Chapter 1.3

With a long-term plan decided, that still leaves the rampant Jabberwock to take care of.

I eat my fill, and Dusk grants me access to the rooftop of the department store to rest my head at, arranging for us to meet up again after sundown.

There's a really nice view of the city from here.

The horizon is bathed in gloomy orange-yellow hues as I lie here, sleepless, thinking about how it's too bad that they haven't invented a pill to substitute for sleeping yet, when there's so much riding on my success this evening.

Blitz is probably annoyed I've been gone so long...

We always share lunch, in the virtual sim.

I wiah I could still use my cellphone, but unfortunately most oldform transmission types were banned some years ago.

Pretty much everything is virtual nowadays.

Clutching my Charm Ring in the palm of my hand, in my nervous anticipation I start to squeeze it--until suddenly, the power core set at its center glows a faint, pale pink, followed predictably by a voice that haunts my very existence:

"Uwah!" She squeals. "Squeeze me harder!

Damn it! I hate it when she does that...

"Don't say such lewd crap!"

"Eh? Don't you want to hear girls moan?"

She laughs, all wicked and nasally and high-pitched, almost like a seagull, in a way that never fails to make my blood boil.

"What kind of a pathetic man are you!?"

I growl through my teeth--furious. "A man of honor, that's what!"

"More like a man of no girlfriend! Hahahaha!"

"Hey, WAIT! I'm not done with you yet--"

I really want to give that annoying bitch a piece of my mind, but the light on my ring has already faded--she's gone, for at least as long as until she decides to pester me again.

Eugh. So, yeah...that's my Charming Form.

She can communicate with me through the ring, although I really wish she wouldn't.

Still, at times, I feel a little guilty...

It's like a real, living person is trapped in there.

A real annoying, rude, immature person...

But a person, nonetheless.

As night falls, Dusk is already waiting for me when I return to the basement, as the sleeper blooms have all transitioned--from their previous, white-petalled appearance--into a deep crimson red, as a cool, pinkish mist and perfumey fragrance pervade the air.

I turn to Dust, standing ready with her rifle--waiting on my signal.

"That smell is what attracts the Jabberwocks."

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" She says, briskly advancing toward the stairs.

Without thinking, I catch her with my arm.

"No! You should stay here."

She glares. "What?! You're thinking of going after it alone?"

"Don't worry; I can handle this."

She huffs, puckering her mouth and puffing out her cheeks.

"Alright. Since you're the expert, I guess." She screws up her face, in obvious disappointment. "But don't be gone too long! I won't have you dying on me, just because you got cocky!"

Tense as I am, I can't help but to smile.

Dusk...is undoubtedy tough; however, she can also be really cute, when she tries to be.

Outside, the streets are empty and quiet, save for the weary cries of the diseased livestock in their isolated pen, that Dusk had told me they were successfully using as bait in all their previous monster mashing attempts. I walk the adjacent streets now deprived of the thriving bustle and optimism of the day, as it would seem a palpable gloom falls upon the streets of Old Tokyo--the cheery facade fading, to expose a raw, unfiltered vision of post-apocalyptic rot and decay, and a feeling that I am the last man alive, forced to take up arms against an impossible foe...

When a Jabberwock is nearby, you'll hear it before you see it.

I fhear a noise like crackling radio static, accompanied by voices: like a group of people whispering among themselves--with only small tidbits of their conversation being audible--sounding like it's coming from just around every corner and darkened alleyway, yet always keeping just out of reach.

"Not friends...dangerous...closer..."

"Killer...run...coming...run..."

These are "the voices;" or Electrostatic Echo Phenomenon, said to be reflective of the emotional state of the Jabberwock. Even as someone trained to fight them, no degree of conditioning or familiarity could make them any less unsettling, since it's basically like a suspenseful scene from a horror movie, playing out in real life.

No one can say for certain what causes the phenomenon, but it has been established to only be hearable within a range of 15 feet.

