The next day CallanRok was conversing with Muffin,the slim girl that ran after Elise when she left the meeting room. They were sitting on a couch in a living room facing the back porch of the garden. Muffin was a soft spoken lady who many took pity on for looking so fragile. CallanRok wanted to know if Elise said anything else to her after the meeting. Muffin said, "The only thing Elise kept talking about were those memories. She kept going back and forth on whether to stay on her path or change." "What do you mean change?" asked CallanRok. "Like to be more of a boss hunter than a fighter. Just how EXC has it set up, some are only boss hunters and others are fighters," answered Muffin. She then inhaled quickly as she suddenly remembered something. "I heard from Blowzabella that Eden was badly injured and everyone else went to go see her," Muffin whispered to CallanRok. "Who did she fight with?" asked CallanRok. "Don't know, just that she was knocked unconscious and they were mad at Expat for not being there. But you didn't hear it from me. I was told Eden didn't want anyone to find out. Probably because she's too proud," answered Muffin as she ate a grape from the tray in front of them. "Ask around what really happened to Eden, I'm sure she isn't going to tell me the whole story if I ask directly" ordered CallanRok. "You got it boss man," answered Muffin. "Good girl," replied CallanRok and Muffin smiled.
Eden went to the training grounds to find her generals waiting for her already. She had them lined up and announced, "each of you will receive a gold star medal for your efforts." She passed them out and as the medal landed on the hands of the general, it disappeared and reappeared engraved in their armor. When Eden arrived at Arthur, She handed him two stars. Before she was able to drop them in his hand, Arthur interrupted, "Chief Commander, you are giving me one too many." Eden looked at him curiously and said, "I am giving you the second one because you are the main general and my support on the battlefield. It is what you deserve. I give credit where credit is due." "Yes, Commander, I accept with gratitude you have acknowledged me," answered Arthur as he bowed his head and placed his fist on his chest. Eden paused for a moment wondering if she should keep talking to Arthur. Lately she has had this feeling that she couldn't shake off. Usually, Arthur and the rest of her generals would just accept the orders and execute them. There was no conversation with them. Once in a while Eden would forget they were NPC's and praise their work and commitment. However, since her encounter with Odin and Erza's sudden change, Eden has been more observant. A message pop up in Eden's chat that pulled her from her thoughts. It was from Expat asking "Do you have time to talk in private?" Eden was actually going to head out to do more tests with Erza on a boss raid, so she figured she could make a detour. She replied, "I can swing by your castle before I head out to a boss raid." "Great, I'll join" responded Expat.
Eden decided to take Arthur, Gabriel, Sir Lancelot, Gwaine and Sir Tristan, her main front line generals with her to Expat's castle. She hired a new General, Maximilian, to be in charge of the Castle defense. Upon arriving, Eden decided that it was best to wait for her to be greeted than to walk right in. She was tending to her horse as they waited in the court opening when out of the corner or her eye she noticed something that caught her eye. A peasant man that nearly tripped over a bucket and lowered his head. His build and features looked familiar to Eden. She made her way to him and called to him, "you there, stop." The man froze in the middle of his attempted escape. He was facing towards an alley he tried to run to before Eden stopped him. Eden walked closer to him. "Where are you going?" asked Eden as she reached him and was now right behind him. "Can I help you, my liege? I am but a servant in this castle," and the mad lowered his head. "Do you have a name?" Eden asked as she examined the man and tried to lean in to get a better look at his face. "My name? my name is, my name is, my name is, my name is" the man kept repeating as he placed his hands on head. He looked like he was trying to force his head to give him an answer. "Commander, he seems to be ill. The host of the castle is approaching," said Arthur. Eden's eyes widened as she finally recognized the face and voice of the man. "Menky?" Eden in disbelief. The man then spiraled into an irrational behavior. He began to say loudly with a manic chuckle, "My name is Menky ha ha ha! My name is Menky ha ha ha! My name ha ha ha, my name ha ha ha." Then he quickly moved towards Eden. She raised her arms to cover her face, but nothing made an impact. Arthur, Gabriel and Sir Tristan were the closest to Eden and had detained Menky. He kept laughing maniacally and repeating, "My name is Menky."
