Sweet Sweet Revenge?

My boots landed on the snow, creating a deep dent that almost reached my knees. At first, I was confused, doubting Claw's reports, but after seeing numerous deep foot tracks in the snow leading to what looked like a courthouse, all my doubts were cleared. I knew they were here. I couldn't sense any Mana from them because they had none, but I could feel them, Vyle's presence—every single one of them.

I began to move toward the steps, climbing each one carefully, skipping none, before gently opening the door to reveal the large courtroom. There seemed to have been a low murmur of professional chatter, but it ceased the moment I stepped inside. All the figures present turned to glance in my direction.

'Zero Mana,' I thought to myself as I scanned the room, observing the figures seated in the gallery. Surprisingly, there were close to forty in number—almost eight times the number of people I remembered signing Paradox Unbound documents with.

"My Lord, we heard noises, and we felt a sudden surge and blinding light. Is there something we should be aware of? Perhaps, should we extend this meeting until our next log-in?" one of them said, mistaking me for the Darth Lord. However, on noticing the difference in my mask and the red designs on my attire, his expression—and everyone else's—changed.

I slowly turned around, closing the door gently, activating a Mana Forged barrier around the building, something they didn't notice, before returning my gaze to them.

Some of them had maps of the Paradox spread out before them, detailed and marked with various symbols and annotations. On the tables beside the maps lay an assortment of strange devices that were unfamiliar to me. One of them had paused mid-motion, his hands busy adjusting what seemed to be an apparatus resembling a hybrid between a telescope and some other strange objects.

I breathed hard behind my mask, trying to determine if everyone here was truly part of Vyle's management. They didn't have their real faces obviously; instead, they wore the game skins I had created. As I looked at them, I couldn't tell for sure—it was a mix of Common skins, Rare skins, and maybe a few Epic skins, but none as flashy as mine.

'You must be Nathan Vyle,' I thought, focusing on the one who had spoken earlier. His expression had changed to one of scrutiny, as if recognizing the Crimson Knight as a gaming skin rather than indigenous attire. 

"Are you a gamer? What are you doing here, so far away from the maps?" the player I believed to be Nathan Vyle asked rudely.

I forced a smile behind my mask, even though they couldn't see it. Perhaps I did it to calm my nerves and speak with the authority I needed. I began to walk slowly, each step deliberate. "Aren't you all gamers as well? Does this look like a gaming location to you?" I asked, pleased that my voice emerged with the villainous tone Crimson Knight's mask was known for.

The one in a male Common skin, who had been operating the apparatus, finally moved, scoffing. "You don't want to lose all your Paxcoin, my dear. Get back to the ATS the way you came—maybe on a fancy chopper or somethin'."

I marvelled at the disrespect from them and I grew irritated as they returned their attention to their various activities, acting like I wasn't there. I frowned and manifested a chair of Essence beneath me, sitting down comfortably. That was enough to drag their attention. Surely, a gamer could never do such a thing related to Essence.

"How did you do that?" one of them asked, eyes wide in disbelief, as the rest of the group turned their heads to stare at the red Essence-forged chair I was now sitting on.

"You must be an indigene! Using some sort of disguise magic to look like a gamer," the one operating the apparatus spat again.

I raised a hand to indicate I was about to speak and cleared my throat afterward. "Believe me, I'm human. Can't you hear my accent? We could do a quick Q&A, and I'll answer correctly."

The room fell silent with their faces lost in different expressions. Suddenly, one of them reached for what looked like a telephone and I didn't need to be told it would perform similar duties to a telephone. I quickly stood up from the chair and it remained manifested. "Do not bother, Paradoxer456," I said, walking through the group to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows shielded by a large curtain. They hadn't even bothered to name themselves properly, just going with the default names the game provided. "There's a Mana barrier enveloping this building, which will prevent whatever you're trying to do from being successful," I added, gripping the edge of the curtain.

"[Fyrestorm]," I whispered, igniting the end of the curtain with the tiniest wisp of fire that would eventually spread within minutes. The group started to murmur as the colours of orange and red began to creep into the calm room. I turned to the one I sensed was Nathan Vyle, my senses still attuned for any sign of Kamila's avatar. "I dunno if this fire reminds you of something..."

Paradoxer119, who I was now certain was Nathan Vyle, dressed in a brown Rare skin, slowly rose from his seat as I returned to take mine, the fire steadily consuming the curtain.

