HANEGAWA HIGH
3:58 PM
"…and, of course, was founded by Jeremy Bentham." Futaba finished off.
"Well said, Ms. Kurose."
Futaba's such a nerd.
"I sense jealousy in your voice."
Why would I be jealous? I know what utilitarianism is.
"Really? Explain it."
You choose the option which results in the greatest good.
A beat of silence. Or shock.
Soren?
"Nothing. I am simply just impressed that you were paying attention."
Surprised you, huh?
Mr. Hiroshi turned back to the board, uncapped a marker, and wrote one final line, underlining it:
The greatest good for the greatest number.
"That's utilitarianism in a nutshell. Clean, simple, even logical… but dangerous if taken too far."
He clicked the cap back on.
"Just remember – numbers don't cry. They don't bleed. People do. And sometimes, doing the right thing doesn't make the most people happy. It just makes you human."
KIIN-KOON-KAAN-KOON.
"Alright. Homework's a short one. Write one time you faced a moral dilemma – real or hypothetical – and what you chose to do. Due Friday. Dismissed."
Does a knight in my head count?
"Are you saying that I am a moral dilemma, Ren?"
Ren made his way to the door.
I'm saying that you're the final boss of moral dilemmas.
BZZT-BZZT!
BZZT-BZZT!
HARUKI: waz guddd
REN: that doesn't look as cool as you think. why the text?
HARUKI: hop on WL. i'm already on
REN: how? school just got let out
HARUKI: had a baseball thing, it finished early
REN: you know ur meant to go back to class after, right?
HARUKI: nah couldn't be bothered. plus it was only history - not important LOL
REN: Soren would disagree
HARUKI: who?
REN: nevermind.
BZZT-BZZT!
BZZT-BZZT!
Another text.
REN: hold on, im getting another text.
HARUKI: nah don't bother. just hop on WL later. 8:00 PM. see ya
REN: cool, see you then
Ren clicked onto the other text message.
FUTABA: You're blocking the aisle.
What?
A voice from behind. "You're in my way."
Ren turned around.
Futaba.
"I believe you are blocking the aisle."
Thanks, Sherlock.
"You couldn't have just told me that to my face?" Ren responded.
"I just did."
He sighed. "Whatever. My fault, I guess. Me and Haruki are hopping on World Liberator later tonight, wanna join?"
"I do want to try out this new spell I got…" Futaba pondered. "But I can't. Sorry."
"Why not?"
"Got a… research project I'm working on."
"Oh, alright. Good luck with that."
"I won't need it." Futaba remarked, making her way to the science block, melon-bread in hand.
"She is so cold."
Yeah, but we love her for it.
***
> LOCATION: VELDENREACH SQUARE
7:58 PM
Ren's screen faded in from blue, the familiar scent of meat, metal, and shady cape vendors filled the air.
"Yo, Ren, buddy! Over here!"
Ren turned. Haruki stood waving one arm wildly over his head, surrounded by a group of four white-armoured players – a guild.
What's Haruki doing with a guild?
Ren made his way over to Haruki. One of the players turned around.
White armour, black trim, chalky serpent design on a single white pauldron.
Ren blinked. "Wait, Ishida?"
Ishida turned with a smirk. "Ren! Good to see that Emerald Flash is still alive."
Ren jogged over, brows raised. "What are you doing with this dork?"
"Asshole." Haruki muttered.
"We've got a mission. Straight from the game devs themselves…"
Prodigal?
"...since the White Serpent Guild handled the Three Commanders Raid so well, they've given us early access to the west. They want us to test the waters."
"Seriously?"
"Dead serious. There's a problem though – they haven't fully set up the region. Unmarked maps. Completely unraided loot. Permanent losses. High risk. High reward."
"Permanent losses?"
"Yeah. Permanent. Basically, if your character dies out there, they stay dead. Same goes for your loot."
Damn.
"So why do they want me and Haruki?"
"Not them – me. They've given me discretion to bring whoever I want. I chose Haruki because he practically took down Braggul himself. And you? I don't think I need to explain my reasoning there. These guys behind me? They're some of my best guys."
This must be a tough mission.
"We don't know what's out there, but get this: my scouts said they look human."
Ren paused. "Human?"
"Kind of. They move like humans. Fight like humans. But they're all messed up in the face. Or rather, they don't have a face. Completely blank."
Soren, have you heard of these before?
"No. Never."
So what's your memory of west of the Eastboarden Mountains?
"I… can't recall. I'm sorry. Whatever brought me to you, has evidently left out fragments of my memory."
Like your apprentice?
"That is right."
I'm sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to bring that up.