Expat arrived and asked "what's going on here?" as he stood next to Gabriel and Sir Lancelot. Eden corrected her posture and said," I was going to ask you the same question." Why is Menky here and in this condition?" Expat looked over at Menky and then back at Eden who was expecting an explanation. " You're calling that NPC Menky? I don't name my NPCs in my castle like you. Eden looked at Arthur and told him, "turn his face to him so he get a better look." Even after seeing the man's face, Expat didn't remember who Menky was. Eden then said, "Menky was the leader of DRK, my alliance before I was placed as leader. Do you not remember him?" "No," replied Expat with a straight face. Expat called for a guard and ordered, "dispose of him, he is glitching." As soon as the guard moved, Eden stood in front of him. The guard began to pull out his sword and Sir Tristan had his out already. Expat ordered, "Stop." Then asked Eden, "Why do you stand in the way? This is how you reset the NPC." Eden glared at Expat, "You've been killing your NPCs?" Expat was confused why Eden was over reacting to an NPC she thinks is Menky. Then he let out a breath of air before saying," alright, what would you have me do then? So we can move on and talk. It doesn't matter to me whether this NPC lives or works as a glitch as long as the castle functions the same. "Take him to the hospital," said Eden. "But that is only for the injured," said Expat. "Arthur," called Eden. Without Eden looking back or saying anything else, Arthur took out a dagger and pierced Menky on the thumb to draw a few drops of blood. Then released him from the grip of Gabriel and Sir Tristen. Expat commanded his guide to teleport him to the hospital. Then Expat gestured to walk in the direction of the castle entrance.
Eden was still thinking of what happened to Menky and if she would be able to talk to him when Expat finally spoke. "Callan wants to know what happened to you in the server war. I only said what you requested to say, but he claims he has information that you were defeated." "I know he is asking around about my fight, but it's just rumors that can't be verified without evidence" answered as she drank from the glass of water that was brought in for them. "Why do you wish to keep it a secret if it happened?" asked Expat. "Is there a reason I should share what happens to me with Callan?" replied Eden mildly annoyed. "If the opponent was strong, then we can learn from it." said Expat. Then Eden added "there is nothing to learn from it without a report. Besides, he hasn't shared any of his reports with us." Expat showed Eden a report that Callan sent. It was his battle with the Reaper. Eden looked at it and noticed that the power level didn't show like in Jericho's. "Is this a bribe to get me to talk about the details of my attacker?" Eden asked as she kept looking at the report. "No, he sent this before asking anything. He wanted me to see for myself." Eden then looked at Expat in the eyes and asked, "what is your relationship with Callan?" Expat frowned and said, "He is just a friend. We don't talk about alliance things. I am not his spy." "I didn't say you were, but I am wondering why you wanted to talk to me about releasing information I explicitly told everyone not to spread," said Eden as she leaned against the seat and crossed her legs. Expat replied softly, "I only brought it up because I promised I would. He said it would help him understand the enemy." Eden thought , "which enemy? Everyone outside FOX or the server." but decided to stay quiet on her opinion. She then took a sip of water and said, "there's nothing he would be able to learn from a story a report can't confirm. Plus, he is stronger than we are and he won't be able to measure how he would have done. Tell him to let the rumor go. Maybe it was a Boss that took me out and I was disoriented from my previous battle. Expat, It's not that I don't want to help out the server, but I want to understand what happened before I openly talk about it." Expat nodded and then asked, "why were you so interested in that NPC?" Eden looked at her cup before raising her eyes to meet his, "I want to talk to him. I want to know more too.
Eden and Expat walked to the town located to the right of the main castle. They followed Expat's guide, Pixie, to the place where the NPC's would go after their duties were complete. It was like a whole new experience for Eden because she hadn't ventured into this part of her own castle. Each NPC had their own assigned living space, but they could socialize. There was a common area for them to gather and small markets for their necessities. Something that Eden noticed was that there were no children NPCs. It was either teens or adults that ranged from their 20's to a little over retired age 65.
