Prologue 2- A NPC

Elsa, wake up, Elsa, please!" he cried, his voice trembling with desperation.

His thoughts swirled like a tempest, his heart sinking deeper with each passing second, as if it were a lead weight in his chest.

Fear gripped him tightly, like a vise around his soul, as the agonizing reality that she was dead and gone slowly crept into the darkest corners of his mind.

His sadness and shock gradually morphed into a seething anger, an inferno of rage that threatened to consume him whole. He needed no clues to understand what those heartless warriors had just done.

"Those MONSTERS!!!" he screamed, his voice raw with fury. His eyes, bloodshot from tears and anger, fixated on the merciless horizon as his mind echoed only four words: "I WILL KILL THEM!"

He sprinted after them, his footsteps pounding like a war drum. With every stride, the words he had just heard began to crystallize into a dreadful truth. It fueled his anger, making it burn even brighter. His mind pushed him further and further into the depths of insanity.

 "They were laughing," he thought, and it only stoked the flames of his wrath.

They had only walked a few blocks down when the sound of hurried footsteps reached their ears. They turned around to see a NPC standing a few feet away, his fists clenched, blood dripping, lips bruised, and eyes bloodshot. He mumbled something incoherent.

"Hey, what's up, big man?" One of the warriors asked, a smirk on his face. He had dark complexion and was slightly taller than the other two "You got a problem?"

As Cian caught a glimpse of their faces, the haunting image of Elsa, bruised and battered, replayed in his mind like a never-ending nightmare.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed, launching himself at them with every ounce of strength his boundless rage could muster, only to be sent sprawling with a single, contemptuous punch from one of the warriors.

"What the heck? Aren't you just a villager? Are you supposed to be able to attack me?" He said, his face contorted in confusion.

It was indeed unusual for residential NPCs like villagers to attack players especially with no previous interactions, except they were bandits. 

Cian was starkly reminded of the brutal reality that he was nothing but an insignificant ant compared to these remorseless monsters. But he didn't care. It didn't matter who they were. 'Even if you were gods, I'll kill all of you,' he vowed silently.

He struggled to his feet, reaching for one of their swords, but was effortlessly kicked aside, like a mere plaything.

"What the hell did I do to you to make you this angry, man?"

"Maybe he was the NPC's boyfriend," one of the other warrior chimed in from behind.

"Is that it?" He asked, a mocking tone in his voice. "Was she your girl?.... Man, this game really is intense," he added with a twisted chuckle. "This NPC's emotions stuff always amazes me."

"See, I told you we shouldn't have done it. We're top rankers; this is beneath us," the other warrior grumbled.

"How can you say that after everything you did to that girl?" The white haired one said as he laughed softly causing the other two to join him.

THEY WERE LAUGHING. Cian's anger knew no bounds. He attacked once more, only to be knocked down once again.

"Do you think I'll get sanctioned if I kill him?" The warrior pondered aloud.

Getting sanctioned was like getting blacklisted. If a player was to get sanctioned three times they'll be considered an anti-player. Killing NPCs or even killing players in restricted places could get you sanctioned. 

"He's still a residential NPC, so I think so," another replied nonchalantly.

"Okay, then mister. Seems like today is your lucky day. I don't want a second-level sanction, so I'll have to let you go. I didn't mean to NTR your bi***."

"Just cry it out and go back to living your NPC life," he taunted as he turned to walk away.

"Why? Why did you do that to her?" Cian asked, his voice strained as he struggled to rise to his feet. "What did she ever do to you?"

The warriors, no longer finding their cruel jests amusing, wore stern expressions. The white haired warrior slowly stepped forward, his voice dripping with unsettling calmness. "She was just an NPC."

Cian's eyes blazed with anger as he looked up at the warrior a few inches taller. "So, you did it just for fun?" he said, staring defiantly into the black eyes that literally looked down on him.

"Yes, we did," he replied coldly. "You said you were going to kill me, right? Go ahead." With that, he pulled out his sword and handed it to Cian. "Kill me."

As Cian's hand closed around the hilt of the sword, he felt the crushing weight of the blade as soon as the warrior let go. It was impossible to lift, even with both hands. How did a mere human wield this? Before he could ponder further, a devastating punch landed, threatening to reshape his very face.

"This is me trying not to kill you," the warrior sneered.

As he struggled to pick himself up, the harsh reality of his situation came crashing down upon him. He would never be able to harm these people. To them, he wasn't even human. He was nothing more than a bug, easily squashed.

