Novel Galaxy's First Ruler (R18 - System)

Chapter 9 - The Night of Awakening

The Supreme Commander towered amid King Alvis and King Hagen. He looked in the eyes of the Emperor's statue and said, "What a beautiful day? The air is so fresh."

Imhotep went under the archway and turned around to look at all the nobles, the Kings, and the Queen. His low ruffed voice reached to the farthest soldier.

"I thank all to attend this old man's retirement ceremony."

He looked at the Kings, and said, "Some of you must have been wondering about its sudden announcement. If I list down all the different reasons, then we would all be here for quite a while. And a few don't seem to like this place enough to extend their stay."

Imhotep let his gaze wander to the horizon and said, "But I still owe a reason to the world. How about this? I am feeling tired."

Nobody felt less at the Supreme Commander at this confession. He had been already leading a raiding team in the Galactic War before he had assumed his current title. And there was no need to mention his time leading the campaign. Anyone would dread if one were to imagine the Galactic War, based on the written accounts, let alone leading the armies three times.

"Every 100 years, our sons and daughters have to put their life on the line. And I am ashamed that I won't be able to help if they were to need it next time. But the young always overtake the old and by the grace of The Oldest One, the world has plenty of the young."

He eyed the Royals and found King Antiochus was already clasping his hands reverently.

"I won't take much of your time. But we must attend to the matter of succession first."

All the nobles, the Generals, and the soldiers braced themselves for the outcome. Only the Supreme Commander could recommend his successor. And if more than half of the Galaxy's Kings voted in favor of his recommendation, then that candidate would become the next Supreme Commander.

"Kings and Queen, please follow me to the meeting chamber. The Dukes may come along."

Before the start of the speech, the Generals had already positioned themselves behind the Supreme Commander. The Supreme Commander suddenly turned around when the members were approaching the archway. He looked beyond the approaching 'Pillars of Future', and said, "Lt. General Eydis, join us."

A simple order had left all the nobles and Generals dumbfounded, save General of the 1st Quad. Never was there a case like this mentioned in the historic documents, where a Lt. General could attend the succession meeting. Boudicca experienced the electricity coursing through her veins. Even when she was not the recipient of hundreds of questioning gazes. But the girl standing by her side didn't show any flaw in her manners.

Boudicca imagined the heaviness of topics that the members would discuss in the chamber. Her thoughts were yet to reach their climax when she heard someone had called her name. The sound was like the notes of Zither making its way down from atop a high mountain. Boudicca remembered she was not unfamiliar with this feeling. She tried to look back at her memories when the same sweet voice called out her name again. She looked around her and the electricity, which was only a figment of her imagination a moment before, jolted her heavily. Hundreds of eyes had planted on her this time, a few were full of questions and a few of sheer envy.

"What? I want to have my little niece around me. Don't tell, am I not allowed to do that here?" Queen Eluned asked the Supreme Commander with a coquettish grin. The Supreme Commander didn't argue with her but silently showed his displeasure.

One should not take the trivialities of women to heart, especially of the woman in power.

Boudicca, cornered by the lingering gazes of the nobles, scurried to the Queen.

"Aunt, this… this wasn't necessary."

"Come on now. Don't be like this, you know I don't like meetings." The pair of Aunt-Niece chatted as they were entering the meeting chambers.

*

The chamber itself was a tiny part of the Hall but big enough to lose the sense of one's existence if one were to stand by oneself here for a moment. Seating placement wasn't much different from the common way of a Parliament House. Four blocks were surrounding the Speaker's desk, with rows of seats in a semi-circular manner. And main chairs led the rows of each block. The kings and the Queen took their place on those chairs and the rest of the Nobles sat behind their respective leaders.

Boudicca was not qualified enough to sit among the Dukes but was important enough to stand by the side of her Aunt's chair. There were two seats on each side of the speaker's desk, facing the nobles, for the Generals. Boudicca, for a moment, met Lt. General's eye, who was also standing behind the seated General of 1st Quad.

"Before we start with the inevitable topic, I have another less important thing to tell you."

Boudicca noticed all the members were clueless about this sudden declaration.

"With a heavy heart and relieved emotions, I announce the retirement of my old friend–General of 1st Quad, Duke Einar Sigsteinn."

Every member, including the Kings and the Queen, gave a surprising look at the mentioned General.

General Einar stood up under the interrogating gazes. He said, "Your Majesties, when the Supreme commander announced his retirement, I hadn't found myself too surprised. I had seen this day coming, in a way."

Boudicca saw a hint of a sad smile on the Supreme Commander's face.

The General chuckled and continued, "I sat a whole day in my office thinking things through. Finally, I too have decided to give my services a rest, using the enormous shadow cast by his retirement."

With that General took his seat and everyone chanced upon the Lt. General standing behind him whom they had already forgotten. Boudicca saw the hideous expression on General Grimwald's face. And King Hagen took interest in this unimportant topic for the first time, using his raised brows.

"As everyone may have already guessed, General Einar had recommended Lt. General Eydis. Within three months we would officially promote her." A wave of cheery atmosphere washed over the Dukes of 1st Quad. But Boudicca did not know about the thoughts of the Red Dragon, seated at their front.

"This is wrong!" a defiant scream rang out from General Grimwald, who was now standing at the center of attention. Boudicca felt him more scared rather than agitated as he was studying the mood of King Hagen and his entourage from time to time.

"Every Lt. General in the UGF is more experienced than her. Not to mention, Lt. General Otmar of the 2nd Quad, who is strongest among others." The handsome General was staring daggers at the young Lt. General. And the cheery atmosphere of the Dukes of 1st Quad had now taken a full turn to match their stark red greatcoat.

General Grimwald blabbered, "We have always given the priority to that Lt. General who has the most immediate prospect of becoming a Duke. What qualifications does she have to have the rules changed for her?"

"We also do not agree with this bias and the Supreme Commander must provide an answer for this," one of the Duke of the 3rd Quad said.

Boudicca saw the priests nodding at these words. She hadn't thought that the Kingdoms would take this much interest in the position of Generals. The HQ did not assign a General of UGF a Quad based on their original kingdom, but the availability of the position. So it did not need a General of 1st Quad to be a native of the Kingdom of Divine Beast, which was in the 1st Quadrant of Galaxy. And such was the case this time, General Einar was a native of the Kingdom of Life-Authority. But he had overseen the forces and security related to the Kingdom of Divine Beasts. Nobody had a problem with it. But Boudicca had missed a very crucial point. Lt. General Eydis wasn't a mere young officer.

"Supreme Commander, you can't hand down the position of General of 1st Quad to her. Given that she is the eldest daughter of King Alvis," King Antiochus said, shaking his head.

Boudicca bit her lower lip and nervously looked at Eydis. But they didn't need to reply. Neither to the accusation of Duke nor to the King's declaration.

"What qualifications does she have?" the Supreme Commander repeated that question. In an amusing manner, he said, "Well, General Grimwald, what do you think about this? That in her 3 years of service she has amassed merits whose worth is more than the combined worth of all the Lt. Generals in your army."

"But that doesn't mean…" The shoulders of the General of 2nd Quad had slumped on the mention of the merits of his officers. But the Supreme Commander had cut his excuses short.

"Or, that Lt. General Eydis has already passed the General's Trial."

"What?"

A single word but of different voices resounded in Boudicca's mind from all around.

"Impossible…," General Grimwald muttered to himself, but all the members there had shared his feelings.

