The screams were still ricocheting off the skeletal structures, but Caden's mind was already racing, cutting through the noise. This wasn't a game where he could just hit 'restart.' Death was real, and panic was a killer all its own. He had to do something.
He scanned the immediate vicinity. A few hundred players, maybe more, scattered across the gritty ground. Most were crying, frozen, or flailing. Some were already running blindly into the dust-choked haze, heading deeper into the unknown. Pure chaos.
"Everyone! Listen up!" Caden's voice, amplified by Aetheria's inherent comms system, cut through the din. It was louder than he expected, carrying an authority he didn't know he possessed. For a brief second, some heads turned.
"Stop running! You don't know what's out there!" he yelled, pointing vaguely towards the swirling dust. His years of leading raids and coordinating team fights in high-stakes e-sports matches kicked in. He knew how to command attention, how to project confidence even when his own gut was churning.
A few more players paused, drawn by the clarity in his voice. They looked at him, eyes wide and bewildered. Caden's Ice Magic Swordsman avatar, with its familiar Glacial Fang strapped to his back, probably lent him some credibility; he looked like someone who knew what they were doing in a fantasy world, even a broken one.
"We need to stick together!" he continued, moving through the dazed crowd, his focus sharpening. His kind nature, usually a quiet part of him, now surfaced as a fierce resolve. He wasn't just thinking about survival; he was thinking about theirs. "Find your guilds, find your friends! If you're alone, find a group!"
He spotted a younger player, barely an adult, curled up on the ground, sobbing, her avatar a simple, unadorned robe. She looked like one of the new tech-users, completely lost. Caden knelt beside her, ignoring the dust.
"Hey," he said, his voice softer now, but firm. "It's going to be okay. We need to move, but we need to move smart. Can you stand?"
She looked up, eyes red-rimmed. "I just… I want to wake up."
"I know," Caden said, his heart aching. "We all do. But we can't right now. So we fight. We survive." He gently helped her to her feet, supporting her as she swayed. "What's your name, in here?"
"Lily," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Okay, Lily. Stay with me. We're going to find some others." He scanned the immediate area again. The initial surge of panic was starting to ebb in some, replaced by a dazed uncertainty. That was his window.
He saw Elias and Lyra, already moving towards him, their faces grim. Seeing familiar faces, allies, grounded him further. This wasn't a game for solo heroes. This was a new reality, and if they were going to have even a sliver of a chance, they needed to work together. His natural leadership, tempered by years of virtual combat, was no longer a hobby. It was a reflex. It was necessary.