Chương 102: Memories of a Phoenix

Dawn sat slouched on a park bench, her dog curled at her heel, eyes fixed on the unsettled sky. Clouds churned in restless swirls overhead, echoing the turmoil in her chest. She was waiting for news from yet another job interview, but she already knew how it would go. For six months, it had been nothing but rejection after rejection. Each email chipped away at her hope, and now she was almost out of both patience and pride.

She needed a job, any job, just to escape her parents' house and the rules that bound her like chains.

"If only they were gone," she whispered under her breath. She didn't mean it, not really, but the words slipped free under the weight of exhaustion and despair. Nothing had gone right since she scraped her way through university with a barely passing grade. The only bright memory she could summon was the dance classes she'd once taken. For some reason, her instructor's face came back to her, his unremarkable features, his easy smile that always seemed to brighten the room.

Global System Message Beep, Beep, Beep, Ding.

"Integration complete." Dawn shook her head. A voice inside her head? She blinked at the air as if trying to clear her ears. At her side, Fival started wildly tugging against his leash.

"Fival, Stop! Calm down, boy," Her voice trembled as much as her hands, but the dog only pulled harder, panic vibrating through every line of his body. Global System Message"Welcome, inhabitants of World 43. Now that system designation Orion 281 has completed integration, we will commence with the system tutorial. Generating tutorial gates, please stand by." Beep A swirl of light split the air in front of her, an impossible thing that bloomed into being like a living wound in reality.

She stared, breath locked in her throat, trying to understand what she was seeing. She was so transfixed, she didn't notice when Fival lunged. The leash jerked, her footing slipped, and she stumbled headlong into the shimmering vortex. Into the Tutorial Gate. Into Hell. Three months later, the Gate inside Hyde Park, London, flared open once more. Four figures spilt out, gaunt, bloodstained, their rags clinging to skin stretched thin by hunger.

They collapsed to their knees as soldiers and police rushed in, weapons half raised, medics pushing forward with stretchers. Dawn was one of the hunched over figures. Her eyes, once bright, were hollow. She clutched at the grass with trembling fingers as sobs wracked her frail frame. They were the only ones to ever emerge. Everyone else who had gone inside that gate was gone forever. Dawn cried as food was pressed into her hands, cried as questions battered her from every side. What was inside the gate?

Where were the others? Whose blood was she covered in? It took nearly a week before she could answer even one of them. Dawn sat in a narrow, windowless room across from three British Army Officers. The air was stale, the light too bright. They told her it had been nearly four months since the "system" arrived and the tutorial gates had spawned. She didn't understand any of it. System? Gates? None of it made sense. All she knew was what she had seen, what she had survived.

At first, she said nothing, but then the words started pouring out, tripping over each other in a rush. She told them about the shimmering portal her dog had dragged her into. About Fival running into the forest and vanishing forever. About crying until she couldn't breathe when she realized he wasn't coming back.

"And the tutorial?" one of the officers interrupted gently, pulling her back to the now.

"Yes… right. That's what the fairy called it. The tutorial."

"Fairy?" another officer leaned forward.

"Describe it in detail." So she did. She described its tiny, round wings, the ridiculous frilled clothes, the long nose and pointed ears, the high-pitched scream that still haunted her whenever she closed her eyes. The scream it made as people around her died. Her throat closed, and she had to stop, had to breathe. At some point, a therapist had joined them and now sat at her side, guiding her through the memories, steadying her when she shook too hard to go on.

"The fairy… at first it was just me and two other people," Dawn whispered.

"I don't remember their names. We were taken to a little clearing with a glowing screen and told to choose a class. I remember that clearly, because I got two things. No… one class and one… job. The class was something with daggers, dagger thrower, maybe. And the job was, florist. I thought it was strange. I've never worked with flowers in my life. Why would the fairy give me that?" The officers exchanged glances but kept their expressions calm.

"Do you mean a profession?" one asked carefully.

"Oh! Yes. That's the word it used. A profession. But I didn't understand." She pressed a hand to her temple, fighting back the ache of remembering.

"Dawn," one of the officers said after a pause, "when was the last time you looked at your status screen?"