"Impossible? You don't need to be a Duke to pass the General's Trial or have you forgotten about that, General Grimwald?" the Supreme Commander sternly asked.

"But that is just a theory…," Grimwald doubted.

"Are you implying that I, the Supreme Commander, am lying?" Imhotep narrowed his eyes at all the members that were present.

Even with the Queen's calm demeanor, Boudicca felt her brows were quivering at the question.

"No, he didn't mean that, Supreme Commander." For the first time, King Hagen interjected with the matter. The rest of the Kings and the Queen had already considered General Grimwald a dead man.

"I have already given all Generals a copy of the Trial's Data. You can access it after the completion of the ceremony."

The queen gently looked at the young Eydis and said, "Impressive." The melodic voice was still echoing when King Antiochus chimed in, "Admirable."

For the first time, after coming here, Boudicca saw a cherry red color on Eydis's cheeks. Suddenly, a beast's growl came out from her left. No, it wasn't an ordinary growl, but it also felt like a forest was being battered by a terrifying tempest.

The Red Dragon, King Alvis, was laughing.

 

Chapter 10 - The Night of Awakening (2)

How many people in the world had heard the Red Dragon's laugh. For some, it was the last thing they had got to hear, and for some; it was a new beginning. And the end of this laugh marked the end of the less important topic.

"Take your seat, General Grimwald. Now let me address the subject of succession. But first I must ask, is there anyone relinquishing his/her right to the rank of Supreme Commander?" Imhotep asked.

Upon obtaining no answer, the Supreme Commander satisfyingly thought, 'As expected.'

"With time, people and culture must change. This time, as the Supreme Commander, I won't be recommending a candidate."

A ruckus occupied every nook and cranny of the chamber and the Kings and the Queen were already standing. The dense wave of mana released by the Queen forced Boudicca a step back.

"What are you trying to say?" King Hagen asked.

The Supreme Commander smiled, "All I said that this time you would have equal chances to become the next Supreme Commander. And for the sake of saving precious time, I have come up with a great way to implement this process."

Boudicca chanced upon King Hagen and King Antiochus looking at each other.

"Supreme Commander, what is this? What's wrong with the usual way?" the Queen asked.

"It is not about the right or wrong, Eluned. But about the transparency of the method. At least hear me out."

A deafening silence spread out in the chamber.

"We all know that the next Galactic War is upon us," Boudicca heard many dry gulps on the mention of the Galactic War. She also realized that it would be her first Galactic War. In 5 years, she would face the deadliest Trial one could ever face. She felt the Queen's hand on her shoulder and came out of her trance.

Imhotep continued, "And according to custom, we would hold the recruitment from Barren Earth after the Galactic war."

Boudicca wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of Barren Earth. Every Quadrant of the Galaxy contained millions of planets where intelligent races lived. But some planets had human races that were yet to evolve because of the lack of interaction with Mana there. These planets were Barren Earth. And as the recruitment usually lasts for decades, the First Emperor had used the time-duration of these planets as a standard.

Hence came the theory of BERT–Barren Earth Reference Time. And from then on, everyone had been using the time duration based on BERT, unless mentioned otherwise.

"I have been thinking of starting the recruitment 5 years ahead this time. All the Barren Earth in each Quadrant would go through the Dream Initiation Phase simultaneously. And the King, whose Quad would have the highest number of nobles left alive after 3 years, would be the new Supreme Commander. This would also give us a buffer period of 2 years to manage those recruits and prepare them for the war."

Boudicca noticed that the eyes of all nobles lit up on the idea of this suggestion. More early recruits meant more force for the Galactic war, which meant less sacrifice of the people under them. Even the Kings' minds were considering all the distinct possibilities.

But there was one who was just as relaxed, "I agree."

Boudicca saw her Queen taking a step forward and faced the rest of the Kings.

"And I won't agree to anything else."

The Kings became speechless at her words and even the Supreme Commander didn't expect this outcome. Three sighs rang out in the chamber, all for different reasons.

"I agree." The Kings also stepped out.

"Very good. The young must experiment with new ideas, for only in risks there are rewards."

Boudicca looked at Eydis and along with the other Dukes, she had only an unbelievable idea about what was about to happen next. Nobody had thought that the retirement ceremony of the Supreme Commander would turn into the Ceremony of Five Kings.

But the veteran of Barren Earth knew this ceremony by another name-The Night of Awakening.

*

31 May 2020

Earth

The pair of friends hadn't gone for even 100 m when Boomie suddenly stopped and, in panic, turned his pockets in and out.

"What happened?" Aldrich asked.

Boomie said, "I think I lost my iPhone, man. That shit was expensive, you know."

"Calm down, the phone is still in the truck. I thought you had purposely left it behind."

'What?' Boomie could have sworn that he felt his heart had skipped a beat at that moment.

"Wait, I'll be back in a zippy." Boomie put his backpack by the side of the trail and ran back to the truck.

Aldrich noticed Boomie took out the phone while talking to someone. And seeing the sulky face of Boomie, he wasn't optimistic about things.

Boomie came up to him and sullenly said, "Sigh, I don't know what to say, man. I guess I'll have to go to the museum."

Boomie was already feeling bad, because of the matter with Mindy, and now he would have to cancel the hike too.

"I am sorry Al."

"You don't have to be sorry. Why has the inspection team arrived a week early?"

"The manager won't be available next Sunday. So…" Boomie's mind shut off in the middle of the sentence.

"Wait, how do you know? Ah, never mind." Boomie was so down he didn't even want to seek any explanation.

"Let's go. I will drop you at home first."

"Go where? I am continuing with the Hike." Aldrich couldn't go back.

"Hey, you can't go alone."

"And why is that? Give me your Bear Spray, I have everything I need for the night."

Boomie reluctantly handed over the Bear Spray. He had learned to not try to convince Aldrich.

"I will come to pick you up in the morning. Or even better, I will come up to you over there. Nothing better than an early morning hike."

"Sure do as you please, our new Mr. Historian." Aldrich chuckled.

*

Aldrich set up his camp far away from the slopes of the Ridge. The night sky was clear today, a perfect time for some good stargazing. He had done the same hike quite a few times since his childhood. But the sheer number of switchbacks was still tiring. Aldrich took a mouthful of water and set up his customized telescope.

"Sigh, now this is life," Aldrich muttered, "and a perfectly normal Sunday night."

After a period of casual observations, Aldrich had his dinner beside the campfire and felt the vastness of the heavens. Once in a while, he came here to get away from all the noise. The noise out there and the noise within. Once in a while, he came here to contemplate his life. The data he had compiled in his mind. The things he had learned and what he needed to learn now.

He took a mental image of the sky sprinkled with stars. 'It might be the next masterpiece,' he thought.

There was neither lack of ideas and theories in his mind nor a lack of patience. But, being a human, there were still things that worried him from time to time. The most troublesome and tiresome thing had been his pursuit of the idea of 100% dream lucidity. No matter how much research or experiments had he done, he wasn't an iota close to the heart of the problem. Aldrich had combined the Eastern and Western theories. And he also created a set of principles, but a 100% chance of lucidity was still a dream.

'Sigh, the irony,' Aldrich sighed.

He summarized to himself some of the essential rules he had established because of his research.

