A sharp crack split through the silence of the desolate street as their weapons collided. The force jolted Viego from his stance, nearly loosening the weapon out of his grip. He staggered a step back with his feet scraping against the empty pavement, adjusting his grip.
Across from him, the other guy's hair covered his face, making it much harder to get a read on his next move. His tongue clicked.
"Stay focused."
"I'm trying, what is this?"
He didn't respond. He moved with blinding speed. Vireo reacted on instinct as he raised his weapon just in time to block. Another impact, one after another… pain followed.
"Tsk… your sync is awful."
"My what?" Vireo retorted.
The guy pressed forward, forcing Vireo's balance off. The desolate streets were filled with the impact of both weapons as bits of the asphalt from the sidewalks went flying in all directions from the density of the strike's shockwave.
Each hit kept feeling heavier than it should've, not just his speed and force, something else entirely, as Vireo thought to himself.
"Okay, think…" he murmured to himself.
He steadied himself defensively while his eyes kept a sharp lock onto the guy's dagger. Vireo studied the guy's movements, formulating predictions and timing his strikes.
Another swing came. Vireo blocked it cleaner; the blade in his hand flickered. He then steadied slightly.
"It reacts!" he blurted.
"Yeah," the guys said, "It took you long enough." he laughed maniacally.
Vireo tightened his grip on the blade; the weapon wasn't solid, it felt as if it could fall apart any moment, but it moved when he did.
Another clash, but this time he pushed back as the guy's sneakers grinded against the pavement. The impact rang out across the space around them, and that's when he came to the realization.
The sound of the city faded, like someone slowly turning down the volume. The people, animals, and cars disappeared within the blink of an eye, leaving an empty street stretching out in both directions. The buildings were still present, as were the roads and sidewalks.
Vireo's eyes widen slightly as he analyzes the area, while he keeps an eye on the guy in front of him.
"Where did everything go?"
"Gone," the guy, panting, said simply.
Vireo glanced around at the buildings, taking notice of the strange, irregular geometrical vein-like patterns that covered the entire area they stood in, as far as the eye could see. His head ached as he got glimpses of the 'dream' he had experienced earlier this morning.
"What did you do?"
"Not me," the guy subtly replied.
Another attack came in as Vireo blocked it with more confidence, stepping forward instead. He swung as he gritted his teeth, the air bent slightly around his strike; heavy and unrefined. The guy's expression shifted to a more concerning look.
"That's not normal."
He dodged Vireo's attack, but not completely, as the hit clipped the side of his stomach right below his ribcage. He staggered; his weapon flickered violently. He steadied himself more cautiously as he assessed the damage.
"You're a dangerous fellow." Holding his ribcage, panting.
"I don't even know what I'm even doing, we could just sto-" Vireo pleaded
Vireo couldn't have finished his sentence as the guy rushed in even faster and sharper. The asphalt in the air felt stagnant with the sheer speed.
Vireo didn't hesitate this time. They clashed, blow after blow, sending shockwaves up to their spines and the surrounding area. Once, then another, and then the third. Vireo pushed through as a sharp crack pierced through the empty world. They continuously exchanged blows as light particles flew off their weapons like sparks. The guy missed and slipped, throwing himself off balance, giving Vireo a chance to land a devastating and decisive blow to his body as the blade passed right through; strangely enough, the guy's body was intact with only a line of light that wrapped the guy's body where the blade made contact. The guy fell to his knees, hitting the hard, cold pavement. His weapon shattered into minuscule pieces as if it were brittle like glass; not explosively… it just broke apart and fizzled upwards into the air.
The pressure lifted as the empty world started to revert its changes to the normal world, and the vein-like patterns retracted into nothingness. For a moment, it was just silence, nothing moved either, until it snapped back into reality. People, cars, and even the stray animals on the streets were there. Along with that, the guy was also there, dazed.
Vireo looks down, seeing his weapon retracted back to his device. In his peripheral vision, he saw a familiar text again. But not paying attention as he was focused on the opponent in front of him.
[DUEL TERMINATED]
[RESULTS CONFIRMED]
[SYNC: 24%]
[REWARD: MEMORY FRAGMENT (FRITZ COLE) ]
"That's it?" as Vireo clenched his fists defensively.
The guy didn't respond; he stood there with a blank stare.
