The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 55: Who? (Part 2)

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Endithalia:

Endithalia sat in the kitchen of her apartment, leaning over the dining table as she flicked through documents on the tablet in front of her. She sighed. The documents had been sent to her by her brother from Areithia Online and consisted of stories and tales of demons. While there were some that showed historical truth, most were tales of caution loosely based on real life events. In all honesty, she was bored of it.

Two weeks had passed since everyone had worked together to counterattack the dark organisation that had targeted them. At the time Endi had remained in Elastire where she could only wait for news. It was the most useless she had felt all her life. To know that her friends and family were all fighting, but she was too weak to do anything. Despite it all, she knew best herself that she wouldn't be much help.

Since then, Endi had taken the lead to try sort through all the information they had obtained and worked closely with the ISPA. It was desk work and though she knew how important it was, she never liked being cooped up. In the end the enemy organisation crumbled. With all the intelligence they had gathered, and working with local governments, the ISPA dealt a heavy blow to a vast amount of their members. While it was certain that some had slipped through the cracks, their sway over the dark dealings in the world had been uprooted. Then, everything returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could be.

Endi looked to the couch where her brother was lying down and currently within the world of Areithia Online. The tournament was only a week away and he was doing everything needed to prepare. Soon they'd all fly together for the world tournament in Seoul Korea. It was shaping up to be a real big event and had even garnered the attention of the everyday media. The problem was Ardent was still missing..., a fact that left Endi hollow inside.

Even at his busiest Ardent had always made time for her. Before he had a reason to come by and she helped him cycle his mana. When Endi became sick, he still came and would hold her hand as they spent time just chatting. The warmth of his hand had faded. Everyone could feel the difference of his absence but refused to be weighed down by it. They were all trying their hardest.

Ana was helping the ISPA. Aria and Erin worked towards making Areithia Online as popular as possible. Their streams had reached a very wide audience and though the two weren't competing in the world tournament having missed the preliminaries, they were still invited as guests for the convention. Zen was not only expanding her business with Ardent's dad but creating stronger ties between the Violet Oath and the ISPA. It was only Endi who felt she had stagnated.

A sudden itch scratched her throat and Endi coughed painfully as she covered her mouth. A black gunk mixed with saliva stained her hand. The leftovers of decayed mana that had been expunged by her body. It was a regular occurrence. Slowly she pulled her body up and made her way to the sink, washing her hands.

"Damn it," Endi slapped her face with both hands, staring into the reflection cast by the metallic sink. "What the hell are you doing girl!? This isn't like you." She grit her teeth, "You can do more than this. Right now, though..., you could use a drink."

Annoyed at herself Endi made her way out of the kitchen, picking up her jacket as she headed out of their apartment. The moment she opened the door, she came face to face with Stella.

"Oh, hey Endi," Stella smiled. "You heading out?"

"Yeah... for a drink." Endi replied. A lot had changed about their apartment building the past few weeks. Now the rooms had all been occupied by Violet Oath or ISPA. They had decided it was the best way to keep things protected.