable weight.
"I am A Child of the Star," he began, pausing as whispers rippled through the crowd. "But in this world's lore, I would be considered an Architect. Not of this world, but of another. However, due to a selfish decision I made, I brought trouble upon every world across Zodias."
The audience erupted in confusion.
"Zodias? What's he talking about?"
"What's an Architect? Is this some kind of role-playing stunt?"
"Is this guy crazy, or is this part of some hidden event?"
The man raised a hand to silence the murmur. His piercing gaze swept across the spectators, commanding their attention once more.
"Because of my selfishness," he continued, "this world was altered, disrupted. A Child of the Star was born here. For A Child of the Star, their very existence devastates their world—corrupting it, unraveling it. And it's up to that Child of the Star to restore balance."
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
"What is he even saying?"
"A Child of the Star? Who?"
Ichio, sitting among the spectators, clenched his fists. His mind raced.
'Is this guy trying to get me in trouble?' he thought. 'If everyone finds out I'm this Child of the Star he's talking about and something bad ends up happening… won't they blame me for all of this? What is this guy's game?'
The man's voice cut through Ichio's frantic thoughts. "Now, I want everyone to check the Axion Classes in the game."
The audience hesitated before raising their hands and forming the triangular gesture. With a subtle pull, their status boards appeared. They navigated to the Info section and gasped.
"Wait… new Axion Classes?"
"There's an Alchemist now? And a Technologist?"
"Why is Assassin renamed Ninja?"
The man smirked as the confusion grew. "Now that you see the changes, check your ranks."
The crowd obeyed, opening their rank displays. A collective gasp spread through the arena.
"Rank Eta?!"
"What? We're all beginners now?"
"How did this happen?!"
The man nodded, his tone almost mocking. "Yes, all of you have been reset to the lowest rank. Now, let's move on. It's time for the merge to commence."
Chaos erupted.
"The merge? What's he talking about?"
"Is this part of the game or some kind of hack?"
The man's expression darkened. "You see, this world was once the original. But because of my selfishness, the worlds of Lambda were fragmented. This game world and your real world were separated. Now, I am returning them to their original state."
The crowd was stunned into silence, their confusion mounting.
"What's Lambda? What does he mean by fragmented worlds?"
The man continued. "It will now be up to the Child of the Star to decide: Will they return the world to its current state, or will they leave it as it was originally meant to be?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping the crowd once more. "Oh, and one last thing."
He snapped his fingers, and a strange ripple spread across the arena. "This world cannot merge while you still look like your Avatars. Your bodies and your Avatars are now one. You will look as you do in real life. Use your newfound powers wisely and determine your own fate."
Before anyone could react, the man's hologram flickered and vanished, along with his ominous presence.
Suddenly, the entire arena blurred. People found themselves scattered, disoriented. Players who weren't logged in, now logged in and non-players appearing as NPCs.
Ichio's vision swirled as he felt himself being pulled away. When the world stabilized, he was no longer with Ronin, Ryoka, Yasei, or Takashi. Instead, he stood in a secluded part of Floor 1, alone with a group of strangers.
The reality sank in like a heavy weight: the game world and the real world had become one.
For the first time, Ichio felt the crushing enormity of his role as the Child of the Star. The man's cryptic words echoed in his mind.
"Determine this my own fate?"
---
[Wow this is something, so who is that guy]
---
Ichio moved away from the group, his heart pounding and his thoughts racing. 'Seriously, what game is that guy playing at? He tells me I'm A Child of the Star, and now he's blaming me for all of this?" He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling to the surface. "I never asked for this. Why do I have to take responsibility for something I never wanted? I hate responsibilities."
He sighed heavily, dragging his feet as he walked. "I don't even have the power to change the mind of a child, let alone the entire world. And of all things, I had to merge with this avatar? Why couldn't it have been Knox? At least I'd be stronger."
Out of habit, he opened his status board to check for settings, hoping for some clue. His brow furrowed. The settings button was gone. He tried searching for his friends' names but realized with a sinking feeling that he wasn't even an official member of the Elohim Party. Non of its members were in his friend list, but he notice there was only one name in his friend list, but he couldn't make it out so he shrugged it off. He closed the board, his chest tightening.
"Great. Just great."
As he walked, a familiar voice pierced through the air. His heart leapt in hope. It was Sherry and the others. They approached him, and for a moment, he thought he'd found solace in their company. Together, they moved to a secluded area, far from the chaos of the merging worlds.
Ichio turned to them. "Guys, I think this world is really merged," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I couldn't find the settings button earlier. There's no way to log out or do anything."
He glanced at the group, hoping for agreement. "Maybe we should find an Ainslif. If we rank up a bit here on Floor 1, it'll be easier to handle the upper floors."
[Kinda curios what happens next].
CHAPTER END.