Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

12. Truth of Artemia

"The cloud of death is a portion of the cloud that has been cursed by Eagle, and it is a dangerous cloud. It descends to the surface the instant it becomes black and feeds on everything that fits in its mouth," Blake said this in a tone that was much too harsh. "It's likely that the three kings are engaged in battle as we speak."

"Then, those three are the root of the problem."

Everything should be in working order now that we've exterminated the cloud. However, that does not seem to be the case. In fact, it looks as if things took a turn for the worst as a result of that. We have no clue what is going on, but it appears like Mount Leona is about to get swallowed up by some sort of cloud.

My head began to ache, rendering me completely helpless. Seriously, why is this happening now?! I couldn't help but fall to my knees while clinging to my head. When I had the sensation that something had hit my heart, my eyes widened. My head was spinning from the blood I was coughing up. f**k it, I can't hear anything at all.

They were screaming so loudly that I could feel the vibrations of their shouts, but I couldn't understand what they were trying to say. It seemed as if my body was giving up, and my consciousness was being imprisoned in some sort of cage inside me. And it was definitely not a pleasant feeling.

Even though I made many attempts to get control of myself, I eventually lost consciousness. Just before everything turned to pitch dark, I saw a faint light coming from a distance. That light seemed like my salvation amidst all of the pain that I'm currently feeling. If only I had gotten my hands on it...

"Yuki..."

"Princess Yuki..."

"Is she sick?"

"Apparently, the princess has been cursed."

"Who could have done such a thing? Show yourself right this moment."

"It can only be the three kings."

"What's going to happen to us now? The war must go on."

I fixed my gaze on the crowds of people who were gathered around someone. It seems to be a person called Yuki. However, I couldn't make out their face well. Lately, I've been hearing that name in my dreams. I had no idea what it meant or who the person was, so I didn't pay attention to it, assuming it wasn't significant to me at the time.

Ah, what the hell...

To be quite honest, I have no idea what is going on right now. Passing unconscious at the foot of Mount Leona is the last thing I recall happening to me. But it was strange that when I woke up, I was already in some type of cabin. Despite the large number of people there, they are unable to see or hear me.

I'm not dead, am I...?

"Yuki, you better rest. I'll be handling everything for now, so you don't have to worry..."

When I realized who was speaking, my eyes widened in surprise. That was definitely Blake's voice! He's here, but I'm not sure whether it's really him or if it's just my imagination playing tricks on me again. But I'll have to go see for myself. I hoped that I could finally be saved from this strange scenario because of his voice. Although I was wondering who Yuki is, I decided to just approach them.

Just as I was going to squeeze into the space to come closer, a shadow pulled me away from that place. It had such a firm grasp on my hand that it seemed like it had no intention of releasing me! I was at a loss for what to do, but it didn't appear to be an enemy. That was my gut feeling speaking, but I refuse to trust it. I feel like I'll get myself killed if I do.

"Who are you?" I kept asking, but it never gave me a response.

I clenched my teeth and struggled to break free of its hold on my hand. It strengthened its grip on me with each attempt to flee, nearly ripping my hand off. What a jerk! It's as if the asshole was trying to kill me! As much as I want to escape from him, I can't do it. I was about to cry because of the pain and fear, but I couldn't do anything.

"Let me go!" I screamed and kicked its gut.

When it dropped to the ground, I took advantage of the opportunity and ran away, attempting to get away from it as quickly as possible. Although I said that it did not seem to be an enemy, I made no mention of the possibility that it may be an ally. There's no way I'm trusting someone who just dragged me out of a scene without saying anything.

Shit! It was chasing after me, I swear! I rushed faster in an attempt to outrun that person, but it was moving much quicker than I was! My heart was racing, and I tried to look back at it to see if I'd finally lost it. Because of what I did, I stumbled over an infuriating rock. Seriously, even in my dreams?! Everything went dark as soon as my face hit the ground, just like what happened when I passed out earlier.

"Guys, Ivory is awake!"

"Silence, please."

"Sorry."

The blinding light startled me as I slowly opened my eyes, attempting to adapt them to the bright sunlight. The first thing I noticed about them was their anxious expressions. They seem to be on the verge of breaking down. I suppose that only goes to demonstrate how awful my situation was...

What in the world just happened to me...?

When I tried to sit properly, I became dizzy. Oh, crap. As I attempted to recollect what had happened, I clutched my head. Everything seems to be too complex right now, and I am unable to think clearly. That dream seemed to be quite crucial in our journey, but I honestly can't recall any of its details.

"Are you okay?" Dylan worriedly asked, his voice filled with concern as he assisted me in lying down.

"My head hurts..." I whimpered.

Freya and another healer have been casting spells on me nonstop for the last several days, but they don't appear to be working. The discomfort isn't going away, and I'm at a loss on what to do about it. There is a great deal going on. After a few more minutes, the discomfort began to subside, and I was able to speak. We were grateful to the other healer who had left us in order to give us privacy, so we handed her money as a thank you.

"I had a dream about someone named Yuki. Although it is not me, that individual seems to be related to the history of Artemia. It seemed like they were discussing war or something."

"A war? Against who?"

"Based on what I heard, it's possible that the three kings are the enemies."