"Screen?" She blinked at them.

"You mean the floating thing the fairy showed me? I haven't looked since the first day. It was… scary. Confusing. I don't even know how to open it." Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I just want to go home. I want to see my parents."

"Dawn." She lifted her eyes reluctantly.

"Say the words 'status screen,'" the officer instructed.

"Status screen, but…" The words slipped out before she could stop herself, and a glowing screen snapped into existence before her eyes. Dawn screamed and nearly toppled from her chair. It took five long minutes of shaking and sobbing before she calmed enough to read what it said.

"What does it say beside your class?" one officer asked gently. She swallowed.

"Oh. It says… Queen of Knives. Legendary." The next week was a blur of nightmares. But somehow Dawn made it through the questioning, through the endless tests, and was reunited with her family. She had expected anger or disappointment; she had run away from them, after all, but instead they embraced her like she was the greatest treasure in the world. Everyone congratulated her, and neighbours cheered. Legendary Class, they said, as though the words alone made her special. She didn't understand.

She was still the same frightened girl. The screen also told her she was level two, whatever that meant. Everything since the gate had been nothing but confusion. At least she was home. At least she was safe.

"So, when are you going back to the tutorial gate to level?" her mother asked one afternoon. That had been a bad day. Dawn had screamed, actually screamed, at her parents for the first time in her life. Why would she go back into that place? That hell where everyone had died? Did they want her gone? Did they hate her? She found out quickly that it wasn't just her parents. Everyone wanted her to return. The neighbours, the officers, the army, all of them. Because of her class.

Because the system had labelled her "legendary." They told her she was destined to save the world. That she was chosen. They even offered her a hundred soldiers to escort her back into the gate, as though that would make it better. She ran. It was the only thing she could do. She wasn't a hero. She wasn't strong. She couldn't kill monsters, she couldn't level, she couldn't be what they wanted her to be. She wasn't who the screen said she was.

For months, she hid, moving from house to house, clinging to friends who dared to shelter her, always afraid of the knock at the door. Six, maybe seven months passed before another voice, another screen tore into her mind. Global System Notification. Zero Tutorial Gates have been cleared. This world has failed to qualify for the Integration. You all have failed. Shame on you. The gates are now open, and the Beasts are coming. May the system have mercy on you all. Hell had arrived. Millions died in the first days.

The internet vanished overnight, weapons stopped working, and the world broke in a single week. London became a hunting ground filled with wolves and ruled by a single massive lion. Dawn somehow fled north, stumbling into a place called Hertford. Most of the buildings were still standing, and soldiers were building a wall, promising protection. She didn't know it then, but this ruined town would be her home for the next eight months.

Six months into her stay, another notification sparked whispers and wild hope through the settlement. News of a group called the Progenitors. People clung to the name like salvation. Were they killing the Beasts? Was someone strong enough to fight back? Maybe, just maybe, there was a future beyond simply surviving. Dawn spent most of her time indoors, hiding from the world. Thankfully, no one here seemed to know about her class, the 'legendary' title that had once caused such a stir.

People only talked about levels, and she couldn't even remember hers. Four, maybe five? It still meant nothing to her. This wasn't a video game, no matter how much everyone else treated it like one. One afternoon, restless from too many days trapped inside, she forced herself to walk the town. Hertford was fully enclosed now, the wall standing tall, and life buzzed in a way she hadn't expected. Groups of people clustered together, whispering loudly about a new visitor.

"I'm telling you," an older woman said as Dawn drifted close, "when I identified him, it said Progenitor. And not even human! But that face… oh my gosh, the most handsome man I've ever seen. We should go see him. A sight for sore eyes, I'll tell ya." Dawn shook her head. Some things never changed. But she couldn't ignore the words: a Progenitor was here. Curiosity pulled her along as she followed the women. Apparently, he spent his time sitting near the wall, meditating. Must be a weirdo, she thought.

An hour of wandering turned up nothing, and she was about to give up when she froze. A man approached, flanked by sweating army soldiers struggling to keep pace. At first, she didn't recognize him. But then, her breath caught. That face. She knew it. It was her old dance instructor. Only… he wasn't the same. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He looked different now, taller, sharper, almost unreal. Handsome in a way that stole the words from her mouth.