"Are you talking to me? That's what? Is there some sort of problem, sir?" He replied, looking around, confused. He casually walked towards Viero.
"I may have been daydreaming, but why are you speaking so aggressively? Is something wrong? I really hope I didn't tick you off for staring. Here's twenty bucks."
Vireo stood in shock, pushing back the money towards the man, "Keep your money, we were just-"
Vireo's chest tightened as he held his tongue, realizing that the guy wasn't looking at him with malicious intent anymore. He lowers his guard, confused as to why he's not aggressive.
No tension in the guy's mind other than confusion, no recognition either, scratching his head. As people passed by, enveloping them in the center. The guy started to look down at his phone in his hand, knowing he was forgetting something he had to do.
"Do I know you? I'm busy, I have to do something, but I can't quite put my finger on it, goodbye… weirdo."
His voice was flat and hollow. He just shook his head and walked away, looking at his memo app on his phone. He disappeared into the crowd without a trace. Vireo didn't follow or move; he was in a state of shock and paranoia about what just had happened. Was it real? Was it a dream? Was he hallucinating?
His phone vibrated.
He looked down, and the screen flickered; not a text but an image. Sunlight poured through a window, with a girl flicking her brown hair out of her eyes, and laughter echoed throughout in his ears. The name stuck in the back of his mind, "Freya Cole".
Then immediately, the image and voice disappeared. Vireo staggered slightly as he held his left ear. The ringing of laughter stopped, quickly snapping back to reality.
[DATA ACQUIRED]
"Data…?" as he focused in on the text of his peripheral vision.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it." As Vireo heard someone from behind him, unfamiliar. A gust of wind blew, sending chills down his spine in the street. He froze momentarily, hoping it wasn't another type of guy he faced earlier. He turned slowly, clenching his phone, alert but exhausted.
A tall, slender guy stood behind him, older but not by much; around his early 20s, as he had neatly light brown, middle-parted hair that blew gracefully in the wind, dressed in casual clothing with his hands in his pockets, and his posture was relaxed like he'd been there the entire time.
"You handled that better than expected, good job," the guy said.
Vireo's grip tightened on his phone.
"How long were you there?" Vireo asked.
"Long enough," he replied.
That answer didn't help, nor was it the most reassuring either.
"You saw everything?"
He nodded once.
"First fight? I would assume. You're a very peculiar person."
Vireo exhaled, lowering his guard, sensing no hostility currently.
"No need to be scared, I won't kill you. Name's Cassian Tempest, Yours?" Cassian said to break the tension.
"Vireo Vale… so what is this?" as Vireo gestured to his phone.
"The app is called alters, do you not know the basics?" Cassian said confusingly.
Vireo frowned slightly but didn't respond immediately. Knowing the name didn't give him as much reassurance as he hoped for.
"That doesn't explain anything." Vireo sighed.
"No, it doesn't," the guy agreed.
His eyes gazed in the direction his opponent walked off.
Vireo hesitated, "That guy… he just forgot everything, as if nothing had happened."
Silence enveloped them as time flew by. Cassian gestured to follow while keeping quiet with a faint smile. Vireo followed, taking the risk of whatever was to come, as this was the only way he would be able to get answers at all.
Cassian stood in shock, " Let me educate you, everyone who wins, they take something from the other person, be it a valuable possession they hold dear, it could be something materialistic like a ring, bracelet, or even a car, if so be it, or something intangible, say his strength got sapped away, and you get physically stronger or more smarter. Regardless of what I'm thinking, which I hope not, is unheard of. So be careful of losing, there's no do-overs."
Vireo got a lump in his throat, processing what he took, holding his mouth as if he was about to vomit out of guilt.
"That's not a reward if you're taking it forcefully from someone else." Vireo firmly replied.
Cassian gave a faintly humorous laugh, "I didn't say it was."
They slowly paced the street as the clock hit the afternoon.
"So what, is this just gonna keep happening? People are just gonna get rewarded and lose something valuable till they die?"
"Pretty much, but don't dwell on it. Didn't your alter say anything to you at all? I'm not your encyclopedia all the time, you know," Cassian said, annoyed by the constant questioning.
Vireo didn't respond.
"The guy from earlier will be fine for the most part, you'll get used to it eventually," Cassian remarked as he kept pacing forward.