"No worry. I shall reclaim them soon enough."
"You in, Ren?"
"Hell yeah."
"Oh, also, before I forget, we'll be having a Prodigal drone follow us around. The devs want to observe how real players handle the west. It'll just be scanning around us. Won't get in the way."
Ishida pointed to a floating spherical object, with 6 bright red eyes glowing on all sides.
Terminator much?
"Like Arnold Schwarzenegger?"
Yeah, that movie.
"That one was quite enjoyable, but still, I would easily–"
Easily best him in combat. I know. And I agree with you there.
"Is this another sarcastic remark?"
No, no, I'm being a hundred thousand percent serious.
"It is."
***
> LOCATION: (???) WEST OF THE EASTBOARDEN MOUNTAINS
> ACTIVE PARTY:
> ISHIDA (L)
> REN
> LUV.HARUKI
> KITE
> SHUN
> DAICHI
The air was warmer here. Thick grass stretched wide beneath them – gold in patches, green in others. The sun had dipped just below the Eastboarden Mountains, but a final orange glow still kissed treetops and scattered across the dirt path. Silent.
"Ren. It is too quiet."
I know.
"Stay vigilant."
"Shit's real beautiful. I could get used to this weather – I'm not built for the mountains." one of the party members chuckled.
"Heya, your names are Ren and Haruki, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." Ren replied.
"Name's Daichi. I'm the tank for this party. In a sticky situation? Just get behind me," he said with a wide grin. "The broody one over there is Shun, our mage, and the one next to the commander is Kite: Second in command for the guild."
Haruki spoke up. "Pretty ballsy bringing both your first and second in command."
"Ah, it's nothing. This mission should be a piece of cake. We got the commander, Kite, and we got you! Plus, the devs wouldn't send us on some death mission – they designed the game after all!"
"The devs are sadistic," Shun said. "Giving us signature abilities, then only letting a few select people unlock them. And they don't even tell you how."
Has this guy seen another signature before?
Ren jogged up to him. "Excuse me, Shun, right?"
He nodded.
"You talked about other people that were able to use their signature ability, right? Who else have you seen?"
Shun laughed. "You wanna tell him, Kite?"
Kite spoke up. "Yeah, some guy with a busted ass sword ability. I think he called it Shadow Sword or something bullshit like that…"
They've seen him too?
"We were on a massive guild delivery mission – about twenty of us, ten wagons in total – from Veldenreach to Camp Columbus. Then, all of a sudden, these pricks in crimson cloaks ambushed us."
Kite continued.
"About thirty of them. We were better trained, of course, but one of them was different – he had an iron beast mask. He was the one with Shadow Sword. Took down five of my men in an instant because they couldn't parry him."
"Me, Shun, and a couple other guys had to leave the cargo and run. I stayed in the treeline to watch. Fuckers didn't even take the package to deliver themselves. They just cast magic and blew it all up."
Daichi chuckled. "Yep, and that's why the second in command–"
FWOOSH!
An arrow grazed past Daichi's shoulder, exploding into Shun's thigh.
THWIP!
Shun cried out, staggering back – before a second arrow pierced straight through his head. There was no pixelation. No fade out. No game death animation. Just Shun's still, lifeless body.
For a split second, his face flickered – like a corrupted frame, features bending unnaturally before snapping back to stillness.
What the hell…
"AMBUSH!" Ishida shouted, drawing his sword.
Twenty figures emerged from the treeline. Fast. Coordinated. Silent.
They wore battered steel armor, dull and raw, marked with tattered midnight blue cloaks, each bearing a single silver insignia – half-erased by wear. But it was their faces that made Ren pause.
No masks. No helmets. Just skin. Smooth. Unbroken. No mouths, no noses, no eyes.
Only a blank plane of flesh where identity should be.
The Faceless.
Daichi yelled: "FORTI–"
SLASH!
He was silenced by a sword to the knee – crumpling to the floor.
"Shit! Daichi's hurt! Someone–"
CLANG!
Kite was cut off by steel. A Faceless. Their blades met – once, twice, three times. Kite held his ground, sword flexing under the intensity.
FWOOSH!
Ren narrowly ducked a blade.
"Their form, Ren. It's impeccable. These aren't orcs – be careful."
Got it.
Ren lunged.
CLANG!
FWOOSH!
CLANG!
The Faceless was somehow keeping up.
"You– aren't– a– monster–" Ren said through gritted teeth. No way these were hostile AIs.
CLANG!
An opening.
SLASH!
Ren sliced low – straight for the shin.
A spurt of blood, then The Faceless buckled in pain.
No time for honour. The others need me.