To gain lucidity in the dreams, the most important thing is to never lose the sense of reality. Always be aware of the surroundings, the actions, and the thoughts. Before sleeping, the mind must be free of any tasks and one must remove the shackles of society. But the most stringent rule he had come up with, was to find one's 'Questions' that seem illusory and elusive. One must bring these questions to reality and contemplate them one by one, and that too in the dreams.

And the three questions he ultimately found for himself were: Who am I? Why am I? What am I?

He had spent countless nights thinking about these questions, but the most he could get out of these researches was a chance of 1 in 10. A 10% chance of having lucid dreams every night. Compared to the data of people who undergo this process frequently, it was monstrous.

"But it's not enough," Aldrich analyzed. He wanted to reign over his dreams. He wanted to explore the things there, not as part of it but as a master. There were some questions one could only answer and some colors one could only see in dreams.

Aldrich took a quick walk around the tent and double-checked all the traps. 'I must give Boomie a pleasant surprise for abandoning me. Haha,' Aldrich thought, on his way back to the tent.

He sat down in the meditation posture and took a deep breath. 'This is a dream, this is a dream, this…' The chants lingered in the silent atmosphere for quite some time.

 

Chapter 11 - The Dream Phase Initiation

UGF-P02

Imhotep stepped down and discussed the terms of the Initiation with the Kings and Queen.

"Shall we?" the Supreme Commander asked, giving the other four a brief look.

He looked at the watch on his left wrist and pointed out, "That direction."

Boudicca confirmed from her watch, and it was the same as she had thought. Everyone knew about that direction. Believers and Non-Believers alike had humbled themselves in that direction. They taught recruits how to find that direction even without using the multi-utility watch.

That was the direction of the Galactic Center.

The place from where The Oldest One had been watching over the Galaxy since the beginning. Boudicca had seen people kneeling in front of this group of five. Even the dukes, if the Kings want to, would have to kneel in their presence. But this was the first time she saw the Kings and the Queen kneel. And they were kneeling with utter reverence on their faces.

All the other members in the sealed chamber felt a gentle breeze. Boudicca had also felt this unseen and unannounced breeze. And she knew a word would follow the breeze.

"RECORD."

The group of kneeling Royal said in a deep tone simultaneously. A screen with tons of info appeared in front of their eyes. Boudicca saw many undecipherable symbols glowing in the Queen's eyes, whose kneeled posture was still etching itself in her mind.

"I, Imhotep Paphnutius, on the authority of my Rank, call upon the Will of The Oldest One."

Boudicca, dazed by the words that could shake the heart and mind of a normal person, looked around frantically. Boudicca had come from the Kingdom of Life-Authority, where the Mana all beings worshiped Mana. But even she couldn't deny the existence which the RECORD had confirmed.

Her mind flipped through the pages of books she had read in the past.

In the famous book–MANA and RECORD: a philosophical theory, the author had theorized that before the beginning of the Universe there was Mana. From Mana came all that is now, and in Mana, it would all end. Mana is omnipresent, yet for a long time, it didn't interact with its creation. But at some point RECORD came into existence. The anonymous author had pointed out that if Mana is the cause in a cycle of creation and destruction, then only Mana would be the effect. But for it to change from a cause to effect, it would need an external force.

And that force is RECORD.

In amateur's terms, as the author hypothesized that if Mana was energy, then the RECORD would be the device that converts its form. The author also highlighted the fact that it is RECORD that provides the beings the means to access Mana. Not the so-called GOD, The Oldest One, whose teachings are being forced upon every being in the 2nd Quad. Boudicca didn't find it odd that the book got banned in the 2nd Quadrant. And they even did a Galaxy wide search to find the author, on the orders of the then King of 2nd Quad.

She was still extracting more information from her memories when a sleepy feeling arose in the heart of every being who was in the chamber. It wasn't much different from the feeling of trying to stay awake, even after not sleeping for the last 3 days. Boudicca, with her groggy eyes, saw inky and thick darkness engulfing the direction the Supreme Commander was facing. If it was an illusion, then it was just too surreal.

Then, like a candle in a darkroom, Boudicca saw a tiny point of light within the darkness. Thousands of the same flickers soon followed the alone flickering light point. And this fabric of stars had seemed to wrap around something globular. When a few points of light strayed from the circular path, they completely vanished out of existence. It was like there was something in that well of darkness that was hiding and waiting for them.

The priests of the Kingdom of Eternal Servant had vividly described this same scene in the Holy Book of The Oldest One.

Boudicca didn't even know if she was in a dream or reality. But she could see the head of King Antiochus was already on the ground with piety and she could also hear some broken conversation.

Imhotep said in a shaky voice, "I am sending the Party Requests now."

[…

Sending Party Requests…

…]

Words materialized on Imhotep's RECORD. People called it The Ceremony of Five Kings because it needed at least Five Kings to form a Party for the Dream Phase Initiation.

[…

Party Status: Active

Party Members: Imhotep Paphnutius, Alvis Hildingr, Antiochus Theotimus, Hagen Bergman, Eluned Rhiannon

Party Leader: Imhotep Paphnutius

…]

Boudicca wasn't sure from where the Supreme Commander had found the strength to raise his head. But she could hardly hear him saying the next words.

"Darkest among Dark, Devourer of Dreams, Endless Veil of Slumber, I as the leader of the Party of 5 Kings plead with you to Initiate the Dream Phase."

[…

Sending Request...

The Request has been accepted.

State Terms of Initiation.

…]

Imhotep turned around and looked at the other four, and nodded. They all once again confirmed the terms they had agreed upon. He faced the starry cover, but he didn't dare directly look at its center.

"All the Barren Earth would be put under the Dream Phase. For three years, all Barren Earth would be unapproachable to foreign beings."

Boudicca remembered it needed them to give only the coordinate of the planet at the Ceremony. But the King's group had changed it and they had added an extra condition to it.

'So… So… So… this is… how they would keep it… it unbiased,' Boudicca found her thoughts were fading with time.

[…

Transferring Terms…

The first Term is rejected

…]

'What? Why did Will reject the terms?' Imhotep thought.

Nobody had expected that. The other Kings and the Queen shared the same baffled look. But the worst expression of them all belonged to King Antiochus. Not only was he surprised, but a haunting fear was also creeping on his face. Boudicca could hear the vague muttering of forgiveness all around him.

Imhotep had been thinking hard about what went wrong? When Queen Eluned proposed, "We should not ask for the Initiation of all the Barren Earth. But only of those where life has already evolved to over one-third of their full potential."

Imhotep didn't need to think about this suggestion. He immediately knew that this was the crux of the problem and gave an admiring look to the Daughter of Mana. Following the same procedure, he changed the first term.

[…

Sending New Terms…

Terms are accepted.

…]

*

Milky Way

What is the sound of light and matter being devoured by a Black Hole? If there was a sound, then how could one hear in the vast void?

There was no proper answer to these questions. But some, or it is better to say in the Milky Way, there was only one being who knew about it. When he first heard it, the sound was like the gnawing of a beast. But sometime later, he compared it to the sound of a tremendous earthquake. A sound one could only feel and hear. Today, the sound was exceptionally loud. And unfortunately, there was no one present to appreciate it.

A common fact, even the less knowledgeable person would know, was that the title of fastest speed belongs to the Light. Nothing is faster than light or, as widely known; nothing can reach the speed of light. The theory of some particles being faster than light is out there in many worlds. But they are speculative as their existence would violate the causality. So an effect cannot occur before its cause.

