The air was heavy, thick with the scent of food and fresh cider. It was silent, except for the crackling of a roaring fire. Aella looked around, seeing dark wood paneling on the walls of the massive two-story room, and dark wood bookcases filled with books behind her. In front of her was a large marble fireplace, a roaring fire inside warming her body and making her feel relaxed. A man stood in front of it, one arm leaning on the mantle.

He wore black armor, the many pieces fitting perfectly together. His posture showed he was exhausted, but contemplative. He was motionless, save for the slow rising and falling of his shoulders as he took a breath. A black cape and a helmet with black wings extending from the sides lay in a plush, red velvet chair to his left. A black sword sheath with a black metal hilt lay propped up against one side. A small side table next to the chair held food, small jets of steam rising from them.

She ducked behind the closest bookcase, watching him.

A voice came from somewhere above her, but she couldn't see who it was from. "Where did you go?"

The figure in front of the fireplace didn't move, but his head lowered slightly. "Out."

"And you messed up?"

The man turned his head, glaring at someone on the second floor.

She inhaled sharply, noticing that his golden eyes seem to glow in the light of the fire. Then they turned on her.

She backed up, then screamed as everything turned bright, and the roar of an explosion filled the air. Sleet stung her skin, and the ground rumbled beneath her feet.

She stood on a hilltop, and below her two armies clashed. Blood stained the ground at her feet, and the lightning lit up the darkness. She coughed as she inhaled the smoke from the raging fires.

A figure in black armor appeared in front of her, wearing a mask. Smoke poured from it, and it looked like a deathly ghost, its eyes glowing red. It held out a hand to her, standing out from the chaos as the only thing that stood silent and motionless on the battlefield. "Come home," it said, it's voice deep and rich.

She gasped, jolting awake.

She blinked as she took in the ceiling above her in her room. She was in the Game Center. Gentle rays of sunlight lay across her, and illuminated her room. She slowed her breathing and rolled onto her side.

"Clock," she whispered.

"Good morning, Aella," the Computer stated. "It is 6:05. Alarm set for 6:20. Shall I turn off the alarm.

Aella closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes." She wrapped her arms around her body and squeezed, realizing she was trembling. The dreams have only gotten worse.

She shook her head, and moved so that her legs were dangling over the side of the bed. She looked out of her window, seeing the blue sky above, and the fluffy white clouds that were drifting lazily overhead. Her room was quiet, peaceful in the early morning. She took a deep breath and exhaled, letting her shoulders loosen.

"Day 2," she whispered. "Remember you are doing this so you can fight against your enemies. You fight to avenge Chloe." Her hand touched the crystal hanging at her neck, and she nodded. "I promised you, Chloe. I haven't forgotten."

She stood from the bed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, yawning. She moved over to her dresser, and starting rifling through the articles of clothing. "Computer, send a message to Luke alerting him that I will be entering the game soon."

"Message sent," the Computer said.

***

Month 1, Day 2, 7:00:20; Arvium, Home

She paused halfway down the first floor steps of Anadon's home, her hand gripping the stairway. The clink of silverware and boisterous conversation filled the air from the dining room, interspersed with laughter.

She squared her shoulders and walked down the last few steps, then entered the dining room. Her eyes widened as she recognized the people sitting around the table.

Anadon was sitting at the head of the table near the doorway, and he stood when she entered. "Welcome," he said, bowing his head to her. He motioned with his hand to the seat to his left that was empty. "Please, join us."

She smiled and sat in the chair, scooting it forward so she was closer to the table. Her eyes wandered over the various bowls and plates of food, and she felt her stomach rumble.

Anadon sat back down in his seat and handed her a clean plate. "Feel free to eat whatever looks good to you," he said. "Each of you have a voucher for the first week's food rations, but this morning is my treat."

"Thank you," she said, nodding to him.

"Aella," a deep voice called to her.

She looked up, and to the end of the table, where the light blue-skinned giant and his sister sat. Fighter and Sailor-that's fitting since they're such strong people.

She smiled as she recognized his long aqua blue hair and silver eyes. "Gemini," she said. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise," he said. He pointed to the other people around the table. "You've met my sister, Gemina, and you've met Maeva."

Aella turned her head to the woman sitting in front of her, laughing softly as the woman raised a scarlet eyebrow, then turned her attention back to her food. Merchant.

"And Sigmund stepped out for a moment but--"

"Did someone miss me?" a new voice said.

Aella turned her head as the orange-haired man stepped into the room.

