[JULIA – GREYHOLD VILLAGE – 173 DAYS REMAINING]
The fog covered everything.
Dense. Suffocating. It wasn't ordinary fog — it was **presence**. Something alive crawling across the ground like an invisible serpent, enveloping every house, every street, every fallen body.
The village inhabitants were scattered everywhere. Motionless. Eyes open but empty. Breathing, but only that. As if souls had been ripped out, leaving flesh shells waiting for orders.
The silence was absolute.
Even the birds had fled.
And up there, floating in the center of the plaza, was **him**.
Black cloak absorbing the light. Deep hood completely concealing his face. Beside him, a grimoire floated — pages turning by themselves, each turn producing a pulse of purple energy that made the fog ripple.
The group of ten players stood at the plaza entrance.
San observed with narrowed eyes, hand on his dagger, muscles tense. Twenty-one years old, assassin, too calm — but his locked jaw betrayed restraint about to break. His eyes occasionally drifted to Julia. *Idiot. Worried about her even now.*
Jessica crossed her arms, analyzing everything with the expression of a CEO evaluating a crisis. Twenty-seven years old, mage, posture straight even facing the absurd. Staff already glowing faintly — prepared, always prepared.
Esteban floated above the ground, telepathic manipulator, eyes fixed on the grimoire. Calculating weaknesses.
Leandro gripped his bow nervously. Cristina beside him, archer as well, breathing controlled but rapid.
Josh watched with suspicion, adaptable class, already assessing movement patterns.
Zuzu trembled — not from fear, from contained adrenaline. Fire elemental wanting to explode.
Gena held her healer's staff too tightly, deep dark circles under her eyes. Andressa murmured low enchantments, sorceress preparing defenses.
And Julia...
Julia looked at the scene with wide eyes.
Fallen bodies. Sinister fog. Figure floating. Magic grimoire.
*A shadowy enemy.*
*In a game.*
*A REAL villain.*
The thought cut through her mind like lightning.
Her heart raced. Not from fear. From **pure excitement**.
Her hands began to tremble. Her lips curved into a smile that grew with each second. Her eyes shone with something close to ecstasy.
*This. THIS is what I came for.*
*Not simulation. Not screen. REAL.*
The red knight armor seemed to glow more intensely. The sword vibrated in its sheath, as if sensing the growing excitement.
Julia couldn't hold back.
She raised her sword above her head in an explosive movement.
— **HOW COOL!** — she shouted, voice echoing through the plaza, shattering the deadly silence like broken glass.
The entire group froze.
San turned his head slowly, mouth open. *She... didn't...*
Jessica closed her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. *I'm going to have an aneurysm.*
Esteban looked at Julia as if she had completely lost her mind.
Leandro whispered: — Did she hit her head?
Zuzu just laughed nervously.
It was Esteban who reacted first, voice tense:
— Julia, **this is NOT the time** for you to get excited like that!
Julia turned, smile still plastered on. Took two steps and grabbed Esteban's shoulder, shaking him.
— How not?! — she almost shouted, pointing repeatedly at the figure. — Look! **LOOK!**
Pointed more times, almost jumping.
— We're finally going to fight a **super-villain**! Isn't this **awesome**?!
Absolute silence.
All nine slowly turned their faces.
The expression was unanimous: *This girl isn't right in the head.*
San rubbed his face. *Why... why do I like her?*
Jessica let out a long sigh, then looked directly at Julia with the expression of an executive dealing with a problematic intern.
— If you worked at my company — she said, voice cutting — I would **exploit** all this ridiculous energy of yours until you passed out from exhaustion. Then I'd promote you. But mainly I'd exploit you.
Julia just laughed louder.
That's when the voice echoed.
---
It didn't come from a specific place. It came from **everywhere**.
Deep. Distorted. Multiple voices in slightly desynchronized unison.
— **So you find this... entertaining?**
The group went rigid.
The figure above slowly tilted its head. The grimoire stopped turning pages.
Julia blinked, genuine confusion.
— Weeell... — she responded, obvious — it's **very** entertaining!
The figure remained motionless.
Then something that could be laughter — a low, hoarse, wrong sound — echoed.
— **I'm glad to hear that.** — the voice sounded almost satisfied. — **Because I'm going to love seeing your face at the end of this fight.**
Julia narrowed her eyes. The smile changed — defiant, crafty.
— Hey, hold on! — she pointed Excalibur. — Don't give me that blah blah blah! That's what I **always** heard from the bosses I defeated in games!
Took a step forward, smile widening.
— And **you'll** be next!
San murmured: — She's going to get us all killed...
The figure tilted its head to the other side.
— **You are... interesting.** — paused. — **I'm going to love exploring your fears.**
Jessica stepped forward, voice cutting:
— **MY SUBORDINATES, ADVANCE!**
Leandro turned immediately:
— I **already told you** we're not from your company!
Jessica didn't even blink:
— **MOVE, YOU WORMS!** If not, I'll **replace** all of you!
Cristina murmured: — Honestly... bunch of lunatics.
Josh shook his head: — Only **crazy people** in this group.
But they started running.
---
**The Attack**
Zuzu was the first.
— **FIRE IMPULSE!**
Flames burst from his feet. Body launched like a rocket, tracing a flaming arc.