Still silence, not a word from Vireo. Cassian understood the silence and didn't force him to speak, oblivious to what was transpiring behind him. He subtly glanced out of curiosity to see what he was up to.
"Vireo…? Vireo!!" Cassian turned around in a state of worry.
Vireo knelt on both knees on the concrete, clutching his ears as his face twisted in pain. His vision flickered in and out, seeing this figure of a girl calling out to him with the name Freya, constantly repeating itself in his mind on top of laughter. He felt as if he was being swallowed from the inside out. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying for silence.
When they opened, he was in a totally different place. Sunlight beamed through a window, and faint laughter could be heard everywhere. He wasn't just watching; he was inside that vision he had earlier. A girl stood near the window, staring at him lifelessly.
"Dad, you're late again. I want to go pick the fruits outside," she said, smiling.
Her voice felt familiar, too familiar.
Vireo's chest tightened.
"I'm not your-" Vireo said before being abruptly cut off.
Her head tilted slightly, unbothered, "You always say that." She raised her hand, and a phone rested in her small palms as it lit up. The star symbol appeared once more, but instead of a weapon that formed, something came out of the phone. A small shape crawled out of the screen; it wasn't anything mechanical, but alive. Vireo froze as he didn't know what to say or do.
The creature unfolded itself slowly, delicate and strange. The girl smiled creepily as if she was possessed, "Ready, Vireo?"
The creature reacted as it stretched and shaped into the blade he held before, yet it was more refined and stable. The girl took one step forward with the blade in hand, taking a more aggressive stance, and throwing the blade at him.
"Feed me more," the girl said.
Then the memory broke, slamming the world back into reality. Vireo staggered, gasping for air, holding his chest. Looking around, realizing he was on a bench, sitting upright.
"You scared me there with passing out like that, not gonna lie. Did you have a panic attack or something? I had to pick you up, you're not that light, not gonna lie," Cassian asked, waving his hand in front of Vireo's face, trying to grab his attention.
"It's okay, I'm here, take your time to recover," as Cassian pats his head.
Vireo stared ahead. "I saw something."
Cassian didn't let it go, but he stayed silent, taking in the information.
"From that memory… I saw something," as his palms covered his face.
"Memory…? Wait, I was right, you took his memory, didn't you? No wonder he forgot why he was there. Describe what you saw." Cassian said, trying to give him comfort while also being concerned for his well-being.
Vireo explained what he saw, from the sunlight, the window, and then the girl, to the creature.
"That's your alter, didn't you see it when you first manifested?" Cassian asked confusedly.
"No, it's a first to me," Vireo replied
"That's really strange, not gonna lie," as Cassian looked up to the sky, stretching his arms all the way on the bench's back.
Silence stretched between them. Cassian's posture lets go, slowly standing up, looking down at him.
"What is it?" Vireo asked.
"Nothing, can you walk?" Cassian replied.
Vireo nodded as he slowly got up from the bench, trailing behind him. Cassian didn't say a word, nor did Vireo.
Cassian glanced back at him, wearily.
"So uh, you alone? You wouldn't get far like that, just saying," Cassian said.
Vireo only glanced with no reply, as his mind was only fixated on what had happened to him throughout the day, from that weird dream, to a random fight, and now a nightmare with a person he didn't know.
Cassian sighed lightly, "I figured as much."
"There are more of us, right? Like people who have alters?" Vireo asked, staring at the ground, dwelling on what to do in his mind.
"Yeah, could say that," Cassian replied.
"How many?" Vireo asked again.
Cassian shrugs, "There's enough."
It didn't make it any more helpful to calm Vireo's mind whatsoever.
"So you all just fight each other?" Vireo sighed, kicking a stone as he kept walking.
"Not exactly," Cassian glanced back sharply at him. "You'll figure it out. I have some friends you might want to meet, for your own safety at least. Call it what you want, but I call them family."
The word felt off; it was too normal for something like this.
"If you're alone by the end of the week, you'll understand why it matters. Take my number and call me whenever you're ready. Just know you can't call me if you're dead, so don't take too long." Cassian walks off, leaving a piece of paper with his number behind.
"I don't really have a choice…" Vireo sighed, entering the number into his phone. Looking at the time, he realized that school was almost over.
"Crap, I gotta go home," as he picked up the pace towards his house. At the back of his mind, he doesn't want to worry his mother about his crappy day, especially since it's his birthday of all days.