She tried to call out, but no sound escaped her lips. He didn't even glance her way as he walked past. Desperate, she ran to catch up, just for another glimpse. But the closer she drew, the more her chest tightened. It felt like approaching a predator. Like getting too close to a beast. Fear overtook her, and she bolted. But it was him. She was certain. He was stronger, scarier, and changed almost beyond recognition. A few days later, she heard he had vanished, gone as suddenly as he came.

She had missed her chance to speak to him again. Always unlucky. Three more months passed. By then, she found herself back in London, now in the Progenitors' city. They had slain the great lion that had ruled the streets, turning the ruins into a safe haven. For the first time in nearly a year, Dawn could walk outside without constant fear. The whole city buzzed with talk of the Progenitors: two working inside the walls, one roaming, killing Beasts. Whispers of quests spread, and with them, hope.

One day, by sheer luck, she ran into the city's mayor.

"Hi, Sarah?" she asked nervously.

"Hey," Sarah smiled warmly.

"How can I help you, Dawn?" Dawn still didn't know how people kept recognizing her. They always said something about a skill. She still didn't understand.

"Erm, I had a question," Dawn whispered, leaning closer.

"It's about Joe." She finally remembered his name.

"What has he done now?" Sarah asked with a laugh, before issuing some quick orders to those around her and then scurrying Dawn into a private room. There, Dawn poured out her story, how she had known Joe years ago, back when he was just her dance instructor at university. In return, Sarah spoke of the man he had become, of battles against Beasts, of the giant spider he had slain, and how he was now somewhere in Asia on a quest. Asia? Dawn couldn't fathom it. How had he crossed the world without a plane?

Had he walked there? They talked late into the night, and at last, Dawn began to understand. About the system. About her status screen. About the world, she had been stumbling through like a blind fool. That single conversation changed her. While people like Joe were out there saving lives, making a difference, she had hidden in fear. That night, she made herself a promise. She would no longer cower. She would follow his example. She would become a hero.

A year later, at level 35, Dawn faced her first great tragedy. Her entire group was wiped out by a Beast horde, leaving her the lone survivor. It shattered her spirit. For weeks, she struggled to cope. Struggled to rebuild her resolve and bounce back onto her feet. Just when she started to think she was ready… The worlds merged. She was captured by green-skinned aliens of this crazy new land, forced into slave labour on their farms. Yet in that misery, she found an unexpected gift.

Tending fields, planting crops, and harvesting food strengthened her neglected job, no profession. She grew, little by little. Freedom came when a band of humans stormed the farm. One of the Progenitors led them, Hakeem, cloaked in shadow. He returned her to Heliopolis, a city she hadn't seen in nearly a year. It was beautiful, with its shining bubble of protection and no green-skinned slavers. There she found training gates, and for the first time, she fully committed herself.

She never wanted to be enslaved ever again. She wanted to join the fight against these… Voldura. She pushed until she reached level 100. She was no longer weak. No longer useless. Finally, she was starting to live up to that title whispers had spoken of so long ago. Legendary. As she pushed herself to breaking, she still listened to the stories buzzing through the city. Stories of him. Joe. Now, the strongest man alive on this new world. Every tale left her smiling. Every story rekindled her hope.

Would he remember me when we meet again? She wondered. Dawn sprinted through the streets of Heliopolis, heart pounding. Rumours said he was here. At last. She reached the park in the north of the city, only to find a crowd gathered. Breathless, she squeezed through narrow gaps, her small frame slipping past until she reached the front. There he was. Joe sat cross-legged, the familiar funny glasses perched on his nose, playing an eastern board game with an elderly woman. Dawn blinked.

Apparently, it was the fourth time he had challenged her, and every time he lost overwhelmingly. She tried to follow the shifting pieces, but the game made no sense to her. Then Joe laughed, threw up his hands in surrender, and the old woman cackled in victory.

"Beaten again!" he exclaimed as the crowd erupted in laughter.