At the apex, he spun.
— **INFERNAL BLAST!**
A column of fire descended like a meteor. Heat distorted the air. Orange light illuminated everything.
It hit...
...and passed through.
The fire went **through** the figure. Continued, exploding behind.
Zuzu landed, eyes wide.
— What...?
**Laughter** echoed.
— **Are you looking for me?** — voice from above. — **Then let me appear.**
Everyone looked up.
The figure was **directly above**.
Hadn't moved. Simply **was** there.
Esteban reacted.
— **YOU BASTARD!**
Raised his hands. Telekinesis activated. Ground trembled. Stones tore themselves free — ten, twenty, **thirty**.
— **TAKE THIS!**
Launched them all.
They flew like projectiles, sharp whistling tearing through air.
The figure slowly raised its hand.
— **Mirror Magic.**
The grimoire glowed intense purple.
The air **tore** — literally tore like cut fabric.
A mirror appeared.
Not glass. Liquid surface, rippling, reflecting **possibilities**.
— **Unequal Retroaction.**
The mirror began to **multiply**.
One became two. Two became four. Four became **dozens**.
Around the group — above, below, sides — liquid mirrors materialized floating, each reflecting impossible angles.
The stones entered the front mirror.
Disappeared.
No sound. Swallowed.
Silence.
Josh looked around.
— That guy's not right in the head...
The figure extended its hand. From the grimoire, pulled something small.
A baton.
Black. Silver tip glowing.
Tapped lightly on the grimoire.
**Tap. Tap. Tap.**
Like a conductor preparing an orchestra.
Josh frowned.
— What...?
The baton rose.
And **descended**.
---
**The Orchestra of Death**
Sound exploded.
Not music. **Cacophony**. Out-of-tune violins, off-rhythm drums, grinding metals, distorted voices singing in a dead language.
Came from everywhere. Houses. Streets. **Air**.
Like an invisible orchestra spread out, playing the apocalypse's symphony.
Josh covered his ears:
— **WHAT'S HAPPENING?!**
The music got louder. Sounds overlapping until creating physical pressure vibrating bones.
The mirrors **pulsed**.
From the surfaces, something emerged.
**Stones.**
The same ones Esteban had launched.
But now **hundreds**.
Multiplied. Distorted. Some fist-sized. Others car-sized.
Exploded from the mirrors in all directions.
**CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!**
Hit houses, destroying walls. Hit ground, opening craters. Flew chaotically.
— **SCATTER!** — Jessica shouted.
But then she acted.
Staff glowed intense dark blue.
— Emergency meeting **CANCELLED**!
An arcane circle exploded beneath her feet.
**WHAM!**
Energy barrier intercepted five stones, vaporizing them to dust.
Turned to the group while maintaining the magic:
— Performance **UNACCEPTABLE**! Improve or you'll be **FIRED**!
Protected everyone while shouting.
---
The group exploded into movement.
San disappeared into the shadows. Cristina and Leandro ran dodging. Zuzu created fire walls, vaporizing smaller stones.
But there were **too many**.
One hit an inhabitant's body. Skull **crushed** like fruit. Blood and gray matter splattered.
Another hit a woman's legs. Bones **broke** with wet sounds. Legs separated from the body.
Destruction painting the plaza red.
Above, the figure conducted with the baton, graceful movements.
As if savoring each note of suffering.
---
Julia ran, dodging, smile still on her face—
A stone flew directly at her.
San materialized in front.
Didn't think. Body reacted.
Deflected the stone with his dagger at the last instant.
**CLANG!**
Julia blinked, surprised.
— San, I—
— **Pay attention**! — he cut her off, already disappearing.
But looked back.
For a second.
Making sure she was alive.
*Idiot. Always an idiot for her.*
---
Gena ran desperately.
Healer. Not a fighter. Just **surviving**.
Dodged a stone. Jumped over a body. Continued—
Her foot caught.
Tripped on an inhabitant's arm.
Fell face-first, staff escaping her grip.
Rolled onto her back—
And saw.
**Huge** stone descending.
Table-sized. Absurd speed.
Gena didn't even have time to scream.
**CRUNCH.**
Impact completely crushed her head.
Blood exploded. Skull fragments flew. Body convulsed.
Then went still.
Julia saw.
The smile... **faltered**.
For a second.
Saw Gena disappear in digital particles.
Saw Josh falling to his knees.
Felt something tighten in her chest—
*No. Don't think. Don't feel.*
*If you feel... the emptiness comes back.*
Forced the smile back.
Gripped Excalibur.
— **LET'S CONTINUE**!
But the voice came out less convinced.
San heard.
Looked at her through the shadows.
Saw the forced smile.
*She's breaking.*
*And doesn't even realize it.*
Josh screamed:
— **GENA! NO!**
Hands trembling.
The body dissolved completely.
As if it had never existed.
**[REMAINING PLAYERS: 9/10]**
**[GENA: ELIMINATED]**
The music continued.
The figure continued conducting.
And above it all, a voice echoed — clear, human, masculine:
— **You may call me... Maestro.**
The baton spun between fingers.
— **And this... is just the overture.**
The grimoire glowed more intensely.
And the mirrors began to **multiply** again.