"Wake up, young dragon!" The silver dragon's voice boomed. Zero was startled by the loud sound. Then, his eyes focused, and he noticed that he was on the back of a silver dragon flying in the sky.
"What?"
"You had almost lost your life, young dragon."
"I did? Where am I?"
"We are back in Noriene on the Fire Continent."
"Huh?" Zero finally came back to his sense. "Wait, did you say we are back in Noriene? Did we leave this world?"
The silver dragon was quiet and instead did not answer.
"Answer me, dragon. You still have not given me your name, and now you don't want to give me an explanation?" Zero was furious at the fickle dragon. He was this close to finding his brother, but it all seemed like a dream he had conjured up.
The silver dragon sighed. "I am sorry young dragon, for you to go through such hardships, but a lesson must be learned. Enemies must be faced. Everything happens for a reason. You will understand one day."
"Stop with the stupid cryptic bullshit. You just said I almost lost my life. Tell me what that meant. It didn't sound like just any game over."
"If you had taken that man's offer, you would have died. No more would you be walking in the plane of life; instead, you would walk in the path of death. Your line would have been cut, and you would not have been able to return to your body."
"Wait. Hold up. I would have died in-game?"
"Young dragon, do you still think this is just a game?"
"Huh?"
"This is my advice to you. Keep your ears and eyes open. Patiently observe, and the world will be revealed through unexpected outcomes. You are not ready for such a heavy burden nor anybody else."
The silver dragon pumped his wings and landed perfectly on the edge of a cliff. Zero slipped off the dragon and fell to the ground. His legs were having a difficult time holding up his weight.
"Then where did I go?"
"That you should already know the question without me telling you. Every experience that you have undergone today was not a dream. You must remember everything you have experienced because it might be useful to you one day."
"The real world," Kiyro quietly muttered, stunned. "How did I even get there in the first place? Did you take me there?"
"No. You were pulled there. Sometimes one's spiritual body drifts and gets pulled into a certain space, either it is one's fate or will."
Zero sighed. He disliked talking to the silver dragon that was giving him roundabout answers. So instead, he pulled up his inventory and noticed his reward from the quest. Pulling it up, a message appeared on his screen.
To: Zero
From: One
Come and find me in Growth. Don't give your name to that skull-masked man again, you idiot brother. I'll come and beat the crap out of you if you ever do.
Forget-me-not flower designs were at the corner of the left side.
In alarm, Zero stood up. "H-how? So it was him." He read it over and over again to make sure. No one but Kyle would write such a simple but idiotic message. The one that pulled him out at the last second and saved him was Kyle himself. He now had three clues from the message he was given. The first one was that Kyle was playing in the game of Growth. The second he was using their code name 'One.' The final was that Kyle might know something about the dangerous skull-masked man, which was why he was hiding. For what purpose, he was not sure.
Zero let out a grateful sigh knowing that his brother was okay. With renewed dedication and spirit, he clenched his fist. He was going to find his brother and find out everything. The depressed emotions he had harbored in his heart for so long had finally been lifted. The world around him seemed to brighten, and even the sunset seemed more beautiful than before.
"Young dragon, it seems you have found your resolution." The silver dragon spoke and turned his head towards Zero.
"Yes."
"I am glad." The silver dragon smiled.
Another message popped up on his screen. It was a world announcement for both Alive and Sense gear.
Special World News.
In blaring red, his screen was filled with an important message. Zero did not have to click on it to see what it said. The announcement actually opened up by itself, showing the messages.
Since the opening of the new lands in the game of Growth and the first-ever Virtual Reality game to have successfully created an immersive world, small and large countries around the
the real world has agreed to hold and host world tournament battles in the game of Growth. Since the completion of the Real World Quest: Alpha Division. New lands, New environments, New races, and New skills will open for the world to play and compete for. Happy hunting, and let the Song of Infinity ring again!
Zero was stunned to read the message that appeared before him. This was truly unforgettable news. It had become a historical event. It was almost impossible for the world to agree to have battles in-game, but somehow the success of the Real World Quest has initiated a world tournament. He knew that now in the virtual world, the battle would become more fierce with the immersion of new players flooding into the game world. Lands will be fought over, large-scale wars will be waged, and history could be changed from a single event.
Zero, at that time, felt uneasy about the game of Growth. He wondered what the Yami Hikari company was even doing to achieve such world-renowned achievements, but all he could do was continue forward and play the game. His brother was calling him to find him in the game of Growth. Why there? He did not know, but he knew what he had to do.
"My name is Tylon," said the Silver dragon. "I'll be seeing you again."
Suddenly, the world around him spun out of control, Zero was booted off the game, and he returned to reality. He pulled the Sense Gear off his face and got up. He sighed as he stared off into the distance with many thoughts in his mind.
To be continued.