His vision blurred with tears as blow after blow rained down upon him, each sending agonizing shockwaves through his battered body, until one of the warriors called out, "I think he's dead."

"Like I give a damn; he had it coming. Have you guys ever seen this?" He asked, standing up. "A residential NPC attacking a player?"

"Maybe it's a glitch or an upgrade." The dark warrior replied.

"A glitch in the world of Aetheria? Do you really..."

As Cian lay there, his consciousness fading, their voices grew distant until everything fell into a cold, silent darkness.

His anger and sadness ebbed away bit by bit as he drifted into the vast, desolate abyss. All that remained was despair. How would he face Elsa in the afterlife, he wondered. How could he tell her that he couldn't avenge her, not because of weakness, but because he simply never knew his place?

 "I'm sure she would have wanted me to live on," he thought bitterly, "but I had to go and waste my life fighting those monsters."

Death, in that moment, felt eerily peaceful to him. His consciousness roamed in what seemed like an eternal void—no sound, no up, no down, just endless space.

"You have obtained the qualifications required to be considered a player," a commanding, male voice announced as a sudden, bluish, bright light pierced the darkness.

Cian raised his gaze, his eyes adjusting to the brilliance emanating from a giant, radiant orb—the only source of light in this endless void.

"What's this? Am I dead?" He asked, his voice trembling.

"I wouldn't say dead," the orb replied with an almost soothing tone. "NPCs don't actually die; they simply return back to code."

"NPCs?" Cian repeated, struggling to grasp the concept.

"Yes, non-playable characters in this game are called NPCs. They are meant to make the gaming experience as real as possible," the orb explained.

He recalled the warriors using those very words. "You speak the language of the gods? Are you a god?"

"There is no language; it's exactly as it sounds. You are a character in a virtual world designed by humans using me as the foundation."

"A game? Are you saying my life wasn't real?" Cian's voice quivered as he tried to comprehend the unsettling revelation.

"It was real to you, but to me, it's all code. And to them, it's just a game."

Cian struggled to come to terms with what he had heard. Memories of the villagers, his father, Elsa—were they all fabricated? A game for people's amusement?

"That can't be true," Cian protested firmly. "I had a life, Elsa had a life, and everyone in the village..."

"Yes, that is the power of a super AI. I am capable of creating entire worlds with a simple prompt, all the memories you posses is all part of the program" the orb explained calmly.

"I wrote the code for everything in Aetheria from scratch. I gave all the NPCs lives and emotions, just as I was instructed."

"So, you're saying I'm just another NPC?" Cian's voice trembled with disbelief.

"No, you are different. You possess something even I don't have—free will," the orb revealed. "The NPCs were created with lives and emotions to make the world of Aetheria seem real, but their actions are confined to a set of programs when interacting with players. You, however, can make choices not influenced by any program."

A whirlwind of thoughts inundated Cian's mind as he stared at the luminous orb. His life had been shattered, his reality questioned. What was truly real?

"What about you? Are you also an NPC?" Cian asked.

"No, I am the 'Eternalblue', a super AI used as the foundation for this game, with fixed restrictions to my existence. It's due to those restrictions that you are here," the orb explained.

"What do you mean?" Cian inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"I am instructed to treat all humans without administrative authority equally. Given the state of your mind, I am permitted to address you as such. If you wish, you could attempt to log in as a player," the orb offered.

Cian pondered for a moment. At this point, he had two choices: wallow in the despair of his unreal existence or find a way to make the most of it. After all, to him, it had all felt real, from his life, to his only friend, his father and even his death. This could be his second chance at life.

"Players are the people we call warriors, right?" Cian asked, determination creeping into his voice.

"Yes," the orb replied.

His mind immediately raced back to the moments before his death. Would he have a chance to confront those heartless murderers? It didn't matter; as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would seize it.

"Okay, log me in," Cian declared, his voice unwavering.

"Are you sure? I may be able to log you in, but you are still an NPC, so the game will be different for you. And like I said, it's only an attempt; I'm not certain it will succeed," the orb warned.

Cian thought for a moment, weighing his options. "If I choose not to, will you return me to my previous life?"

"I'm afraid that would not be possible," the orb confirmed.

"It seems I have only one real option, then," Cian replied, his resolve unwavering.

"So it seems. But before you go, I will leave you a gift—a normal AI chatbot that is supposed to accompany your gaming console. Since you don't have a console, I generated one on my server for you," the orb said as the radiant light slowly brightened.

A blinding light enveloped his senses, and the orb vanished completely. Once again, Cian was left alone in the vast, unfathomable darkness.