Glitched.

000. Prologue

Credit to Warpy for making this gorgeous AU!

Written by Liria1234r

00.

//Once Upon a Time...//

"There's a rich history in the world of Framecast. 

It's not necessarily a magical fantasy world, per say; there are still rules that have to be followed, information and sciences gained. But the over reaching theme of Framecast is that it's a technological world created from data instead of atoms, code instead of dna, super humane abilities in some and crushing weaknesses in others. 

The people that inhabit the world are known as Users as a collective, and is created by a unique and colorful cast of people.  It's a world that is magical, strange, and somehow operates on its own jumbling mess of steps."

The User frowned as they stopped writing. They looked around his mid twenties, with straggly head of white hair looking like a cloud. Dark circles ring their eyes, and they wince as they stretch uncomfortably, the tiny space they're occupying forcing their shoulders and the burnt ends to rub against each other. A low ache throbs at where the wing limbs once were, and the user sighs. 

Their name is Liria, and right now they have taken refuge from the drizzling weather in a rundown construction site. The abandoned pipes and steal tools are perfect for survivors to hide, especially with the pipes blocking out the steady plink plink of the rain. 

Liria shivers. 

"Okay, I have an intro, at least," they mutter dejectedly as they prop themselves forward. The dark jacket they are wearing is quickly pulled over their body like a blanket, and they turn to address a gardening shovel, a tiny shovel really, lying precariously besides them. It has a green, flaked handle with a wicked sharp edge, but other than that it looked like any normal, well used and well loved garden shovel used to uproot carrots. Liria would know, because they stole carrots with it before. Well, steal is a bit of a misnomer when there's nobody to harvest the carrots, since the farmer has long left, but still.

"Okay," they say. "Shovel, how do I explain the zombies?"

They flicked a ear as the Shovel muttered that no, Liria can't explain the zombies. The zombies just were; green terrifying creatures mutated from corruptions in their codes and only keen on creating more of them. The Virus came in a wave, and now half a year later the only safe spots in the world of Framecast are near the Capital and other settlements scattered across the continent. Why else were they hiding in the damp construction site? For fun?

Liria sighed in aggravation, taking a hand to rake at their messy burnsides and hair. "Fun," they mutter. "I wish. Zombies happened, Shovel. How much times do I have to tell you before I go crazy. But since it was magic zombies, society fell in a month and now everybody's dead, so..."

Sounds about right, the Shovel replied monotonously. And Liria, you should really stop talking to yourself. It's not right.

"Nah, I think I will," Liria laughed, pocketing the mess of a notebook they were scribbling in. "I'm tired and exhausted and I haven't slept in three weeks. Weird stuff's hunting me, and I would like to get..." they try to find the words to explain, before shaking their head. "I have to go north. I remember that. North, since that's where..."

Yes yes, the shovel interrupts with a tad bit of annoyance. Liria has to go North, because they promised to get to safety for somebody. That's just how things go. God, why are they talking to a Shovel, of all things? Have they actually lost it?

 "Oh shut. For all we know, maybe you're just a weird looking User! I've seen a Unicorn user before, you know? Scary guy. Sharp horn, red hair, terrifying eyes. He's probably doing something better than freezing in the rain like a hobo, but hey..."

He most definitely is, the Shovel sighs. And Liria... there's nobody else here. You're alone.

"Did I tell you about the one time I met another user like me? With wings, and a tail! She's a dragon, though. And definitely dead."

The Shovel remains stubbornly mute, and Liria forges on. 

"Except I wear the better fashion get up. And my wings are kind of long gone before she lost hers, along with my tail. I miss my tail. It's warm and fluffy and I need warm and fluffy things because I'm cold." Liria beams. "But that's okay. I have a backpack. Not as warm and fluffy, but it's mine."

It is, the Shovel finally allows. Go to sleep. 

"Hmm," Liria humms. 

They look outside the construction beam they're hiding under, past the rusty chains and steady rain drizzle toward the abandoned city.

The sky above continues to glow in its smog desolate greenery. 

"I wish," Liria finally whispers, in a rare moment of lucidity, staring past the city North, past North to the Green Zone. "I wish I died with the others."

They close their eyes, and sleep.