Dex set the crystal goblet down, its golden liquid untouched. "Okay. What are the Five?"
Liora's fingers traced the rim of her glass, petals drifting from her hair like silent laughter. "We are the anchors," she said. "The ones whose souls resonate with these worlds naturally. Not just players—conduits. Bridges between dimensions."
Kai, sprawled across a floating cushion, tossed a glowing orb into the air. "Fancy way of saying we're built different."
Dex ignored him. "And our purpose?"
Liora's smile was a slow, dangerous thing. "To claim them."
The air in the room shifted. The floating orbs dimmed, as if the light itself feared her next words.
"Every server. Every world. And then?" She leaned forward. "Earth."
Dex's stomach turned to ice. Seems like Dreamscape wasn't just a game, the servers were actually different dimensions, they were real. And the five's main mission wasn't also simple.
"You'll be given a choice soon," Liora continued, her voice softer now, almost gentle. "Domination… or protection."
Dex's throat tightened. "You mean—"
"Rule all dimensions, or defend them from those who would." She shrugged, as if discussing the weather. "I chose domination."
Dex whipped his head toward Kai.
The boy grinned, winking. "Same. It's fun being the bad guy."
A notification seared across Dex's vision:
[FATE OF THE FIVE: PATH SELECTION INCOMING]
[CHOICE WILL LOCK UPON NEXT LOGIN]
[WARNING: IRREVERSIBLE]
The words pulsed like a heartbeat. Like a countdown.
Liora stood, her gown of woven leaves rustling. "Think carefully, little lord. The other two haven't awakened yet, but the moment they do?" She chuckled. "I suspect they'll stand with us."
She brushed past him, her scent—jasmine and something darker—lingering in the air. "You'll have to decide whose side you're on."
The door to her sanctum swung open, revealing the shimmering expanse of Sylvanor beyond.
"And pray you choose right."
Dex slammed his palm on the mushroom-carved table. "Why the hell would you choose domination? You're talking about playing with human lives!"
Liora didn't flinch. "Everyone has their reasons, little lord. Every path has its mission... and its rewards." She examined her vine-wrapped nails. "You'll understand when given the choice."
Dex opened his mouth to argue when a notification flashed:
[QUEST COMPLETED]
[REWARD: PORTAL KEY (INTER-SERVER TRAVEL UNLOCKED)]
A shimmering key materialized in his inventory. But the triumph faded as a more pressing realization hit him.
"Kai," Dex whirled toward the grinning boy, "you didn't just bring my consciousness here. This is my real body."
Kai swung his legs from the floating cushion. "Duh. The Five don't need pods to log in anymore. Eventually you'll be able to jump in with just a thought—"
"Take me back. Now."
"Aw, but the party's just—"
"Now, Kai." Dex's voice left no room for argument.
Kai groaned dramatically. "Ugh, fine! But you're no fun."
As Dex turned for a final look at Liora, the pieces clicked. Her flawless skin, the way her breath warmed the air, the subtle rise and fall of her chest—
"Wait... this is your real body too?"
Liora's lips curved as Kai grabbed Dex's arm. "Next time," she purred, "ask me properly."
Space tore open.
Dex crashed onto his bedroom carpet, the scent of jasmine and crushed leaves clinging to his clothes. His head spun—one moment he'd been in a magical elf forest, the next he was back in his messy room, the faint blue glow in his veins slowly fading.
His phone buzzed. Malo.
[Malo]: Get your ass to the hideout. Now.
[Malo]: Your pod's doing some weird shit
Dex's blood ran cold.
He didn't bother responding. Just grabbed his hoodie and bolted downstairs, nearly colliding with his mom in the hallway.
"¿Adónde vas tan rápido?" Where are you going so fast? she demanded, eyeing his disheveled clothes. "Malo's place," Dex lied smoothly. "Forgot we had a... project."
His mom's gaze dropped to his hands—where static sparks still danced between his fingers. She opened her mouth—
—and Dex was already out the door.
...
The Hideout
Malo stood over Dex's Dreamscape pod, arms crossed. The machine hummed at twice its normal frequency, the interior glowing an eerie violet.
"Started doing this an hour ago," Malo said, kicking the pod's base. "Like it's trying to... I dunno, suck you back in."
Dex approached cautiously. The pod's interface screen flashed:
[WARNING: DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY DETECTED]
[CYBER LORD GENE SYNCHRONIZATION: 78%]
"Oh, hell no." Dex backed away.
Malo raised an eyebrow. "You gonna explain why your eyes keep doing the Windows screensaver thing?"
Dex opened his mouth—
The pod shrieked. A beam of light lanced out, scanning Dex head to toe before displaying:
[REAL-BODY INTEGRATION CONFIRMED]
[PORTAL TRAVEL: STABILIZED]
Malo blinked. "Dude. What the actual fuck?"
Dex stared at his hands. The glow had returned—but different now. Controlled.
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Liora's voice whispered:
"You'll have to decide whose side you're on."
Dex and Malo slumped on the ratty couch in the garage hideout, the glow from Dex's pod casting eerie shadows across the room. They had relocated their pods to the garage now ecause of the incident with the Lucianos earlier, not that it would change much though. The tension from earlier had eased, replaced by the familiar rhythm of their banter. Dex realized with a start that he hadn't actually asked Malo about his time in Dreamscape—not really.