They got to a building and walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor. Expat didn't knock, he just opened the door and walked in. Eden didn't know how to feel about that since it's customary to knock before entering and this is Expat's domain. She walked in after him and saw Menky sitting in a rocking chair facing the window. The place seemed normal for an apartment of the era the game was projected to be. Eden had asked her Generals to stay outside until they were done talking to Menky. As she sat on a rocking chair opposite of Menky, she noticed he was crying. Eden looked around for a napkin and saw a towel hanging in the kitchen. Then rushed over to grab it and began to dry his tears. Menky stopped crying when he finally looked away from the window. His personality suddenly changed. He smiled and greeted them with a cheery tone, "my liege, how may I be of service, forgive me for not responding to your summons. My home is much too small for company." Menky had raised to stand and then bowed his head. Eden's lips pressed in a thin line for a moment and then took in a deep breath. "Menky, why have you been hiding in Expat's castle?" Menky's body began to shake in fear as he replied, "I am but a mere butcher that works in the market and makes deliveries." Eden continued, "Menky, what happened to you? You were just crying." Menky kept bowing and said, "I apologize for not responding to your summonings, what can I help you with." Eden looked at Expat for help. Expat didn't understand why Eden was interested in the NPC's behavior but he decided to help. "I command you to answer Eden honestly without the script you were given." Menky froze and he began to sweat. Eden asked, "are you Menky?" Menky trembled and answered shakenly " Ye Ye Ye Yes." The room went dark and troops entered the apt. They grabbed Menky and announced, "we are the knights of the Admin to execute the consequences for breaking game rules. User Menky will be held in the dungeon under the throne castle to serve his sentence." Eden tried to stop them, "wait! I'm not done talking to him, he did nothing wrong!" She looked at Expats who also tried to stop them by saying, "this is my domain, I make the rules here." They kept walking towards a wagon with a cell. "Stop them!," Eden yelled at her generals. Eden's generals began to move and then a sudden shock traveled through them that made them fall to their knees. The same happened to Expat's guards. Eden ran to prevent them from getting on their horses, but a forcefield stopped her from getting close and blew her away. Then with a bright light they vanished.
Unsure of what to say, Expat walked to stand next to Eden who was still on the ground. She was on her knees trying to process what just happened. She then asked Expat, "You don't recall Menky or ever coming across him?" Expat tried to remember, "I don't but maybe Pixie can locate a record of my interaction with him." He then looked at Pixie who was sitting on his shoulder and said, "Pixie, find a report or mail that has username Menky." Pixie disappeared and reappeared with a battle report and a few letters with Menky's seal stamped on and unopened. Eden grabbed the report and reviewed it. There were no troops, just resources and goods attained from Menky's castle. Then she scrolled down more, It stated Menky, dead. She looked at the time and date. Eden then called Erza to show herself. Erza uncloaked and appeared near the Generals. Eden had the habit of having her cloaked to be out of sight and because other's guides couldn't be near her, she ordered Erza to stay at a distance with the generals.
Eden looked at Erza," What is the time and date when I was appointed leader?" Erza pulled out a scroll from inside her robe and read out loud the time stamp. It was 4 hours prior to Expats battle report. Erza walked closer to Eden to hand her the scroll. Pixie flew behind Expat and sat a few feet away from them on a stud from a porch. Expat followed Pixie with his eyes in confusement. Eden then opened the letter from Menky to Expat and read the contents. They were requests to join the DRK alliance, requests to stop plundering members and the final letter was the promise to not fight back if he decided to remove his protective shield over the castle.
Eden crumbled the last letter and stared at her feet to ask Expat, "Why didn't you open the letters or remember you once attacked this man?" Expat inhaled deeply and exhaled, "When I was with FTG all we did was plunder and take what we could to improve our own strength. It's part of the game. I don't recall Menky because he was one of many I took from. They all write and say unnecessary things. If they die, then they can return and rebuild. That is what I understood the game to be." Eden released the paper in her hand and it tumbled away with the wind. She felt her chest swell a little thinking of what caused Menky to give up and become an NPC in someone else's castle. Another mystery she didn't have an explanation for. She just felt like it was not what Menky had in mind when he did what he did. Then she suddenly thought of all the ones she killed in the process with the same reasoning. She felt just as disturbed with the thought. Eden got up and began walking to Thunder without looking at Expat. She felt shame for her own actions. How can she look anyone in the eyes after having come to a realization that she was responsible for others just like Menky. Then Expat said from behind, "you can't blame yourself for the things you didn't know." Eden looked at Expat and said, "if you plan on attacking anyone, just try to remember their face and their name. Perhaps they could live on knowing they aren't forgotten."