But the saying Light is the fastest is wrong. The speed of light depends on the medium through which it travels. Then it would be logical to say that the vacuum, as we know it, lets the Light travel with a speed of 29,97,92,458 m/s.

But what if there were other mediums through which it could pass? Or does it have to be the 'Light'?

A huge spheroidal wave of Mana originated from the center of the Galaxy. It passed through all the stars, all the comets, asteroids, planets, and even things that didn't belong to any category. Within a few moments, the Mana wave had enveloped the entire galaxy.

The Dream Phase had been Initiated.

*

Earth

The concept of Art and Science has always been fascinating. Should one study them together or not?

One could make thousands of arguments and commentaries on the topic. But none could argue that the paintings, sculptures, and architecture were the true representatives of visual art. Who would have thought that something could use their existence against humanity?

This day and night on earth were ordinary. People were happy with their family, people were sleeping on their nice warm bed. People were also mourning their lost ones. And some people had their back on the cold pavement. But all said almost the same thing the next day. That they had heard a sound before the blackness came.

A sound that was unheard of. A sound that they couldn't be able to describe for the rest of their lives.

That day, a starry veil reigned all the skies of earth.

For it was The Night of Awakening.

And what had awakened was a Nightmare.

 

Chapter 12 - A Life in a Dream

Earth

"Sho, hold it properly." Sho's father reprimanded him.

Sho aligned his foot with the wooden stick and looked at his father. And he found nothing but those cold eyes glaring at him. He again tried hard to remember, but the memory didn't come to him. The corners of his eyes were on the verge of becoming wet.

But then he noticed an old man in the corner and hope seemed to come back. The old man pointed to his left leg and then to his toes. Even though being 4 years old, Sho had already got labeled with the tag of genius. By only a hint, he had remembered the last day's teachings. He bent his left leg slightly and brought his elbows directly above his toes.

A smile crept upon his father's face. And Sho felt he had conquered the entire world.

"Good, now perform the Kata till afternoon." His father went out after giving the instruction.

Sho made sure he had gone out of the training room and ran to the old man, "Thanks, Grandpa."

He could see a sweet smile on the old man's face. "You think your father didn't notice?"

Sho's face became pale, and he frantically looked at the entrance. The only thing in his mind was that his father could have been hiding there and would come back to catch him red-handed.

"He has gone. Now come on, I will teach you some tricks."

"Yes, yes. Tricks, yay!"

It's amazing, present even the ugliest looking vegetable to children saying it would give a random power, and they would eat it.

5 years later.

Sho was still a child, but none could fool him now. He looked at the swirling smoke of the incense and the photo of his grandfather behind them. The sweet smile of the past still lingered in his mind, and except for the tears that were rolling down, he couldn't feel anything.

The training had taken a turn for the worst. Everything seemed to break down under the stare of his father and his disappointed look. Sho practiced and practiced, learned all the forms, all the teachings, and yet he never found this man satisfied by anything.

Sho hated him.

Sho hated him for letting his grandfather go away. Sho hated him for not letting him play games like the other boys from his school. And Sho hated him when he understood why he didn't have a mother.

5 more years later.

Sho was not a child anymore. His father had said this to him, and so it must have been true. Sho not only was practicing, but they made him study even harder. He had been missing that sharp look of his father. Now it was enough if his father would come to visit him once in a while.

Sho looked at the adult in front of him, twice his size, and holding a staff called Bo. His father had come today and had brought four martial artists. And there was only one instruction for him.

'Defeat them.' His father had instructed.

Sho was not a clueless child anymore and felt that day was different. He could see his father's eyes, filled with anticipation. He took the form with his wooden swords, Katana and Wakizashi.

"Come."

Sho was now 32 years old. And he had lost the will to hate his father.

Sho kowtowed in front of his grandfather's photo. And he prayed, "Grandfather, give me strength to remain humble, even if I were to surpass you one day."

Sho's father waited for him to stand up. Today was a grand ceremony. All the old and young, who mattered to anything in society, got an invitation for it. Sho's father approached him, holding a ceremonial Katana. This sword represented the status of the successor of the school. This sword would tell the world who would be the successor of the teachings of Japan's oldest Ko-ryū, The School of Heaven and Earth as One.

This sword would declare that he would be the next headmaster of the School.

[…

Life Analyzation Complete

Assigning Class…

Terminating Dream Phase

…]

*

"Hey Annie, don't wander too far from your grandmother, OK?" Annie's mother said, raising an eyebrow high enough that Annie forgot to answer.

"Mum, just keep her away from insects." Annie's mother shouted.

High atop the mountains in Greece, Annie lived in a village. And unlike most of the children of her age, she spent her happiest time hunting for mushrooms in the forest after the rain with her grandmother.

Annie had only a vague memory of her living in the city, but then her mother had brought her here 2 years ago. Pouting at her mother, she proudly declared, "Mother, I am 6. I am a woman now."

"Haha…" Her mother patted her and went back to the kitchen.

"Grandma, what is this little thing called?"

"Hey Grandma, look what I found."

Annie spent most of her next 5 years collecting herbs under the summer Sun and gathering nuts in the fall. She had planted more of her 'Plant-Friends' in their backyard. Herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruits were just another part of her friend's circle. Even more fascinating were the colors she got to see every day. The Black-eyed Susan was among her favorites.

By the age of 21, her innate curiosity led her to seek even more information through her studies. She got her clinical certificate in Western, Ayurvedic, and Chinese Herbal Medicine. And a Bachelor's Degree in Health Science and Nutrition. At 26, Dr. Annie (Ph.D.), was one of the best herbalists.

And yet, all Annie wanted to do was to go out into the mountains from time to time and explore the world of plants and herbs.

[…

Life Analyzation Complete

Assigning Class…

Terminating Dream Phase

…]

*

"Kill the bastard." A local crime-boss passed the judgment on Logan.

Logan ran like a dog was being chased down by an angry Butcher. And by God, he could run well.

"That's a fast motherfucker," the fatty goon said, already panting at the idea of a long chase.

Logan was fast, but not fast enough to outrun three adults. But he knew the city. If he hadn't, how could he live till the age of 11 years?

"Not today, not today," he whispered. At the end of a dilapidated wall there was a dumpster, and behind that, under the cover of several cardboards was his lair.

Logan held his breath and if people could see him without removing the coverings, then it would have reminded them of a cockroach. Like an insect, Logan had learned to mimic a dead body. And he haughtily declared that he had learned it fastest among his friends. He noticed two of the goons were coming towards him. The third one was leaning on the wall at the turn.

"Where did that little fucker go? Fucking rat." The self-proclaimed leader of the three said, kicking a cat.

The cat wasn't in the mood for getting bullied and hissed maniacally towards him.

"I will kill you first." And with that, he took out a knife. The other goon, quieter of the three, kept looking at the fence by the dumpster.

"I think he jumped over the fence."

"What? Finally became blind. I told you not to smoke that stuff." The fat one had somehow caught up with them.

The fatty's face looked like he had been in a rainfall. With a salty taste of sweat in his mouth, he said, "The fence is too high, stupid. Not enough time to climb."

The 2nd goon was quieter but a goon he was nonetheless. He kicked the fat one and took out a knife.

"Call me stupid one more time. He had enough time to outrun us, fatty."

A whimpering sound came from the other corner and all the three, even Logan, turned their head to look. At some point, the cat had jumped over the 1st goon's head and bit him on the neck. And in sheer frustration, the goon shoved the knife towards the cat. But there was no cat at the end of the knife. The knife, at the loss of his target, made its way to his shoulder and now blood was sipping out from the corner of the wound.

