We're all in this virtual space together.
Farkadain

You take a step towards the whirling portal, the shields man'sweapon not once so far steering you wrong. You feel a coldness from the portal,however, but write it off as the strange atmosphere that pervades the entireroom. You are careful to pick your way over the sharp glass as you walk overthe shield, wishing now you had not thrown the object in the first place.

You stand in the center of the swirling vortex, and a feeling likethat of a summer breeze comes over you. It is the most natural thing you have feltso far in this virtual space, and it brings back nostalgia to things you cannotremember. The portal is warm and inviting, and you almost feel like it is not ajourney to another place you are taking but another state of mind. You neverwant the feeling to stop.

But even as you wish this, you feel yourself being pulled fromevery angle, as if the very atoms that make up your body are being disconnectedfrom each other. You want to scream, to shake off the pain, to do anything tostop the agonizing feeling but you are unable to move from the spot where yourfeet have planted themselves. You just want it all to end. All you can feel isthe unbearable agony of being ripped apart from the inside out.

What do you do?

“What are you talkingabout?” Myos yelled, wanting to defend himself with the weapon currentlypointed at the Empress but the whole situation felt wrong. Alien. “Zeke, get agrip! C’mon man what’re you doing siding with her? Are you brainwashed?” Thesanguine man fired off questions, trying to figure out why his closest friendhad suddenly turned on him, now of all times. The rest of their rebellion wasdead. The only two that remained was a confused, scared of everything fallingapart young man, and his traitorous best friend.

“I’m afraid not,sweetie,” Talitha chuckled, her voice already grating on Myos’s ears. No wondershe stayed hidden. “Your little friend has always been on my side. One of mymost trusted advisors after all.” She sashayed over to the man and ran hernails lightly over Zeke’s bare chest, the ravenette’s face almost contorting ina sneer under the touches but keeping his face calm. “Too bad you went andruined him with this ugly little thing, though.” The Empress pouted her alreadyfull lips, looking disapprovingly at the star that marked the man’s chest.“Your silly star mark right?” She giggled haughtily, turning to face Myosagain. “You think the stars hold your future. Wrong. I hold everyone’s future.”She stamped her foot like a child, a cold look freezing out the fake warmththat normally intensified her cobalt eyes. “Kill him.”

At the simple words Zekeleapt at the other, and Myos had just enough time to activate the platingaction of his armor before the other man’s weapon struck him. The broad man hithard and fast, pausing his onslaught for only a moment to activate his ownarmor, leaving Myos sick to remember the ring that the two shared that was theother’s activation switch. The red head wasn’t used to the close combat ofsomeone possessing intelligence, the hoards of enemies they were fightingbefore having no tactical strategy to speak of. Zeke was trained in combat,while Myos had solely been relying on the power of his weapons to overwhelm theenemy before they could get a good hit in, and it was all he could do to avoidZeke’s deadly strikes of his blade. The lithe man wasn’t used to melee attacks,his own crossbow more effective from fighting at a distance but it didn’t seemthat Zeke was going to give him even a small opportunity to get a missile off.

Talitha was bouncingaround and laughing maniacally, calling out to the two of them and egging ontheir attacks. It was clear she couldn’t care less which one of them won, aslong as she had a good show to laugh at.

You have always been Alone.

Not now! Myos screamedthe thoughts in his head as the sometimes helpful mostly aggravating textflashed across his screen and distracting him just enough that Zeke almostfinished him off for good. Myos recovered and took a shaky breath, back todefending with the hard plating of his suit. He was dying to know how theEmpress could possibly be sending him the messages, but he had other things toworry about right now.

“Stop!” Talitha calledout of nowhere; waving her hands above her head like a child that wantedattention.

Zeke halted without asecond thought, but it was obviously painful for him. He was at the ready,eyeing Myos down in case he decided to strike while the crow’s feathered manwas incapable of defending.

“I’m bored now,” theEmpress sighed and walked over to stand in front of Zeke. Myos now pointed hisweapon back at the woman, but was hesitant about shooting for fear that therocket would harm his friend as well. He didn’t care what the crazy woman said;his friend was still in there somewhere.

You are Alone.

Shut up. Myos grittedhis teeth, sweat forming on his brow.

You are Alone.

Shut up! He shook hishead, breathing becoming labored.

You are Alone.

Shut. Up. His breath caught in his throat, vision becomingfoggy as he tried hard to focus on the actions of the two in front of him.Talitha had coerced the other to release himself from the confines of his suitof armor, and was now stroking her index finger that was coated in a wickedsharp full finger ring over the star emblazoned into his chest.

And I’ll prove it.

Myos reached out toolate, horror trapping his voice as he saw the Empress jab the point of the ringdeep into the other man’s heart, laughing and Zeke’s tumultuous life came to anend before him.