Publish Or Perish

@Omega_to_Alpha | Prompt 1 • Jul '18

Ludi Vitae 

by Omega_to_Alpha [published on 13-07-2018, word count: 1473]

Stretching out, the bony hand clawed and ripped at the air, desperate to wrench him int the abyss. A simple slice and stab were all it took to shut up the owner of the said hand. Honestly, it was bothersome. Welp, the old man didn't need it anymore. His life, that is.

'This is boring...'

He wanted to get through this level as soon as possible. He wanted to know, what came next. Who was he to face next?

Curiosity overrode all logic.

"Welcome back, Lucio," A distant, distorted voice. It echoed throughout the otherwise still void. It was a sort of interval before the game escalated another level.

"How have you been doing?" A figure, blanketed by wisps of smoke or light (the composition was unknown), materialized.

Lucio stiffened, his adversary's gleaming eyes, that were the only distinguishable feature, peered directly into his own. "Off with your petty greetings! You're making it harder for me to show restraint every time!"

"Give it up then. Give up your life to me."

"That's likely to happen. I'm not a mere human!"

"Suit yourself." The wisps disappeared.

"...Whatever," Lucio moved on to the next stage.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This level was set in an arena, with a pool of hot, bubbling lava as the ground. Perfect trap for his opposition. When he was done with them, there won't even be ashes left to bury. They would all drown in his fury.

Somewhere inside his body, Lucio felt his innards clench.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Well done, boy,"

At least the voice sounded much more human now, and much more familiar too. It stirred a not-so-foreign feeling of butterflies fluttering inside his stomach. Why? He didn't have an answer. Not that he needed one anyway. It would simply be a waste of time, trying to decipher emotions and feelings. He had better things to do now. He had a purpose. He had to complete this game, attain a diverse artillery of power-ups. It filled him with a newfound excitement, it drove him crazy.

It was something he lacked a while ago. It stirred something inside him.

Smelled like curiosity mixed with a load of SIN. He had a feeling, something had changed. Something had snapped inside him, a long time ago. But he took notice that day.

He felt different.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Why do you do it?" The wisps grew agitated.

"Pardon? I don't understand."

"Why do you kill them, without so much blinking?" The wisps now solidified to form a face, torso, and limbs but Lucio still couldn't snag a good look at its features. The voice, it seemed to belong to an old friend.

"Because I like to. It's my world, I can handle it however I want. You're no one to tell me what to do. You were also into this stuff a while ago, were you not? Sure, you hadn't explored all the possibilities or the thrill, but let me tell you, you did a great job finding this out. You were on the right track... I wonder why you didn't take a step toward it. We are the only ones who can do it right? I mean, nobody else has realized that this is the only choice.