'…'

'…'

'…'

"I think we go over the fence." The 2nd goon said, pointing his knife towards the fence.

"Ah! Take me to the hospital, you morons." The 1st goon screamed in pain.

The fatty eyed him from above and said, "Not enough brain on this one. I had told the boss not to hire him."

With that said, he bent down and with a jerk took out the plunged knife.

"No!" the 2nd goon shouted, but the fatty had already done the deed.

A fountain of blood spurted on the fatty's face and he screamed, "Take me to the hospital! Take me to the hospital!"

"Dumb fuckers everywhere," he ran towards the two, but then halted.

He turned back and approached the dumpster. Logan had already switched to his cockroach mode. With a swift wave of the hand, he opened the lid "Ha! Found you."

But he only found the stench of garbage.

11 more years had passed since then, and Logan had become the go-to guy in the underworld. Logan took out the knife from a man's back, "And this one is for that time 11 years ago."

[…

Life Analyzation Complete

Assigning Class…

Terminating Dream Phase

…]

*

"Now be smart. Why don't you climb that small boulder and leave this one to me."

"No ma! I will climb higher than you. Just wait, you will see."

Boomie's mother sighed.

"This kid would be the death of me," she muttered. "Ok come here, but do exactly as I say."

"Yay!"

Boomie felt his hand would fall off if he did not rest them on something. He slept like a log in the truck until they reached their home.

"Now, in a few weeks, you will be in middle school. I want you to make some good friends there."

Boomie's mother said, emphasizing her words, and dragged him out of the truck.

"Where is your father? Is he supposed to be this late?"

Boomie cleaned away the drool using the end of his sleeve, "I have plenty of friends."

1 month has passed since then.

"Now I would have to take care of this bitch for the rest of my life. Hah!" Boomie's father snorted.

Boomie ran out of home after seeing his father smashing glasses. And soon found himself lost in the crowded town.

'Guo Antique Shop,' Boomie read the signboard. And now, more curious than scared, he went in. Nobody was in the shop, but he found that the things there looked interesting. Checking out things here and there, he found the door to the basement slightly ajar. The darkness was too scary for him, and involuntarily his steps became lighter to not make any sound. He could see a condensed mass of light in a corner. Boomie, still on the stairs, crouched down to look.

Horrified wasn't a word Boomie was much aware of in his age, but he got to experience the immensity of that word.

A boy, almost the same age as him, was cutting up a big lizard using a surgical knife. And no, he didn't seem scared, but Boomie had seen this 'look' many times. Whenever he had gone with his mother for bouldering, he had seen the same expressions on his mother.

The expressions of intense satisfaction and anticipation.

The boy spun his head towards him and Boomie let out a scream. Boomie wasn't sure how fast or in which direction he ran, but somehow he had found his home. The only thing on his mind was to not go out of the house, otherwise the boy would get him. So he locked himself in his mother's room.

He told her everything, but she didn't reply. Crying and clueless, he turned on the TV, and luckily it was his favorite show on the air, Dexter's Laboratory. The horrifying scenes in his memory got lost in the child's fascination with cartoons. And at some point, the image of Dexter got blended with the boy in the basement.

13 years had passed since then.

And not only had he found a great friend as his mother wished but also had become as good as her in climbing.

[…

Life Analyzation Complete

Assigning Class…

Terminating Dream Phase

…]

*

"Son, why don't you show him? Your science project."

"Oh! What a cute child. Is it true?" The man in the gray beard asked.

But Aldrich didn't want to show him. He felt he shouldn't.

Odd feelings for a 4-year-old.

But things weren't in his hands now. The secret project he had made in the basement was not a secret anymore, as his parents had brought home this person.

"Let's see it for yourself." Aldrich's father urged the teacher.

They all came down to the basement and found a fish tank there. An oval-cylindrical object was floating in it.

"You were right, it is a submarine."

The plump teacher held the object in his hands and kept turning it around.

"Hmm, very good. So he made it by himself?" the teacher pointed at Aldrich.

"Yes, yes. What do you think, should we take him to a special school?"

"Haha, no need for that, Mrs. Guo. I will take care of him by myself."

Aldrich's father bowed to him and said, "Thank you. We will provide the tuition fees too. Just help him get into a good college."

"That's too far, father."

"What do you know? Do as we say, Ok?" Aldrich's mother retorted.

Aldrich went to the teacher's home the next day. The teacher seemed somewhat over enthusiastic about him coming over.

"Come, come! My wife has made cookies for you."

"Now I want you to tell me exactly how you made that submarine."

"I don't know."

"But how did you understand all the things? Who helped you in that area?"

"No one did, it was all easy and self-explanatory." Aldrich felt bored by all these questions, a waste of time.

"Here, take this paper and I want you to write the whole procedure."

Aldrich wasn't stupid, and the teacher had not realized it yet. But for the sake of his parents, he had no choice but to write it. And that was the only day he got cookies in that house.

"Now remember, if you do any more projects like this, I want you to come to me first."

1 month later, Aldrich found out that the same teacher's son had won a science project in his high school. Aldrich analyzed there wasn't much a sole person could do. Either conquer the world to lift yourself above mediocrity or make yourself the most normal person. Only then he could do what he loved.

The thoughts of a 4-year-old were too scary.

20 years have passed since then.

Aldrich went to his tent and sat down for his daily meditation.

'This is a dream, this is a dream, this… Wait a minute, something is wrong!' A thought flashed through him.

[…

Life Analyzation Failed

Reinitiating Dream Phase…

Iteration: 2nd

…]

For some people, this night was bound to be longer than others.

 

Chapter 13 - A World in Chaos

1 June 2020

07:00 AM (UTC)

Earth

Darkness had engulfed half of the Earth's hemisphere. Where there was a day, it had turned into a night. It wasn't a surprise that people got scared.

One could say that the whole Earth experienced a disturbing but oddly beautiful night at the same time. Websites were exploding within 5 minutes of the strange event. It seemed some people had waited their whole life for this chance to let out their ingenious theories.

The theories did nothing but add fuel to the Panic. What is happening? Why is it happening? Who did it? And what is it?

People had just asked the questions, but one could have already seen the nonsensical answers within the first 30 minutes. People were being reported missing in the number of 1000s per minute from all over the world. Some eyewitnesses said that they had been walking when a man in front of them vanished. They couldn't believe their eyes, but in the next moment, The Night had descended. Some were husbands, sleeping comfortably on the bed. Some were students, having fun in college. Yet, within a single second, all ceased to exist.

The baffling reports didn't end there. Vehicles and machines operated by these missing persons had stagnated with no repercussions. It was like a pre-planned worldwide joke. Police were busy enough with the calls, so in the next hour, the military had to take over the situation. But the world was enormous, and there were places even the Internet couldn't reach. The sheer nature of the unexplainable events that had happened flabbergasted teams of scientists from all over the world.

It was like someone was adamant on proving wrong all the achievements of scientific evolution. The world that seemed so feeble from a broad perspective had somehow handled itself relatively well. But something much more sinister had been happening underneath the brewing storm.

After a full 90 minutes of the Night, new articles had overtaken their predecessors. People could see pics and videos of statues all over the world. A semi-transparent black film had covered the statues. The film looked like a veil and an oily liquid at the same time. But all those who saw it shared a feeling of dread. It was the same feeling a prey must have felt while looking at his natural predator.

