The ground didn't feel real.
It was mossy,but not too perfect - like something out of a fake forest,downloaded from memory, Vines looped through black stones. Trees leaped high into the sky that pixelated when they blinked to hard.
A loud ping echoed.
Althea pressed it.
" THE START BUTTON!" Aveline emphasized looking directly at Althea with rage in her eyes.
" Didn't mean to-!" said Althea quickly pulling her hand back from the glowing pedestal."I thought we'd go back to the menu!"
Aveline spun towards her, eyes wide with terror.
" who told you to press that thing?!",she barked "who told?!". Althea shaking in fear couldn't speak, she could only mumble.
" What's wrong with you?, speak up! " Aveline screamed.
SLAP !
Aveline hand flew before she could stop it .
Althea gasped,one hand pressed to her cheek. Her voice cracked, half rage,half fear.
" You didn't have to hit me!,I'm just trying to help us! You're the one standing there stiff!". Aveline about to attack Althea, Althea reacted quickly and pushed Aveline.
Aveline stepped back panting, her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.
Whispered" I don't even know what this place is, i haven't even used my feet to step on dirty things before.....i"
The tension snapped as someone stepped into the clearing .
He moved like he wasn't part of this place, his hair black and neat. His eyes- icy blue,unreadable, his hands was a strange glowing board,pulsing red light and arcane symbols.
" Are you girls lost ?" He asked calmly.
They both stared.
" No ", Althea said lying.
Aveline shook head slightly, as if she hoped to wake up from this.
He didn't explain anything. He didn't say what this game was, why they were here orhow could they leave. He just handed a board to them.
The moment Althea fingers it ,the board blinked:
PROFILE: GAME UNIVERSE
ACTIVE PLAYERS :5
ERROR:DATA MISMATCH
"What's going on?".Aveline whispered, why are you looking at us like...we're macho fighters?.
"Yeah! " her sister echoed.
The boy didn't answer.
That when they saw it. A tall mirror embedded in a tree's bark - like the forest had grown around it .
They approached, cautiously looked
And froze.
Althea now had dark skin that shimmered like obsidian lit from within. Her eyes blazed with electric blue,and her cheek bore markings like glowing war paint, her long icy aqua blue hair floating gently,as if reacting to the air ,a battle- ready dress in shades of teal, blue and gold. High boots with diamond-shaped gem.
While Aveline,her skin light and radiant- almost glowing, big expressive sky blue eyes ,her hair long flowing platinum gold glowing with ethereal light, a shimmering dress of pastel pink, whites and blues shaped like a royal battle robe and a white boot.
....
They didn't say anything at first, then softly:
"Why did enter this place ?"
As if summoned by their voices, the forest around them began to shake.
A low growl .
Then another.
Mireka: the shatter queen emphasized by Althea
"How did you know? " asked Aveline
"It's written on top of the monster " said Althea
"Oooh" Aveline said.
Suddenly,Mireka started hitting her body on the trees forming sharp light which then formed clones of herself, which were fast and deadly. Althea and Aveline looked so shocked and the battle began,
Mireka clones moved fast,hitting Althea to the ground,Althea picked up a stick and threw it at the clone but they just duplicated,Aveline paralyzed in fear couldn't do anything but watch. Suddenly, Mireka was about to launch at Aveline, Althea launch to protect her sister ,a glowing blue spear appeared in hair hand protecting them from the attack.
"Nice,let get party started! " Althea screamed running towards Mireka, she slashed into the clones and saw her heart glass and Althea broke it ,Mireka clone disappeared into dust , Aveline seeing her sister fighting with so much strength mastered confidence and summoned a bow and arrow, shooting at Mireka, the two sisters fighting together was magical.
The battlefield was nothing but chaos, the clones flickered in and out like strobe of lights - too fast to follow, many to count.
Althea and Aveline stood back-to-back breathing hard,their weapons glowing,their bodies glitched from taking to much hits - their spirits holding strong.
"I can't tell which one's real",Aveline whispered,tears brimming from her eyes.
"I can,"growled Althea,eyes locked. "The one that's not afraid to bleed."
Suddenly, Mireka screamed- high, cold and layered with a thousands voices her chest split open ,the heartglass pulsing red -hot for fraction of a second.
"Now!"
Althea darted forward,her spear blazing with ancient code.
Aveline ran behind, leaping as her sister stabbed.
Aveline jumped onto the hilt of Althea spear, one foot mid-air.
With a fierce cry, she raised her bow and arrow, eyes blazing with fury and power.
Slammed into the heartglass.
CRACK!
Time froze
All clones shattered.
The sky turned black.
Mireka's body exploded into shards of light, dissolving into the void with one hiss :
" Two made one ... One made war....But you
brought the end ".
And then silence.
The pixel sky glimmered level one complete .