Four hours. That's how long I was in there.
Four hours.
I was lucky that Dominic hadn't played Realm before. He died nearly five minutes after he spawned. I took the first game following the cheers (and collective boos) of the crowd. What I didn't realize was that he knew nothing about me. So, when he announced that we were speed running "Pokemon Fire-Red", I felt awesome. I beat his record by about twelve minutes, leaving him in a deluge of tears.
The audience had never seen their champion beaten so quickly. They roared and cried, in happiness and in pain. I lifted a gigantic golden trophy above my head. I won't get into the specifics of the game, I want to move on to the important stuff.
So, through his streaming eyes, Dominic looked at S, who nodded and motioned with his hand. Shaking, he clasped a lever on the ground and took us down. In the sub-basement, we stood surrounded by tons of swords, armor, and hero equipment that made my eyes flow.
"How'd you get all this?"
"Dominic is a collector of many things. Games and weaponry are simply a few of the categories that he possesses." S nodded to a certain glass case. "Now, your end of the bargain, Dominic."
Dominic nodded and punched in a code. He did a retinal scan, a voice recognition test, and a series of bird calls, before the lock finally clicked. He pulled out a medium sized single edged black blade.
Its dark glow flashed in my eyes. "Stygian Iron?"
He nodded and burst into tears again. "I guess I lost." He sniffled and clapped me on the back. "But it's still nice to know that there's another amazing gamer out there." He looked at his prized sword and patted it. "Take care of it."
I nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll keep it safe."
"Actually," S brought up, "Our deal proclaimed that the winner got to keep it until further notice, which means that you are the rightful owner of it for all of eternity.
Though he said that I was the sword's rightful owner, I could not see myself wielding the sword. This sword was meant for someone born in darkness, shrouded in shadow, someone who could contain the souls the sword consumed.
I still grasped on to it, shook hands with Dominic, and left his house invigorated.
"I knew that you could do it," said S. "You were always quite the gamer, Eye or no Eye. Which reminds me," he gestured to me. "Back on."
I sighed and blinked. "Very well."
He grinned. "Now, we have accomplished part 1 of our general plan. Part 2 is much harder than playing video games." He began to walk northwest.
"Where are we headed?"
His smile somehow got wider than it already was. "To a place that you already know very well."
I was confused. I knew many places very well, had them completely mapped out inch by inch in my head. Which one was he referring to? I followed him, thoroughly puzzled, through the woods.
We camped out underneath the stars, as we always did. The sword glowed even more in the firelight, capturing the flickers of light and absorbing them into its eternal darkness. It was fascinating to watch the sword consume the smaller things and strengthen the wielder, but I knew that even the wielder would one day have to put it away. There was no way I could replace my sword for a monstrosity such as the sword I now held.
"Why did I have to get this?"
S looked up from the fire. "I beg your pardon?"
"Why did I have to defeat Dominic and retrieve the sword?"
He looked at me rather curiously, as if I was meant to be cooking in the fire. "You will understand soon enough, child. There are some things that, when the time comes, are best revealed through surprise. Your focus is redefined, you are stronger and more tense, and you trust your instincts more. It is best if I keep the information from you."
"Tell me, or else I will not help you."
"If you do not help me, I will kill you."
I raised my eyebrows. "You obviously need me, or else by this point, I would be dead. Maybe if you do not tell me, I will kill myself."
His expression darkened, "Very well. You remember the prophecy, do you not?"
I nodded. "Of course, I do. The entire fate of humanity rested in it. She talked?"
"A few moments before we killed her, in fact. She was broken and weak anyways, so there was no point in using her."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"The prophecy instructs the two main objects that we need to awaken Lord Kronos. We know the beasts that must be slain in order to raise him. One such beast is the Draconian Crusher. It is a gigantic beast capable of destroying worlds. It resides on the border of Canada and is quite the sight to behold. Its hide is incredibly strong, and to access the spoils of war, we will need to slay it."
"And the sword is the only thing?"
"Correct."
I nodded. It made sense. "And where is its lair, exactly?"
"I already told you. A place that you are incredibly familiar with, a place you have visited on multiple occasions. I did not think I would have to spell it our for you."
I looked confused for a moment, then my eyes raised in recognition. No, anywhere but there, anywhere but there.