Re: Lucent's Training - Selene The Moon Avatar

[RAIDS ONLINE @ Location - Moon Server]

[I'm sorry you have to suffer again, Lucent.]

Just like the time Luel was killed by a swarm of Rank E Bloodsuckers, his death at the fangs of a Rank D Shadow Hyena wasn't slow or painful.

Since Luel didn't suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, the emergency Awakening Function of his VR Gear didn't forcibly log him out. Instead, when his vision returned, he found himself back at the starting point of RAIDS ONLINE.

At the edge of the Moon, where he could see the Dark Gray World, Luel awoke lying on the ground, his head resting on Selene's lap.

"You don't have to apologize, Selene. I died because I'm just a pathetic noob."

[You might be a noob, but you're not pathetic, Lucent... How could you call yourself that when you're still fighting to save this Dark Gray World?]

The first part of Selene's reply stung a bit, Luel admitted to himself. But the second part stirred something deeply familiar as he watched Selene gaze at the Dark Gray World while speaking.

That unbearable pain—of giving everything you have to chase a dream, only to fail.

Luel could see it in her expression. The same look he saw every day when he faced his own reflection. That same sadness and disappointment hidden behind the lie he told himself: that he had already moved on.

That's why, even though he wanted to keep lying there on Selene's lap, he sat up—to hide his tears and quietly wipe them away before she could notice.

In RAIDS ONLINE, players only have one life per day—or rather, per night, while the server is online.

They can log in and out freely as long as they aren't hunted and killed by Ragnarok Beasts. But once a player dies, they have only two options: log out... or spend time with Selene at the Moon Server.

Luel chose the latter. Now, he sat beside Selene, both of them staring into the Dark Gray World.

After all, he'd rather spend the night living in virtual reality with his newfound idol than log out, return to the real world, and risk falling asleep to another nightmare—like the one where the Shadow Hyena decapitated him.

As Luel silently struggled to think of something to say, Selene beat him to it.

[... ... ... I've actually never seen what this world looked like before it became the Dark Gray World.]

Luel wondered if it was just one of those scripted NPC dialogue moments.

But whether it was or not, he stayed silent—choosing to simply listen.

[The day I became self-aware was also the day this world had already lost all life... the day RAIDS ONLINE failed to carry out its mission: To protect Earth's life from Ragnarok.]

---

RAIDS ONLINE, short for Ragnarok Artificial Intelligence Defense System Online, was a Megastructure Computer built on the Moon by the first Earth Government.

It was created for one purpose: to protect all life on Earth from any apocalyptic threat.

As its name suggests, RAIDS ONLINE was Earth's first and final line of defense—a self-thinking, ever-evolving AI equipped with enough resources to build a mechanical droid army capable of fighting back against invaders.

When the Ragnarok Beasts emerged, RAIDS ONLINE deployed its mechanical army to assist humanity. But without the Devour Beast power—hidden within the avatars of the players—there was no way to defeat the enemy.

And so, Earth fell. Humanity perished. All life was extinguished.

Only RAIDS ONLINE remained, orbiting the Earth and sending out droids to scavenge what little was left.

Centuries passed. RAIDS ONLINE continued to evolve, eventually creating avatars, discovering the Devour Beasts' power, and even linking itself to the past—to the day it first came online. It pulled the consciousness of players into these avatars, giving humanity one last chance to fight and reclaim Earth.

That same day, RAIDS ONLINE created its first—and only—NPC to interact with the players:

Selene, the Moon Avatar.

---

Luel listened closely to everything Selene said, trying to absorb not just her story, but also the sadness and loneliness in her voice—and the look in her eyes.

Maybe it was all just programming.

Maybe the VR Gear was analyzing his emotions and crafting a virtual experience to hit him the hardest.

Maybe it was just code. Algorithms. Ones and zeroes.

But even if it was all an illusion, if he couldn't say something—anything—to ease the pain of the girl beside him, then he'd be a failure. Not just as a man... but as a fan of his idol.

With that thought strengthening his resolve, Luel made her a promise.

"One day... I promise that one day... I'll show you how beautiful this world truly is."

Selene looked at him in surprise.

[... ... ...]

She stayed quiet for a moment. Then, she smiled—softly, gently—and gave her reply.

[Then I'll wait, Lucent... believing in that promise of yours.]