He drove his sword into its throat with a crunch and moved on.
"Get off me you bastards!" Ren heard Daichi yell.
FWOOSH!
An arrow zipping straight for Ren's head…
CRACK!
Deflected with his sword in a clean spinning motion.
"Hold on Daichi, I'm coming!"
Haruki also tried to intercept, but was held up by two Faceless. They struck at the same time – his hammer catching one blow, missing the second.
"Shit!" Haruki looked down.
It barely caught the armour. Barely.
"Thank god." he said whilst slamming the hammer into the back of one of their heads, caving its head in.
"I want Celeste back." Haruki grumbled, fiddling with the hammer's cheap, mass-produced grip.
Ren finally arrived at Daichi who was somehow tanking three Faceless swords simultaneously.
They lined up just like the training dummies at Veldenreach. Weird, creepy, faceless training dummies. Ren exhaled.
SLASH!
A strike up high. One down.
SLASH!
A strike down low. Two down.
THRUST!
A thrust down the center. Three down.
They were all too focused on Daichi to even see him coming.
"Come on, buddy. Let's get outta–"
"Fall back!" Ishida's voice cut through the noise. "Regroup in the clearing!"
Ren dragged Daichi through to the clearing, leaving him with Haruki who was already there.
"I'm going back for the others!" Ren shouted whilst dashing back into the chaos.
Ishida was pulling back.
But Kite didn't move.
He couldn't.
Five Faceless closed in, blades low, circling like wolves. They didn't shout. They didn't taunt. They just advanced – silent, exact, surgical.
Kite raised his sword, steadied his breath.
CLANG!
A block.
CLANG!
A deflection.
SLASH!
Steel scraped steel in rapid succession. He was holding – barely.
Then – a feint. A fake-out.
A blade cut low – sharp across the knee.
Kite buckled.
Another strike came immediately – clean, direct, merciless.
It hit home.
His body dropped with a dull thud, motionless beside Shun's.
No fade. No logout flash. Just stillness.
Shit!
"He's gone Ren, take Ishida and pull back."
"Ishida!" Ren shouted, already moving.
"Five on me!" Ishida's reply was ragged, barely above the clash of steel. "Need help!"
Dammit! There's no point. Even if I get Ishida, those things will just chase us through the forest. Can I use it? Do I have enough time?
Fuck it. There's no other option.
"Haruki! Ten seconds!"
"Got it!" Haruki called back, diving back into the fray.
Ren skidded to a stop. His hands tightened around his blade. He raised it and slammed it into the dirt.
He whispered under his breath: "Steelthorn Lockdown."
The earth responded. It buckled. Twisted.
Then screamed.
Steel vines exploded upward – shrieking, jagged, alive.
They seized two Faceless mid-charge. One was torn from the ground and hurled back. The other yanked into the air, limbs locked in iron.
SNAP.
The remaining Faceless pulled back into formation. Blades ready. But not advancing.
They stared at the vines. Then at Ren. Then at each other. One stepped back. Then they all backed off. Not out of fear.
Out of familiarity.
"What the hell…" Haruki muttered.
They're winning. So why hesitate?
Above them, the drone buzzed louder – one of its red lenses tracking, rotating. One of the Faceless tilted their head toward it. Then–
CRACK!
An arrow – deliberate and precise – struck the drone. A sensor exploded in a burst of yellow sparks. The drone jolted, stabilizers glitching midair. Its lights flickering wildly. Still scanning. Still alive.
One of the Faceless twitched – a flicker where its face should've been. The blank canvas stuttered, a smear of static and shifting skin tones, then smoothed back into that same uncanny stillness, as if nothing had happened.
One by one, they turned and vanished into the trees.
Only the last one lingered.
It raised a hand – an odd gesture. Not a threat. Not a salute. Something in between.
Then, in a voice more distortion than speech – warped, mechanical, and barely human – it spoke.
Just one word.
Barely audible.
But Ren heard it.
He heard it clearly.
"Soren."
***
> LOCATION: TEMPORARY CAMP, UNKNOWN REGION, WEST OF EASTBOARDEN MOUNTAINS
> ACTIVE PARTY:
> ISHIDA (L)
> REN
> LUV.HARUKI
> DAICHI
The fire was the only thing that moved.
Even the trees stood still. Like they were watching.
Ren sat near the edge of the makeshift camp, knees pulled in, eyes on the flames. Silent.
How did they know your name, Soren?
"I do not know."
Not much was said since the fight. Haruki, unusually competent, was applying a potion to Daichi's wounds.
Ishida eventually broke the silence. "They're never gonna release that."
Haruki turned. "The Faceless?"
