1034/Tempest at Present || Phigros Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Ruby had never taken care of someone else before. He was also a bit paranoid that he might lead Lado down the wrong way.

He looked out. The moon had risen, a small sliver in the sky shimmering with a few stars. Sometimes, late at night, Ruby would go out and admire the stars, for he always feels drawn to them for no reason, as if one day he might get lifted up into the universe himself.

But today was no day for watching stars. Ruby picked up his mint green tablet and held it up to Lado.

"I'm not an angel, or a saint or a savior..." He introduced as she stared in disbelief. "I'm EKRuby the Phigros Gamer. I play rhythm games." He tapped onto the Phigros icon as the familiar loading screen showed up.

"Oh..." Lado seemed a bit interested as she moved closer to Ruby and watched.

"This," he flipped to a level that he phi'ed, showing the yellow symbol to Lado, "is Phi, or All Perfect, the highest grade you get in any level, and I will be trying to phi all the songs..." he flipped through all the past levels he had cleared, as Lado kept her mouth opened, in surprise or in horror.

"There are many of these collections, like the GOOD collection, and this," Ruby tapped on it as five songs showed up. He flipped to the last one titled GOODRAGE with one stroke of his fingers. "Is what I'm going to phi these days. And I don't want you to interrupt. All clear?"

Lado's face was filled with fear. "Don't-Don't play that one!" she sort of pleaded.

"Why not?" Ruby asked. Lado? Stopping him from phi'ing that one song? Why should he listen to her?

"Because... I don't like it..." her words were in a mess. "It's hard...and I just...don't want to hear you play it... and 1034..."

"What does this have to do with 1034? I know you don't like the number 1034, but this..." Ruby was puzzled. She didn't remember anything, right? Then what's with this song? And 1034? There wee no numbers in this song right?

"Just, please, Ruby, don't..." tears began filling up her eyes that suddenly looked so bright green.

"Okay, fine," Ruby crossed his arms. He wasn't sure. She was probably joking, perhaps wanting him to keep her company rather than getting attracted by a game. "I won't."

"Good. Thank you." Lado sighed. Was it relief? But she couldn't have remembered the song, right? What's stopping her from letting him play it?

After Ruby had introduced Lado to her room in the basement and explained to her everything in this house, he closed the basement door. Phew. He was so nervous that he felt sweat dripping down onto his tablet that he held with his chained hand.

He went into his room and sat on his bed.

Tomorrow. He was planning. He would take Lado to his friends, the Phigros gamers. He might go to the City Hall to find a job for Lado, as he could not support her. And then it was the Mopemope meadow.

Ruby looked out at the stars once more. They were calling towards him as usual. But ignoring their invitations, he opened his tablet. Lado was probably asleep by now, forgotten about the level. She was probably joking, Ruby reassured to himself as he tapped the icon of the game.

He turned to the track, switched the level to IN 15 and pressed start. And then, the stars swirled around, everything was in a blur.

Ruby opened his eyes and saw a minty green sword in his right hand, his left hand still tightly chained. Yes, he was in the game, the virtural world of Phigros, and he would battle a song in person. Illusions. They were never real, just characters conjured out of melodies by game developers in the real Pigeon Lane. They wouldn't feel pain. They wouldn't come back for revenge. They would just silently "die", as Ruby hits every one of their note attacks into perfects.

He has "killed" many of them. What would he expect for the next one?

He looked around. The whole place was green, with white streaks laid around like scars, as if there had been a battle the second before Ruby arrived. Eight huge white letters were scrawled in all caps on the ceiling or sky or whatever heavenly expanse above them, while drawings, if Ruby would call them, of a hand holding a hammer, and a file?? surrounded them.

And the winner of the past battle was far away, Ruby could see their silhouette. A girl surrounded by crackling green light, and all those other details were too far away for him to catch.

The girl turned around, and now Ruby could clearly see that her face was a smooth teal-green, with almost no shading, and her eyes were bright white X's that glowed in great contrast with her skin color. She had an eerie smile and an eerie voice.

"I wonder, will you be my end?"

She said as if mocking Ruby. Ruby flared. Didn't she know that he had already slayed everyone else in her chapter? Anyways, she isn't real, right? What could he hope for an illusion?

"Bring it on, GOODRAGE. You're right. I'm your end."

"Wait for me."

Ruby charged towards her, as she tried to duck but collapsed onto him. She grabbed onto his left hand, as he feels her rage, twisting it as he swallows spasms of pain.

He wanted to shake her off, but then everything was spinning again...he realised that someone, not a conjured remembrance, was actually grabbing hold of him, pulling onto his chains, until his vision flashed, the white lines gone, and he was back in 1034 Pigeon Lane, a tablet in his right hand, notes missed beyond the judgement line, combo broken, and another hand clasped around his left.

"Lado, I told you not to interrupt!"

"Don't. You promised me to never play that level!"

"Weren't you joking?"

"PLEASE!!"

She was shouting, as if being stabbed by Ruby, like those illusions in the other songs he phi'd. Tears were sparkling in Lado's eyes.

Weirder. How could she know? Has she heard the music? But she didn't recognise anything...

After escorting Lado back to the basement, he shut off his tablet and drifted into a dreamless sleep of exhaustion.

1034 words