1 The Vanishing
I lay down in my gaming pod and eagerly began to enter Ascendant. It wasn't the first virtual reality MMORPG, but its arrival on the scene put all of its competitors out of business. The original wave of MMORPG's for the Rift gaming system only focused on combat, but Ascendant revolutionized the way people understood VR. It had even been dubbed "The Second Earth." The creators of the game wanted all aspects of Ascendant to feel as detailed and nuanced as the real world. Because of this, professions such as blacksmithing, alchemy, carpentry, engineering, and leather working became so important that, if mastered, could make a player even more powerful than a top tier mage or warrior. I was the first player to take advantage of this system. Nobody in Ascendant called me Jackson anymore, I was only known as the Demon of Enchanting.
As I put on my Rift headset, I expected to appear in my workshop. But when I opened my eyes I didn't receive the usual notifications for logging into the world. Instead, I stood in the center of an ancient coliseum. Thousands of transparent figures filled the stands of the stadium. It was as if their bodies were entirely composed of mana. Though their faces were clouded, I could feel their stares weighing down on me. Surrounding me was a sea of people that extended further than my eyes could see. As I continued to survey the area, more people continued to materialize, seemingly out of thin air.
Is this some kind of special event? I didn't see anything about this on the forums. I looked around at the hordes of people, and I noticed that they all shared an equally confused expression. One man was wearing a three piece suit, another looked as if he had been in the middle of a run, and another was wearing nothing but a towel. Next to him was a girl who was attracting everyones attention. She had long jet black hair which led down to a tight dress and dark red heels.
"Is that Ciarra?! Isn't she supposed to be on tour right now?" a man nearby asked aloud. Ciarra's beauty was world famous, and I would be lying if I said I didn't dream of meeting her one day. But I couldn't properly process how close I was to her, I was too focused on the situation around me.
What the hell is going on? Why can't I access my system menu? I frustratedly swiped my hand in the air attempting to log out of my Rift headset, but to no avail.
Where is my gear? Why am I still wearing my regular clothes? Panic started to overcome me as my brain tried to understand what was happening. Not only was my normal Ascendant armor missing, but my avatar in the game was supposed to be a dark elf. Right now I was just my usual scrawny self.
Am I really still in the game? Before I had another moment to think, a massive astral phantom figure appeared in the sky, dwarfing the people below.
"Welcome, Prospects. I'm sure many of you are confused right now. This is by design. Knowledge is power. All I can tell you is that you have been chosen. Embrace what makes you different, fitting in is the same as dying out." The phantom's voice echoed throughout the coliseum, ands his speech tapered off, the world around the stadium began to fade away.
--
Meanwhile, an emergency news report was being broadcast around the world. The headline read, "The Vanishing."
"A reported 200,000 individuals seem to have disappeared into thin air, and the number continues to climb. Estimates project as many as one million people might have been a victim of The Vanishing," the reporter relayed in an anxious tone. The station then began to show videos of those who had vanished.
In the middle of a World Cup match, the famous Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo, heralded as the greatest player in the world, had melted into dark smoke right before he took a shot that could've won the game for Brazil. The same thing happened to the famous singer Ciarra, in the middle of her concert. The next person they showed was the CEO of Rift, Leon White, who had been speaking at a convention when he vanished. Even the prime minister of Japan, Shiro Miyamoto, had turned into smoke halfway through penning his name on a bill that would've doubled Japan's defense budget. The list went on and on before the reporter came back on air.
"Many of our world leaders have been targeted. Yet no message has been received from those who may be the culprit. Right now there are no leads on what caused this event. Even more unsettling is that these 'vanishings' appear to have taken place at the exact same moment throughout the world. Many are speculating that this means the disappearances may have been a one time event. In the meantime, the World Defense Organization is advising everyone to stay inside, avoid operating heavy machinery, and contact your loved ones." The reporter finished his speech and the emergency report abruptly ended.
--
Unaware of these developments, I faced a new issue. After being transported out of the arena, I had reappeared in what seemed to be the barracks of the coliseum. Laid out in front of me was an endless lineup of ancient weapons. Behind me stood a massive metal gate. At that moment a message appeared in my view.
[Trial 1: Last Man Standing]
~ Choose your weapons ~
Rewards: Unknown
Penalty: Death
If I'm not in Ascendant, how am I still getting system messages? I surveyed the menagerie of weapons that were available to me. However, it seemed as if the armory continued on indefinitely.
How am I supposed to choose something when I don't even know what the challenge is? I walked further as I continued to ponder the many questions coming to my mind. Scanning through the selection, more unconventional items started to appear; a black cloak, metal chains, suits of armor, a flint, black ink, a rope net, even satchels of food and water.
How long is this challenge going to take? I guess it's best if I plan for the worst. With that thought, I scooped up the bags of food and water. I had never been particularly strong or athletic, instead I had thrived in Ascendant by thinking of methods to solve problems that no one else considered.
The phantom did say we should focus on what makes us different. I smirked as I attempted to tie the metal chain through the hilt of two daggers. After twenty minutes of tinkering with weapons, I was satisfied with my creation. I still got it. The final product was my own version of a Japanese Kusarigama. With this I'll have the agility of daggers, but I'll also get the long reach of a spear or great sword. After completing my creation, I grabbed a few more items and began to walk towards the iron gate at the entrance of the barracks.
Oops... almost forgot, I quickly donned the black cloak as an homage to my avatar in Ascendant, the Demon of Enchanting. Once I approached the gate another message appeared.
~ Have you prepared yourself ~
"Yes" or "No"
As I took a moment to stare at the prompt, a wave doubt rushed over me. Is this actually real? I had never made any particularly deep connections with anyone in me life. Never had any brothers or sisters and my parents hardly seemed to care about me. I was never one of those people who was happy to wake up every morning, all I had was Ascendant. I was already in my third year of college, but my only friends were other players in my guild. However, in this moment, even my most sour memories started to seem sweet. I gulped down my own anxiety and slowly raised my finger to click "Yes."
