THE BATTLE ARENA

When Aildrin opened his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit room. A rock salt lamp and an alarm clock—both in the shape of an owl's head—sat on a nightstand beside him. It was already seven in the morning.

"Who brought me here?" Aildrin thought. He grimaced at the idea of Sol carrying him to bed. He got up despite the sore in his body and moved out of the room.

"Good morning! Breakfast, Aildrin!" Harvy said, shouting from the pantry with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Aildrin's stomach did not shy away. It growled like a puppy at the sight of scrambled eggs and strips of bacon.

"Good morning," Aildrin said. Jack greeted him, but Patrick did not meet his gaze when he entered the room. He then found himself a chair and asked, "Where's Sol?"

"Out to support Sophia for today's playoff match. It's the quarterfinals of the second season," Pat said. He still did not bat him an eye.

"The two of them are part of an Esports team?" Aildrin said.

"Nah, only Sophia. But her team outsources weapon and equipment from Sol, so he should be there to give tips and to give moral support," Pat said. He then devoured his last strip of bacon and brought his plate to the sink.

"What's wrong with him?" Aildrin whispered to Harvy.

"Sol told him he must prepare to defend his position. He asked for more details, but Sol only smiled at him before leaving. Pat is quite the territorial-type, you know," Harvy whispered back.

Aildrin shook his head. He kept on telling himself that he did not care about titles anymore. Those days were gone. But the match he had yesterday burned them all. He could not wait to return to the stage and hear the crowd cry out his name.

And the idea of Sophia professionally competing in a tournament troubled Aildrin. He worried about her. She did not even play Battle Arena back then, but now she was in the quarterfinals under a different banner. And it looked like that her brother, Sol, was no ordinary person too.

"Aren't we late for the match?" Jack said. He handled the spoon and fork well for someone who was blind.

"Not yet. Sophia's match is in the second slot. It would be Titans and Burning Orient in a few minutes from now," Pat said while washing his plate. "It would be boring to watch. It's gonna be a one-sided slaughter, anyway."

"I still want to watch it though. Aildrin, can you help me with my Battle Station? I want to be there. I want to see it," Jack said.

"I'll help and join you," Aildrin said. The two teams in the first match rang a bell.

Harvy placed his cup on the table and said, "Count me in! How about you, Pat?"

Patrick waved his hand with disinterest.

Aildrin and Jack then went into a feeding frenzy. After a minute, they were already on the stairs.

"How does it feel to see again?" Aildrin said.

"Again? I was born blind, mate. But, yeah...it's great to finally see, even if it's just in the game. Sometimes, I just want to stay in the game forever if that's possible," Jack said. He then giggled.

Aildrin helped Jack in his station while Harvey handled himself well. His customized station met his needs with its attachable accessories to his wheelchair.

"Uh, wait. I almost forgot. Where do I enter to watch it?" Aildrin said.

"Ah, yes. It's in the Battle Arena inside the Coliseum of Creation. I'll come inside first to reserve us seats, wait for my go signal in our CommCenter."

"Battle Arena, huh?" Aildrin thought. He then returned to his station and geared himself back to the virtual world. His boosters were already refilled, but he was not aware that he had just consumed a month's worth of supply yesterday.

[Welcome back, Ilidran. Are you going to Alistor City?]

"Not yet, I need to go to the Battle Arena," Aildrin said. He then willed himself towards the yellow swirl of energy.

Aildrin found himself standing in front of a towering golem with the head of a toad. It wore a purple gown like a scholar.

Behind the creature, a mountain loomed, obscured by fog. But upon closer look, it was made of metal. There were numerous bolts at its base.

"Welcome to the Coliseum of Creation. How may I help you?" the toad said with a deep earth voice.

[Sebastian, Level (?), Rank (?), Golem Guardian.]

"Good morning, Sir Sebastian. I wish to enter the Battle Arena," Aildrin said with a bow.

"Very well, the match is just about to start," Sebastian said. He then swallowed Aildrin.

Everything went fast. Aildrin's screen turned black when a giant brown tongue pulled him. He tried to move, but it felt like he was in the void.

Before he could curse the toad further, Aildrin spawned inside a vast hall with towering marble pillars. The domed ceiling was like the sky, cloudless and clear, and a red carpet covered the entire floor. Players from different races were all around him. And in the middle of the hall was a coliseum with many portcullises.

The vastness of the place overwhelmed Aildrin. He suppressed his mouth from gaping while trying to calm himself. And then the icon of their CommCenter buzzed.

"Hey, mate!" It was Jack. "Just enter the coliseum, the guardian will ask your seat number. Just say 6996DE."

"Thanks, Jack! Will the guardian swallow me too?" Aildrin felt stupid, but he asked it anyway. He just wanted to be prepared this time.

Jack giggled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to toad golems! But nah, it's a proper portal this time, and the guardian makes no physical contact. Quick, while the match has not yet started!"

Aildrin followed the throng, squeezing his way through giant figures. He wondered if he could use his skills inside the arena, but he dared not. The memory of the toad golem haunted him.

"Seat number?" a playful voice said. It came from a blue wisp with an angelic face of a lady.

[Sodem, Level (?), Rank (?), Wisp Guardian.]

Aildrin told her his seat number. His screen then turned fiery blue. After a second, he found himself sitting on a comfortable leather chair with armrests.

"Hey, you're here!" a raspy voice from Aildrin's left side said. It came from a white-skinned goblin with spiky orange hair—an albino. He wore green leather armor and metal bracers. "It's me, Jack!"

[Macca, Level 28, Silver Rank—Tier V, Goblin Ranger (Member of WisDoom).]

Aildrin finally appreciated Sol's CommCenter. At least it kept their original voices, unlike in the virtual world, which changed them according to race.

And to Aildrin's right was a ripped humanoid covered in black runes and markings with the head of a black horse.

[SwitchFoot, Level 28, Silver Rank—Tier V, Savage Assassin (Member of WisDoom).]

SwitchFoot winked at Aildrin with a salute.

"Harvy?" Aildrin said.

"That's me!" Harvy said in a voice that almost neighed.

Aildrin grinned. Deep inside, he hoped that these folks could live up to his expectations.

Beneath him, rows and rows of players surrounded a raised marble platform. And from behind, he could not see the last line of spectators.

The coliseum's seating capacity was enormous. Aildrin wondered how the others from the back could enjoy the matches.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Aildrin was very familiar with the voice, although it sounded like a parrot. Ever since he lost his parents, that voice brought no good news to him.