Ishida nodded. "You saw the way they moved. That wasn't badly built AI. That was something else."
"They were… coordinated," Ren said. "Too coordinated."
Daichi scoffed. "Coordinated and faceless. That's a nightmare PR combo."
Haruki leaned forward, poking at a stick in the fire. "So what, they're gonna bury this?"
Ishida sighed. "I don't know. But something's not right. That drone especially."
The drone hovered twenty meters off. Watching. Recording.
"If we talk about it whilst it's here, can Prodigal, like… ban us?" Haruki whispered.
"Not unless they're listening. And they're not. That drone doesn't have a microphone. I checked it when they handed it over."
Haruki exhaled relieved. "Wait – who handed it over?"
"Some sketchy guy. Grey cloak. Didn't say much – just that it was for 'observation purposes.'"
"You checked it?" Ren asked.
"Of course I did," Ishida said. "I wasn't about to let us walk around with some mystery package strapped to our backs. For all I knew, it was gonna blow us up the moment we stepped out of Veldenreach."
He paused, voice lower now. "But that's not the weird part."
Daichi leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
"I'm an engineer. IRL, I mean. So I work around this type of stuff all the time. And this drone? It's high-spec. Way too high-spec for a game. Real-world military-adjacent high. Some of it's outside my field, sure, but the build? It's not virtual. It's engineered. Properly. Like… according to theory proper."
Haruki frowned. "So highly engineered cameras?"
"No. That's the thing. It's got projectors too."
"Like, classroom projectors?" Haruki blinked.
"Similar idea. But much more advanced. Probably directional and multi-layered. I don't know what they're projecting… or why. That's what's bothering me–"
CRACK!
A twig.
Everyone stood up. Weapons drawn.
"Wait! We're players!"
"Show yourselves! Hands up!" Ishida called out.
Three figures emerged from the woods – tattered, bloodied, exhausted. A woman, and two guys. One of them was limping.
"We thought you might've been them–"
"What, the Faceless?" Ren asked.
The woman chuckled. "That's what you're calling them? I like that version better than ours. Anyway, yeah, we did – until we heard you talking about that drone."
The woman pointed to the Prodigal drone.
"We had one too."
"Who gave it to you? What did he look like?" Ishida questioned, sword still drawn.
"Some guy. Real shady. Grey cloak. Couldn't see his face."
Ishida and the others lowered their weapons. "They're good."
"Oh thank god," the limping man said.
Haruki pointed to an empty spot beside him. "Wanna take a seat by the fire? Tell us what happened?"
The trio gladly accepted, sitting down beside Haruki.
"Name's Haruki. The tank over there is Daichi, the other one in white is Ishida, and the one with the green cape is Ren."
"Nice to meet you," the woman said. "Name's Yui. The one over there with the busted leg is Tomo, and the other one is Naoto."
Ren spoke up. "You said you had a drone, like ours, what happened?"
Yui cleared her throat. "We were sent by Prodigal, reckon the same as you guys, to test the waters west of the Eastboarden Mountains…"
So we weren't the only ones.
"...they gave us one task: reach an inland lake with an island near the center, and take the item at the center. Heard of other tasks too – like getting special items from mine shafts and caverns. Anyways, we reached the lake after about half a day due west of here. Looked abandoned. Ruins, broken towers, we thought it was clear.
Daichi grunted. "Let me guess – it wasn't."
Tomo leaned forward. "There was something there. Something big. We didn't get a full look – just saw a shadow rise out of the water."
Naoto added, voice low: "It breathed fire. Not like in fantasy games. It looked… old. Like something out of a cave painting."
A dragon?
"The man's description mirrors the dragons that I have fought."
"And you ran?"
Yui continued. "We tried. Ditched the drone and pushed back to the shore – that's when we saw them. The Faceless as you like to call them. Dozens. Standing on the beach. Just standing. Like they were waiting."
Ren leaned in. "You fought your way out?"
"No." The woman's voice was flat. "We ran through them. Only reason we made it is because one of our mages had a teleport rune. She used it on us. Killed herself in the process."
They all went quiet for a while.
Haruki broke the silence. "So how many of you were there?"
Yui paused. "Fifteen."
More silence.
Fifteen?
"It is disturbing."
Why, though? Why would the game design an opponent that wipes the floor with everything they go up against?
Ren glanced at Ishida. "You think it's connected?"
"To what?"
"To this. To Prodigal. The Faceless. The drone. That item on the island."
"I think it's all connected," Ishida said. "The question is: why?"
Ren stared into the fire again.
If the Faceless were guarding the shore…
And the lake had a dragon…
Then what the hell was on that island?