Vikram winced as he rubbed his head, and looked at Kayala with a wronged expression. Kayala just shook her head as she motioned him for a spar, but he thought that it was more like mentorship.
Kayala didn't want to admit it. She never did. Brunus had once explained to Vikram in a rare moment of honesty, "She doesn't want anyone to see her as soft."
Vikram nodded, filing the comment away, though it didn't quite explain the way Brunus always seemed to linger near Kayala, the unspoken camaraderie between them. Over time, Vikram began to wonder if there was something more—something unsaid between the two of them.
That notion lingered, quietly growing roots in Vikram's mind, until the day it was unceremoniously yanked out by the truth.
It happened over lunch. Vikram had joined Brunus at a café near the market, where they were to meet someone Brunus had described as "an important guest." To Vikram's surprise, the guest turned out to be a woman with an easy laugh and a radiant presence.
"This is my wife," Brunus introduced her, a touch of pride in his voice.
The ground beneath Vikram's assumptions shifted. All his suspicions about Brunus and Kayala dissolved in an instant, replaced by an odd mix of relief and embarrassment.
As they talked and laughed over their meal, Vikram couldn't help but glance at Brunus's wife, marveling at how wrong he had been. Whatever dynamic existed between Brunus and Kayala, it clearly wasn't what Vikram had imagined.
And for reasons he couldn't quite articulate, Vikram felt lighter.
And he was sure that her ears were pointer.
And she also had a weird name, called Everwinter...
Yeah, that was her name.
She was a petite woman, too small for even Vikram, though Vikram was not small...
Leaving the mundane things aside, he focused.
Vikram and Kayala started their spar, and the constant stream of criticism came.
As they moved into position, Kayala began to critique his stance. "Remember, keep your center of gravity low. You're still too easy to knock off balance."
Vikram adjusted his stance, focusing on her instructions. Kayala might be tough, but her guidance was invaluable. Each sparring session with her revealed new techniques and strategies that he could incorporate into his training.
Now that he was free to enter the open world, he had thought to incorporate the rest of the two characters.
Vikram had checked what weapons the rest of the two classes could have. The Knight could wield a sword, spear, shield, mace, hammer, etc, and he was going to choose a Great Sword.
There was no profound meaning behind it, he just wanted to try out a Great Sword since he thought that it was cool.
For the Mage class, it was a different array of weapons. Staff, wand, gloves, feathers, jewels, etc, Vikram was going to select gloves because he thought it was more convenient.
Even though Kayala wasn't skilled in magic, she was skilled in Great Sword, so she was teaching him just that.
"Different weapon arts aren't completely different from each other. Each of the Weapons Arts takes each other for inspiration and creates new weapon arts, thus creating an eternal cycle." Kayala said as she battered her wooden axe on Vikram's wooden Great Sword, and Vikram continuously tried to defend...
Vikram gritted his teeth, and the moment he got a respite, he used the weight of the sword to leverage and swung onto Kayala like a ferocious tiger. Kayala widened her eyes but the sword was easily deflected, and Vikram stumbled lost his balance, and fell down.
He also received a slight tap on his head by the axe.
"Stop trying to do complex movements and try to find your art with basics. Also, if you want to reach a level where you can close your eyes and cut your enemies into two, you have to close your eyes and not look at the clock when you practice."
Vikram winced as he understood. He was in a hurry to start the game because he couldn't contain the excitement of exploring the Game World. But Kayala had misunderstood his intentions and thought that he had grown tired of the practice, and tried to show off what he learned so that Kayala would give him an early dismissal.
"But it seems that you are learning something, and it seems that your mind is wandering too much. Get some sleep, freshen up, and come back when you want to learn." Kayala shook her head and threw her weapon on the rack, which Brunus put in position.
Vikram winced again, because the one thing he couldn't handle was disappointment, and that was what he had felt from Kayala right now.
He shook his head and returned to his room. Brunus had given him a couple of encouragement, but his mood was low.
Vikram entered his room and directly crashed into his bed.
[Do you wish to enter the Game?]
Vikram gripped his axe tightly, the rough wood handle firm in his hands. His heart raced, not with fear but with excitement. This was it—the moment he had waited for. The moment he would finally see the world for what it truly was.
He stepped out of the beginner village, his boots crunching against the dirt road. The world opened up before him, vast and unending. Vikram took a deep breath, his chest swelling with exhilaration. "This," he thought, "is freedom."
It was strange to think about it this way: a world he carried within himself, yet one he had never truly seen. But Vikram had no time for semantics; his curiosity propelled him forward.
The scenery was breathtaking. To the south, towering mountains pierced the sky, their jagged peaks disappearing into the heavens. They seemed alive, a testament to the raw power of nature.
To the north lay a stark, white expanse of snow and ice, a frozen wasteland that stretched endlessly. Ahead of him were small castles and buildings, their architecture intricate, each structure connected to the next like a delicate web spun by a master artisan.
But it was the landmarks that truly left him awestruck.
Far in the distance, a colossal tree reached skyward, its branches disappearing into the clouds. It was impossibly tall, its sheer size defying logic, as though it sought to touch the very stars.
To the south, a massive boat floated in the sky, its sails billowing despite the lack of wind. Surrounding it were tiny white and blue lights, drifting and swirling like spirits—ghosts, perhaps, haunting the airship in its eternal voyage.
Even the mountains seemed alive with wonder. In their shadow, Vikram spotted a serpent of unimaginable size coiled around a peak. It battled a massive dragon, the two titans clashing in a spectacle of fire and fury. The serpent, sinuous and elegant, seemed like something out of an Eastern myth, while the dragon, with its wings and spiked tail, was the embodiment of Western legends.
Vikram's eyes widened as he took it all in, his breath hitching. "This is insane," he murmured. "This is…"
Pain.
Vikram staggered, his vision swimming. He glanced down and saw the thick metal shaft of a three-foot arrow protruding from his chest.
For a moment, he simply blinked, staring at the weapon in disbelief. Then, with a sigh, he crumpled to the ground.
A cold, emotionless message appeared in his mind:
[You have been slain.]
Vikram groaned, closing his eyes. "Well," he muttered to himself, "that escalated quickly."
And just like that, his adventure had ended—at least for now.