World's leader had convened an online meeting by the end of the 4th hour. Everyone shared their findings, their facts, and all came to the same conclusion: they did not know what was going on. Those whose friends or family members had been among the 'vanished' were asking for answers. But all they got in return were even more questions.

As the 5th hour came to a close, it had left the entire world bewildered by all the chaotic misinformation that had arisen by the people's imagination. It was the Doom; it was the end; it was the Invasion, and it was the Apocalypse, were the hottest topic. And these theories were prominent in the intellectual and superstitious minds alike. But they were all disappointed by the time the 6th hour had started. One hemisphere of the Earth was on the verge of its dawn, the other was approaching dusk.

The people that had vanished returned to the same place. Some were at their office, some were at their home, somewhere deep in the forests, and some were just out there in an unknown place.

It all felt like nothing had changed. But this feeling would crumble at the sight of huge pillars of misty-yellow light, which were rising from the sinister statues. This feeling would also crumble after observing the strange behavior and actions of the reappeared people. And if someone were to hold on to this feeling even then, then this feeling would disappear by looking into their eyes.

Those eyes, for some time, had been glowing with strange, incomprehensible symbols.

*

USA

In a highly secured room, a confidential meeting was being held.

One could have called this one room the epitome of American power. And yet none of them could make sense of the things that had happened in the last 3 hours after the reemergence of the vanished people. Most of them had gone to their home and refused to cooperate with the authorities of their governments. A few of them had poured out info on the internet. And one would have called it a hogwash if something had not covered the entire world by the veil of the Night.

Edmond was one of the few who publicized what had happened to him within minutes of his reappearance.

In the next 15 minutes, the authorities had asked him to come into that meeting room. But that wasn't the only reason they had called him. As the facts that were being addressed by these 'DREAMERS', were under his area of expertise.

Edmond Russell, aka The Balloon, was the best Pro-gamer in the country. A title that the gamer community had given him. The 23-year-old didn't feel any pressure while surrounded by the Generals, Directors of security agencies, the Secretary of Defense, and Mr. President himself.

On one of the wall-sized TVs, one could see different articles posted by so-called Dreamers. One could also see a statue and a pillar of foggy-yellow light that had been rising from it to at least 100 meters.

"Mr. Edmond, the entire country depends on your cooperation. Please, briefly tell us again, all that you have mentioned on the internet," Mr. President said.

"Sir, as I have written, I was playing a game. And at some point, I must have fallen asleep, but I don't remember when."

All the members nodded, as the statements of other Dreamers had already confirmed this.

Edmund continued, "When I woke up, I had assumed we all would have been sleeping, and I had a vague memory of a dream. It was the same feeling that we all must have experienced at some point, but in our case, we had dreamed of our whole life."

If it was a common room, they had already started the whispering at this stage. But no one broke the decorum here, and yet Edmund could see their brows pressed together.

"I am sure by now most of you have familiarized yourself with the general concept of the System of Role-Playing Games. When I came to my senses, I could see a screen in front of me, and it introduced itself to me as 'Record'."

One general couldn't help himself and asked, "Now what do you mean by 'it introduced itself'? Had it spoken to you?"

Edmund could understand the difficulty of a person who hadn't played games, especially RPGs, ever. He let the atmosphere calm down a bit and explained, "No, nothing. The words had appeared on the screen itself. You can think of it as this screen," he pointed to the screen of the TV, "but managed by a powerful AI."

"AI?" All the members expressed their concerns at the same time.

"So it is an Alien-Invasion," the SecDef said.

"Yes and no," Edmund said, now looking at Mr. President, "You can think of it as the Game-Master. In typical RPG games, we have a Game-Master who provides different tasks to the player. He knows everything, controls everything but always follows the pre-defined rules."

"So you mean, it is the reason behind this and yet it doesn't control everything."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"And what does it want from you, the Dreamers? What are these 'Classes' that you have mentioned?" the SecDef asked.

"As much as I could have inferred from all the articles, the 'Class' of a Dreamer tells about his abilities. For example, a Healer-Class would have the ability related to healing injuries."

All the Generals shared a look of understanding among themselves.

"And the answer to your first question is even easier. The 'Record' wants us to become strong and raid the Dungeons. That's the most comprehensive way to summarize what had happened in those 5 hours."

At the mention of Dungeon, all members turned their heads to look at the highlighted statue.

"But the Dungeons you mentioned in your post, weren't they supposed to be like a den filled with strange 'monsters'?"

Edmund himself wasn't sure of what to make of this situation. When he saw the statues, he couldn't place this missing piece anywhere.

"I am only guessing here Sir, in the games as all the Dungeons have an entrance, then in the same way these statues could be the entrances to the real Dungeons."

"That sounds more plausible than the outrageous theories on the internet. Edmund, we have now a basic understanding of things. Please tell us about these 'Attributes', which is one of the most discussed topics?" the SecDef asked.

"To explain simply, when a player kills a monster in an RPG game, they gain Experience-Points. And using those points a player can Level-Up, increasing Attributes as the result. You can understand it as an increment in their strength and stamina."

There were a lot of things Edmund didn't mention. He wasn't completely sure how important that info would be, and it seemed better not to reveal them.

What could be of such importance that even he felt it was better to hide?

 

Chapter 14 - A World in Chaos (2)

Edmund knew if he would tell them about Attributes it would plant a seed of greed within them. But this was an obstacle that needed to be overcome as soon as possible.

"So these Dreamers would get stronger with time. Would they be stronger than an average human being?" A General asked.

But there was another person in the room who had understood the delicacy of the situation.

"Edmund, give us your honest opinion, what should we do in this situation?" Mr. President asked.

The General didn't wait for Edmund to finish and said, "Sir, I think we must conscript them. Who knows what they will do after getting stronger?"

Most of the Generals had been thinking of the same thing. Even if this statement had come out of greed, no one in the room could say it was wrong. Random people with strange powers were like ticking time bombs. The road could have been turning in either right or wrong direction any day.

But Edmund hadn't thought like that. He had decided that he shouldn't go against the Government for now. As surviving and becoming stronger in random situations had already become his basic instincts. Yet his choice of words would dictate the life of many and he couldn't run away from this. He stood up and gave a glance to everyone there.

Security personnel had stepped towards him as Edmund stood up, but a look from Mr. President stopped them at their place.

"RECORD."

An eerie breeze filled the room, and the magical symbols in Edmund's took aback everyone in the eyes of the young man.

Edmund looked at the screen and gravely said, "I believe, like me, every Dreamer can see a timer on the System. And it roughly left us with 159 hours out of the time that I could see. And unlike me, many Dreamers are just as confused about this as you are. Now nobody is sure about the purpose of the timer, but we can relate it to the Dungeons."

Even the Generals felt deep fear of the unknown after seeing that horrible looking black-film and misty light.

Edmund continued, "It would be better for the Government to have a better understanding of the situation and wait until that time. The Government can also make a central platform where one can upload all the information about the location of these statues. Then you can invite the Dreamers to register themselves if they want."

Without mentioning the General, he said, "And conscripting them at the moment of confusion and chaos will be the end of all humanity."

All members fell silent, listening to the undeniable facts.

"Very well, Mr. Edmund, I want you to cooperate with the Secretary of Defense on this essential task."