It means I'm getting closer.

I furl and unfurl the fingers of my right hand, prompting the Charm Ring on my finger to activate--a data stream channeling forth, flowing into my hand, wherein the shape of an object is grafually formed: first, as a raw texture, then gradually having all the details added in.

The finished product...is a sword.

Specifically, it is a longsword in design, with a faintly glowing, saw-edged, chromium blade, and ornate, crossguarded hilt. A "Vorpal Sword," it is the most basic of conjured weaponry in the Vorpal Knight arsenal; however, since conjured weapons are bound by one's rank...for puny F Ranks, such as myself, it would simply have to do.

Not long after, I catch my first glimpse--when I turn to look, just fast enough, to catch a glance of a serpentine tail coated in reddish brown scales, as it's retreating into an alleyway packed with rubbish--noisily knocking over some trashcans in its hurry.

Is it a giant worm form? A snake form?Jabberwocks take on all shapes and sizes.

I follow into the alleyway, my gaze fixed downward in search of it, as the static noise and voices grow increasingly louder and jarbled, until I reach a dead end wall.

Huh. That's strange.

It sounds like I'm right on top of it, but--

I freeze, becoming aware of a huge shadow looming over me...

It is then that I slowly look up, my mouth hanging open in shock, to meet the hungering eyes of a beast, perched up high against the wall, whose very appearance spits in the face of believability: A portly body, of emerald green scales, in contrast to its orange tail; large, razor sharp talons for feet, comparable to a bird of prey; a pair of arched, membraneous wings with a considerable span; long, bonething fingers ending in devastatingly sharp, curved claws designed for tearing meat.

Its bulging, pink, bloodshot eyes and intimidatingly large incisors impart a mammalian appearance--like some kind of crazed rodent--mounted atop a long, hosey neck that freely twists and coils and contorts, while its hideous face remains solely centered on me.

"Kill...kill...kill...kill...kill..."

In an instant, I'm fighting for my life.

The Jabberwock pounces from the wall, and I barely tumble away fast enough.

I can't get in a close enough range to attack.

I'm simply not fast, or sharp enough, to weave past its defenses.

Leaning its head back, facing toward the sky, I cover my ears as it lets out a tremendous, ear-piercing, high-pitched roar, the prevailing ambient noise of radio static becoming chaotically distorted, the disembodied voices all continuing to repeat the same ominous message, again and again:

"Kill...kill...kill...kill...kill...kill...kill..."

It swings at me with one of its claws, and this time I don't dodge it so luckily--as I earn a tear through the sleeve of one of my favorite sweatshirts, and a ribbon of blood trailing from a newly formed gash across my arm.

Shit! I probably won't survive if it lands a good hit with those things.

To make distance, I turn and flee--frantically throwing down trash cans and chunks of debris behind me, to slow the beast's lumbering pursuit.

I didn't expect it to be so big!

Running, I make it out into the street before stopping to catch my breath, when I suddenly hear a familiar "sharp click."

I look, and see it's Dusk, come to my rescue!

"Forgive me, but I was secretly following you at a distance, when I heard all the noise!"

The Jabberwock emerges from the alleyway, and Dusk immediately opens fire, peppering it with bullets as it thrashes and screeches in pain, until suddenly, it swings its impressive tail, reaching her from an unexpected range, sending her flying back like a ragdoll with the sheer force of the blow.

"Dusk!" I yell out, as through the cloud of dust that has stirred in the wake of the attack, forcing me to shield my eyes, I have lost all sight of her.

Damn it! Now even Dusk is being hurt!

All because I can't get my shit together, and swallow my pride...

It's no longer just my career on the line.

Not merely my own life, either, but Dusk's as well as the whole town! The 500 sleepers!

A surreal calm washes over me.

There will be no more second-guessing, of what I must do.

Yelling out loud, from the heat of the moment, I tear my Charm Ring off my necklace and slide it unto my finger, then hover my other hand over the glowing core. The glow emanates with increasing brightness and intensity, expanding upward and outward, until it wholly envelops me.