Eden wanted to return to her own castle and visit her own town to see if there were others she recognized, but how to face them. What would she say and what if they ended the same way Menky ended as. How would she get Menky out was her next question.
Eden decided to continue her original plan and test out Erza's limitations. To Eden, it was still important to get stronger to get the throne and see if she can visit the dungeon. Erza had a sword now but it wasn't utilized. In battle she wants Erza to serve as an aid and in meetings she wants Erza to serve as a substitute. They arrived at the location Eden marked on the map. It was full of bosses and other smaller monsters to practice on. Eden began to instruct Erza how to swing the sword and with every new move she named it. Then she named the combination. Eventually there were enough combinations for Erza to battle alone. After a few monsters, the test was for Erza to battle alone with help of the Generals. Erza defeated a few more bosses before they got to some advanced ones. It was there that Eden noticed Erza didn't respond without a command during a fight. Then Eden said, "Erza, you are to respond to any attack against you with whatever combination or single strike you see more advantageous." With that, it changed the way of Erza's fighting style. She didn't look like a stumbling baby anymore, she seemed like a natural warrior. One that has mastered all forms of strikes and attacks. Eden was mesmerized. The Generals seemed like helpless puppies in her presence. Eden then got the idea to have Erza train her generals to improve their XP points which would upgrade them in battle formations and tactics.
The day was almost over and Eden had returned to the castle tired, but she still forced herself to stay up and walk to the town. She looked around and paused at every face she came across. Each one would greet Eden with cheer and kindness when they would realize she was staring. Eden got to well where a lady with long hair was humming and making a crown made of flowers. The lady jumped up as she saw Eden approach her. Before Eden was able to say anything, the lady had reached to her pile and planted a crown on Eden's head. She smiled and said, "thank you my liege for keeping us safe." Eden's cheeks turned pink and then a flash of memory crossed her mind. It was the same lady wearing armor and her hair was in a braided pony tail. She has heavy eyeliner on a dark burgundy lipstick on. She had her sword pointed to Eden. She smiled and said, "I'm glad it was you." Then in Eden's memory, she swiftly went past her and cut her down with one strike. Eden shook her head and saw that the lady was still smiling at her. Eden quickly thanked her and walked away.
As Eden tried to recall the name of the lady, she bumped into a man. The man apologized and bowed his head. Another flash of memory ran through Eden's mind. The same man was bowing down on his knees as he said, "please, I'm already weaker than you. It was my mistake to attack your member. I won't do it again." In her memory, Eden said, "you definitely won't do it again. This is the price you pay." Eden took a step back and her blood drained from her face as another memory emerged. This was of another man who she had slain for pillaging one of her members. She turned around at the second man she bumped on. Eden then began to walk back to her castle. With every person she bumped along the way, a new memory emerged.
Back in Eden's room, she was shaken up by the sudden memories. She had asked the servant girl to leave her hot chocolate on the table for her to pick up. She didn't want anymore memories emerging from contact with them. She stared into space and finally asked Erza, "what are these memories?" Erza uncloaked to answer, "some are your memories and some are the memories of their last battle with someone else." Eden then asked, "are you able to tell me more in detail about this?" Erza shook her head, "No, since you have discovered this on your own, I can only confirm your suspicions or explain the phenomenon you are experiencing. That is what I am allowed to do at the moment." "Can you confirm that they are all previous users, not NPCs?" Eden asked as she took a sip of her drink. Erza nodded, "I can distinguish who are humans. They are mixed in to blend in the background." Eden then asked, "can I talk to them without them being in trouble?" "You can talk to them as you please without inquiring about their past," answered Erza. "What about their consciousness, is it restricted?" asked Eden as her eyes began to collect water. "I advise you not to ask them to step outside the role they have been assigned." Eden lowered her head in a bit of defeat. "Your heart is in a good place," added Erza.
