Chapter 1: Prologue
Buildings, skyscrapers, alleys, a bunch of empty streets... The sky is painted in an orange hue. The wind blows against my neck, but I know it's artificial. I stand on the brink, covered in blood that also feels fake. Yet, for some reason, it seems real to me. Beside me, October leans over, clutching his knee. I hear him breathing heavily, barely keeping it together. His beautiful white hair is now stained pink from a pool of blood.
"July 03..." I hear him say, "If you don't leave Technolife right now, you'll die."
He spoke through gritted teeth.
"In 20 seconds, Big Daddy will respawn on this server. Unclear where, unclear how far from our position, but we won't have the strength to erase him again." He swayed and let out a loud groan. "July 03... Leave me here and run. I can make it to the nearest heal point and distract Big Daddy for a few minutes. You will have time escape!"
"I won't leave you here, October! No matter how hard it gets, we're partners! I'll never leave you here for something like this!"
Digital tears start streaming from my eyes. I embrace October and don't let go. I won't lose anyone else here. No one!
"July 03!!! Let me go!!! What are you doing?!" October shouts, lightly tapping me on the back. Perhaps those hits seem strong to him, but I feel nothing. I only feel the digital tension. Code despair that makes my heart beat even faster.
"Attention, until Big Daddy respawns - 5..." the monotonous voice of the machine echoes, "4... 3... 2... 1..."
For one second, the whole world freezes. Everything ceases to exist. Pain, suffering, joy, envy, happiness, sympathy, despair, love... Everything just disappears.
"0..."
" - ERULIFA
@echo on
_emit: 3 shtnom 2 syad
START"