Night eventually fell over the wasteland.
Rather than continuing through the darkness, we decided to stop for the night.
After scouting the surrounding area, Volt found a small cave hidden among a line of rocky hills. It wasn't too close to the main road where passing merchants or Empire patrols could easily notice us, but it also wasn't so far that we'd lose our bearings.
A perfect place to spend the night.
The T-80 was carefully parked behind a cluster of large boulders while we unloaded only the essentials.
As I finished setting up my sleeping bag, I noticed Volt kneeling near the cave entrance.
He pulled out several strange devices before placing them around the rocks.
Moments later...
The entrance slowly blended into the surrounding landscape.
Even standing only a few meters away, it was difficult to notice the cave.
"..."
I blinked.
"...Where did you even learn to do something like that?"
Volt chuckled without looking back.
"Oh?"
"Did you forget?"
"I'm part of the Resistance Spy Unit."
"My job literally involves sneaking around inside Empire territory."
"Of course I know a few tricks."
I crossed my arms.
"...You still didn't answer my question."
Volt sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
"It's actually from a game."
"A game?"
"Yeah."
"It's not exactly famous."
He scratched his cheek.
"I doubt you've even heard of it."
"What game?"
Volt grinned.
"...Hide and Seek."
I stared at him.
"...Hide and Seek?"
"As in..."
"The kids' game?"
He laughed loudly.
"There's an online version."
"And believe me..."
"The camouflage mechanics in that game are ridiculously useful."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"...Who would've thought."
"Exactly."
Volt proudly stood up.
"Sometimes the weirdest games produce the most useful skills."
After making sure everything was hidden properly, we finally settled inside the cave.
A small campfire crackled quietly in the middle.
Its warm light reflected across the rocky walls.
Volt immediately volunteered to cook dinner.
Meanwhile...
Blaze and I simply sat near the fire watching him prepare everything.
The silence was surprisingly peaceful.
Then Blaze suddenly spoke.
"You know..."
"It's kind of weird."
Volt looked over his shoulder.
"Hm?"
"That we still need to eat."
Both Volt and I looked at him.
"Huh?"
Blaze continued casually.
"Ryze."
"You're from Countless Star, right?"
I nodded.
"Did players there have to eat too?"
"..."
I opened my mouth...
Then realized I honestly didn't know how to explain it.
"...Uh..."
Thankfully Volt answered first.
"Of course we need food."
"It's literally part of SkyRealm's survival mechanics."
"If we don't eat, we gradually gain Hunger."
"Keep ignoring it..."
"And eventually it starts draining your HP until you die."
Blaze quietly nodded.
"...Maybe you're right."
I tilted my head.
"Where did that question even come from?"
Blaze shrugged.
"Nothing."
"I was just curious."
Volt laughed while stirring the pot.
"What?"
"Already hungry?"
"Just wait."
"I'm almost done."
Blaze gave a small nod.
"...Sounds good."
A few minutes later...
Dinner was finally ready.
Simple stew.
Nothing fancy.
But after two days of traveling...
It tasted incredible.
As we quietly ate around the campfire, Volt suddenly looked toward Blaze.
"So..."
"I've got a question."
Blaze looked up.
"Hm?"
Volt smirked.
"So, Sir Blaze..."
Blaze sighed.
"...Can you stop calling me that?"
"I'm not an Imperial officer."
Volt grinned.
"Sorry."
"I'm just messing with you."
Then his smile slowly faded.
"What was your life like before all this?"
"Before the Void."
"Back when you were still with the Empire..."
"Or maybe even before that."
I immediately looked at Volt.
"Volt."
"Stop."
I turned toward Blaze.
"You don't have to answer that."
But Blaze simply shook his head.
"...No."
"It's alright."
He quietly stared into the campfire.
"...Like I said."
"There's nothing inside my head."
"No matter how hard I try..."
"I can't remember."
"Only fragments."
His hand slowly tightened around the bowl.
"But..."
Volt leaned forward.
"But?"
Blaze remained silent for a moment.
"I think..."
"...I was important."
"I don't really know why."
"But..."
"I remember banners."
"Crests."
"Medallions."
"Ranks."
"A large fortress..."
"They make me feel like..."
"...I belonged there."
He looked down at his hand.
"...Or maybe they weren't even mine."
Volt scratched his head.
"So..."
"You don't know if you were some big shot before?"
Blaze simply shook his head.