"I told you he'd lose," a man beside Dawn announced, shaking hands with a wiry fellow who looked like he'd just lost an expensive bet. She turned back to call out to Joe, to finally get her reunion. Only to find him gone. Vanished. Just like that. She cursed her luck. Missed him again. Some time later, Dawn stumbled out of a gate, once again the lone survivor. This time, though, the suffering had been worth it. She had completed a special quest, and the system had rewarded her with a scroll: Flames of the Phoenix.

She clutched it to her chest. At last. A power worthy of the hero she wanted to become. Soon she could stand before him again, this time with her head held high. __"You smell that?" Joe asked, nose tilting to the wind. A faint trace of charcoal drifted from the east. Kai frowned.

"Smell what? You gone crazy on us?" But Joe was already standing, already moving. He Space-Jumped high above Heliopolis, eyes scanning the horizon. His stomach dropped. There it was. A massive fire raged in the east, burning so bright it seemed to pierce the sky. He raced toward it. The heat slammed into him as he arrived, forcing him back a step. A house burned, but oddly, the flames weren't spreading. They were centred, coiled into a single towering inferno.

Nearby, two city dwellers shielded their eyes, faces stricken.

"Did you see what happened?" Joe shouted over the roar of the flames. The woman sobbed, pointing toward the blaze.

"It was a young woman, our neighbour. She found something, read it, and then she just… burst into flame." Her knees buckled. Joe quickly pulled the pair farther from the fire before pushing forward himself. He activated both sight skills, peering into the heart of the blaze, and froze. A woman stood at the centre, wreathed in fire. Somehow, still alive. He didn't hesitate. Space-Jumping straight into the inferno, pain ripped through him as his skin seared away.

Gritting his teeth, he forced his hands onto her shoulders and sent a party invite. She accepted instantly, though through the blaze, he couldn't see a single thing. It was too dangerous to stay here. He had seconds at most before the remains of the building around them collapsed. [Hey, I need you to hold your breath. I'm going to move you, and it will feel very weird. Can you do that for me?] - Joe. [Yes.] - Dawn. Joe's heart stuttered. That name.

He Space-Jumped, reappearing outside the city bubble in a grassy clearing. Dawn collapsed to her knees, but he caught her, his melted fingers clamping tight. His Nature's healing roared within him, struggling to keep him together as he wrapped her in Nature's Paradise and his Mana Stream. Green light flooded her body, stabilizing her. But the flames… the flames raged on. They clung to her, seemingly feeding on nothing, growing hotter by the second. He was running out of time. [Hey Dawn, been a while, huh? How'd you get yourself into this mess?] - Joe. He tried to convey a light tone through the party chat, trying to steady her, even as his mind tore itself apart searching for a way to quench the flames. [You remember me?] - Dawn. [Of course I do. You were one of my best students.] - Joe He yanked a massive canister of water from his storage and hurled it over her, but the liquid vaporized into steam before it even touched her skin.

The backlash seared him, ripping another scream from his throat as the heat swelled higher. [Stop. It's not going to work. Nothing can put the flames out. Let me go.] - Dawn. [There has to be a way. We still have time.] - Joe. [I can't believe you found me. I thought I'd never get to see you again.] - Dawn. [Guess luck was on your side.] - Joe. He staggered, forced to release her as the fire lashed back at him. Nature's Paradise still clung stubbornly around her, but despair gnawed at him. [Fuck. I don't know what else to do, Dawn. Is there no way?] - Joe. She shook her head, unsure if he could even see the motion through the flames. [Damn it. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. I'm sorry.] - Joe. [I saw you, you know. Months ago, playing some strange board game. I saw you even before the world changed. I spent years looking for you. I'm glad… I'm glad I could see you before I died.] - Dawn. [Go. The game's called Go. I can't remember the Korean name for it.] - Joe. [Ah… so that's what it was called.] - Dawn. [How long?] - Joe. [Not long. I've lost my vision. It hurts so much.] - Dawn Joe swore. His body was breaking, skin blackened, fingers reduced to bone, but none of it mattered. He stumbled, barely able to stay upright as the unbearable heat closed in. [I'm here until the end. Tell me something. What did I miss?] - Joe. [You missed so much.] - Dawn. Through the flames, she told him about the tutorial, her family, and her desperate dream of being a hero.

