Epilogue for Volu 1
....
(Himari's Point of View)
It had been two-and-a-half days since my brother, Okami, went to Code and tried saving Ryoshi; and five days in the ga. The doctors who saw his body placed Okami in a cell, specialised for players trapped inside the ga. It was a glass container that functioned as life support for unconscious individuals playing Code. It was a machine that had multiple infused nourishnt. The technology also gave the needs of the players through intravenous therapy.
Warner Asimov, the brains behind Code, provided all standard players with this cell for every family. But for , these boxes acted like a coffin. The news also ntioned that Warner would state an update for Code.
Okami was right beside , sleeping until the ga completed itself. But every ti that my brother felt pain, he shook violently until the pain subsided. This occurrence happened once in a while, as long as that console remained on his head.
The sa sensation was happening to everyone.
Ryoshi's parents told I should visit them once in a while to check on him. They also told I could get so free als from them, which I would have loved. Working as a cashier at a departnt store while studying my tests brought a burden to .
"I'm off, brother," I said, and went outside. I took the umbrella with and opened it.
It was raining cats and dogs as I trod the empty streets. Most of the people were also babysitting their loved ones trapped inside that video ga. We had a grim future ahead of us, but life must continue.
There was nothing we could do to stop this nightmare.
My feet stopped by after the bungalow greeted my widened eyes. I raced towards the house's entrance and retracted my umbrella, splattering the water that ca from the rain. I placed it on the rack and hit the doorbell as light as I could. A high-pitch sound blasted through my ears as the doorbell rang through my ears.
"Oh, you're early! Co inside, Himari. We've prepared the al for you." A woman answered behind the gate and slid open the door.
With a light squeaking sound, the door welcod . Ryoshi's mother painted with a smile and gestured to to step foot inside the house. I entered the quiet place and placed my footwear at the sides.
"Sorry for the intrusions," I expressed, and followed Mrs. Aika's lead.
The two of us entered the kitchen and found a similar-looking cell nestled at the sides. Mrs. Aika's husband stood up from his seat and ca to greet . Gripped in his hands was a bento box filled with rice and vegetables, a work of classic.
"Here's a al for you. We can't thank you enough for visiting Ryoshi. We also want to express our gratitude for your brother's sacrifice…" the husband continued.
"No. It's fine. If I were in Ryoshi's position, I would have saved my best friend too," I answered, reassuring him with kind words.
Ryoshi's parents bead at with a smile and invited to join their dinner. But I politely refused and told them that exams were coming right across the corner and I have to review. The two expressed their gratitude once again and showed the door.
"If you ever need us, call , Himari dear."
"I will."
After our exchange, I was off yet again towards the empty roads. There were a few cards that drove from elsewhere, rushing towards the hospital. So old couples cried on the bench.
'Those old people might have soone trapped inside Code, or worse, got killed from the ga,' I thought, and refocused my sight on the road.
It took a complete fifteen minutes to reach my abode. I placed my slippers and umbrella away and headed for the couch. With a gigantic bag of chips braced in my hands, I had nothing else to do but study in the living room and watch so news.
I ripped the bag open and flickered through my scribbled notes. I left the television on, which was the only sound that kept company. My crunching sounds were also a thing that reverberated through these dark walls, but I paid it no mind.
I needed to ace the test and apply for a scholarship to help my brother and with our needs.
As soon as I went to focus on mathematical problem solving, the news caught my attention. The press release that would broadcast Warner's statent was now on-air.
"Hello, Mr. Warner, welco to our news station for today! Warner is the director and ga developer behind the marvellous ga that sold four billion copies in the market. Warner called the ga 'Code', which the ga developers used for coding all the fantasies one could desire! However, a death ga occurred inside the ga and killed fifty million players within these two-and-a-half days." The news anchor gave the mic to the well-dressed guy in a white suit.
"Warner Asimov has so statents to say to the masses. We are currently giving you the hottest interview that all of you are waiting for! Mr. Asimov, tell about the death ga and a way to stop it?" the news anchor continued.
"Asimov finally decided to show himself in front of a cara. The man who killed people received glorious praise from the governnt. Even the officials are covering up his story, not the person who we should bla," I stated, while crunching my chips down through my throat. I did not know why, but a salty feeling entered my palate, making my snacks taste awful.
"My ga developer buddies and the soldiers that are still inside Code had an announcent. They told everything that I needed to know about the ga. It turns out, the entire kingdom of Code went against the script that the ga developers placed upon them. We thought that making them more humane would make their characters believable, but we were wrong. Those NPCs had proved us wrong. Now that we know the product of our mistakes, we will complete the ga by eliminating all NPCs inside Code. The elves took thousands of lives from players in the Western Branch Guild. But we have stopped the war and prevented the elves from doing as they pleased. The Western Guild is on their way to vanquish those NPCs. We are currently on the lookout for a specific non-player character who stirred up the war between players and the ga. I will announce yet again another update for the next two weeks or a month. But for now, my soldiers are out there, taming the NPCs. I send my regards to those fifty-million people that have died from the ga. I will also send the cells needed to preserve the players stranded in Code. With the help of the Russian Union and the United Nations, I will do whatever I can to stop this chaos." Asimov stood up from his seat and gave everyone a bow. But upon inspecting his face, his lips curved up a smile.
It was a sinister smirk that nobody noticed, not even the news anchors present at the station. I had a bad feeling that Asimov was tricking everyone and played us in the palm of his hands.
"We advise all of you to return the console to us. Representatives of my company would personally visit all families and take the gaming consoles away from their hands to avoid further injuries. We will provide you with additional fees from when you purchased the items. I will double it and pay you handsoly. My company will also provide information to you. So you will know the status of your loved ones inside Code. None of my team could communicate in and out of the ga. Rember, we could only go inside Code and not return here in the actual world. All the information that I had presented to you are all facts that ca from the boards. That is all for my speech. Thank you very much for having here today," Asimov concluded his talk, whilst at the end of the channel.
"The elves? That's where Okami and Ryoshi are going right now!" I scread, but I cannot panic, not this ti. I could only hope for their survival in this world, apart from theirs.
But Asimov lied to us. The Futaba family (Ryoshi) and us had nothing that Asimov ntioned. We received no warranties or cash upon surrendering the consoles. All we received were threats and the cell that provided nourishnts for my brother. Those representatives told us that this container was enough to return the favour before leaving the house.
I couldn't contact them anymore after the representative's visit.
My eyes wandered to the side and glanced at the closet. There was a gadget that was lying around for so ti. The representatives did not notice it.
I moved towards the shelf and took out the console. It was the sa technology that allowed players to travel to Code.
"I am coming for you, brother," I whispered.
My brother was the top 1 player in his pri.. Little did everyone know that Okami's little sister was also in the top 2 of Code.
Reviews
All reviews (0)