I've been thinking about this for a long time now, but there should at least be former inhabitants here in Artemia, right? If there were no indications of civilization in the area, I would not have come to that conclusion. To be honest, I assumed those three took their time in making everything because I was too naïve. But now that my eyes have been opened, I want to know plenty of things.

However, it doesn't seem like those three actually went through all the way to create this whole dimension. Freya informed us that she had the ability to view memories via objects that have life in them, and they illustrated images of individuals that appeared similar to our present avatars. We now know for a fact that humans lived in this area before us. Moreover, it is unusual that they have disappeared without a trace!

Everything about this universe, as well as those rulers, is perplexing. My suspicion is that they did something to the missing Artemians before we arrived on the island. However, there is no way for us to confirm our suspicions for the time being. And I'm certain that we won't be able to accomplish anything even if we can prove it. I mean, they're the ones who set the rules for this dimension!

To be honest, what occurred before they transformed this realm into a virtual reality game remains a mystery. All I know is that there was a war back then since that is what the people in my dream were talking about at the time. That Yuki person from my dreams seems to be in the center of all of this. I feel a strong connection to that person, but I'm not really sure why. Perhaps she was the one who has been creating these little clues that led me to the conclusion that the kings are up to no good.

To be quite honest, Artemia's background has absolutely nothing to do with us. But for some reason, I'm feeling a great need to find out what happened. I have a strong feeling that I must know everything and fulfill their mission. It's absolutely bizarre since we're not even convinced that anything occurred before this occurred.

I groaned and looked up at the ceiling, attempting to connect as many dots as I possibly could. So far, all I've learned is that there was a battle and that there is a character called Yuki. Getting to the bottom of the mystery of the three kings is still a long way off for me. Of course, that can't stop me from trying to find out whether there was something that happened. Maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I thought that if we could find out, we could defeat the kings and survive altogether.

"I'm curious as to why those three decided to create this whole scheme," Blake said as he looked at all of us. "I have a sense they did it for amusement purposes, but it's possible they had another motive."

Right! Obviously, if all they sought was amusement, they would not go to such lengths as to put in that much effort. However, it's possible that there was something that was used as a factor in their choice. They seem to be after something, and it's frightening to think that we have no clue what it is. They could be after us, and we wouldn't have any ways of confirming such things. But I think this has something to do with the whole concept of eliminating teams and letting only one group succeed. I feel like they're also looking for someone.

When the flood of plausible causes began to flow through my mind, my heart began to race. I couldn't figure them out, and the only thing I could do was groan in frustration. We need to take action now that the idea that the kings are attempting to do something that might include us has been brought up. I don't want to waste my time sitting here until the truth magically approaches us. That's obviously not going to happen, and I'm frustrated that we're not at a level where we can investigate further.

"This can affect the players in a bad way, right? There are all sorts of possibilities after all," Dylan said as he sat beside me.

"Yes. But we have no way of confirming everything."

We quietly talked because it's possible that those three are watching or listening right now. It would be very perilous if they were to discover our true goals. It's probable that they'll summon us to the sky castle, which is literally located in the clouds, for interrogation. I don't think they would spare us even if we beg for our lives. Right now, I'm using our chances of surviving as a motivation to continue living, so I can't have them take our lives too quickly.

"I already constructed a barrier to protect this unit from them. They won't hear anything, don't worry," Blake told me as he winked.

To taunt him, I gave him a disgusted expression. As a result, instead of becoming angry, he laughed. Oh, he's not as readily enraged anymore. Because of that, I pouted and averted my gaze because the way he laughed made me feel something I shouldn't have felt at the time. No, there's just no way. I can't have feelings for this guy, right? The one that I like is Dylan. Yes, it's him. I'm pretty sure that I'm just surprised by Blake's sudden change.

Dylan looked at me with a gaze that was full of jealousy. "What should we do now, Ivory?" he asked, his voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

Oh my, that's terrible. I have no idea why he is behaving in such a strange manner! Is it Blake or me that he likes? He never confessed to me or anything, so I can't assume that he wants me. How am I supposed to behave accordingly? Because I'm becoming more perplexed by the way they are currently acting! If they keep being like this, I'm genuinely going to believe that they're simply playing games with me. Although I'm infatuated with Dylan, I don't want him to keep on leading me on.

However, it is not the appropriate moment to be thinking about them! We need to track down whatever leads we can since we're starting from the beginning with this investigation. Nothing except a few shards of the past that are completely dependent on my recollections, which are not in the least bit dependable, may allow us to uncover the secret of the kings. The number of strategies we may devise to prove that the three kings are hatching another conspiracy against Artemia and the players will be limited.

Honestly speaking, I'm quite scared because of what we're about to do. This is, to be honest, a pretty delicate situation. Because we're going to attempt to defy the laws of the game. We're up against literal kings, who are probably very powerful. After seeing their appearances on a few hologram-like images in the sky, I already knew that they're not people I should mess with. That fact alone scares me, especially after swearing to protect my friends. Who knows, we could even end up being executed. Damn, I don't want that at all.

I cleared my throat. "We'll attempt to take on a few tasks that could be linked to this, despite the fact that we have zero leads and virtually no means of confirming it. It'll be challenging because I'm certain that they'll be those difficult, high-level challenges. You three, are you still willing to go through with it?" I asked, my voice firm.

They nodded with conviction in their eyes. "Yes."

I smirked. "Well then, should we unveil the truth of Artemia while we're making our way out?"