"...No."
Volt sighed.
"Pointless asking then."
Suddenly his eyes lit up.
"Wait."
"I know."
"What if I start naming famous players?"
"Maybe something triggers your memory."
Blaze nodded slightly.
"Worth trying."
Volt thought for a moment.
"...Aethelgard?"
Blaze shook his head.
"No."
"...Valkyrie_Zero?"
"No."
"...Kaelthas_Void?"
"...No."
"...Ragnarok_Rex?"
"No."
I looked toward Volt.
"...Who are those?"
Volt smiled slightly.
"Old legends."
"Famous players back before EndGame."
"The kind everyone knew."
He continued.
"...Quantum_Phantom."
"...Solaris_Echo."
Then...
He spoke another name.
"...V_Bl4ck_Calamity."
The atmosphere changed.
Immediately.
Blaze froze.
Completely.
The spoon slipped from his hand.
"..."
His breathing became uneven.
His eyes widened.
For the first time...
Since I met him...
He looked shaken.
"...Blaze?"
He didn't answer.
His lips moved slightly.
"...Black..."
"..."
"...V..."
"I..."
"...know..."
"...that..."
I immediately looked toward Volt.
"Who..."
"...Who's V_Bl4ck_Calamity?"
Volt's smile disappeared.
His expression became unusually serious.
"...A monster."
He quietly stared into the fire.
"One of the most notorious players SkyRealm has ever seen."
"A name older players still remember."
"A player whose strength rivaled World Rankers..."
"...And even Administrators."
I stayed silent.
Volt continued.
"He wasn't famous because he saved people."
"He was famous because wherever he appeared..."
"Chaos followed."
"Cities burned."
"Guilds collapsed."
"Entire alliances disappeared."
"He conquered."
"He destroyed."
"He ruled through fear."
"They say..."
"He was one of the players trapped inside the original EndGame Tournament."
"A man with no life outside the virtual world."
"SkyRealm became his entire existence."
"Back then..."
"Almost every veteran player feared him."
"Only a handful of people were willing to stand against him."
Volt slowly poked the campfire with a stick.
"...Even the Empire today..."
"...Uses many of the same methods he once did."
"Fear."
"Suppression."
"Absolute force."
"Some historians even believe..."
"The Empire unknowingly adopted parts of his philosophy."
"...What happened to him?" I quietly asked.
Volt slowly shook his head.
"Nobody knows."
"The last confirmed sighting..."
"...Was on a battlefield."
"He challenged the Three Legendary Heroes."
"After that..."
"He vanished."
"No body."
"No grave."
"No answers."
Silence filled the cave.
Blaze remained completely still.
"...V..."
He whispered quietly.
"...Black..."
"I..."
"I know that name..."
His hand slowly moved toward his forehead.
"...Why..."
"It hurts..."
Volt looked at him carefully.
"...Interesting."
"So somehow..."
"You're connected to V_Bl4ck_Calamity."
I immediately stood up.
"That's enough."
Both of them looked at me.
"This conversation is getting out of hand."
"We're exhausted."
"We need sleep."
Volt let out a sigh.
"...Yeah."
"I guess you're right."
He stood up and stretched.
"Tomorrow's another long day."
One by one we began preparing for bed.
Volt crawled inside his tent first.
I finished putting away the cooking supplies before grabbing my sleeping bag.
As I was about to enter my tent...
I noticed Blaze was still sitting beside the fire.
Staring quietly into the flames.
"...Blaze?"
He looked toward me.
"You're not sleeping?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'll stay on watch."
"You go ahead."
"I'll sleep later."
I hesitated.
"...You sure?"
He nodded.
"I'll be fine."
I smiled softly.
"...Don't stay up too long."
"I won't."
I finally stepped inside my tent.
The camp gradually fell silent.
Outside...
Blaze remained sitting beside the dying campfire.
His eyes reflected the flames.
But his thoughts were somewhere else.
One name echoed endlessly inside his mind.
V_Bl4ck_Calamity.
For the first time since Ryze met him...
Blaze wasn't simply confused.
He was afraid.
Not of the future.
But of what his own forgotten past might reveal.
[]
Hello, author here! I just want to thank you all so much for the incredible support—our story just passed 100k views! I am so grateful to every single one of you. At the same time, I want to apologize for the slow updates lately. I assure you that I have no plans to drop this story; I will absolutely continue writing it. Thanks again for sticking with me!