"Why didn't I see the memories of Menky's last moments when I touched him before he ended where he did?" asked Eden. "You don't have legal rights to them," responded Erza. Eden's eyes widened and asked bewildered "Legal rights?" Erza then brought out the contract from the game which was signed by Eden before entering Evansly. "There is more to this contract that humans don't read and makes them susceptible to binding contracts. That also includes accepting contracts that are not written. You can find them in section XXXII, all additional binding contracts will be added and modified so long the terms have been met or broken by a higher power." Eden was still confused. How the heck did this place turn into contracts and legal rights. Eden wanted to ask What is the purpose of the design, but she felt it was something Erza would not be able to answer. So far, she learned that she would have to discover it on her own and Erza can confirm by sharing information. Maybe someone who has figured out the purpose can tell her and then Erza could confirm it after.
A knock on Eden's door was heard. Eden furrowed her eyes and wondered who in their mind would interrupt her night without prior notification. Eden got up and was about to answer the door herself before Erza stopped her. "An elder has come to interrogate you. He will try to find you guilty." Eden stopped and felt her heart beat higher. Something crossed her mind, more like a word, "interseed." Eden said it out loud without thinking and didn't notice Erza's eyes glowing as soon as she said it. "As you wish," answered Erza. Then Erza raised a hand towards Eden and an unseen force pushed Eden against the wall. A gold liquid began to rise from the ground to create a barrier. It took the appearance of a bird cage, but was meant to keep others out. Then Erza moved her hand to open the door without moving from her spot. She pulled out her sword and shield.
A slim looking man walked in through the door. He was wearing a black robe with a hoodie. His eyes and cheeks were sunken. His skin glimmered like if he had small particles of diamonds. He kept the top of his white hair braided because it was long. He wore a crown of crystals of all kinds of colors. His eyes were a deep purple shade with a silver iris. He carried gold jewelry with pods hanging from them. The inside looked like it had a small bean, but Eden couldn't tell what it really was from her distance. Underneath were garments that resembled the Greek gods. It looked like his garment was made of silk because of the shine, but it was too thick to be silk. He looked around the room and then looked at Erza. "Where is the human girl?" he asked her. Erza's eyes still glowing, "I am her interceder." He then gave an angry look. A murderous aura was released instantly. Eden felt the aura and sweat began to build on her back. She felt the air grow cold and thin. Then a sudden warm feeling showered her and she thought she heard, "do not be afraid." The elder then stated, "The girl commanded another one's villager resulting in the loss of his asset which he rightfully attained through the spoils of war. She must pay for his loss or be thrown in the dungeon." Without a pause Erza responded, " the villager was commanded by his liege to answer the question. It is the legal right of the liege to command this despite the consequence." "That is not what resulted in his loss. But when the human girl commanded the villager to stop is the cause of it all," said the elder with a sly smile. Erza then stated "the villagers' roles are assigned, among those roles is to provide the liege's guest with services which is an extension to their role." The elder retorted,"the role of a villager was to transport goods and be a butcher. It does not extend to being stopped for any other reason." Erza rebutted, "transporting goods includes making stops as stated on the job description. Deliveries shall be made at multiple stops throughout the day, the villager is acting in accordance to his role or else he would have been able to refuse the command" responded Erza without a hint of hesitation. The elder felt irritated. He pursed his lips and then said slowly as his eyes rolled back, "the human is not found guilty of breaking any rules of our realm. There were no findings or evidence against her." His eyes had gone completely black. It looked like there was a small galaxy that was hiding behind his eye sockets which was only exposed when his eyes rolled back. Whispers were heard and his eyes returned to normal before saying "She has been released from the charges against her." He then left the room and the door closed behind him.
Erza's eyes stopped glowing and the golden barrier melted into the ground before disappearing. Eden felt relieved to be clear of any charges. She had no idea she was on trial for the simplest thing to ask Menky to stop. Erza placed her sword away and shield. Eden then asked, "why did you pull your sword out?" "It was just in case I had to battle for days," answered Erza casually. "Days?" Eden asked, confused. "Do not fear, this is but one of the ways a trial is conducted." "So it was a trial, not just an interrogation," said Eden. Erza nodded, "when you asked me to intercede I was given legal right to respond on your behalf." "But I only repeated what crossed my mind in the moment, I didn't know what I was doing," said Eden as she made her way to sit. "The helper always guides you when you need it," said Erza. Eden then understood the helper Erza was referring to.
