The virtual arena of Enders Light shimred, bathed in golden dusk, as the announcer's voice rang through the air once more:
> "And that concludes the mount phase of the Grand Tournant! A brief intermission has been issued before the final elimination rounds. Contestants, you may log off or restock your loadouts. Thirty minutes until the next stage begins."
Cheers from the crowd echoed across the obsidian stands. Spectators poured out of skyboxes to grab digital snacks or discuss the insane fights they'd just witnessed.
Aleman stood still on the marble platform that marked the player rest zone, his hood flapping lightly in the artificial breeze. His mount, a shadowy fanged wyvern nad Nyxveil, let out a low rumble before dissolving into glittering runes and vanishing back into his inventory.
"I need a break," he muttered, and a prompt appeared before his eyes:
> [Would you like to log out?]
Yes / No
He hit Yes without hesitation.
---
Real World — Lagos Safe District, Apartnt Block 23A
As soon as the VR lid hissed open and pulled back, August sucked in a deep breath and blinked against the sudden change in lighting. His body always took a mont to recalibrate after a session inside Enders Light — the world inside was too vivid, too intense. It always felt a little jarring returning to dull, dusty Lagos.
He sat up on his worn-out couch, cracking his neck and pulling off the neural gloves.
A ssage blinked on his real-world HUD:
> [Reminder: Derrick's apartnt. Visit scheduled.]
August muttered, "Right. Let's get this over with."
Grabbing his hoodie and shoes, he stepped out.
---
Derrick's Apartnt
Derrick answered the door with a grin. He looked healthier than last ti, his burnt wrist now fully wrapped in regen-bandage tape.
"Yo, Ale— August," Derrick corrected with a smirk. "What's up, bro? You didn't have to rush over."
"Like hell I didn't," August said, brushing past him. "Last ti a fucking Oni almost gutted you in broad daylight. Not to ntion your pregnant wife was there."
Derrick chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "Tasha's fine, man. She's resting. The doctors said the mana surge didn't affect the baby."
"That's not the point. You're still in the sa district. You know how thin the periter walls are here." August paced the room, irritated. "We don't even know how that Oni crossed over. Could've been a corrupted item or a ritual or—hell, soone might've brought it in deliberately."
Derrick lowered his voice. "You think this is about you?"
August stopped pacing.
"I've been thinking," Derrick continued. "You're tied to a lot of strange shit. The Dragon Bladder, the fruit… the Oni showed up days after you logged off. I don't believe in coincidences anymore."
August frowned but said nothing.
From the bedroom, Tasha's voice called out, "August? That you?"
He quickly shifted tones. "Yeah, it's . You okay?"
She waddled out slowly, round-bellied and glowing in the way only expectant mothers do. She smiled warmly. "Doing better now. Doctor says I might be early."
August sighed and smiled back. "Good. That ans you need to move. I have a friend up in Sector-12. It's safe, reinforced, and monitored by Awakened patrol. I can get you both clearance."
Derrick rubbed his beard. "And how would you even pull that off?"
August looked at him, dead serious. "Let's just say… my na carries more weight than it used to."
---
Back in Enders Light
As the log-in sequence activated, August's eyes snapped open again—only now, he was Aleman once more.
He spawned directly in the preparation area beside a towering floating obelisk. Magic particles flowed through the air like streams of data, and a large countdown hovered above the tournant lobby.
> [Ti Left: 08:24]
Aleman didn't move imdiately.
Instead, he flicked his wrist, and a translucent panel appeared beside him. ssages, friend requests, and system logs popped up. Among them was one that caught his attention:
> [New World Event: Escape from the Hollow Dusk]
One of the Monarchs of Sylvalis has escaped from the Hollow Dusk. Reward to the first adventurer who locates her. Warning: Threat level: EX-Rank.
His breath caught.
Wait. That shouldn't be possible.
He pulled up his map and instantly fast-traveled to Sylvalis, the Elven kingdom he once left in ruins due to that cursed tiline caused by the dinsional rift incident.
---
Sylvalis - The Elven Kingdom of Endless Veil
Upon arriving, Aleman expected angry guards, alarms, and perhaps arrows pointed at his neck.
But instead…
"Greetings, adventurer," a soft elven voice greeted him at the gate. A male guard bowed slightly. "Welco to Sylvalis. May your path be light."
Huh… no alert status?
He walked further into the city, past the sparkling white trees, floral roads, and crystalline rivers. Everything looked normal.
"I thought this place wanted my head," he whispered, rembering his accidental betrayal that triggered a war in the alternate tiline.
That was before the dinsional rollback.
If the rift erased all mory of that tiline… then the elves shouldn't recognize him.
Yet, as he neared the Hollow Dusk — the underground prison where the rogue monarch had once been held — he noticed sothing.
Slashes on the stone walls. Broken runes. Cracked binding sigils.
Signs of escape.
> "This doesn't make sense…" Aleman muttered. "If the tiline was reset, then… she shouldn't exist. At least not this version of her."
He crouched and examined the rune fragnts. His mage class allowed him to identify faint magical trails.
> [Trace Detected: Voidfire Residue | Monarch Elindra's Signature]
His eyes widened.
> "She survived the rollback…"
A whisper of wind drifted behind him, cold and soft.
"Aleman…" ca a voice — not spoken aloud, but inside his head.
He imdiately activated his [Veilstep], disappearing in a blur and appearing ters away, blade drawn.
But there was no one there.
Only a floating petal of silver fla… drifting away.
> "I need to go," he muttered.
He opened his system nu and pinged the elves.
> [Ergency Signal Sent: Monarch Elindra's Trace Confird | Coordinates Embedded]
"Let them chase her," he muttered, teleporting away. "I've got a tournant to finish."
---
Tournant Lobby — Final Countdown
Aleman reappeared just as the final five seconds ticked down.
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