Ancient History

April 23, 2157

I received an inbox notification from Alexander:

"Axel,

I witnessed your performance on the live feeds. The showmanship of you and your… esteemed colleagues knows no bounds and has stirred excitement in the betting pools. I hope you are enjoying your time in Aether and experiencing all this world has to offer. There are 100 other Lost Souls such as yourself trapped in this game, all of them being watched constantly their adventures telecast across the globe. These are your competition. Hopefully they don't get in the way of you winning your goal… Let the games continue.

Kaillean"

What an intolerable asshole. "I hope you're enjoying all this world has to offer"? My competition? Is there a limit to how many people can beat this game and achieve the return of life that was promised? Must I be the first one? Why won't he show himself within the game. For months I have been in here, and I have yet to hear of an appearance of a Game Master. Taking on my competition… What exactly is this man expecting from me?

I looked up from the pages of the book. It appeared that Kaillean was goading Axel into attempting to rid himself of the competition. He was implying that whoever was the first to clear the game would be the only one able to gain the promised gift of life. I shivered.

So, if I want to return to Emily, I need to be the first person to clear the entire game. All of the vast levels this magic filled world. It sickened me that the corporate dogs in the real world were betting on our lives, our ability to survive. Bile rose in my throat, I swallowed it down. They watched my battle with Raezar, was it Kaillean who told Axel to go after me? Is he feeding him names of those who are doing well in the game? If so, why would he target weaklings and young players.

The heavy knot of dread in the pit of my stomach tightened. I jumped when a small knock on the front door pulled me out of my reverie. Aine also jumped, engrossed in her book. She jumped up and skipped to the front door. When I saw who was on the other side, I jumped to my feet.

"Hello, Fayre." Axel's smooth baritone filled the apartment. I looked to my sword that was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall. He stepped into the entryway, his domineering size making the hallway look small. His armour glinted in the light from the windows, I noticed the axe was missing from his back.

"Axel, what are you doing here?" I asked, preparing to leap for my sword. He held up a hand.

"Relax, I come unarmed. You have something that belongs to me, and I think we should talk." He said calmly. I raised a brow, but my shoulders relaxed slightly.

"And now is the best time?" I said, incredulously. 

"I believe we should discuss things before the battle, we can't afford to be divided." He explained. I bit my lower lip in thought. If I go with him, I'm at his mercy. If he is a murderer, I now know too much about him. Yet he came unarmed, which is unheard of for a Lost Soul, it leaves us vulnerable to attack. Maybe I can gather more information.

"Then let's go." I nodded and went to the wall for my sword. I placed it in the sheath on my back.

We walked along the river that ran through the center of the city, the gentle breeze ruffled my hair. The cobblestone walkway that followed the river was filled with players running back and forth on errands throughout the city. Some people lounged with meals by the water's edge. We made our way toward the Spires, I assumed so we could speak in Axel's office.

"How much have you read?" Axel's face turned to me as we walked, the look on his face impassive. I bit my lower lip in thought, I didn't want to reveal how much I knew yet.

"Who is Remy?" I asked softly, his footstep faltered, he quickly caught himself and his face was impassive once again.

"My daughter." His voice was thick. I looked up and his emerald eyes were bright with emotion. Again, he quickly suppressed his display and returned to being stoic.

"Want to tell me about her?" I gently prodded. He let out a heavy sigh and dragged his hand down the front of his face.

"She was four. I was locked up, and her mom was out of the picture, so she was staying with my parents. She was learning to ride her tricycle, and she was playing in the driveway in front of the house…. She lost control, went out into the street. She never saw the truck coming…" His voice choked off. He rubbed at his eyes and looked away from me. I reached out and placed my palm on his bicep to comfort him.

"It's okay." I said. He nodded and swallowed audibly.

"She didn't stand a chance. She never had a chance to see so much of what the world has to offer. And I wasn't there to watch her, to protect her." He finished. His fists were clenched near his sides. 

We approached the Spires building, and I held the glass door open for him. He nodded to me in thanks and stepped through the threshold. We wound our way up the staircases toward the Scythes guild office. He held the door open for me as we walked into his office. He took a seat behind his desk, and I plopped myself down into the chair across from him. He folded his hands on the desk before him.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. So Kaillean offered you a deal." I continued, changing the topic. He inclined his head and leaned his head on his hands.

"Alexander wanted people he could manipulate in the game. People who would put on a show for the masses and manipulate the results of the game in the direction he wanted it to go. I was locked up for aggravated assault, seven-year sentence. He also knew of my history in the underground fights, the betting rings. A poor son of a bitch that no one would miss." He finished with an exasperated sigh. 

"He offered you life." I prodded. He nodded.

"He said if you beat the game, they will return life to you. They made no mention of how." I bit my lower lip in thought and crossed my arms over my chest. Axel looked down at his desk and sighed, then he looked up into my eyes. His steely gaze pierced into me. 

"So, what happened after you started the Scythes?" I prodded.

"We spent months trying to gather recruits and increase our numbers. I was secretly looking for the other Lost Souls, trying to gather intel on their whereabouts and how they are surviving the game. The more souls we could bring on board, in my mind, the more likely we could clear this game, and I could see my Remy." Axel clenched his fist on the desk and took a deep breath.

"Men attacked me in the woods. I saw footage of them killing a little girl who was wandering in the woods. How did you escalate from bringing them onside to eliminating them?" I asked, incredulous. Axel banged his fist down on the table, I held my expression together, but struggled not to jump.

"Darius happened." He gritted out.