I've always questioned the concept of Fate and Destiny. One person being tied to one
eternal string that won't change no matter how hard they try. I find that concept a fancy definition for a cage.
So if I don't believe in fate, what do I believe in? I can't just be walking without purpose now, can I? Well, of course, I have a purpose, but it's not something cooked up by a concept called fate.
Rather, what I believe in is working out your own good, constructing the life you believe is there, through hard work and desire. Well, that's what I believed until I started playing the Tale of Failed Heroines.
What's that, you may ask? Well, it's a multiple-choice game where you play as heroines in a world of sword and magic. Each one having their own desires and their own wishes. It was all fun and nice until I realized that this game was a tragedy.
I finally understood why the name was Tale of Failed Heroines, because no matter what path I chose, the end of the game always brought the death of the heroines. But I refused, I refused to believe that the heroines I had fallen in love with, their lives, their struggles, would all just die with no way to save them.
I believe that was how my obsession began. I played the game, going through every method, every combination. It became a grueling mission that I promised myself to see the end to.
All I wanted was the survival of not all, but even one heroine, a happy ending for them. I went through play route after play route, studying and trying repeatedly for two years.
Yeah, it was that bad of an obsession. Whatever free time I had, I spent it on the game. I was a scholarship student at one of the best universities in the world, the place where the rich and influential went.
But don't rush to conclusions. I am anything but rich and popular, I was the direct opposite. I was an orphan, I clawed my way here. How exactly, you may ask? Well, by freaking studying and refusing to believe that my fate is tied and set in stone.
So I can believe that you sympathize with my refusal to let go of the game until I make the perfect ending, right?
I managed to keep up good grades, but aside from that, everything else was poured into the game. I barely spoke to the little friends I had because I was always on the game. That was how big of an obsession saving the heroines became to me.
--
I sat inside my room, a Saturday night, no classes the next day, so I could play through the night. The monitor sat before me, displaying the menu screen of the game.
The night wind blew through the window, chilly, it made me shiver. I got up and walked to the small one-person bed. It was a complete mess, with books and clothes lying on it. But I wasn't going to be sleeping tonight, so there was no need for it. I picked up the black hoodie.
As I walked back to the worn-out gaming chair, I stopped to take a look at my mirror, and there I was in the reflection, looking good. Haha, I can't lie, I looked like shit.
My white shirt and black underwear like some NPC. I couldn't even spice it up. Maybe wear some Spongebob boxers, that would have looked nice. Fine, that does it, underwear shopping tomorrow.
I was a pretty tall dude, at six feet two, well, six feet one, but come on, whoever agrees to their real height? I had completely black hair, and eyes that looked devoid of sleep.
I turned away from the mirror and returned to my chair, put on the hoodie, and got seated. It was time for me to try a new route. I logged in and the screen displayed:
[Welcome back User Peter]
"Why did I use my real name, I still ask myself this question."
I dragged my hand over my face. It's not like anyone would see it, but why could I not have used something like Didy's Baby Oil or Sigma Alpha? Haha, that would be funny. Well, maybe if it was an online game and people could see my name.
After waiting for a bit, the game started. The first screen displayed a lady. She looked fourteen, stunning red hair and dark eyes. She carried a real regal aura.
"Angela," I muttered as I looked at the screen. I had seen her over a thousand times now. She was to me the most intriguing character, and her death was the last and most gruesome of all.
She was what I would look for in a woman if my introverted ass got to dating. Well, back to the game. I played with a new strategy this time, going through the patterns in a way I hadn't before.
But much like before, I watched as each of the heroines got killed. One, two, three, four, five, six. I stared at the screen, my heart racing. Had I failed again?
It seemed so. I took a deep breath and allowed the air to leave my lungs slowly through my nose. I clicked the mouse, beginning my next sequence. It looked like the same result would come, but then something happened.
The game didn't go down the same path. Angela didn't die. She didn't lose her life. I saved her.
I looked at the screen in disbelief, my hands trembling. I was shocked, I couldn't believe what was happening. Two years, two years in the game and I managed to finally change the fate of one of the heroines.
I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart. I needed to save this. I clicked on the save button. The screen glitched before my eyes, all my saves vanished, everything I had worked on till date vanished.
The scene was worse than watching a loved one die. A new type of fear gripped me. I started trying anything, mashing keys on the keyboard, but it didn't change. Then suddenly, the screen went blank. A few seconds later, everything went dark.