Two Weeks And A Day

Day 11

Prompt: X realises that everything is a video game, because his pathfinding algorithm broke, and he just clipped into a tree. And he's nowhere near anyone who can save him.

X was going about his normal daily business, performing his duties as the impromptu leader. He strolled through the shopping district, deciding to pop his head into his various shops. He tried to walk via his normal route, but for whatever reason he felt a sudden tug, drawing him to walk the long way around.

He followed the tug, it wasn't as if he had much of a choice. Vaguely wondering what was going on, he only realised his feet were leading him directly into a tree when it was too late. He closed his eyes, until he felt something violently shaking him. He opened his eyes and looked around.

Everything was flashing red, green and blue. Lines of code swam past his eyes, and he saw his hands rapidly jumping from spot to spot without bothering to traverse the space in between. He gasped as the epiphany hit him with the subtlety of a brick to the face.

Reality had never been real. It was just a video game.

He fell out of the tree, gasping. So everything was just a game, was it? He stood up, leaning his arm on the tree. If everything was just a game, then what really was the point of existence. He meandered aimlessly through the shopping district, the epiphany echoing ceaselessly in his head.

He almost didn't notice when he bumped into Cleo. She was looking for something, a look of panic on her face. X pretended that everything was alright, and asked the zombie what was wrong. She looked up to him, and plainly asked:

"Have you seen my journal?"

"No. No, I haven't."

"Mumbo took it last loop, and I'm sure it made it through to this one."

"...Loop? Like a save-reload?"

"Come on, X, this isn't a video game. Unless that's the twist of this loop."

"Then, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. Good luck finding your journal!"

Cleo stood up, helped X stand, and the two parted ways as hope deflated from X. For one glorious second there, he'd thought that he wasn't the only one who knew the the truth. He clicked his tongue at his foolishness, and walked off. Who knew? Perhaps that conversation had always been programmed to happen, and he had no power to fight it.

No power to fight the inevitable.

We're approaching the climax! Cleo's lost her journal, and there are only three days left to get it back if she's gonna have time to prove the loop.

OdalRune, signing off from the past!