"So," Dex began, tossing a stress ball at Malo's head. "Which race did you pick again?"
Malo caught it without looking, grinning. "Demonkin, obviously."
"Figures," Dex snorted. "Matches your personality."
"Damn right." Malo flexed his arms. "Got these sweet hellfire tattoos that glow when I'm pissed. And my voice echoes now. Check it out—" He deepened his tone,"Behold, mortal—"
Dex threw another stress ball. "Shut up. What level are you?"
Malo's grin turned sheepish. "Six."
Dex choked on his soda. "Six?! What the hell have you been doing this whole time?"
Malo leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Okay, so—missions, right? But not the boring kind." His eyes gleamed. "Ever heard of the Lava Brothel in Emberfall?"
Dex's face went slack. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"NPC succubi, bro." Malo sighed dreamily. "Worth every credit."
Dex facepalmed so hard his palm stung. "The only reason you leveled up was to afford virtual hookers? We stole five million dollars to get powers to fight the Lucianos, and you—"
"I multi-tasked," Malo corrected, wagging a finger. "Also, losing my V-card was a priority. Even if it was, y'know. Digitally." He paused. "Mostly digital."
Dex groaned. "Please tell me you at least got one combat skill."
Malo's smirk returned. "Oh, I got plenty of skills—"
"I will strangle you."
"Fine, fine!" Malo held up his hands. "I got Hellfire Flicker—lets me teleport short distances if I'm standing near flames. Useful for, uh. Quick exits."
Dex's eyebrows shot up. "Wait. You can teleport?"
Malo winked. "Only if there's a lighter nearby. So. Basically useless."
Malo's pod behind them suddenly hissed, its violet glow intensifying. Both boys turned as the screen flashed:
[WARNING: DIMENSIONAL FLUCTUATION DETECTED]
[SOURCE: EMBERFALL]
Malo's grin vanished. "Uh. That's new."
Dex stood slowly, the glow in his own eyes pulsing in sync with the pod. "Yeah. And I think it's your turn to explain some shit."
Dex's eyes flicked between the hissing pod and Malo's guilty grin. That expression—the one he wore when he'd fucked up big time—was all too familiar.
"Alright," Dex crossed his arms. "What did you do?"
Malo scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact. "So. Y'know how I said I made friends in Emberfall?"
"The succubi don't count."
"Not them." Malo sighed. "Okay, so—first week in, I took this 'retrieve my stolen hellhound' quest. Met two players—Vera, level 15, and her boyfriend Bruno, level 25. Cool people. Helped me finish the mission."
Dex waited.
"...And then they asked for a favor."
Malo leaned in, voice dropping. "Turns out Bruno's guild was at war with some pyro-warlord named Ignis. Dude's level 40, controls half the lava forts in Emberfall. They needed someone expendable to plant a tracking crystal in his throne room."
Dex's stomach dropped. "Let me guess. You volunteered."
"I negotiated!" Malo grinned. "20,000 credits upfront. Plus Vera promised to introduce me to this legendary succubus NPC who does this thing with her—"
"Focus, Malo."
"Right. So I snuck in, planted the crystal… and may have also looted Ignis's private stash." He taps the side of his pod and pulled up his inventory screen, showing a glowing crimson dagger.
[ITEM: EMBERFANG (EPIC)]
[A blade forged in the heart of a dying volcano. Steals 5% HP per hit.]
Dex's eye twitched. "You stole from a level 40 warlord."
"Borrowed!" Malo protested. "He wasn't using it! Anyway—" He pointed to the pod, now pulsing red. "Pretty sure Ignis put a bounty on me. That's probably his guys trying to dimensional trace my pod."
[WARNING: DIMENSIONAL TRACE LOCKED]
[SOURCE: IGNIS (EMBERFALL – LVL 40)]
[STATUS: HUNTING PARTY DISPATCHED]
Dex exhaled through his nose. "So. To recap. You pissed off a demon warlord. For a dagger."
Malo taps the side if his pod again and the hologram of the dagger disappears. "And premium brothel access."
Dex stared at Malo in silence for a long moment. Then, without a word, he stood and strode toward his pod.
"I'll meet you in Emberfall," he said, popping the hatch open.
Malo blinked. "Uh. How? Unless you've got a—" His eyes widened. "No fucking way. You have a Server Portal Key?"
Dex smirked, tapping his temple. The air around him shimmered faintly, a ghostly key-shaped glitch flickering in his vision.
Malo opened his mouth—then closed it. After everything he'd seen tonight—the glowing eyes, the pod malfunctions, the way Dex seemed different—this shouldn't have shocked him. And yet.
"...You're full of surprises, hermano," he muttered, shaking his head as he climbed into his own pod. "Fine. I'll be at the Lava Brothel. Try not to keep me waiting."
As the pod sealed shut, Dex's interface flared to life:
[PORTAL KEY ACTIVATED]
[DESTINATION: EMBERFALL (DEMONKIN TERRITORY)]
[WARNING: HOSTILE FACTION DETECTED]
Somewhere in the digital hellscape, a warlord's army mobilized.
And Dex?
He stepped into the fire.