He stopped next to Aella and bowed to her, giving her a mini salute. "A pleasure as always, ma'am."

Aella smiled as he walked behind her and took the seat next to her. And Resource-a full team.

"That makes everyone," Anadon said, as he stood.

The conversations stopped as everyone turned their attention to the man. "First, allow me to welcome you to the Beta Game, and to my home. I am a Fighter in the Mortia guild, so if anyone has questions about my profession or my guild, I am happy to answer them. I hope to be a guide for each one of you as you start your journey, and as you progress in the game. If there are any questions I cannot answer, I will try to find someone who does and point you in their direction. Again, welcome, and dig in."

Aella smiled and started to add food onto her plate, listening as the others talked among themselves. The food was delicious, and she chuckled at the jokes Gemini cracked, and the squabbles him and his sister seemed to start every other minute. Sigmund was witty as well, and had a fierce intelligence behind his calm demeanor. Maeva was still a mystery, keeping to herself.

Aella met the woman's eyes and they stared at each other for a moment before Maeva turned her head back to her food.

"So, the plan is to go to the tavern and try to find some quests then?" Gemini said.

Aella looked up from her food with her eyebrows raised. Remind me again to not let my thoughts wander. I miss too much.

"I'm for it," Sigmund answered. "Will you be joining us, Aella?"

She shrugged. "Which tavern is it?"

Gemini nodded. "It's right by the High Council Building, and it's a neutral zone. Most of the guilds have their own taverns inside of their Guild Halls, but since we can't join a guild yet, we thought we could try the main one."

Aella nodded. "I'll walk with you, but I want to buy some supplies in the High Council market and start my weapons skill tests. I'll go with you to the tavern next time."

"Aye," Maeva answered. "Me too."

"It's a plan for us three, then," Gemini said, using his thumb to point to his sister and Sigmund.

"If you are looking for quests, I would check with the NPC's in the High Council market and the local shops," Anadon said.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Most of the merchants will need resources and they are easy missions into the countryside, and some even require fights with low level prey. You will gain credits and items with each quest. Most of the Alphas repeat the quests in their downtime."

"What about free-range exploring and the larger quests?" Sigmund asked.

Aella frowned. That's right--how are we supposed to find the portals?

Anadon placed his utensils on his plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin before he continued. "The goal of the Alpha and Beta Games is exploration, and finding the keypieces to unlock the portal. Each city has a massive exploration zone with areas of ranging difficulty. As you clear these areas, you will be given different quests. With each quest you complete, you will advance in credits, skills, and rewards. You will gain keypieces as you progress, and when the first team has completed their key, the portal to the next city will appear in the capitol. When a new system opens, a system portal will open here in Arvium city."

"What is our goal now?" Gemini asked.

"A very good question," Anadon said, nodding to him. "Find mini quests and get a feel of the game this week. I would recommend finding a job that you can do on a regular basis as a means of keeping a steady stream of credits coming in. Also, each one of you needs to be doing quests that relate to your profession. Once you are established in your profession you can start branching out and gaining skills in other areas, but for now, you need to get the basics down and start building up your magic grimoires, and building up your weapon or skill sets. Find a weapon you like and practice with it, and develop techniques."

"What is your single most-important piece of advice you can give us?" Gemina said.

Anadon rubbed his chin for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Save up your credits and get a good set of armor you can build onto. It will keep you alive long enough for your to build your magic and skill meters."

"What happens when you die in the Game?" Aella said. She shrugged when the other players looked at her with a mix of confusion and horror on their faces.

Anadon turned to her, his face devoid of any emotion. "You are reincarnated as an NPC with some free will and abilities, or you stay in the underworld. To my knowledge, becoming an NPC is the only way you can escape the underworld unless you decide to leave the Game altogether."

Aella nodded. So the wraith was sending players to the underworld. But who were they?

"Sounds like we need to go visit the tavern to see if we can pick up any quests, and start fulfilling the skills challenges. We head to the High Council Training Center for weapons and skills challenges, right?" Gemini said.

Anadon nodded. "You are correct."

"Is everyone ready?" Gemina said, standing and placing her utensils on her plate.

Aella nodded to Anadon and stood as well. "Thank you for breakfast." Her eyes widened as the plate disappeared, along with her utensils and cup, leaving behind a clean surface.

"It was no problem," Anadon said, waving his hand.

"Shall we be off then?" Gemini asked.

Aella smiled as the two siblings made their way out of the room, followed by Maeva and Sigmund. She smiled at Anadon, then followed after them.