Vol 2 Prologue (1/2)
Opening
Part 1
When one comes across a yet unopenable door in an RPG
Have you ever thought this?
'If I could use h', or the like
And yet you can't Why is that?
It's because of the 'rules'
--Games are different from reality
There are those who claim that they cannot make the distinction
But even they have likely felt at ti is different
What separates reality from that which isn't reality- is probably this
There has been ames or reality, but
that's besides this topic
The reason is that the difference between ga more
fundamental than that
It is the 'absoluteness of rules'
Taking the example froht
of ignoring the rules
You could blow past all doors and the like without hesitation
What if the world is in a crisis, and somewhere there is a door which requires
akey to open?
If it's alright to grab everything behind that door as long as you have the key,
there's no reason why you can't do the same without it, even if you do wind
up accused ofsome property destruction
How about when faced with a door that not even
the de can open, why not just destroy the wall?
If you bypass the super tough 'door' like this, you could go and challenge the
deht off the bat
Even if you just whack away at the rock with the legendary sword, surely it
should be the rocks which would eventually give way
However, that's never the case Why is that?
Because that si
Yes, the rules are set so that a fun journey can be created cul in a
'final objective'
In chess it'd be checkoals,
and in an RPG it'd be defeating the last boss
That being said, if you circumvent the rules to arrive at the 'final objective'
early, that takes all of the fun out of it
Therefore, the rules in games have a 'shared absoluteness',
--I'm sure you can see by now
Reality-- doesn't have a 'winning condition'
There aren't events co certain conditions, nor peace
brought about by defeating certain enemies
The couple won't finally end up living happily ever after
Whether blessed or unfortunate, rich or poor, all end upthe same
'dead end' eventually without exception
Therefore, people have always made their own 'win conditions', and made
their own rules to suit that end
Whether it's by a
things a win or lose scenario they've already lost
Now, let's iine
You're in a game of chess, when all of a sudden your opponent at his own
convenience made a ridiculous move
Without even placing your king in check, he acts as if he had already won
How about it Wouldn't you want to punch him?
What if there's a game where everyone played like that?
Yes-- that would be, 'reality'
--Are games and reality really different?
That's the case, without a doubt
To those ould confidently proclaim so, I'd like to ansith this
I want nothing to do with you, ugh----
Part 2
Eight 23 inch computer screens
That had been their whole world
A small world, with an equatorial diameter of 13000 km
The world covered by a fiber-optic cable networkEarth
The concept of 'distance' had been lost in this world
When connected to the internet, one can transmit their desires around the
globe seven and a half times per second
You can connect even to the very ends of the world
--People now say that the world is infinite
--But what they mean is that the world has infinitely shrunk
With a single click of theone needs in life
The piles of empty boxes made the once spacious room seem cramped
The displays eht
Or rather, the inside of the monitors did
The hexadecimal world constructed therein had been 'their' world-- their
everything
Further crowding the rooame consoles
The bundles of wires connecting everything, and the plethora of controllers
a major hazard
Illuht were two emotionless faces
The taging fierce battles against strangers from every corner of the
globe
One was a black haired, black eyed young man
One was a white haired, red eyed young girl
Utterly absorbed in their screens, the room was silent
The headphones of the two provided all the sound of 'their oorld'
All that could be heard was the inorganic whirring of machines, and endless
clicking
--They thought the world had narrowed
The electronic network brought the world to their feet without the
to take a single step
But that led to a tsunanition of
individuals
That vast ocean of information had not led to the infinite, but rather to the
contrary
The result had been an 'information overload', which had caused people to
retreat to their own narroorlds of desired data
An infinite number of tiny, closed worlds
Isolated, smaller than ever, sparsely populated realities
Leading to place not here, but a truly limitless different world
Reflected in the pupils of the tas a 'different world' existing in the
monitors
Worlds which, with enough concentration, offered the illusion that they had
truly entered another world
They were not social outcasts, chained within a 16 tatamiroom
Sometimes they were the heroic saviors of a nation
Souild
Soicians, elite specialforces, or assassins
Typically, the world would revolve around them
A world with 'definite clear conditions'
The young h
Eight 23 inch computer screens
That had been their whole world, for an endless amount of time
These siblings, 'undefeated' in every game they had ever played
Within the send
Within the 'sed, they were the same as the
heroes which they played in games
But thewas the same as always
Artificial, cra for social outcastsan isolated, small
world
And the young man submitted to the unease which would alell up
A sense of jamais vu
[1]
, [is this really our room?]
Then, he would think further
Without evidence,
”Is this reallywhere we belong”
”Indeed, you are correct”
However a voice had responded to those questions in his mind
Before him stretched their own familiar world
The only thing out of place was a s, innocent, unfamiliar boy
--No Was he really that unfamiliar?