...

...

Now, I am floating adrift, in a barren expanse of lightly cloudy skies, spanning out unendingly across a verdant green and blue earth below.

My wounds...my pain, and fatigue...

They're all magically gone.

Ermm, not to mention...my...clothes.

I know this place as the "interdimension," that serves as a bridge between our world and the virtual space. Presently, my physical body--that still remains in the real world--is protected from outside harm by a "vaccine barrier," while my consciousness exists in this space.

Ah, but of course there is another soul stranded here, with me...

"Alex-kuuuun!" An all-too-familiar voice calls to me, from out of the formless depths--its overloading cuteness filling my entire being with aching despair and dread.

Its owner then materializes, hovering in the ether before me: a beautiful young, slender girl with peach white skin, sparkly blue eyes and flowing blonde hair. Her arms are crossed as she faces me with a reproachful stare, as if she's my girlfriend that's just read a naughty text I sent to another girl.

So...this is my Charming Form.

Immediately she pouts, sticking her chin up in the air away from me.

"You really are a BASTARD, you know!"

"I call to you and I call to you, but you keep on ignoring me and brushing me aside--only now showing up when it's convenient to YOU!"

Taking a deep breath, I try to stay calm.

"Listen. I don't have time for this--"

"Oh, is that right?" She says, following with a harsh laugh. "Well, I happen to have all the time in the world--so why the Hell should I care?"

"There are innocent LIVES at risk."

"So?! It's your problem!"

She crosses her arms, looking away.

"People in your STINKING world are of no concern to me."

Damn it. This isn't leading anywhere.

Although, I should have known this wouldn't be easy.

It's sort of like having a Tamagotchi, not feeding it in forever, then asking it to save the world--only, it possesses the sentient intelligence of an ordinary human being, suffused with the bristly, combative attitude of a teenage girl.

"Two--FUCKING--years." She snaps at me bitterly. "I've been alive ever since you got your Charm Ring, confined here..."

Her gaze hardens, into an accusatory glare.

Her voice lowers to hushed growl--fraught with deep, seething resentment:

"Can you even fathom what this is like?"

"Being able to see everything that goes on in another person's life, while never being able to live your own; never being able to branch out

of this...this..." She scowls.

"Pathetic...endless...void, of nothing going on."

I stare at her silently, lacking a voice in the face of such anguish.

What could I possibly say? That I'm sorry?

What is this ostensibly virtual entity I'm speaking to--whose anguish feels so...gritty?So...painfully real?

Already, I see cracks in her tough facade.

She continues--her voice cracking, as she's sniffing back tears:

"It's sheer, fucking torture!"

"I'd rather DIE than continue like this!"

She sharply glances away, kissing her teeth.

"That is why, even though you're also the one who gave me life..."

"I could only ever feel hatred toward you!"

Facing me again, I am pierced by her gaze--fraughtwith unearthly malevolence.

"I can never forgive you, Alex!"

Words catch in my throat.

A toxic guilt rises in my stomach, devouring me from the inside.

I'm...reminded of Blitz, when she was younger.

When she used to cry about everything, always looking to me for comfort.

This girl...her entire life has been like this...

Unending loneliness, and suffering...

Without anyone to turn to.

She had started to lash out--as children do-- taunting and insulting me, desperate just to get my attention.

Because the Charming Ring...is her PRISON.

And I am the jailer, with the keys dangling just lut of reach.

I pull her into my arms, carressing her hair.

"I'm here to free you, now. So you don't have to be alone anymore."

She peers up at me, surprised. "Really?"

I nod, nestling my chin into her hair.

"It won't erase the past, I know...

"Still, starting from now, I want for us to work together more often--"

"The way we should've been, from the start."

She wipes her eye. "Alex..."

"I...still haven't had a chance to tell you my name."

I draw myself away, as we lock intense gazes.

Tell me, what is it?