The place she was stuck in had so much secrecy to it and each new piece of information was a lot to take in. But something that she easily accepted was her faith in Jesus Christ. She didn't know how and why a lot of things happened, but she was grateful to have the grace of God to keep her going in her darkest times. She didn't know exactly how it worked, where someone who committed so much to be ashamed of could be saved, just that it happens. A year before falling into this game, she had committed to her faith despite all the push back she received by people who surrounded her. The only thing that kept her going after every battle at night was prayer and asking for forgiveness because she always did something she wasn't proud of. Even when she was cheeky and had a laugh about it, she would later repent and wondered why the heck it was so difficult to be good. This was an internal battle that always wrestled within her like two wolves fighting over a meal. The meal was her salvation and heart.
"He called the server a realm, what does it mean?" Eden finally asked. "It means you exist in a place where you were transported and governed by the elders. The earth is not within their governed territory and that is why they created a portal." Eden only remembered the smoke and suddenly falling. That must've been the portal opening up after she accepted the terms. But how did they know how to select her? As if Erza read her mind, she said, " certain conditions must be met before you are presented the contract. You must have a desire to leave and express it by saying it outloud." Eden placed the palms of her hands on her forehead. She was frustrated with herself now. I said it out of boredom and trying to get my mind off work, not send myself to another world that could be close to hell. Who wishes for something like that? Eden inhaled and exhaled before asking another question. "So I have to say it out loud without knowing what I consent to?" "It's the power of words. They are recorded and monitored," answered Erza, who still hasn't moved from her spot. During Eden's search for answers she recalled learning about the power of words and monitoring spirits. Could it be that there were spirits from this realm monitoring and acting as agents to make a contract, Eden asked herself. She would probably sound crazy to others because it's become customary to disregard any spiritual things or paranormal things. People these days just disregard their experiences and leave it to coincidence. They go as far as saying you have a mental illness for acknowledging anything that can't be seen. But in her search she realized how many people do go through these spiritual experiences, but stay silent. She even knew people who practiced witchcraft. So Eden knew people do sense the energies, they have just been cut off from the source through the indoctrination of the way the world is viewed now. Eden felt her head hurt with all these thoughts overflowing her at once. She hasn't thought about family, friends or anything related to the real world. The world she belonged to. It's been weeks and she told herself that the more she thought about it, it just made her anxious and depressed. So she only focused on getting out of the game. Wow, she still referred to it as a game even after finding out more truths. People were trapped here and repurposed to fill in the background. Eden looked at Erza and asked, "you are not human, the elder did not address you as human. What are you?" There, she finally had the courage to ask. "In time all will be known, it is not the time," answered Erza. Eden looked down and then another thing that she was wondering crossed her mind. "Are my generals humans?" "All, but one," answered Erza. "Who isn't human?" asked Eden. "General Maximillian." Eden furrowed her eyes and then asked, "Can he be trusted?" Erza paused for a moment before responding, " He is a prisoner of war, his contract is to be your general and to fulfill his role. The loyalty in your people is forged through your interactions and through the broadcast." "What? What broadcast?" asked Eden after her stunned face regained movement. "When you leave the castle, your actions and conversations are broadcasted throughout your castle on communal areas where the villagers can see," answered Erza as she raised her hand and a floating screen appeared. Then a video of Eden talking to Odin started playing.
"What do you think a power boost is going to accomplish?" Eden's eyes glowed and she said "a second chance to protect my people."
Then the screen closed. Erza continued to talk as if she was giving a presentation. "This sparked the hearts of your villagers and army." Eden looked down and her eyes watered, "or break their spirits from ever getting their freedom." This place was truly some kind of a sick joke created by the elders. It burned Eden from inside because she could have easily ended up just like them. Looking towards a screen and watching how another one didn't succeed or turned away from their goal to leave. "How do I look at them and talk to them now? Do I have the right to ask them to do anything?" asked Eden, but Erza remained silent. This must be something only Eden can figure out.