Project: iaseki

Prologue: Iaseki

Lu's older sister Leila, is a genius beyond geniuses. She is the one and only creator of the first full-dive videogame entitled Monitum. Not a single soul has never heard of it.

To Lu, she not just his sister. She was also his mother, his father, his first teacher, his life. He never once felt jealous of her achievements. He knows she deserved them all and went through hell and back to do so. That was why when she asked him to play her very own game Monitum and wants him to be at least above average in skill, he put blood, sweat, and tears into training. That was the least he could do.

It was predictable that he became one of the fairest players of the game, given the effort he put into it. He got into major competitions, and then world championships, and won them all. All that in hopes to make his sister proud.

That was why he never thought he'd see the day when Leila would point a gun at him, much less be congratulated through it.

"So you made it into the sixteen aces. As both the creator of the game, and as your sister, I'm so proud", she said.

Lu couldn't hide his shock and didn't realize his jaw was hanging loose until he shook himself out of it.

"Sis... what's this?" he asked, looking at whatever gadget she pointed at him. He wasn't actually sure if it was a gun. He only assumed it was because it looked similar to one and had a trigger. If he were to say, it looked more of a scientific firearm but it appeared just as dangerous.

Lu couldn't believe what he was seeing. He expected his sister to be smiling with open arms to celebrate his achievement. Being one of the sixteen aces isn't just a fancy title with benefits. It's a proof that among all the players of Monitum, which is 70% of the world's population, you're the best of the best. The contest was held not in a single battle of best of 5's, but was fought over half a year. This made sure it was a battle of consistency, and luck only affected little, if not none, of the resulting placements.

"This is the last day, huh" Leila whispered just loud enough for Lu to hear, as a pained expression overtook her face.

"Last day for what? Sis what are you talking about? Can you put that...science gun away? It's scaring me" he pleaded. Lu could feel his heart racing. He was used to reading his opponents so well that the feeling of having an unpredictable situation was terrifying. After all, he never once considered his beloved sister to be a threat. All they had was each other since Lu could remember and no other person would come to Lu's mind when he heard the word "family". Their parents had abandoned them when they were little, and Leila was the reason they had a comfortable life until now.

"I'm sorry I couldn't spend the past weeks with you" Leila said as a tear rolled down her cheeks. "It's been a very busy time for me, managing the game's last event".

"Last event? Sis you better explain what's going on before I start losing it. Oh wait, this is just an elaborate prank isn't it?" Lu asked and laughed. However, he already knew the answer. Leila never looked so much at her wit's end. One look in her eyes would tell you something is wrong.

"Listen, Lu. Do you love this world?" she asked him.

Lu grew more anxious with each sentence that she says. "Alright, sis. That's enough. Are you drunk? I never knew you---"

"Answer damnnit!" Leila cut him in his speech and a blue bubble formed at the tip of the firearm.

Lu has no idea what was going on, but he was certain that whatever it was, wasn't good.

"Yes, I love this world, sis" Lu said feeling heavy from forcing out an answer he knows nothing of.

Leila tried to mask her sadness behind a smile, but nobody would miss the minature waterfalls that formed on her face. "I see. Then you'll understand, wouldn't you?" she said, firing the weapon at him.

A blue beam pierced right through him and evaporated him from the hole it made outwards. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt, not for a single moment. All he felt was sadness and confusion overwhelming all other things he felt.

Everything faded to black, but his consciousness remained. Leila always had the best intentions for him, and he believes that whatever she did was also for his own good.

He didn't know if what happened was death. Not that he ever experienced it before to have something to compare the experience with.

If it was indeed death, he thought, he'd have little regrets with leaving. The titles, the money, the fame. He could give it all up at any moment if he had to. The only regret he had was that he would be seperated with Leila with an abrupt and rushed closure. If he could, at the very least, have a proper goodbye, he'd leave the world without any remorses.

However, he can't say that the way he went out was without a bang. He couldn't care less if it was for his sake, but if it was for Leila, then it's all that matters to him.