As an to unravel, the boy continued before he could make a
sound
”This isn't the place where you belong Which is why”
And then----
”Which is why, I will[Let you be reborn]”
Past and present, fiction and reality
All of his recollections were still hazy
Recognition becarip on the world
What brought him back all of a sudden, was the same as always
”ah, I see [I']”
And then things would end like all other 'dreams' did
While unsure of just when it had ended, he felt his consciousness co
awake
Part 3
Kingdom of Elchea, Capital of Elchea
After repeated losses in ga, territory after territory had been ceded and
this lone city was now the final bastion of humanity
Within the corridors of the royal castle of this city, walking along with an
unsteady gait, was a single girl
She was Stephanie Dora
Granddaughter of the late king, with red hair and blue eyes, she was royalty
of a venerable line
--and yet
The circles under her eyes and the pallor of fatigue robbed her of her inherent
dignity
With a suspicious s's' chambers with
playing cards in hand, she resehost
”Fu, fufufutoday at last, is the day of judgement!”
The day had just dawned, but it seeht
Stephanie-- also known as Steph, laughed disturbingly
”Sora, you're awake aren't you! It's already !”
Boom boom
With her free hand, Steph noisily knocked at the doors of the 'King'
But
”Bee~~p The person you are after is pretending to be out”
”Hah?”
The voice co'
It was a strange 'take it easy' voice, delivered flatly in the tone of a synthetic
woman
”Please step away from the door as soon as possible, and do not enter
without permission”
”--Sora, are youwith me?”
”No, I'm seriously serious”
”Enough already! I' to enter without permission!”
He was probably just playing games in there anyway-- no, there was no way
he could be doing anything else
She fought back her drowsiness
And broke down the doors with a kick--or rather
She forcefully kicked the doors open, and entering into the bedroom of the
king, what she saas
”Sorry I' it on purpose I really was in a bit of a tight
spot just now and I didn'tbad by it I really mean that sorry so
sorry I'm so sorry!”
--Prostrated flat on the bed, the profusely apologizing 'King'
Wretched, with tears in his eyes, shi+vering
Steph however, already fauide
The rooames, such that it was
impossible to take a step anywhere
Seeing so, Steph muttered
”Ara? Sora, you're alone?”
”Yes I'm alone I' born was a
myself quietly after you leave so for now please--”
”Nii? You'renoisy”
Interrupting the nonstop '-- 'Sora, was a
tired voice
Recognizing that voice, Stephanie let out another sigh
”Coht here isn't she What are you doing?”
”--eh?”
At that point, Sora looked over startled at 'shi+ro'
It appeared she had fallen out of the bed while sleeping
Arching up froirl white as snow
He iirl whose white hair trailed all
the way to the ground
The sight of Sora suddenly clinging on to that figure was-- beyond words
”Aa~~~~~~hhh, thank goodness! Sheesh, what a troublesome sister!
Because of your sleeping habits your brother aled himself you
knoould you have done then!”
Clinging to his sister-- to 'shi+ro', he let loose a stream of tears
Not being good with ht
of for her actions, his sister replied coldly with her eyes still halfshut
”Niithis is, overkill”
”Wha!? Do you not understand how your brother feels!?”
Standing up suddenly Sora began to speak ild gestures
”Then tonight! After shi+ro's gone to sleep, I'll go hide in the closet! When you
wake up, I won't----”
”Hhicuuu”
Before he could even finish, however, shi+ro began to cry
”You see!? You understand how your brother feels, right!”
”I' habitsare bad, I'msorry”
Seeing his sister apologizing so sincerely while sobbing, he stroked her head
”No, I'hts, I'm a terrible
brother”
”hico, kay”
With that, thelike a
newborn gazelle
Now haughtily and forcefully turned around to Steph, and began throwing out
orders
”So, the one at fault is ultimately this bed! Steph, dispose of this at once and
spread out some futons!”
”Wh, whaaaat!?”
Steph could never get used to the crazy antics of these siblings
Having such an outrageous dee
voice
”I-it, it's the royal bed! Do you know just how long it's history go--”
”Nope But for the purposes ofsleeping it separated shi+ro from me, so it's
unsuitable It's tilted, isn't it?”
”Nod nod”
shi+ro unhesitatingly showed her consent
---This was just ridiculous
”Th, that one bed is enough to buy a whole house you know!?”
”Then sell it and let's buy a house A happy family will be born, isn't that
wonderful?”
”Y-y-y-y-you, youuu--”
Faced with a tyrant, Steph was tre at a loss for words, when suddenly
Sora spoke
”Ah, that's right The things in this roo-- in
other words your grandfather's, Steph”
As if testing what her reaction would be
Sora then tapped his fist into his palreat idea
”Then let's do this From today onwards, this will be your room”
”Wha-- th, this is the 'King's bedroom' you know!?”
”I a's bedroom'”
The 'King' briskly began to list things off
”Just e and mattress
of course”