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The end of Yggdrasil is fast approaching. It is the year 2138, and Yggdrasil has been running for twelve years. As the player base has dropped, the economy has become poor, and the prices for keeping the game and its server alive have become too much to bear. The company has decided to shut the servers down.

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It's been a long time… since I previously logged on Yggdrasil. I wonder how the guild is doing? I hear the games shutting down I should get on for the last time at least.

As the memories of the past decade came flooding back, a bittersweet feeling washed over me. While the rough first week had almost made me rage quit, I was grateful that the game had been there for me during that time. Looking back, the nostalgia tinged my mood with a touch of melancholy, but I couldn't help but appreciate it.

At least it was there.

As I entered the apartment, I took off the gas mask, my face washed with sweat. I immediately made my way to the washroom and splashed water on it, watching as the sweat was cleaned off. Glancing into the mirror, I saw the reflection of a man with black hair and brown eyes – a stereotypical East Asian face looking back at me.

Quickly drying myself off, I entered the bedroom and found myself staring at the VR helmet. Taking a minute to breathe and mentally prepare myself, I put on the headset and attached the cable to the neural port. As the virtual interface came into view, I swiped over to Yggdrasil.

"Link start!"

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Overlooking a large balcony an landscape of a large desert as far as the eyes can see. The realm of Muspelheim was the domain of demons, fire giants, and other creatures of flame. This world was defined by extreme heat – if the land was not scorching desert, it was covered in rivers of lava or burning sulfur.

The balcony was situated near the top of a towering pyramid structure, made from rare and precious materials. Its coloration was an obsidian black, with a bold strip of gleaming gold running along the center. At each corner of the large pyramid, dark pillars of the same exotic materials stood as supports.

Beyond the balcony, the exterior was guarded by level 80 sphinxes that looked like statues, decorating the surrounding area.

Nyx, a necromancer stood on the balcony. Another being manifested behind her as she gazed over the balcony. She turned her eyes to see who it was.

"I wasn't expecting you to visit, Ashurbanipal." Nyx said to the mysterious figure. "Everyone already left, you were late to the party, it's just you and me now."

The figure was dressed In an exquisite cowl and dark robes. In front of him floated a constantly moving book, following his movements. His face was shrouded in darkness, the cowl concealing it. However, his glowing purple eyes were visible within the shadows.

"Apologies, my boss was being an ass, got overtime three-days in a row, you'd think the old prick would keel over by now!" Ashurbanipal replied obviously displeased about being late to visit his friends. "So, it's the end, huh?"

"The end of an Era."

A small melancholic laugh echoes into the distance, as both reminisce about the past decade in Yggdrasil.

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"Anyways, I ought to be leaving soon, I got work in the morning and its already 11:50, sorry you couldn't see the rest of them." Nyx, said to Ashurbanipal.

"Hey, wait!" Nyx stopped moving and looked towards Ashurbanipal. "It's the last day we'll be playing Yggdrasil. Why not stay until the server shuts down? It's only 10 minutes until it ends. It's fine if you wish to leave, real life is important as well." Ashurbanipal asked Nyx. After a few awkward seconds she responds.

"Well, how can I deny my friend his final request!" Nyx stated. An emote appeared over her head of a peace sign.

"You make it sound like I'm dying or something."

"Well, we might not meet again after today, so in a way it is." The mood soured further. "But, hey, such is life. We might meet again in a different game, who knows? Life works in mysterious ways." She tried to uplift the sad scene on display.

"That didn't help much you know." Nyx replied to that with a shrug. Eventually the two made it to the throne room on the second to top floor of the pyramid.

Sephiroth was positioned to the side of the throne, a woman with porcelain skin and lengthy white hair. Atop her head, two prominent horns jutted out, accompanied by two smaller horns below them. A cloak draped over her back and side, and she donned dark armor with a scaled texture.

Ashurbanipal announced, "Three minutes remaining," as he settled into his throne. He then summoned an additional throne and invited Nyx to join him, creating a sense an end of a journey, where two lov- friends face the end together. Him and Nyx continued to speak of the past recounting the glory days of a bygone time.

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"Huh?" "Huh?"