The Cursed Paradise (Edentia Online)

Chapter 23

Jotan abruptly waved his gesture, he dressed back in his silver shinning armour. Then we stepped out from the tomb room, passed the long and tall hallways filled with the creepy statues.

"Zimi, have you found the portal ?" Jotan asked.

Zimi nodded his head. "Yeah and it was here.."

I stared at him. "Here ? which floor ?" I asked. We didn't realized that the elevator door opened in front of us.

"Follow me." he dragged me and Jotan's hand, ran to the elevator door that almost closed.

Inside the elevator, the holographic panel showed at the basement, which is zero. Zimi jumped as high as he can to reach the top floor button; the infinity sign.

"What's your passcode ?" an electronic voice of woman spoke.

"From nothing to everything and beyond !" Zimi screamed.

"Voice recognition Zimi. Passcode accepted !" the woman on the speaker said. "Preparing launch in 3..2..1..0," she said.

The elevator's top changed into numerical codes with swirling colors. It feels like we are rocketed to space, slowly my body feels like losing it's weight. Lifted up like floating in space. Jotan and Zimi floated too, but they seems more enjoying the moment than me, Zimi rolled several times, while Jotan moved his hand like swimming in the air, I was turned upside down, tried to cover my skirt. Then suddenly a dizzyness struck my head.

"Somebody ! Stop it !" I screamed.

"No it can't ! Once you pushed that button we will lifted up the sky !" Zimi replied.

Jotan checked the floor panel, a symbol of infinity slowly traced with an orange light. "Hold on Iza ! We're getting closer !" he said.

The effect of zero gravity soon fade, as our body trampled to the floor, luckily I'm not in upside down position so I'm not going to bump my head. Zimi landed smoothly on his feet, while Jotan fell hard with his face faced down, he rubbed his head. The elevator slowed it's pace, into normal speed, still the infinity symbol hasn't completely traced; only 90 % complete. After several minutes, the symbol completely traced, the elevator stopped at the highest level, it opened with a ping sound.

"Are we there yet ?" I asked.

"Yep," Zimi replied.

A dark room, only lit by a fragment of light in the middle, it shone upon a circular stone table that spinning clockwise. We stepped near, the stone table structure spinning every second count, showed the current time in Edentia in holographic screen.

△7 Novadia 1656

[Sunset] time phase.

The middle of the stone time table, a key hole placed there. Jotan took the key from inventory, sliding it slowly to the key hole. Zimi spinned it three times in counter clockwise direction. The first spin stopped the [time passage] hour, the second stopped the [time passage] minute, and at last the third spin stopped the [time passage] second. The floating dusts around us suddenly freeze, the whole world in here freezes too. As our single breath out vapored.

"Now what ?" I asked.

Zimi pulled out the key from the keyhole. "Just wait, there are twenty thousands player will transfer here.." after that he frozen in stance.

"What just happen ?" I asked.

Jotan said "Well it seems like the game system freeze for a while."

"Well well what do I got here..a pack of family, sweet." A figure came out from the darkness, he stepped closer to the light, it was Adam again. "Sorry, I need to stop the time for a while," he said lightly and innocently.

I drew my sword, but Jotan held my hand. "Keep calm, just let me do it," he said.

Jotan ran toward him, Adam prepared his paladin sword. Jotan swinged his hand up creating a white vertical arch, Adam blocked it with his sword, as they collide a surge of wind created. Adam stood there collected some black aura energy from the darkness, he channeled it to his hand, then created some swirling dusts around us which is frozen before. It formed a big dark horse with red eyes gleaming in crimson color, it's sharp eyes seem penetrate us. Jotan waved his gesture to call his pet dragon, he tried several times but a failed logo showed everytime he swiped.

"I told you, the game system has frozen for a while." Adam shook his head.

Adam rode on his horse, with his paladin sword pointed toward Jotan, like a jousting contest. Jotan calmly collecting his aura power, flowed through his body, then Jotan ran at flashing speed. A honor knight in silver, and anonymous black knight rushed to each other, a battle of thrusting power. Jotan put his two thin sword into one as the aura flowed through.

Both of them came closer, as their tip of sword collide with their metal armour, something happen. A dimensional wind came out from their collide, we were transferred to a portal. I saw Zimi casting, that caused the dimensional wind.

"Transport ! [Hastille] city !" Zimi screamed.

After blown by the wind, I and Jotan were up in the air, dive down the sky in a slow motion. We passed several fluffy clouds. Fractal snowfall stopped in their motion, I touched each one that I saw, the snow melted in my hand. A big city that has half destroyed came in view. Many swirling portal opened upon the city, each player has transferred here.

Zimi then appeared between us, somehow something different was hangging on his back, a pair of wings. One is a angel like wing, and one is a robotic wing, his left arm changed into robotic style.

"Mom, Dad ! Hang on," Zimi said, he embraced us on his frail arm. "God speed," he whispered.

His wing stared to flap, balanced our movement. Then slowly dived down. Everyone stared at us, they even stared strangely at Zimi appearance. The cloud soon vanished from view, revealing a big portal.

Two person appearred in front of us, they are Robert Brown the game master, and Lyra the game guider. Zimi ran to them, all of them hugged at each other. So that's his family.

"Thankyou for being Zimi's guardian, he's my son," Mr.Brown said.

"And thanks for solving this game." Lyra bowed to us, "Without you, I guess I'll be trapped forever here.."

"No problem miss," I said with bowing back.

Mr.Brown stepped closer to us. "Actually they're not real..we're only a virtual family, like yours before," he whispered. "Anyway, I'll open the portal." he waved a gesture, then a special button that have missed for a long time popped.

LOGOUT

He touched the button, and the portal over the sky opened with revealing bright light, swirling color like rainbow when we stepped first time to this world. The portal sucked up the things around, even several player floated in the air. They seem so enthusiastic, so does the game master.

This is the moment that we have waiting for, get back to reality.

Adam then tapped my shoulder and Jotan's. "I need to tell you something, but let's just wait until it finished."

"What is it about ?" Jotan prepared his sword.

"I'm not the actual hacker, it was a roleplay..and I was the black sheep of this." Adam let out a sigh.

I said, "I believe in you, but at least tell us everything you know about the roleplay."