[Main Scenario #2]

[Skill Proscenium arch has been activated]

I felt an invisible veil pass over me, separating reality from fiction as it traveled. Within a moment, the perception of all my senses were turned upside down, like I was peeking at a world right before me, within the grasp of my hand but knowing full well that if I clenched my fist to take hold of it, it would all disappear. Like a character thrown out of his novel who could do nothing but observe.

A gush of emotions blew past me, I should be feeling safe because I knew that those arrows wouldn't reach me, I should be feeling excitement or a sense of accomplishment because I was successfully able to create another skill or because I knew how to use this development skill but, all I felt was a sense of emptiness mixed with fear and anxiety. 

It felt like l had returned to drinking water after being given but a sip of nectar, I had been living my dream for the past few days, instead of reading, watching or playing a story I had been living it and suddenly I had been plucked out of it, as if the fates had taken notice of my presence and decided I didn't belong. I felt like Tantalus, condemned to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree. Whenever I tried to drink the water, it would recede, and whenever I would reach for the fruit, the branches would lift it just out of my reach.

A puddle of tears found its way to my eyes it was then that I realized, in this moment I would prefer being pierced by those arrows than return to the peaceful world I knew. As soon as that thought crossed my mind a new emotion had found its way to the surface, guilt.

A lot of people had died since the scenarios started, each one would have had a dream they would have wanted to follow, they might have loved someone or been loved by someone but never got to fulfill their desires, some would have just wanted to live, see the world. None of them deserved to die, yet here I was realizing that I was happy that the scenarios started and in a way happy that they had died so I could feel Like I was living in a game or a novel. I was the one who deserved to die.

"DORAIN" Niven shouted bringing me back to my senses.

This was no time to be drowning in self-guilt and sorrow. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself on my knees, hands on the ground beside my knees, palms facing the sky without any will to move. My gaze fell upon Ethel who was standing about 50 meters ahead staring at the incoming volley of arrows, helplessness and despair oozing from his body language. Still, there was something more about him, another emotion shining within his darkness, determination. He hadn't given up yet.

I do not know where he got a shield matching his sword but he was holding it up before his head, ready for impact. I couldn't give up yet. Not when someone I had convinced to fight was still determined to see it through. Niven, Fedilis and I were already inside the Proscenium arch but the veil fell just short of Ethel.

For now, I had to put all my thoughts aside and concentrate on extending the veil so that Ethel is protected by the Proscenium Arch. The arrows were already at arm's length and could hit us any moment now, a lapse in concentration here would cost us our lives. I closed my eyes and imagined myself standing in a pitch black space, the only thing existing within this plane with me was a white wall that extended as far as my eyes could take me.

I imagined this wall as the veil that marked the beginning of the Proscenium Arch, with all my might I began pushing at it hoping to extend it just enough to take Ethel into the audience with me but no matter how hard I pushed, it didn't budge an inch. This was my imagination and my strength was limited to what I imagined it to be, I called upon thousands of myselves to help me push the wall but it remained resilient in its determination to stay put.

I kept increasing the number of myselves pushing at the wall, a few thousand, then a few hundred thousand, millions, before long I had lost count of how many people ware pushing the wall yet the wall stood firm. It was like an entire colony of ants stacked on top of one another, trying their level best to push a cemented house. This wasn't something I could achieve with my current understanding of my skills.

-SHIIISSSSHHHHHHH-

My eyes opened to the sound of arrows hitting the ground, the scene unfolding before me was unbelievable. Hundreds of arrows were flying past me yet I could not feel even an urge to flinch. The arrows felt like holographic images that would disappear if I took off my 3D glasses, I was taken back to a movie theater, watching a 3D movie, nothing felt real.

I couldn't feel the heat originating from the fire created by the burning arrows. I couldn't feel a gush of wind when arrows flew past me, as for the arrows that were supposed to hit me, they passed through me like a blaster bolt from a Star Wars movie. I could physically feel the presence of 3D glasses resting on my nose but I didn't dare try to take them off. I had a feeling it would undo Proscenium Arc and I wasn't a fan of getting burned to death with a few arrows sticking out of my body.

I could barely see Errina's silhouette and boy did I want to see the expression that smug brat was making, just imagining it was enough to relieve all the fatigue I was feeling.