Mr. President was not about to let go of the biggest opportunity he had chanced upon. Using the face and knowledge of this young man, they could control the situation and could also make sure nothing unexpected happens.

But Edmund didn't share these motives.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I want to spend the rest of the week preparing myself for the Dungeon. But if the country needs any information that I could share, then I would happily cooperate."

The officials dropped Edmund at his home. And, as usual, he opened his console for some late-night gaming. He played for a little more than an hour and then suddenly closed his eyes. An unseen wave surrounded his entire apartment. Edmund made sure that no one had been spying on him. He used the unmonitored channel to contact one of his friends.

Edmund: I have done whatever I could. The rest is on them.

Samael: Humph! You are being too optimistic, Edmund. Let's say they would agree with your suggestion, but what about the other countries?

Edmund: Sigh. That's what I'm worried about the most. Did you check the internet? Some governments are already using the missing reports to hunt down the Dreamers.

Samael: I say fuck the government.

Edmund: No, we don't know what's going to happen in the coming week. The situation can also turn into, as some people are calling it. An End of Time.

Samael: I don't know, man. I've contacted those whom I could. You were right; it gave all of them that thing. ALL OF THEM.

Edmund: What do we say about the survival games?

Samael: The better the Starter-Pack, the more the difficulty.

Edmund: Yes.

Samael: Eddy, we are fucked.

Edmund put down the mobile and looked at his computer screen. The American Government had just issued an official statement to all the Dreamers.

'Every Dreamer starting tomorrow can access the app of American Dreamer Association or ADA. It is in development as the news is being released. And Dreamers can register their Class and apply for any help. The Government will also provide financial aid to the Dreamers if necessary. And we would provide all the information, from reliable sources, to them free of cost.'

A small smile found its way to his face. It wasn't enough, but it was better than nothing. Like everyone, he also had a dream. And if he survives this ordeal, then he would turn it into reality. His eyes shone with runic symbols and his hand reached into the void. He took a deep fiery breath and a blood-red Mage's robe had appeared in his hands.

*

In an unknown space.

Aldrich went to his tent and sat down for his daily meditation.

'This is a dream, this is a dream, this… Wait a minute, something is wrong!' A thought flashed through him.

[…

Life Analyzation Failed

Re-initiating Dream Phase…

Iteration: 3rd

…]

The only thing some people could do was wait. Some were waiting for their chance, some were waiting for their inevitable death.

And yet, ironically, none had thought about which happened next.

*

8 June 2020

02:00 AM

Washington D. C.

"You don't have to be around me all the time," Edmund said, scrutinizing the two black-suited agents.

One of them said, "We are just following our orders, Sir. Please don't mind us."

"We also have cleared the area around the statue of your own choice. Nothing will impede the entire process." The other also chimed in.

Edmund didn't want to be the subject of constant observation. But the pros were outweighing the cons by a huge margin. Not only was the Government providing him access to a statue for himself, but they had also fetched all the people from all over the world. People who he had recommended.

In return, the only thing he had to do was to make a video of everything that would happen within the Dungeon. And he was sure that he wasn't the only one who was suitable for this job. There were even soldiers who had become Dreamers. The only thing which allowed him to enjoy this 'service' was his decision-making skills.

"Ok, whatever. Let's go, it's better to be there an hour before the deadline," Edmund replied.

Only 1 hour remained to hit the deadline and in 1 hour it would be the 1 week anniversary of the Night of awakening. The ADA, aka American Dreamer Association, had become the most retweeted and shared article in the world. Not only Dreamers, but even common citizens had become fans of the organisation.

'It would take some time to verify all the Dreamers on the app. A local hub for verification would be the best bet for this,' Edmund thought, passing his time in the Black BMW.

It didn't take them long to reach their destination, Meridian Hill Park. Ever since the ghastly black transparent film had covered the famous statues in the park, it had been looking like ruins. But fortunately, or unfortunately, only one statue was under the pillar of muddy-yellow light. Whether it was a mist, a curtain, or liquid, no one knew. The only confirmed thing was its base color; Yellow.

Millions of people had gone missing that 'Night', but compared to the number of statues, that number was nothing. And yet Edmund was sure, unlike him, some Dreamers were just hiding somewhere. But could they hide from the flashes of the Timer? Edmund wasn't sure, but he had decided it was best to face the problem. If he can't adapt, he had better die.

"Sir, we have arrived." The agent said, taking out Edmund from his stupor.

Edmund saw a man standing at the front gate as he stepped out of the car. In his blue shorts and white shirt, he must have looked like a middle-schooler, if it wasn't for his height and build. Broad wasn't a term that would have done justice to his chest. But without his comical dressing, at first sight, anyone could mistake him for a wrestler.

"Samael, how was the flight?" Edmund asked, shaking hands.

Samael, like Edmund, was a Pro-gamer. His build, as he proclaimed, was a nature's gift to him.

"By flight, do you mean the jet that came to pick me up? How do you think it was?" Samael replied, grinning from ear to ear.

The agents followed them in, finding their way to the Yellow pillar. Soldiers had already encircled the statue along with 20 other Dreamers. As they saw Samael coming with the 'face' of the ADA, a wave of murmur washed over all the presented individuals.

Edmund sighed, "And that's why I had argued against the idea of using my profile on the App's homepage."

"Well, you had it coming. Now face the consequence, Mr. Celebrity. Haha," Samael said.

Edmund raised his head, and for the first time, he questioned his actions. 'What if everything goes wrong? Wouldn't I become the reason for their death?' thoughts like these flooded his mind. Anyone could have questioned their decisions and even their lives if they were to see that statue. One could have called it nothing but the Death Incarnate.

This was the statue of one of history's gifts to the future, an Italian Poet, a writer, a philosopher, and promulgated by the Pope himself, 'Pride and Glory of Humanity' Dante Alighieri.

 

Chapter 15 - Failed Preparations

All Dreamers were standing around the statue and had been gawking at it. Imagining what horror had lied within it.

"Ok everyone, gather here," Samael shouted.

All the Dreamers made their way to an open area near the statue and faced Edmund.

"As you had asked, 10 of them are Pro-Gamers and the rest of the group is one of the best among their field of work."

Edmund recognized many of his colleagues among them and there were some unknown people, too. But their behavior itself had expressed their proficiency. All had a questioning and sad look, but no one seemed panicked. Edmund didn't mind it, as the RECORD had forced all the Dreamers into this situation, including him.

"Everyone, thank you for coming on short notice. As you can also see, we only have 32 minutes left on the Timer. So it doesn't matter where you would have been, I am sure it would force you to make a choice."

Everyone nodded in approval, listening to the inevitable situation portrayed by Edmund.

"The 'Record', which we have confirmed, has interacted differently with different Dreamers. But there was no further information that it had conveyed to us regarding the question, what would happen at the end of Timer? After thinking about it for days, I can at least say that this silence of our 'Record' is a good thing."

Has he gone insane? Not only the baffled group, but even Samael asked the same question to Edmund through his eyes.

"It sounds unconvincing, but think about it. If the ultimate reason for the existence of 'Record' was to harm us, then why would it have waited till now."

"This is reasonable," Samael said, holding his chin that made him look even weirder. The Dreamers also found some relief in the explanation to calm down their nerves. Their trust in Edmund had grown even more after hearing from him.

"So let's talk about…" the sudden glow of eyes around him had cut short Edmund's words. A screen had also materialized in front of his eyes. He had seen this happening several times in the last week. It was RECORD's way of notifications.