"So, it is you...." Nathan started with a trembling voice and I was glad the way things were going.

To save them from the stress, I started, "My name is Trent Docker, rightful founder of the Paradox world, Paradox Unbound, and all its links. The same Trent Docker who was murdered in cold blood, alongside his family of two, in what was later described as a fire incident." I paused, watching their faces shift as the realization dawned. "I'm sure you remember—it hasn't even been three days yet."

"It's.. it's not possible," the Paradoxer456, who had similar behavioural qualities to the bald executive that had participated in the signing process. The others erupted in murmurs and I noticed a few began trying to log off by tapping on their chests, but nothing happened.

"It is," Nathan replied to his colleague, his face bland. "He was chosen by the goddess, Trent is Nightingale."

I was glad that at least there were some entities here that acknowledged the existence of the celestial being that granted me a new life. And I was more than delighted to be acknowledged by them as well.

Suddenly, one of them jumped to her feet, spinning around with a blaster aimed directly at me. She, too, attempted to log out, but it was futile. It seemed the Orb of Permanence had indeed prevented all gamers from logging out, or rather—had integrated them permanently into the Paradox. "I can't log off!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with panic, dressed in an Epic skin.

"We are all having the same problem, Kamila. He has done something," Nathan said shakily, his eyes flicking to the fire now consuming the curtain and spreading across the ceiling. He then turned back to me. "So, the goddess decided to pick you to bring an end to the worlds?"

I couldn't help but raise a brow behind my mask. "The indigenes have been suffering since the arrival of these Aetherians and now from us humans... I'm here to put an end to the chaos."

"Bullocks!" Kamila yelled, flaunting the blaster at me. 

"The goddess is the chaos! She's going to erase all life out of existence, including ours that are linked to the Paradox if you wield all three Orbs. You're the bad guy here, Trent!" Paradoxer456 added, his voice tinged with desperation.

"I find these last words of yours surprising, even in the face of... fire," I said, watching them cluster together to escape the now escalating flame.

"He will kill us." "We were already dead when the Orb was activated."

"Believe us, Trent," Nathan coughed, his voice strained as smoke began to choke the air, suffocating them. "We've made contact with the Aetherians to prevent the will of the goddess from coming to pass. The Darth Lord warned us about her. She's not just the Walker of Worlds; she's the destroyer as well."

I shook my head in disgust with my legs crossed. "So, is this why I and my family were murdered?" I asked with bitter irony. "So, you can prevent the will of a goddess? Why the fuck did you kill me?"

"Because you're a failure."

The words hit me like a moving train, and even after they left Kamila's mouth, I couldn't wrap my head around them. Silence reigned, broken only by the crackling of the consuming flames.

Kamila broke the silence, brandishing the blaster again as I remained in my seat, facing them, still trying to process and decipher her words.

"We tried to keep a smile on our faces, not only to you but to the whole world. The world was in jeopardy as soon as you linked it to the Paradox, and you wouldn't know, would you?" Kamila hissed with bitterness. "The contract was favouring you, Trent. That means every action Vyle took in the Paradox should have been to your knowledge."

Nathan jumped in, his tone seething with disdain. "Do you really expect us to trust a chronic gamer to handle world annihilation seriously? Look at you, Trent. The only thing you ever cared about was the money. Just look at your gear. We don't care about the money, we cared even less when we discovered what the Paradox really was. Remember when we tried to buy you out, to gain full ownership? You refused because no single payment could match what you could make in the long run."

I remained seated.

"You were like an unremovable scar, one that couldn't even be turned into a decent tattoo. We had to claim ownership, Trent. We had to save our lives and—"

Nathan's words caught in his throat when I raised my hand again. By then, the fire had spread everywhere, even to where I sat, but it didn't burn me. They were huddled together in a corner, the burning ceiling beginning to collapse around them.

Slowly, I stood up from my seat, taking a long, hard look at them before turning and walking toward the door. Nathan and the others started screaming, their panic evident.

"Trent, where are you going?" "This fire will kill us for real!" "Please, Trent!"

I ignored their cries, gently opening the door and stepping out of the courtroom. I closed it shut behind me, shutting out the chaos within. Outside, the cold air of the Darth Society greeted me, the snowy landscape very different from the inferno I left behind.

As I made my way down the stairs, Claw swooped in from nowhere and perched on my shoulder.