Her words slowly started to fade as the fire gradually, ever so slowly, consumed her. Her body slumped forward, and Dawn Ocea Vantage, daughter of Magda and Oscar Vantage, died with a smile on her face. Joe stayed there, a charred figure staring at the pillar of fire that roared into the night. The heat finally eased to something survivable, and with it came the full weight of agony as sensation returned to his ruined flesh. His jaw clenched against the pain, his whole body trembling, but still he endured.

He would heal. Slowly, painfully. He always did. He whispered one last goodbye to Dawn, then collapsed into unconsciousness. Some time passed before a figure arrived, gently picking up Joe's unconscious body and carrying him home. __ Six months later, an elderly couple rode in the back of a jeep as it rattled around the bubble of Heliopolis.

"Are you sure about this, you old buzzard?" Alek grumbled for what felt like the tenth time.

"Oh, shush, you decrepit old man. When have I ever been wrong?" Lala shot back without missing a beat. Alek wisely kept his mouth shut. After so many years of marriage, he knew better than to remind her of the hundreds of times she'd been wrong. He folded his arms and sulked in silence as one of Heliopolis's guards drove them toward their destination. Another ten minutes passed before the jeep pulled up beside a massive mound of ash just outside the city.

"Is that it?" Alek asked, leaning forward with a squint.

"What in the world made that?"

"Did you forget already? Your memory really is failing…"

"Oi, just spit it out, woman," Alek interrupted before she could start one of her endless stories.

"Fine. It was a few months ago, or maybe a year, I can't quite recall. Anyway, remember that cute girl who used to live down the street? The one whose house burned down?" Lala said, gripping her cane as the guard helped her down. She groaned at the effort. Her body was too old for adventures like this. Maybe this had been a mistake.

"Oh! I remember now," Alek said with a grin.

"She was the one with the round rump, wasn't she?"

"No dinner for you tonight!" Lala snapped, whacking her cane in his direction.

"Bah, your cooking's terrible anyway," Alek muttered, sidestepping her strike with surprising ease. Even in old age, he still had a few moves left in him. The guard chuckled as he watched the bickering pair.

"We've got about an hour before we need to head back," the guard reminded them.

"Shut ya trap!" Lala barked, waving her cane at him now.

"I know how to tell the time. Now, old man, get over there and see what you can find." She jabbed her cane toward the ash mound.

"What? You can't be serious. What could I possibly find in that mess?" Alek sighed, staring at the charred heap.

"Look at it… filthy! Why didn't you tell me I'd be digging through dirt today?" Still, he shuffled forward. As he approached, a faint heat rose from the mound, pricking against his skin.

"What am I looking for?" Alek asked.

"No idea. Now shut ya trap and start digging!" Lala snapped as she hobbled closer. The guard, ever patient, offered her a hand. Too bad he was so ugly, or she might've smiled at him.

"Gah!" Alek cursed as he plunged both hands into the ash. He scooped and tossed with little care until, after five minutes, his fingers struck something solid.

"Smokes! I think I've found something, you old nut!" he shouted, shoving aside more ash. A shape emerged, red and blue, faintly glowing. His hands trembled as he uncovered what looked like a massive egg, its shell shimmering with blue and red flames.

"What… what is this?" he whispered.

"It's an egg, you fool. Did your brain burn up with the rest of ya?" Lala cackled, jabbing him aside with her cane.

"Now move, let me see." She leaned in, peering down at the fiery shell. A sly smile curved her lips as she straightened and began hobbling back to the jeep.

"Mission complete. You… boy! Bring the egg. Old man, hurry along, I think I'll make custard today."

"Custard! Why didn't you say so?" Alek said brightly, all complaints forgotten as he trotted after her. He even leaned in to kiss her cheek, only to leap back as she swatted him.

"Oi! Save it for later," Lala chided, though the glint in her eye betrayed her amusement.

"Oh boy, I can't wait," Alek grinned. The guard sighed, rubbing his temples. Escorting this lunatic pair had been a mistake. If he were lucky, he could scrub the memory from his brain later.