'But why now? Don't we still have enough time?' Almost everyone thought the same question. And they were destined to get an answer to this question.

[…

Time Left: 30 minutes

Commencing Random Dungeon Allocation…

…]

'Random? No...!' Edmund couldn't even turn his thoughts to words when a blue-green light engulfed all the Dreamers, and they had vanished. The whole situation had left the soldiers and two agents monitoring Edmund and others dumbfounded. But it did not give them the time to come out of shock when the same light flashed again and around 10 people came out of it.

Edmund, nauseated by the feeling of sudden transportation, frantically looked around. From the sudden night, he could see a day somehow. The morning sun had blinded him by the sudden exposure and by the time he could see, a soldier had already pointed a muzzle of the gun at him.

"###" Edmund neither recognized the language nor what the soldier had been saying. But he realized if he didn't reply soon, the situation would turn bad. So he did what any average person would have done in this scary situation. Edmund slowly put his both hands up.

With this, the soldier had a feeling that everything was under his control and his red face also gained some human color.

Edmund finally got some time to look around and found 4 others like him. All were at the end of a rifle. Edmund knew what had gone wrong with his calculation when his eyes met with a soldier who outranked others.

The officer hurriedly approached him and asked, "You? You, the Face of ADA."

And with this title, a smile came upon both of their faces. The officer gave out an order and all the soldiers put down their weapons.

"Do you know what happened, Mr. ADA?"

Edmund finally took a calming breath. "Hello, you can call me Edmund. I don't know, but I think we all teleported to a random place."

The other 4 Dreamers also approached the officer. Unlike Edmund, their faces were still unknown to most of the world.

"Officer, where are we?" Edmund hadn't forgotten about the fundamental question. The officer didn't answer, but with an extremely uneasy expression, looked above his head.

Edmund had been facing the Sun, and thus the shadow of that thing was away from him. Edmund turned around apprehensively, and the thing behind him gave him an immense shock. It was the statue of a man upholding a rock even bigger than him over his head. Edmund's throat became dry by imagining the sheer strength he must have possessed.

But that day might as well be the day of notifications. A screen materialized again in front of Edmund's face.

[…

Time Left: 15 minutes

The Dreamers can choose to form a Party that would be in effect till the end of the Raid

The Party members would be made aware of each other's location and would be provided additional bonuses in different circumstances

Every Party must have a Party Leader

The Experiences Points would be distributed among the Party members according to their contribution

A fixed amount of 3% of Experience Points gained by killing Dungeon Crawlers, would be given to the Party Leader regardless of his contributions

Bonus Skill 'Language Proficiency' is now activated till the end of the Raid

…]

Edmund, being a gamer himself, was familiar with the concept of a Party. But even if others weren't, anyone could analyze the importance of 3% fixed ExPs.

'If we were to kill a Dungeon-Crawler, worth 100 ExP, then the Party Leader would gain 3 ExP even if he weren't the one who had hunted it. Man, this would create a problem,' Edmund thought, observing the other Dreamers.

"We have something important to discuss. Can you please give us some space?" Edmund said, assuring the officer that everything would be alright.

All the Dreamers were now standing in a circle and, like Edmund, most of them too had noticed the plain advantage of being a Party Leader.

Edmund sighed.

"Everyone, I am Edmund. We have little time left, so why don't we introduce ourselves first," Edmund proposed, as everyone could have understood each other because of the Bonus Skill.

"Matsumoto Sho."

Edmund looked to his right, and he found a Japanese person wearing traditional black-white, Keikogi, and Hakama. The Japanese man had been reeking of power and authority. Edmund had experienced this vibe just a few days ago in that meeting room. It was the composure of a natural-born leader.

"Hi, I am Dr. Annie."

The girl to his left tried to lift the heavy mood and introduced herself first.

"Bernard, you can call me Boomie."

Edmund had never heard a voice so depressing before. The man in knee-length shorts and bushy red hairs almost looked like something had been eating him from inside. He also didn't like the way this Boomie was looking at him.

"Logan."

Contrary to his Japanese counterpart, Edmund could see the cunningness in the blond-haired man's eyes. If one were to judge in a single glance, this person would soon find himself surrounded by police.

"I think we should vote for the position of Party Leader," Edmund said, looking at Matsumoto Sho.

Sho also nodded in reply.

"Guys, why do we need to form a Party? Isn't it better to just help each other in need?" Annie asked.

Edmund saw the smirk on Logan and shook his head at the naive suggestion.

"It won't do. Let's say you are hunting a Crawler and after a lot of effort you are on the verge of killing it. But, let's say accidentally, an attack lands on it from a Dreamer other than you. Then all the ExPs would most probably go to that Dreamer and not you."

Edmund saw a look of disbelief on Annie's face. The world was changing and one should know when to draw an obvious line between charity and plain idiocy.

"Let's share our Classes and Attributes and get over with the unpleasant business."

Everyone raised their eyebrows seeing each other's Class and Attributes, well everyone except Boomie.

"I vote for Mr. Edmund." Edmund heard Annie voting for him.

Edmund didn't expect a single vote, but then he realized this wasn't a Party of real gamers. It left him only a little competition after analyzing Sho's Class and Attributes.

As expected, Logan said, "I vote for Mr. Matsumoto." Edmund didn't expect such refined words from Logan.

Everyone now eyed Boomie and with the way Boomie was looking at him from the start, Edmund could already guess the result.

"I also vote for Mr. Edmund."

"Okay then, I am sending the Party requests to all of you."

Edmund hastily said, seeing the Timer.

[…

Sending Party Requests…

Party Requests accepted

Party Members: Edmund, Annie, Boomie, Hero, Matsumoto Sho

Party Leader: Edmund

…]

"What? I feel like a hero sometimes." Logan gave a shameless reply, as everyone had been cringing at his RECORD name.

"I wonder why it didn't notify us of this Random-Allocation before." This was the first time Edmund heard Sho sharing his view. But unfortunately, no one had an answer to this problem.

They all got a notification.

[…

Time Left: 00:00:00

…]

The Sun, who just a moment before was standing proud over the world, was suddenly pushed behind the Night that had arrived. The muddy-yellow light pillar gradually finally left the Yellow tinge and turned Green. And a blue-green portal, big enough for all of them, opened up just near the statue.

Suddenly Edmund heard screams coming over from the forgotten people, crowded around the barren area of Statue. Edmund saw the officer running towards him and asked, "What happened?"

"People, Mr. ADA, People! One of them vanished just in front of my eyes," the officer replied. This new information astonished the Party members.

"Does this mean that there would be a fresh wave of Dreamers?" Annie asked.

"I think so," Edmund involuntarily replied and, by the corner of his eyes, chanced upon the vibrant face of Boomie.

'What's up with this guy? A sadist?' Edmund thought.

"By the way, Officer, at least tell us where we are and whose statue is this," Annie asked.

"Oh! Yes, yes. This is Armenia."

'Armenia?' Edmund didn't realize that it could have transported him this far.

The officer, with a shaky voice, said, "And that is the statue of one of the Deities of the Armenian Pantheon. Deity of Strength and Courage," the voice now seemed to shake with fanaticism, "the Great-Grandson of the Legendary Patriarch..."

And before he could finish, Boomie completed the Officer's words.

"Tork Angegh."

At the same time…

[…

Life Analysation Failed

Re-initiating Dream Phase…

Iteration: 35th

…]